Grounded With Chuck Quinley podcast

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المحتوى المقدم من Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not. يتم تحميل جميع محتويات البودكاست بما في ذلك الحلقات والرسومات وأوصاف البودكاست وتقديمها مباشرة بواسطة Learn to be steady even if the world around you is not أو شريك منصة البودكاست الخاص بهم. إذا كنت تعتقد أن شخصًا ما يستخدم عملك المحمي بحقوق الطبع والنشر دون إذنك، فيمكنك اتباع العملية الموضحة هنا https://ar.player.fm/legal.

This Is Woman's Work with Nicole Kalil

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The 3 N’s - Negotiation, Networking & No with Kathryn Valentine | 327 37:43

منذ 5 weeks37:43

التشغيل لاحقا

قوائم

إعجاب

احب

37:43

Let’s talk about the three things women are told not to do: negotiate, network unapologetically, and say no like we mean it. Most of us have been programmed to default to yes—to the point that we feel guilty saying no, even when it’s the most obvious answer. And when we do say no? We often soften it, explain it away, and sugarcoat it so much that it barely sounds like a no at all. Kathryn Valentine—CEO of Worthmore Strategies and corporate badass helping companies retain and promote female talent—is here to flip that script. With experience advising Fortune 100s and dropping knowledge in places like HBR and Fast Company, Kathryn knows exactly how women can claim their worth, own their voice, and not feel bad about it. From salary talks to schedule shifts, from asking for more to turning down what doesn’t serve you, this episode is your reminder: your power doesn't come from being liked. It comes from knowing what matters and having the guts to go after it. Kathryn even drops her epic list of 76 things you can negotiate (yes, SEVENTY-SIX). So if you've ever softened your no or stayed silent in a meeting, this one’s for you. Connect with Kathryn: Website: www.worthmorestrategies.com 76 Things You Can Negotiate: www.76things.com Related Podcast Episodes: The Hard Truths Of Entrepreneurship with Dr. Darnyelle Jervey Harmon | 313 Toxic Productivity with Israa Nasir | 254 Be A Likeable Badass with Alison Fragale | 230 Share the Love: If you found this episode insightful, please share it with a friend, tag us on social media, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform! 🔗 Subscribe & Review: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

منزل السلاسل•Feed

Grounded is a podcast by Chuck Quinley covering the power of our personal narrative, mindset, relational network, and meaningful work, all from a Christian perspective.
www.quinley.com

28 حلقات

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

updated منذ عام واحد

منزل السلاسل•Feed

Grounded is a podcast by Chuck Quinley covering the power of our personal narrative, mindset, relational network, and meaningful work, all from a Christian perspective.
www.quinley.com

28 حلقات

كل الحلقات

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
Knowing Who You Really Are in Christ 14:49

منذ 14 weeks14:49

14:49

Today, I want to talk about the importance of knowing who you really are. From the moment of birth we start trying to answer the questions: Who am I and why am I here? (e.g., Is there purpose in my life?) and I’m not sure most people ever fully answer it. The problem is what you use to identify yourself. Traditionally, 1. Personal Characteristics and Traits Personality: “I’m introverted, creative, or compassionate.” Skills and Talents: Proficiency in areas like art, athletics, or intellectual pursuits can shape identity (e.g., "I am a writer" or "I am an athlete"). Values and Beliefs: “I’m passionate about…” 2. Cultural and Ethnic Background Ethnicity and Heritage: "I am Nigerian" or "I am Italian-American". Language: “I’m a native Spanish speaker…” The language(s) one speaks can be a strong marker of identity, connecting individuals to their community or diaspora. * Religion and Spirituality: Many people derive identity from their religious or spiritual beliefs (e.g., "I am a Christian," "I am a Buddhist"). 4. Family and Relationships: Lineage: Some find identity in their family history or legacy. Familial Roles: People often identify as a parent, sibling, or child, with family dynamics playing a significant role (e.g., "I am a mother"). 5. Occupation and Career: “ I’m a sales rep for a northeastern paper company…” 6. Social and Political Affiliations: Political Beliefs: People may identify with ideologies or movements, such as liberalism, conservatism, or environmentalism (e.g., "I am a feminist"). Nationality: Citizenship or allegiance to a country often plays a role (e.g., "I am American"). 7. Hobbies and Interests: - Passions, such as gaming, music, or travel, can be central to identity (e.g., "I am a gamer" or "I am an adventurer"). 8. Nowadays we’re encouraged to identify ourselves by our traumas: “I’m a survivor of childhood abuse…” “I’m a breast cancer survivor,” OR by our victimhood in having a life condition we aren’t responsible for: “I’m bipolar, etc.” 9 . And the new idea that our entire identity is completely perceptual and fluid, such as Identifying as an animal or a mythical creature. (There’s a huge difference in saying, “I can identify with cats…” Vs “I identify as a cat.” The problem with all of this is that… It’s mostly external to us, just the random factors in our life (e.g., being born male). It may be dependent upon our performance and the acceptance of a social group to maintain this identity. (Nobody gets to be a pilot forever). As a Christian seeking a stable and meaningful identity you need to look no further than the first page of the Bible, the creation narrative. The Bible grounds human identity in a relationship with God, and our God-given role in this world. * Creatures made with special purpose by a loving God Psalm 139:13-14 “Fearfully and wonderfully made” * The Image of God on earth: - Genesis 1:26-27: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness’… So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” This is God’s settled truth for every human being whether you love him, hate him or refuse to even accept His existence. But there’s more…Jesus takes our identity so much farther than the Genesis account alone. The Gospel declares that our identity can also become rooted in the Work of Christ—it’s our choice and depends upon our response to the finished work of Jesus for us. 3. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage we have fallen into, a slavery to Sin and to Satan. If we will accept his gift and follow him as Lord, then we will feel the power of sin broken and the dominion of Satan voided. 4. Purchased by blood. “I am redeemed, highly valued and deeply loved with unconditional love.” 5. Re-created internally by Christ with the promise of being recreated physically after our death by resurrection into an eternal body. 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 6. Adopted into the family of God. Living forever as his child. 7. Restored to dominion in life. With Satan’s rule over me ended I am again established with dominion and control over my own world. 8. Authorized to use the name of Jesus to fight Satan and call down the resources I need. 9. Provided with unbroken direct access to the Father. I am always connected to Him and welcomed to come before His throne. 10. A member of the human family of God, surrounded by sweet people who are also walking in this light. I’m a part of the global body of Christ. 11. A temple for the Holy Spirit , filled within by the mind and presence of God himself, led and empowered by the Spirit of God to do the works God has prepared for me. 12. My life has a calling and a purpose as I work with my Father to invite humans to return to him and reclaim their high calling Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Oh my friend, This Path Is Better! It's impossible to effectively live your life until you have answered the question of identity. The world's ways of approaching this question are unstable. They rest upon your success in life, and upon outside factors, and the trends of society. We cannot build our life on this sand. The word of God is a rock, and we can use it as a foundation for building our self image, but it only works if we turn our back on worldly labels. We can't make a compromise of finding purpose and worth from the world's ways and also from God’s. We have to vote and make up our mind who we believe and then build our life on that belief. I leave you with one final scripture. Colossians 3:1-3: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God… For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Know who you are in Christ and declare it every day to yourself as you wake up and live out of this identification, and you will be an Overcomer. Love and Every Blessing, Chuck Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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Why You Need an "If Not" clause in Your Covenant with God 13:20

منذ 22 weeks13:20

13:20

We demand a lot out of God. I don't know if you have any of those one-sided relationships, maybe with a relative or even a grown up kid who is always asking for money and others kinds of help. They get miffed if you don't come through for them every time. I think we treat God like that too often. We face a circumstance that seems hard so immediately we pass it to him for help because—well that's his job right? It’s like a contract with God . We agree to worship him and he does miracles. All our lives it’s on him to heal our diseases, provide finances, and occasionally stop rainy weather or keep airplanes from taking off on time so we don’t miss our flight. Concierge service. Whatever we might need from on high. Uncle Luther’s “If Not” Sermon My uncle Luther (Earnest Quinley to the rest of the world) is a huge influence in my life. He was the only preacher in our family before me. He has a great sermon on this aspect of our relationship with God. I heard it once and I have preached the idea so many times through the years. It’s so helpful that I want to share it with you too. It comes from the story of the fiery furnace and the three Hebrew boys in Babylon. I can't imagine a greater trial. Death by fire—so horrible. You probably know this story by heart. Shadrach, Mechach and Abed-nego have been ordered to bow down before the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar. Every one of their friends, and even their elders, has prostrated before the image immediately. The three of them alone remain standing. The king was humiliated because they were the three top leaders in his government after Daniel. He cannot allow this level of insubordination, especially from foreigners serving in government positions. The Bible says he was enraged. (You can read the story in Daniel chapter 3.) He orders a massive fire to be built with a large chimney over it. Just imagine watching this fire and knowing that you were about to be thrown into it. You know these three Jewish men were hard at prayer for God to help them escape the fire. When the fire is hot enough, Nebuchadnezzar stands them up in front of everyone and shouts at them that he will give them one last chance. The symphony is going to play music again and they had better bow down before his gods or they're going to be thrown into that big fire. In verse 16 they shock the king with these words: "O Nebuchadnezzar we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us from your hand O King.” On the One Hand, You Have to Have A Bold Faith Faith is really important when you are dealing with God. You have to have absolute confidence in his power and in his love and relationship with you. You have to claim the good things that you are praying for. These boys know that and they declare their faith in God's ability to deliver them even when there is no possibility of human intervention. So that's the first part of this message. God is our lifeline for everything we need. We rely on him for our planet’s survival every day when millions of asteroids come flying at us and the Sun's radiation tries to burn us up, and diseases try to kill all our bodies. He stands up for us every day and strengthens our immune system and gives the Earth a magnetic field that pushes away the radiation and an oxygen-rich environment that burns up the asteroids. It's really so wonderful. He is a present help to all. Anyone who walks with him in faith throughout life will be rescued time and time again. Most of the time God comes through for us just as we requested. It's really amazing. Maybe his reliability is one of the things that makes it feel like a contract. We do our part he does his. But God is God If we are really going to have a relationship with him, we have to acknowledge that he is God and that we cannot control him completely even with prayer and that sometimes we might not get the thing we are requesting. Even if we don't, he's still good. That's the second part of this lesson and these mature men of God fully understand it. Sometimes God is at work on something bigger than you and you may even have to be sacrificed for the greater good and you may never know the details in this life. If you're going to walk with God, love him and be loved by him then you just have to trust him for the things you do not understand and still serve him even if you don't get your miracle. The “If Not” Clause After their first bold speech about trusting God, they add a PS. “ but if not … let it be known to you or King that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” My uncle Luther said that we all need an “if not” clause in our walk with God. So many people give up on their relationship with God because they become disappointed over one event. (OK, maybe more than one.) God is God. He's not a big man. His plans are huge. We’re not his boss. These men had a contract with God that had an “if not” clause. “We will serve you with all of our heart. We will follow your ways. We will obey your laws. You will love us and make us your children. You will be both a father and a friend. You will be our comfort and protection all the days of our life. You will answer our prayers, but if not , we will still be faithful to you. In those moments where it seems there is an exception being made and provision is scarce—healing is not happening. We lose the business. We miss the flight. We get fired. Our child does not get accepted into the great college we were hoping for, etc. etc. or even if we get thrown alive into this massive blazing fire—still, we will be loyal to you. What Does God Want? I think this brings us to a really important question. What does God really want from humans? When you look throughout the Bible stories, what is the one thing he demands from those who will have a relationship with him? Obviously, it is not moral perfection. That seems strange to say, but most of the great Bible heroes, men and women clearly have a relationship of love with God and yet are flawed morally. They are “people in development” and whether it's Adam and Eve, or Abraham, or Moses, they fail God somewhere along the way. They have problems in their character, ethics, and in their morals. They stumble, but they get back up. No, he does not demand moral perfection as the basis for an ongoing covenant relationship. What is the bottom line, then? It seems to me the one thing that is nonnegotiable with God is loyalty. Peter denied Jesus, but he came back and apologized, and when he faced the same trial again, he succeeded. He tested out as loyal. God can help anyone grow and overcome character flaws and other parts of human weakness. The link between us does not depend upon God. He loves us with an eternal love. He’s not walking away. The connection between God and man depends on the human being loyal to him , steadfastly loyal in good times and bad. Come to think of it. That's the main requirement for a marriage and for any other relationship. We have to be loyal in good times and bad. We have to think the best of each other even if the other disappoint us. We have to stand faithful even when we are disappointed at times. These men were fully committed to God whether they won or lost this particular battle. The End of this Story At this point in the story, it really doesn't matter whether the boys get thrown into the furnace or not. The battle has already been won. They are fully formed disciples and sons of God. In this particular case, God gives us a happy ending. They see Jesus standing the furnace with them. The fire does not affect them. They are delivered and honored. God gets the glory. The king is even converted, sort of. I like that ending. On the other hand, there are millions of Christians around the world, and over 100,000 in this year alone, who will face the ordeal of fire or the machete, and they will not be rescued from it. They will be delivered from their enemies by going through it without bending their knee to the idol. It’s happening this week in Syria and India. God is very much present with our brothers and sisters there. After a moment of pain, these who are being tested will open their eyes and see the smiling face of their Savior, welcoming them across the river. They will be grateful for the grace to be strong and loyal and to hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” When they awake they won't be mad at God or sorry they had to go through that trial. They will receive from God great honor and great responsibility in the new world as they inherit their second life, the eternal one. They will be highly respected at the resurrection and regeneration of all things. This life is just the test that separates sheep from goats, faithful from unfaithful, loyal from disloyal. Those who stand in the end will be the ones who had an “if not” clause in their covenant with the Savior. The “If not” clause is the indispensable part of our agreement with God. I think this week is a good time to ask whether we have this covenant loyalty at the heart of our engagement with God. Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it. Thanks for letting me know your insights from this passage in the chat box. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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Becoming Interruptible 4:34

منذ 25 weeks4:34

4:34

Jesus seemed to consider interruption as a valuable opportunity. I wish I felt this way. I’m working on it. That’s what this newsletter is about. Whether they needed practical help, a word of encouragement, or physical healing, Jesus saw human interruptions as golden opportunity to add value to the lives of others. He lived an interruptible life. The Interruptible Samaritan Let’s zoom in today on the masterpiece story Jesus told in Luke 10:25-37. The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus crafted this parable to drive home a point about what righteousness looks like in reality. The message of this story strikes such a deep chord in us that we’ve been retelling it for 2,000 years. The story is dramatic. A man is traveling alone by foot when he is ambushed by robbers who savagely beat him, steal his money and clothes, and leave him half-dead on the ground. Two religious leaders, a priest and a scholar, are shocked to discover this wounded man in the ditch. They know they should help, but they are busy and important and don’t really want to get involved so they walk on the other side of the road and leave their fellow man helpless and alone. Even as they hurry to their temple duties and Bible study it is assumed that they remain certain of their righteousness before God. Then a foreigner, an outcast, happens by. He’s someone from a group everyone thinks of as low, unrighteous people, so far from being like God. Yet, when the mongrel outcast sees this wounded man, he drops everything and rushes to help him. He gets blood all over himself, carries the man to safety, washes, and bandages the man's wounds, then transports him to an inn to rest. He recruits a caregiver for him. He even promises to pay any further costs to make sure this Jewish man (who might have despised him on any other day) recovers fully. He’s just doing what his heart tells him naturally to do. He is abundantly interruptible as a person. He reflects the nature of God. He is living as a man in God’s image. He is righteous. Our Samaritan Opportunities I bring up this story for myself as well as for you. We really need this teaching today because in our modern world we are just so busy. We’ve got a never-ending to-do list. Every moment counts, right? On our busiest days it still happens to us. Out of the corner of our eye we spot someone struggling. Maybe it's the old guy next door, his arms full of grocery bags, looking like he might drop them any second. Or someone who's clearly lost, looking around trying to find their way. Maybe it’s someone who gets emotional at work and clearly needs someone to talk to. There's this voice from our better self urging us, ”Go!, help out." But then there's the counterforce The excuses: * I'm Too Busy to Stop: Helping would mean a delay, a disruption in my carefully planned day. * I'm Too Shy to Help: I have social anxiety. What if they don't want or need my help? What if it's awkward? Or Let's call it what it is - * I'm…just feeling selfish, because most times it’s not really about the time lost or any other factor. We just want to keep our bubble of comfort intact. We love our bubble more than we love others. May sound harsh, but it’s the fact with too many people. Jesus said that one of the signs of the last age was that the “love of many would grow cold.” Walking with Jesus isn't about doing grand acts of heroism; it's about responding to simple moments with the people he puts right in front of you. A Challenge for the Week Our discipleship challenge for this week is to actually look forward to a miracle moment each day where God positions you to help someone in need. Just ask God to make it happen. Ask him to put you in position for a GSM (Good Samaritan Moment), when someone shows up with a need. Ask the Lord for the privilege of being interrupted so you can act as God’s own hands, his voice, his kind eyes. Pray it over and over till you mean it. That’s what I have to do to knock down resistance in my own mind. What an opportunity! A chance to work with God. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us to be available for others, even when it's inconvenient. It’s a call to cultivate a lifestyle that considers interruption a golden opportunity to add value to another person’s life in the name of the Lord. So this week let’s embrace interruption. When you see a need, stop what you are doing and act on it, even if it disrupts your plans. I’m going to do it and I hope you will join me. Share the stories in the comments below or in the chat. It’s going to be amazing! (How cool if this became our actual lifestyle!) Walking With You in His Footsteps, CQ Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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How God Trains us to be the Kings of this World 27:30

منذ 28 weeks27:30

27:30

Hi! Sherry and I just landed stateside again. It’s like shifting planets for me. We have an entire life in Thailand and SE Asia with a unique set of friends and daily occupation that goes on for months and months. Then the plane teleports us stateside and, Boom! we’re into an entirely different reality, complete with a different set of friends and family and different daily rhythms. All this to say that this will be a short writeup so I can get this post done on time this week. I put most of the work in the video version. In this episode of the podcast, I want to focus on the big picture of God's plan for your life and mine and the profound but simple training system that He has developed to help us grow into his image. You would think, that with Him being God, His training system for us would be very complex, but actually it has only one central element to it and if we can all focus on just this one thing every day we will become aligned with His heart. It's the same system, no matter where we fit in society’s hierarchy. Rich or poor, educated or illiterate, blue collar, or white collar work, every one of his children is destined to become a functioning member of God’s Royal family, extending his governance across the Earth. Our training starts now. Hope you enjoy the video and find it helpful in helping you grow into your life’s calling. Today’s discussion topic: What Bible story has had the most impact at shaping your life? Every Blessing! Chuck Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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ONE Simple Trick That Saved My Sanity! 16:15

منذ 29 weeks16:15

16:15

Want to know the ONE simple trick that saved my sanity? In this video podcast, I'm sharing my personal experience and the game-changing practice that helped me gain control over my life. From reducing stress and anxiety to increasing productivity and focus, this trick has been a total lifesaver. If you're feeling overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with the demands of modern life, you won't want to miss this! Join me as I reveal the one simple trick that turned my chaotic life around and saved my sanity! Grounded is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The Stress Created by Multitasking We’re all busy people. We could use a few more hours each day to “get it all done,” right? It’s tempting to try and divide our attention. Maybe we can just juggle. Some people claim to be experts at doing half a dozen things at once, even with a cellphone in their hands sending out notification every 10 seconds. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of multitasking, but humans weren’t created to focus on two things at once. In fact, that’s the opposite of what the word focus means. It’s like saying “I have three priorities.” If there’s more than one you have no priority. That’s what the word means. The ONE thing that matters above all. More isn’t better. It just makes for more stress and who needs more of that? The Moment I Realized This System Was Working We all do our best, right? In Manila, I knew that I was terribly overworked. I just wasn't sure what to do about it at the time. All I knew to do was to religiously follow the wheel concept that I share in this video. The last thing I wanted was for my family to feel neglected, or Sherry to feel unappreciated. One day we were in an elders meeting at our church, and Sherry spoke up and said to me, “Chuck, you need to share with them about the wheel.” Then she said to the group, “My husband has three jobs and he works hard at all of them. Because he follows this system I do not feel neglected and the kids have an engaged father. We're all working hard, but none of us is being left behind.” That felt so great to me. That's why I want to share this with you today. I know this focused way of living will have a beneficial impact on your life as well so I hope you’ll take the time to watch the video. Discussion: I’d love to hear from you about how this system works for you and also please share any other ideas that being sanity to your own life. Just join the chat and give us the benefit of your experience. Let’s have a focused productive year fulfilling our highest purpose! Every Blessing, Chuck Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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Revelation 7:05

منذ 31 weeks7:05

7:05

Well, I think I’ll start the new year off doing something unusual for me, a poem. (no charge :-) Here goes… Light From Beyond “All you need to know is inside of you.” But I have lived long enough to ignore fools. I know what I know and nothing more. Experience might teach me something new ... Another source is what I need. Not my thoughts. Not my mind. Revelation Light from beyond Help from above Hearing from God If I could have one wish for me and for you it would be to hear from God more this year. I don't claim to hear God speak every day. When he does talk to me, it seems to be in very short sentences, but I treasure everything he has ever said to me. Nothing could make a bigger difference in my life this year than to somehow open my own awareness to him and receive more revelation from him. So today this is my prayer for you. Let's talk about revelation. The Process of Revelation Most true things are apparent. One known thing connects to another. Truth connects to truth, the way Lego bricks assemble themselves into a house or airplane. The parts are all there in front of us and, once we get the idea, we can reason out for ourselves how to fit them together. Other things require outside intervention because there is a missing piece of information beyond the scope of our own understanding or even our imagination. Without outside intervention in these cases we can never even conceive of these new things. “Eye has not seen…” "For my thoughts are not your thoughts…” "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways….” Revelation is a leap. It starts with one new truth of which we are currently unaware. This new truth is our breakthrough. It’s the key that allows us to enter a new room of truth and see things as they really are (and have always been). It will become the foundation for our future development. That moment in between There is a moment where we stand at the edge of this process, on the cliff of our existing knowledge. We realize that there is something else right in front of us. Even though we cannot grasp it right now, we perceive it the same way we can feel the presence of a silent person in a room behind us. “We know in part. We prophesy in part.” We know it’s there. We just don’t see it yet. Revelation is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to humans who are seeking to move from what they know to what they should know. That crossing requires faith from the human. It requires that we believe there is more truth out there and that this truth is real, and that God is the one leading us to it. Things we gain through Revelation belong to us. They are our treasures of divine knowledge. Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV): "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law." Revelation is a delicate, living thing. It must be nurtured. What I’m Going to Do So here’s my plan to become more receptive to God’s revelation this year. * Consciously remind myself that revelation is going on everywhere at all times. God is “streaming” 24/7. * Attempt to intentionally tune in to the revelation going on around me. According to the Bible God has always been revealing himself through everything created: humans, animals, plants, planets, stars—all of it is a channel of revelation. God also speaks through human conversations. He reveals through dreams. He reveals things directly into the spirits of his children. Amazing insights just drop into our minds and we can see things clearly in an instant. It’s all happening all the time like sunshine. We just need to tune in to it. There are so many channels of revelation. The Bible is the one we think of first, and it will yield endless depths of revelation to those who are persistent readers and thinkers, but it’s not the only channel of revelation. We know this because the Bible says so. It’s actually a latecomer to the work of revelation. Humans interacted with God directly for thousands of years before we had a written book of revelations. We honor the Bible so much, not because it is God (it’s not), but because it’s such a rich and trustworthy revelation of God. The Bible is not the end of revelation. It’s a foundation stone and a standard of truth (so we can test “ideas” that pop in our head against something unchangeable), but God has been walking with man before there was a Bible and when we don’t need a Bible in the new world, He will still be walking with us and revealing himself throughout eternity. Receiving revelation is our birthright. I want the focus of my attention directed to God Himself, knowing that He is revealing himself to me. Some are scared of this and want to limit all revelation to the words of the Bible. The problem with this is two-fold. First, it’s based out of fear (which is not the criteria for making decisions as children of God) and secondly, the Bible itself is filled with stories of God speaking and revealing things to his children outside of the technology of reading written words. If we are the children of God through the rebirth Jesus brought, then we are fully capable of hearing from God ourselves—no pastor, prophet, or bible scholar needed. * I’m going to prioritize a routine place and time daily to spend time alone with God for revelation. I was never a morning person before, but for the past year, I have been waking up well before sunrise, and I have learned to love it! I love my times in the word and I also love my times walking and talking with God in the early morning light. I consider this time the beginning of a day-long conversation with the Father. I never say, “Amen.” * As much as possible I want to avoid doing things that keep my focus distracted (like scrolling). I want to be always in the present moment, slow down my mind, and posture myself before God like Samuel, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” So that’s my devotional focus for the year. I want to tune my heart so I can hear from God. My human focus is “conversations.” I want a year full of amazing conversations with friends and random people. I heard someone say recently, “Conversations lead to conversions.” I like that too. I hope some of these conversations lead people to Christ if they don’t know him already. Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it. May God bless you in your efforts to become more tuned to revelation, light from beyond. Help from above. I’d love to hear from you on this topic: “Which of the many channels of revelation (Bible, nature, conversations, dreams, etc.) is the clearest source of revelation to you and why?” Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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Why was God so Patient with Cain??? 12:05

منذ 49 weeks12:05

12:05

Well, I hope you got a good nights sleep. I'm in India and it means that I'm awake at three or 4 AM most days. Just can't get the transition right this time. Well, you can look at things as a curse or a blessing. I'm trying to find good use for all the extra time from waking up super early rather than just watching TV or looking at my phone. Today, I spent hours digging through the story of Cain and Abel. It's so tragic that in the first generation of natural-born humans the first baby grows up to be a murderer. Take a minute right now to read the story in Genesis 4 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” [ d ] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” There’s a lot Here It’s a very nuanced story, with lots of insights discretely woven into the way the narrative is delivered. I’m in love with Genesis 1-12. It’s a masterpiece. Every verse is important and I think this story has a lot to say to us—if we can just figure out what verse 7 is saying. More on that later. I guess the thing that's always bothered me in this story is how much Spotlight is on Cain, the selfish, entitled, stubborn, immature man-child, not Abel, the good guy who was sincere and did everything right. Abel is the first martyr, a man killed for his worship of our Creator. The scene describing the background and moment leading up to his murder is so painful. I can hardly read the story. Family is so important to me and to think that a big brother would use his little brother’s innocent trust to lure him away from the family so he could murder him just breaks my heart again and again. Which makes it even harder to understand why God spends so much time in this story engaging Cain and trying to help him process his emotions. Ruled by Emotions Emotions, man, that’s the Gen Z theme! If the Eskimos have 1000 words for snow, young people today may end up with that many words for their feelings. In our generation, we were just told to suck it up and get on with life and not expect everything to be great. "Your attitude determines your altitude.” On the other hand, something very real is happening inside the minds of young people. New Zealand, of all places, leads the world in suicides by young men age 12 through 17. Cain was a man ruled by his emotions. In general, humans are portrayed as moral infants in the book of Genesis. God is working with us so we will grow up and assume the role for which we've been created. We are made to be the likeness of God in the world. We all have a long way to go. Perhaps Cain never got there. His name in the Old Testament is connected to the line of rebellious humans who always resist everything God wants to do. And yet, God is patient with Cain. He’s comforting him when most of us would kill him for what he had done to his innocent kid brother. (Maybe they were both teens, who knows?) How does this story affect you, emotionally? Leave a comment to share your processing of this tale. Word Salad in Verse Seven Scholars tend to hover around verse seven, the most “obscure” (incomprehensible) Hebrew in the Old Testament. The English translations have simplified it by ignoring all the problems in it. The editors just come to the conclusion that the verse is about the power of sin, and they harmonize the pronouns that are out of whack. It's understandable to want to make things clear for the reader, but it's a real problem when you do it as a translator, in my opinion. I believe that everything in the Bible is there on purpose, so if a verse runs in the face of a cherished doctrine I think it's a dangerous practice to just "fix the verse”. I could show you a dozen places in any translation of the Bible where this has been done. I'm not saying that the English translation of this verse is heretical, just that the ancient writer knew his language perfectly, and if he wanted it harmonized, he would have used the proper gender in his pronouns. I explain more about all this in the video so if you're interested, I hope you will watch it. The point is whether this is a story where God warns Cain about the power of sin which is like a crouching lion ready to devour him, or maybe it’s a story where God reminds Cain that in order to walk with God, you have to do things God's way, regardless of your emotions or whether you think you have a better idea. Driven by Emotions Either way, Cain is wrestling with his own stubbornness, and is being driven by his emotions away from a posture of humble obedience to God. He is losing his proper desire to help other people know God and worship him properly. Cain was the head of his tribe, the one whose example would set the direction for worship for future generations. It seems that the idea to make a sacrifice to God was actually initiated by him and enthusiastically joined by his little brother. How could something so beautiful so wrong? Another Insight In at the end of verse 7 the Hebrew says something more like “His emotional urge is toward you But you will rule over him.” which could generally mean either: * Abel feels the need for your attention so even though he is in the spotlight now, you aren’t being unseated as the leader. You will continue to lead him. -or it could mean— * Even though Abel is now correcting you for doing the sacrifice wrongly on purpose, you just have to take it and do an animal sacrifice rightly. But relax, you will still end up being his leader when all this is fixed. Which is correct? What do you think? Do your own research and make a comment here. Where to look for answers? You can start with asking any Bible questions in the Google search bar (or use chat GPT from open.ai if you are brave about new technology. It may amaze you). You can also follow links to Bible scholar forums. I love the wealth of everyone bringing their best thinking to a task. We all do the work and we all celebrate in the harvest. Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it and help us reach more people. In the journey together! Chuck & Sherry Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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Are you using these days to prepare yourself for persecution? 9:40

منذ 51 weeks9:40

9:40

10,000 Years from Today If you believe the Bible, then you will know that you will be alive and conscious somewhere 10,000 years from today. Oh, your current existence will be behind you and you will have probably passed through death into the new creation, but you will be alive again with the memory of the year 2024. Your current concerns about a stock market crash will seem silly then. For that matter, all your worries will be exposed as a complete waste of time and energy. You will be in the new kingdom of the Lord Jesus, the undisputed victor of the war for the world. He will reign in the New Jerusalem forever. On that day, you and I are going to really wish we had done a better job with this season in our lives. We will be in the group that can tell the story of what it was like to live in the post-Covid era of total surveillance, the early dominance of technology, and the open worship of Satan at the Grammys, the Olympics, and a host of other formerly normal events. These were the beginning of the sorrows. Some disciples will be highly honored for letting their light shine and using these days to evangelize and share their testimony daily. Others won’t have much to show for their life as a believer. They basically lived as quiet and comfortable a life as they could and they went to church sometimes. Persecution Prepares us to Face the Lord No matter your view of the end times (I’m mid-trib) you cannot escape the reality of persecution. “…All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Ti.3.12 NKJV Christians have always been persecuted. Sometimes it's cultural pressure fueled by the devil. He always resists the message of Jesus and the true embrace of the kingdom of God. At other times persecution is bloody. We’ve have 2000 years of Christian blood shed across the world. When Sherry and I moved to Asia in 1990, that region of the world was averaging 250,000 martyrs a year. The 90’s saw the resurgence of radical Islam and many precious believers were killed from Saudi Arabia to Iran for following Jesus. Persecution in America???—Never! I never dreamed there could be federal persecution of Christians in the United States of America. When I heard this preached as a boy, it just seemed totally impossible that churchgoing America could ever become a place where believers might be persecuted. The behavior of the government from President Clinton using RICO extortion laws to jail abortion protesters, to the weaponization of the FBI justice department, and the collaboration of internet media giants from Google to Facebook reveals that the persecution of believers has, in fact, already started. The only question is how far, how fast? You can lose your job now for simply stating what the Bible says. In England, over 3,000 people were arrested last year for something “offensive” they said on Facebook, Twitter, or on a post-it note on their desk. One man’s crime was posting Bible verses on a screen in his small store. First, we are witnessing a campaign to silence us and get our voices off the internet. Then the narrative can be controlled and all the “breaking news” stories can paint Christian individuals and groups to be dangerous monsters, intolerant, and right-wing extremists with no one to say differently. What Should We Do About it? The #1 thing Jesus said about living in these days was to not be anxious from overthinking about it. Sherry and I have seen a spirit in people from the persecuted church that is bold and confident, hardened by their own response to the pressure that wants them to bend. Those who will not bend become stronger from the pressure. Think of the three Hebrew boys when threatened by the fire of the king. “ 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not , let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Dan. 3.16-18 NKJV Fire hardens steel. Persecution prepares God’s true people to shine. Let’s not waste these days. Let this early pressure steel our resolve to sit among the valiant ones 10,000 years from today. Sherry and I are determined to live more confidently and boldly than ever. We want to be more loving and careful in all our words, especially toward those who are opposed to our Lord, but to make certain that everyone in the heavenlies and those around us know that we honor Jesus for all he has done for all of us. We want everyone we meet to receive a chance to know him too. That’s what’s keeping Jesus from coming already so let’s get stronger and bolder day by day. In His Love, Chuck and Sherry The attached video is about believers overcoming the rise of the Beast in Revelation 13. Hope it ministers encouragement to you. Thanks for reading Grounded! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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Walk with God--how I started 11:22

منذ 1 year11:22

11:22

One of the best parts of creating and posting content online is the occasionally great conversation you have with someone who follows you. In the last week I’ve been talking with someone who has walked away from faith in Christ. He/she disagrees with me on most points fundamentally, but we’ve have an honest dialog that hasn’t gotten snarky. That’s a big deal in the online world. When I hear of someone walking away from Jesus and Christianity it always seems they are primarily walking away from doctrines and traditions and their family habits of church. It makes me wonder if they ever had a personal encounter with Jesus. Knowing Jesus or Going to Church I didn’t fall in love with the teachings of Jesus, the doctrine of the cross or how awesome our pastor’s preaching was. Jesus himself intercepted my life. He followed me around in my consciousness and would not let me go. This personal encounter started my transformation, but it didn’t stop there. He’s never left me alone since. I’m challenged, encouraged, inspired, and instructed daily by the voice of Jesus working in me through the Holy Spirit. This experience isn’t unique to me. It’s the new birth and it is offered to everyone who will return to him and submit to his lordship. Most of you reading this doubtless have your own story to tell. This is our testimony, the origin story of how we were and then what Jesus did to “fix” us once we opened to him. The stories are always so fascinating to Sherry and me. Once we know that a person is in Christ, we always ask how it happened for them. They smile immediately at the opportunity to share again all that the Lord has done for them. This installment is a video I made for newbies to help them in their first steps. Rather than saying, “Find a good church and read your Bible,” I want to say, “Get to know the LORD and spend time with him daily.” Jesus will reveal himself personally to them and guide them directly. Church and Bible are great, but knowing Jesus is essential. You can walk with Jesus even if you are illiterate, blind, deaf or isolated from others. That’s the approach we take in our missions work in SE Asia. We lead people to know the Lord personally and the rest will sort itself out. I’d love to hear your story. Medialight can teach you how to share your story through short videos online if you’d like. Just visit Medialight.network for more. Walk with Him! Chuck Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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1
Is Civilization Crumbling Around Us? 18:18

منذ 1 year18:18

18:18

Hi! I don't know if you fly much, but we’ve done millions of miles and lately we get the feeling that our airline infrastructure is crumbling. Recently, it took us 48 hours to travel from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta—four canceled flights, two overnight delays. It was clear from the stranded business crowd and the airline personnel that this was now quite normal. Then there’s this week’s big world news as the steep crash in the Japanese stock market has sent ripples throughout the stock markets of other nations also since the markets are connected. A Big Little Book This week I want to promote another important book. It’s a lightweight 80 pager about a weighty matter. It’s called Immoderate Greatness, Why Civilizations Fail by William Ophuls . Ophuls explains what makes every attempt at building a great society fail. It starts with the dream itself. Each civilization dreams of their own greatness. To get there, they make endless growth an obsession. By demanding growth month after month, year after year, they drain their abundant resources, then enter into endless wars to take the resources of other nations. As they create new technologies, their systems become increasingly complex. When they are rich and fat, they fall apart morally. Finally, they collapse on the weight of their own unchecked “greatness” as the weight of their endlessly expanding support system pulls them under. Is there still time for us to learn this lesson? Living on the Outer Edge Complex systems operate right at the edge of failure. “As long as nothing goes wrong” the system buzzes along, but when one part fails, the failure cascades. There has never been a more complicated system than our current civilization. Don’t Our Leaders Know? Leaders even from the Roman Empire days knew all about the past failures, yet astonishingly, each new civilization still follows the same path as their predecessors, somehow expecting a different result, because they believe themselves “special”. "Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow them." —François-René de Chateaubriand Hard to Put it Down Despite its ominous outlook, the book is incredibly engaging. Ophuls writes with clarity and eloquence, making complex ideas easy to understand. I think it’s important to make ourselves think about unpleasant things like writing a will, getting life insurance, and going to the doctor to check on that lump. Crises will come into every life. We can’t always stop them, but by thinking ahead we might keep a systems problem from becoming a total disaster. Is There a Happy Ending? Ophuls listens to his critics who complain that he isn’t giving us a “solution.” His reply is that the only solution is for a change in the human heart. He explains that throughout the centuries and in every culture, human motivations are selfish. Our greed is insatiable. We refuse to limit our consumption. We will not cap our greatness. So, the weight of our excessive lifestyle, the cashflow it requires, and the upkeep on the massive infrastructure puts an impossible load on an ever-crumbling system. The final stage before the great breakdown, according to Ophuls, is intentionally allowing economic inflation. “Why would anyone do this?” you might ask. The simple answer is that inflation allows a nation to pay their bills and still avoid having to make sacrifices. It’s like putting all your debts on a new credit card each month, letting the interest accumulate. The ones in charge don’t want the party to end on their watch, so they play games with the economy to let the good times can go on a little while longer. It’s like watching a dam break in slow motion. Can one election solve such a situation? Sadly, Ophuls says, “No, the entire system that runs the “greatness” of the nation is the problem.” The nation would have to be willing to sacrifice so they could put things right and no civilization has ever been willing to do that. My Favorite Insight—God is Smart My favorite insight from this book is, “The only way to avoid the bust is to cap the boom by not allowing cheap credit in good times.” It made me think about the Sabbath Year and, especially, The Year of Jubilee in the law God gave Moses for Israel. Jubilee was a total economic leveling experienced once in every generation. All greatness was dismantled. All properties reverted to the family that originally owned it. Slaves went free. All debt was cancelled. The banks had zero loans on their books. A system like this is the only way to prevent the collapse of a civilization. Sadly, we don’t find a single time in Bible history when Israel followed this law. What Can We Do? * Anchor our heart to God and His coming Kingdom. It’s the permanent solution for this recurring problem. * Pull Together as Families. * Do what we can to avoid personal catastrophic loss. This isn’t a good time to “bet the farm” on a new idea. Play defense. Cut back on your own “greatness” of lifestyle and get a solid home base for your life. * B ecome more self-reliant in as many ways as we can . (You can buy 90 days of dried food with 2,000 calories a day for $600 and it will keep for 25 years. Not a bad price for catastrophe insurance, I think.) * Fill Your Days With Worship. Sing boldly to the Lord and strengthen your grip on His presence. “Don’t let your heart be troubled,” was the constant reminder of Christ as he talked about the birth pains needed for His Kingdom to be born upon the earth. Exercise your faith daily and sing the King in as his Kingdom approaches us. * Reach out! Share your hope in Christ with everyone you can. Brag on Jesus and tell them what he’s done for you. People are open right now in a new way. Pagan Los Angeles saw 6,000+ young people baptized in one day at the beach recently (Yep! It was at the same beach where Jesus Revolution was filmed.) One day we’ll be known for how we lived in the last days. This is our one chance to feel we’ve done our best to be an overcomer in these challenging times. Keep the Faith! Love, Chuck and Sherry (and tribe—7 more now) Here’s the YouTube Version: Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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How did Satan get to Rule the World??? 46:03

منذ 1 year46:03

46:03

Hi! I hope you're having a great day. This is the newsletter I've been waiting a long time to create. The video is as long as a church service, so if it feels too long you can either change the speed to 1.5 (just click the arrows by the play button) or just watch it in pieces but I hope you’ll watch it. Here’s what it’s about: Why is Satan the god of this world? It is always bothered me that the New Testament calls Satan, the “god of this world,” and that no one denies this as a fact, not even Jesus. I have always wanted to know how he got into this position. No Easy Answer There's no Bible story where God gave the devil the key to the world. I have read widely on this subject and asked many Bible-loving people their theories, and I am largely unsatisfied with the answers. I also don't agree that the Fall of Adam & Eve in the garden gave him the keys to the planet because I don't see that in scripture either. My Working Theory I have developed a working theory that makes sense to me and I want to share it with you in this video. To build the theory, we have to visit three different scriptures and tie them together. I do not present this as doctrine, but it is the best theory I can come up with since the Bible is generally silent about the workings of the demonic world. Satan loves attention and I think the Bible is determined to keep the spotlight off of him, but I think there is sufficient light to build a working theory. So this video is my offering to you on this subject. Next I want to develop a theology of blood and a view of the cross that focuses on the crucifixion offering as an act Spiritual War (since that’s mostly how Jesus himself talks about what he will do on the cross). Something happened on the cross that gave humans their first chance to break free from the “god (Elohim) of this world”. So that’s where we are headed in weeks to come. Why Does This All Matter So Much? Honestly, it's a fair question. I know I've been going on forever about Genesis 1-11, and I'm pretty much finished. It's just essential to get the backstory straight for the rest of it to make any sense. So many people are halfhearted in their faith. They get eight hours a day of screen time programming straight from hell and very little time spent digging through the word of God, so Yes! I'm concerned! I'm trying to help interested people build a mental framework to understand the truth about our world and the central message of the Bible. Jesus came primarily to free humans from Satan's power. When I hear him describe his own mission, this is what he says. The first thing that happens in his story is that he goes to the desert and fights the devil there. Then he starts casting out demons everywhere he goes. In the last week as he faces the cross event, he says "now the ruler of this world is cast down.” I think it's the most important aspect of the gospel and we won't understand how good the news is until we understand how bad the true situation is for the earth. There is an organized demon army in charge of every nation of the world. Every human institution is, invaded by their power. That’s where we’re headed. Here’s where we’re at today. Hope you are strengthened from this teaching. AND THANK YOU!!! to everyone who stands behind us as a couple on a mission! Your support keeps us engaged fully on mission in Asia and online as well. We love you and we pray for you, Every Blessing! Chuck and Sherry helpkidsfindfreedom.com ere’s the YouTube Version Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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1
The Tower of Babel: What Does it Really Mean? 34:42

منذ 1 year34:42

34:42

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The Fall of Man and the Invisible War Behind it: What The Bible Says Is Really Happening Around Us 18:39

منذ 1 year18:39

18:39

In his last years, my dad struggled with Dysautonomia which would suddenly drop his blood pressure to 50 or 60. When this occurred, something unusual happened to his sight. He said that the world went to grey except the human he was talking with. They alone remained in the image and they were clear. Our vision is a mysterious thing. Most of our brain’s power is assigned to creating images from the signals received through the eyes. Even then, we don’t see everything surrounding us. The Sun sends us at least 5 kinds of light, but the blue light is the only one we can see. Other light that bathes us is actually invisible to us. To believe the Bible is to believe that there is an entire society unseen to us, yet all around us. There are literal entities, personalities, and even the remaining consciousness of the dead surrounding us as “witnesses.” (Hebrews 12.1). Some of these entities are benevolent . They even protect and assist us at times. Other entities are malevolent. They hate us and will destroy us if they can. We survive by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus. I’ve never lived in an age where these two invisible camps were so close to being visible. Jesus said that although we cannot see the wind itself, we can see the things in the world that it acts upon. So it is with these heavenly beings. Our society is convulsing from their activity among students in colleges, leaders of tech companies, and upon those who hold the power of government and media. Maybe reality looks like this… Or something like this… We really don’t know. The Bible really doesn’t allow much of a spotlight to fall on this dimension of our world. (The powers of darkness love to be glorified so maybe that’s why we are given only the necessary details.) The Heavenly Society is Fractured One thing we do know is that the free-willed heavenly society is broken. Some of the sons (that is what the Bible calls them) are loyal to the Father. Others are enemies of their Creator and do all they can to frustrate His will on earth. Maybe it all started when God said, “Let us…” make a world and beings in our image. They didn’t expect it when God put the humans in charge of this new world, not the heavenly sons. The heavenly sons were clearly superior, yet although this world was for everyone “in heaven and on earth,” it was the humans who were elected to have the dominion. Maybe this is what started a slow resentful rebellion among some of the heavenly beings. We can’t be sure, but there’s evidence for this theory. In this edition of the podcast we enter into the Garden of Eden and the moment the serpent/dragon is introduced into the Big Story of the Bible. It’s just the seed story, but the concept develops through the centuries of progressive revelation until the New Testament where Mark’s story of Jesus opens with Jesus in a desert doing direct battle with Satan, the dark prince of this world. Let’s explore it in the chat together. Hope you enjoy the video. Here’s the YouTube Version Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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1
What the Forbidden Tree in the Garden Really Means 26:32

منذ 1 year26:32

26:32

Hi Friend, Thanks so much for joining me in the study of God’s Word. This episode of the Grounded podcast was a labor of love. I really didn’t feel well but I had a cool paid location locked in so I rallied to do it. I started the podcast and this newsletter because I meet so many people raised in church who are becoming shaky in their faith (largely because they spend 8 hours a day watching TV and consuming other anti-God online content without spending even an hour a week feeding on God’s word). My burden for the first six months of this podcast has been on reestablishing the big story of the Bible. Once you understand the first three chapters of the Bible, you get a better feeling for who God is, what he has designed humans to be, and His plans and commitment to our world. I’m, so fascinated by the Genesis narrative. It’s bottomless, like John’s Gospel. In this episode I’ll cover: * Why it’s Not the “Tree of Good and Evil” * Why did God put a tree there if He knew they could ruin creation by eating from it? * What does God want from us anyway? * What does all this have to do with my life today? I hope you’ll watch the video and share your comments either on YouTube or here. I read them all and I’m so grateful for your engagement. What I didn’t get to talk about in the video is how often God does his business with humans around a tree. * In the garden * Moses burning bush experience (baby tree) * Abraham’s visit with God near the trees of Mamre * Gideon encounters an angel of the Lord under an oak tree OK, so that’s the game. I got it started. Trace how far this Tree concept goes throughout the whole Bible and post what you think of it in the chat here. What’s Next? In the next episode I want to talk about whether the devil/angels are really spirit creatures or also material in some way. Does the current “news” from the military and other sources about ongoing encounters with non-human beings of higher intelligence have any connection with the demons and principalities of the Bible? Lot’s to think about for another week or two. I’m praying for you if you’re on this mailing list. These are days of great upheaval and transition as we shift between the modern age into the unknown age (they’ll name it after we’re deep into it) and it’s getting pretty crazy in all directions. We can all be grounded even if the world is shaking. That’s the promise of God. Every Blessing! Chuck (and Sherry) PS: Some keep asking me what I’m reading lately so I’ll also be posting a few videos about the two latest books that have my attention. Thank you for reading Grounded. Please share it. YouTube Version Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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1
God Said You're More Than You Think 14:32

منذ 1 year14:32

14:32

I don't know what challenges you're facing, but one thing I do know for certain--you are so much more than you know. In the Bible, God reveals the truth about what humans are. It's a powerfully encouraging message from our Creator who has built us with superpowers so we can bring positive direction upon the earth. Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Everything in the creation narrative so far has set the stage for day six. * The three great threats to all life have been conquered and restrained. * The Universe has been filled with the Shekinah light of God’s personal presence. * A protective skydome has been established to avoid catastrophic loss * Earthland has risen from the primordial deep, pregnant with every seed the earth will ever need. * Sun, Moon, and stars have been created as a celestial metronome to set a reasonable, recurring tempo of activity and rest for all life on earth. * The life force has been released in the seas and skies and millions of creatures are multiplying. * The same power of life has been spoken across the land and new forms of life are bursting fourth in the insect, reptile, and mammalian families. Now the great moment for us occurs…. And God said, “Let us make man in our image…” In the case of all the other creatures, the formula of words has been “Let them have life “according to their kind.” With humans things are different. God's creative word to them is, “You can have life ‘in the image of God. ’” Whatever we think that means, it means more. At the foundation level it says: * We’re created to be so close to God that we reflect Him —our heart so aligned with His that our actions toward everything in creation would be his. We’re to love what He loves and hate what He hates. * We’re his co-regents over planet earth , wardens over all creatures, stewards over plants, seas and soil making sure everything has what it needs to thrive and protecting the creation from abuse. * We’re each accountable for our actions and the state of the world we impact, reporting directly to the Creator. * We have the Creator’s resources and authority behind us. It’s more than enough. (Paul said it was “above all that we can ask or even think.” Ephesians 3:20) I really wish we could all grasp the vision God has concerning us. So, I can confidently say to you, without fear of contradiction, that whatever you think of yourself and your capacity, your estimation is way, way too low. I worked hard on the video so I hope you’ll check it out and forward it to others. I’d love to hear your insights and discoveries from developing your own potential and champion’s mindset. Here’s the link to the YouTube Version. I’m in your corner. Every Blessing! Chuck Thank you for reading Grounded. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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How to Break Free from Technology and Get Your Life Back 23:19

منذ 1 year23:19

23:19

In the beginning technology seem like such a great idea. It liberated us from the hardest parts of manual labor. But then it just kept invading our lives deeper and deeper until most of us now feel that tech is running our lives and actually has power over us instead of just being our tool. AI is coming and things are only going to get worse. That’s what this week’s podcast is about and I hope you’ll check it out. For my part I’m on a weeklong fast from all forms of social media. This is a bit difficult for someone whose ministry involves media to a growing extent, but exactly because of that, it felt even more important to do. Once I start checking what’s happening on social, sometimes it’s hard to get my full attention back for the rest of the day. Does that happen to you? I’m on day six of my social media fast and I’m definitely going to change my interaction schedule with it going forward. I just feel more present now and more in charge of the attention of my mind. So, that’s one important part of this discussion. We need to limit the domination of screens in general so we can have a full life. How is your interaction with social media affecting your life? How are you controlling it? I’d love to hear from you about that. More Than Media It’s more than media, however. It’s technology in general. We’re talking about everything electric, starting with electric lights. In this episode, I talk about the massive shift that was initiated by the introduction of artificial light, lengthening the usable day to 24 hours. Artificial man-made electric light created the modern world, bright cities, nightlife, Shiftwork, the end of families growing their own food, people cocooning around their devices, living mostly inside comfortable homes, and kids hitting puberty at age 12. A lot has changed in the past 125 years since the first cities started to use electricity. Imagine that? All this change to the world in just over a century! A century later we got that other electrical invention, the personal computer, in desktop and handheld versions. Now, it’s the AI revolution. The change we’ve been through in our lifetime has disrupted the way humans have lived for 10,000 years. One of the side-effects has been a growing disconnection of humans from the normal rhythms of nature. Why Genesis Matters I think the Genesis narrative is a blueprint for living successfully. Day four of the creation story tells us to allow the Sun and moon to rule us. The two of them set a natural rhythm for each day and create the cycles of darkness and light, evening and morning, day and night, weeks, months, quarters and years. They divide life into seasons and enforce a pleasant and necessary cadence in living—if we follow this cycle vs overpowering it with technology. Now we can have light all the time if we want. We can control our climate and most of us do the same things daily regardless of the seasons. We live above nature. This is a mistake. We are part of nature, and natural rhythms are purposeful. They are part of the original creation design. Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Back to Nature There are many ways to reestablish our conscious connection with nature. I mention quite a few in the podcast. It seems like it needs to start, however, with an established daily pattern that honors the coming and going to light. It seems like an insult to the Creator not to watch the sun go down every day, like drawing the blinds to a 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. It seems like the grand finale to the day’s light show should start some cherished evening pattern of settling in with our loved ones, planning for the next day, filling our mind with good thoughts, worshipping our Maker again, then resting securely under His watchful eye and expecting revelation in our dreams while our body is restored. Actually, since sleep is so very important to our health, it seems like we ought to get some kind of parental instruction as children in how to sleep well. Never heard of anyone getting any though. Something to think about parents. Life is health and the more we flow with the ebb and flow of nature, surely, the healthier we will be. What morning and evening rituals help you to connect your body to the coming of day and night? Drop a comment in the chat. Hope you enjoy this podcast and will pass it to others. I work hard on it and I appreciate your support in the effort. Sherry and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important subject in the comments section below and in the chat box. Blessings on every aspect of your life, dear friend, Chuck (and Sherry) Quinley Here’s a link to the video version on YouTube ============ Here’s a Transcript of the Video/Audio podcast: (00:00:00): Welcome to the Grounded Podcast. (00:00:02): Today, (00:00:03): we're talking about the invasion of technology into our lives, (00:00:07): and we're looking back at the blueprint of how God designed humans to pattern their (00:00:13): life on the earth. (00:00:15): I think we're gonna learn a lot from this lesson. (00:00:17): It's got everything to do with a holistic view of what life should be like, (00:00:23): and God is leading us forward so that we can live a life that is healthy, (00:00:28): that has deep relationships and a life where we overcome our challenges every day (00:00:35): and a life that's productive and fruitful because that is the original design. (00:00:41): And in this passage in Genesis chapter 1, (00:00:43): back in the creation narrative, (00:00:45): we're going to see the way God designed life to function. (00:00:50): You know, (00:00:50): technology seemed like a great idea, (00:00:52): but it just keeps making intrusions into our life, (00:00:57): deeper and deeper invading our world. (00:01:00): And now they're talking about this little chip to go inside all of our heads so (00:01:05): that we can be online 24-7. (00:01:06): This is nuts. (00:01:12): It wasn't always like this in the beginning. (00:01:14): They were mainly labor-saving devices. (00:01:16): They helped us with the burden of our farm work, but it has just never stopped. (00:01:21): And so we've got to ask ourselves, is this how we're supposed to be living our life? (00:01:27): What is the solution? (00:01:29): Well, the solution clearly is not more technology to govern our use of technology. (00:01:34): Oh, you need an app, so you'll know if you're using apps too much. (00:01:37): or more chemicals in our body. (00:01:39): You need sleeping pills. (00:01:41): When the problem is the blue light and the constant buzz that we're getting from (00:01:46): our devices all day long. (00:01:47): What we need is a holistic, natural, God-given way to live our life. (00:01:54): And God did not create humans to swim in a sea of technology. (00:02:00): He's got a clear vision for our life, a beautiful vision for our life, but our lives need structure. (00:02:06): And that structure... (00:02:08): Humans have struggled to figure out how to best structure lives. (00:02:13): Now, about 200 years ago, we started the Industrial Revolution. (00:02:17): And when we did that, (00:02:18): we all of a sudden seized on machinery and the concept of time, (00:02:25): that we could control time. (00:02:27): We could become more... (00:02:29): time efficient and so all over the world you can see this in in towns all over the (00:02:34): planet they built these towers in the middle of the town about 150 years ago it was (00:02:40): the thing to do and they put a clock mechanism a human built machine to govern time (00:02:47): now that isn't how time was ever looked at before farmers know it's almost sunrise (00:02:52): then oh it's the dawn it's mid-morning (00:02:56): it's noon time it's the afternoon it's the evening oh it's the darkness and late at (00:03:01): night but no that wasn't good enough we had to know it's exactly 8 10 and we (00:03:06): started slicing time thinner and thinner and we started wearing this human (00:03:11): invention of the watch (00:03:13): and carrying them around on our body all the time. (00:03:15): It went from that, and it continued to go even deeper, and then we had our phones. (00:03:20): And through our mobile devices, we had all kinds of other ways to try to build a structure in our life. (00:03:27): And now they're telling us that we each need our own personal artificial intelligence, (00:03:33): a counselor, (00:03:34): a wise person with endless knowledge that knows everything there is to know about (00:03:40): about everything and you can ask them for help as you go along your day and as you (00:03:46): build your life is this how humans are supposed to live the bible is not about the (00:03:52): bible the bible is about life (00:03:55): It is a blueprint for living in the way that God intended His creation to flow and (00:04:02): function because He intends to be part of this creation and He will enter into (00:04:07): creation with us and He will be present with us and we will live in partnership (00:04:13): with Him. (00:04:14): And so that's where we come to in Genesis chapter 1. (00:04:20): Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 talks about (00:04:24): the creation of sun, moon, and stars, and the imprint of designated cycles of nature upon the planet. (00:04:37): Just really quick recap. (00:04:40): We start off this creation story with a world in chaos, a world without life. (00:04:45): It's not possible to have life because there are these threats, (00:04:48): these three great threats to life, (00:04:50): but God conquers them. (00:04:52): and he puts his presence throughout the universe. (00:04:55): He bathes the universe in Shekinah glory light, the glow of God. (00:05:02): This is not photon lights. (00:05:05): It's not any of the lights that are created later. (00:05:09): Now we're not down to day four. (00:05:12): He creates sun, moon, and stars. (00:05:15): And that begins an entirely new chapter for life on earth. (00:05:21): I'll read two verses, verses 14 and 15. (00:05:24): Then God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night. (00:05:30): Let them be for signs and seasons for days and years. (00:05:34): And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth. (00:05:38): And it was so. (00:05:40): Then God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day, the lesser to rule the night. (00:05:46): And he made the stars also great. (00:05:50): Let's look down at the end of verse 18. (00:05:52): And God saw that it was good. (00:05:55): So the evening and the morning were the first day. (00:06:01): So, OK, we've got sun and moon and stars. (00:06:04): We've been told we know scientifically. (00:06:07): That the sun provides us with five different kinds of light. (00:06:11): One of those is visible. (00:06:12): The other four we can't see. (00:06:14): But the one that's visible creates photosynthesis. (00:06:17): It causes our planet to be able to have life. (00:06:21): We can't exist without this light from the sun. (00:06:25): That light is not warm. (00:06:26): There's another light that is warm. (00:06:28): We feel it and we think it's all the same thing, but it's not. (00:06:31): That's infrared light. (00:06:32): It's a totally different light. (00:06:34): We can't see it, but we can feel it. (00:06:36): And then there's other kinds of light besides that. (00:06:40): So the sun is the energy pack that runs our world. (00:06:44): The moon, without the moon, the tilt of the earth would spin off. (00:06:48): And so we also could not have a living world without a moon that large. (00:06:52): It influences us and it keeps the tilt of the earth just right for our orbit. (00:06:59): It controls our climate. (00:07:01): And besides the moon, we've got the stars. (00:07:03): And the stars rain down on us every day, tons and tons and tons of elements from exploding stars. (00:07:12): That's where all the heavier metals, everything heavier than iron comes from above. (00:07:17): It filters down from the sky, and it does it every single day by the ton. (00:07:24): And so we are a planet whose elements come from the stars. (00:07:28): We have the sun every day as our energy source. (00:07:32): Without it, we die immediately. (00:07:33): We have the moon to regulate us. (00:07:35): Our planet exists and is kept in stasis because of sun, moon, and stars. (00:07:43): What is this telling us? (00:07:45): What's the spiritual lesson and the practical lesson? (00:07:48): Number one, it's that we are connected to something much bigger than ourselves. (00:07:55): We're not just the smart ape. (00:07:58): We are part of a created order. (00:08:00): It is a universe designed by a benevolent creator. (00:08:03): We look up, and up is where we see all of our source, all of our resource. (00:08:10): It's coming from above us. (00:08:12): And so that lets us know our life is more than just our life. (00:08:15): It's not just my one little life. (00:08:18): But I'm being invited by the God who made the world to reach up and connect to him. (00:08:24): And as I look up and as I connect my heart to his heart, (00:08:28): he will help me live a productive life, (00:08:31): a life that's got meaning here. (00:08:34): And he does that by establishing a natural system of light and dark in the world. (00:08:42): Now we have, as always, humans resist everything that God has done. (00:08:47): So he gives us the sun. (00:08:49): He gives us the moon. (00:08:50): He says clearly in this passage, these are to govern the way you live your day. (00:08:57): They should rule you in the day and in the night because they create a cycle. (00:09:03): They create an ongoing cycle that we've come to just call nature. (00:09:09): And this cycle, (00:09:11): if you'll let it, (00:09:12): it will govern you and it will give you the structure that you need so that you can (00:09:17): weave the fabric of your life. (00:09:20): because all of us are trying to build a life, and a life has a lot of components. (00:09:24): It's got relationships. (00:09:26): It's got a physical body. (00:09:27): I've got a certain limited supply of resources and time and strength and energy. (00:09:34): We've got the schedule that we keep. (00:09:36): We've got the activities that we do. (00:09:39): We have our family connectedness. (00:09:42): We have our calling. (00:09:43): We have our skills that we're developing and that we put to use to bring value (00:09:47): to society, and as we bring value, we are valued, and we have exchanges of goods and services that way. (00:09:55): And so we've got all this to work out how to build a life. (00:09:59): And so God gives us sun and moon and stars, (00:10:04): and these are, (00:10:05): we're told, (00:10:06): you are to live by the seasons and the patterns of the sun. (00:10:13): Well, we decided that wasn't quite good enough. (00:10:16): So we invented 150 or so years ago, we invented artificial light. (00:10:21): And here's five things that light, (00:10:23): artificial light did, (00:10:25): because up to this point, (00:10:26): the only light on planet Earth was sun and moon. (00:10:29): And then we had learned how to use fire. (00:10:31): So we had candlelight, lamplight, or firelight, but that was it. (00:10:37): And then the Industrial Revolution kicked in. (00:10:39): We invented artificial light so that we could do even better than light and (00:10:45): darkness as a pattern of our day. (00:10:48): And we would extend light. (00:10:50): So what did we do? (00:10:51): We extended our working hours to 24. (00:10:55): And we allowed for there to be night shifts and for people to move around at night (00:11:00): and even to create night life so that we didn't have to sleep. (00:11:04): And we've got city's (00:11:05): All over the planet now that never sleep. (00:11:09): activity never stops. (00:11:10): There's never a moment that someone isn't at work 24 hours a day only because of artificial light. (00:11:18): Second thing artificial light did to us is it wrecked our sleep. (00:11:23): We had a very set, (00:11:25): stable sleep schedule because, (00:11:28): say that five times quickly, (00:11:31): we had the dawning of the sun. (00:11:33): It was the wake up time. (00:11:35): We had the setting of the sun. (00:11:36): It was the calm down and everybody, (00:11:39): was inside their house because the world went dark at night. (00:11:42): It isn't safe to be out. (00:11:43): And so went home, locked things down. (00:11:47): Everybody had good long nights of sleep. (00:11:51): But now we have light 24-7. (00:11:54): It advanced puberty by five years. (00:11:57): And so now young people are coming sexually mature at a very, (00:12:02): very young age because of a combination of diet and electric lights that are always on. (00:12:09): Plants and animals, (00:12:10): because the entire planet, (00:12:11): when we electrified it, (00:12:13): we affected the life of everything that lives on the planet. (00:12:18): And so I guess the last thing that this electric light did, (00:12:22): urbanization, (00:12:23): and it's we built cities because we had a way to electrify our lives. (00:12:28): Then that drove everything else that built these huge mega centers across the world. (00:12:34): You know, my wife Sherry is from Amish country, and the Amish basically opted out of electricity. (00:12:41): When it came along, (00:12:42): they just saw all the problems and everything it would bring into their life, (00:12:46): and so they continued to farm with horse-drawn mechanical systems, (00:12:51): and you would think that they would be the most worn-out people in the world, (00:12:56): but we go back to Pennsylvania every year, (00:12:59): and in fact, (00:12:59): they seem to have a lot of time (00:13:01): to socialize and you'll see them outside by three o'clock in the afternoon playing (00:13:06): baseball and their gardens are absolutely beautiful and their families are hanging (00:13:11): out together with the neighbors because they live by circadian rhythm. (00:13:17): They let their lives be governed (00:13:21): by the rising and setting of the sun and the moon and the presence of the stars above. (00:13:27): What would happen if we live by circadian rhythm? (00:13:30): Well, number one, you have improved sleep quality. (00:13:35): And with improved quality of sleep, (00:13:37): because of the absence of electrical interference in our lives, (00:13:42): we get enhanced mental health. (00:13:46): Because we're completely down, our body has long good days, (00:13:50): dark season to restore itself and it lifts us out of depression and anxiety because (00:13:57): there is a natural sleep system that goes with the world the birds go to sleep (00:14:04): animals (00:14:05): burrow down in the night. (00:14:06): There's a thing that's going on all over this planet except among humans and you can drive. (00:14:12): I've done it. (00:14:13): I've driven through Cambodia in the middle of the night and looked and you'd see (00:14:17): complete darkness because they lacked the infrastructure and you would see the dark (00:14:23): outline of huts but in every one of those huts there was a blue light that (00:14:28): glowing inside because by battery power they were running their tv sets and cell (00:14:34): phones into the darkness so if we live by circadian rhythm we're going to have (00:14:39): better mental health because we're going to have better sleep and because of better (00:14:43): sleep and mental health we're going to have better metabolic health we're going to (00:14:48): have better (00:14:49): energy levels to deal with life. (00:14:51): This sense of fatigue is not usually something that comes out of a tired body (00:14:57): because our bodies are rested when we sleep. (00:15:00): It's a tired mind because we never give it a break. (00:15:04): And with all the technology we're surrounded by, a lot of it causes us to always be elsewhere. (00:15:11): You know, we're sitting right beside living humans, but we are somewhere else in our mind. (00:15:17): We're never where our body is. (00:15:19): And this is, it's tearing us apart. (00:15:22): And God has given us a system to get this, to get our life back together. (00:15:28): And it has to do with following the circadian rhythm of sun and moon. (00:15:32): Let the world change. (00:15:34): Keep spending and work with it. (00:15:36): It's going to give us a stronger immune system. (00:15:39): It's going to lead to more longevity of life because we'll be rested and we'll be (00:15:45): walking in step with nature, (00:15:50): following the path of the sun as God intended. (00:15:54): Well, what would it be like? (00:15:56): If the world went back to following the sun, (00:15:59): actually, (00:15:59): I don't know that we can make the world do that, (00:16:01): but you and I can do it. (00:16:02): We can choose to build our life on the movement of the natural movement of the sun (00:16:08): and moon and stars and take charge of technology and its presence in our life. (00:16:15): Well, that would mean we would align our work hours with daylight. (00:16:21): And as the daylight waned, (00:16:23): you need to have completed your work because nighttime is not a time for working. (00:16:28): And if you notice it, (00:16:29): you know, (00:16:30): in the summertime when there's more to do, (00:16:32): there's crops to plant, (00:16:34): we get more daylight. (00:16:36): It's all built into the system. (00:16:37): And in the fall and the winter, (00:16:39): our light is shortened and that's a signal of a new season for us and a new way of living. (00:16:46): So our work hours would need to be (00:16:48): Aligned with daylight, (00:16:49): we would need to be flexible with the seasons and start to live according to the (00:16:56): schedule of a season. (00:16:58): It would mean that we would have less exposure to artificial light. (00:17:02): We would allow the darkness to come on in the evening rather than flooding our (00:17:07): house with screens and artificial light. (00:17:10): We would just let the darkness gradually take over our home. (00:17:14): Hopefully this could lead to revival. (00:17:17): of some cultural festivities that we had before. (00:17:21): We had the excitement of spring and the spring festivals as new life breaks out everywhere. (00:17:28): We had the summertime, (00:17:30): just the busyness of summer and the outdoor activities and get-togethers out in (00:17:35): public picnics and family get-togethers. (00:17:39): And then in the fall, we had the celebration of harvest. (00:17:43): And we can still do that. (00:17:44): We can bring things in from nature inside our house to celebrate each of the seasons. (00:17:51): We can change our decor. (00:17:53): We can change the clothing that we wear. (00:17:56): We can change the pattern of our life because that's what Genesis said to do. (00:18:01): It said that the sun and moon were supposed to set the seasons of our lives together. (00:18:07): They're supposed to govern us. (00:18:10): And I think if we would walk with nature, we will find ourselves stronger and healthier. (00:18:17): What it says to me, (00:18:19): what I think God is telling us in this passage is, (00:18:23): number one, (00:18:24): we are part of something bigger than ourselves. (00:18:28): It doesn't matter that you can squeeze more work into an hour than anybody else. (00:18:32): He's not called you to do that. (00:18:35): He has put sun and moon above us so that we would look up and realize that although (00:18:40): we are physical creatures, (00:18:42): we are part of a universe that is very complicated and very wonderful. (00:18:48): And there is a heavenly realm and it is providing for us. (00:18:53): And there is a God who created us and he gives our life meaning and purpose and (00:18:58): protection and provision. (00:19:01): And we can rest and enjoy our physical activity of life on earth, (00:19:06): knowing that we can tap resources that are beyond ourselves. (00:19:11): the physical world. (00:19:13): We can reach into the world beyond. (00:19:15): And that's what worship does. (00:19:17): That's what prayer does. (00:19:18): It bridges this gap because we're moving in our study of Genesis to see what a human is. (00:19:27): But that's coming soon in our story. (00:19:30): But right now, (00:19:31): we're talking about the context and the world that God has built for us to live in, (00:19:39): that this world is governed by higher powers. (00:19:43): Our very existence is a constant collaboration between heaven and earth. (00:19:49): We would be destroyed every day except for the protection of God and the provision (00:19:55): God and this great provision of Sun Moon and stars and I think the second thing (00:20:01): that God is telling us through this creation story is that we are integrated into (00:20:07): the created order we are we are heavenly in a way we are earthly made from the soil (00:20:15): and returned to the soil we are this planet the earth of this planet raised up to (00:20:21): interact with God to know God to walk with God and (00:20:25): but we affect you know the sun a heavenly body affects us and we affect the rest of (00:20:33): creation we are part of one integrated system i really think christians ought to be (00:20:40): the most you know not the silly side of environmentalism but i think christians (00:20:45): ought to be tree huggers and animal lovers (00:20:48): and good to the earth and the least likely to ever pollute and the most likely to (00:20:55): take care of earth because this is our Father's world. (00:20:59): He built it as His eternal home. (00:21:03): And if you just read the rest of the story, (00:21:05): read the last pages of the Bible, (00:21:08): God very much intends that this planet be renewed and fulfill a purpose that He (00:21:14): created it for. (00:21:15): And so he has given us at this season of our life the ability to draw strength from (00:21:22): heavenly bodies and to create vitamin D from the light of the sun. (00:21:29): And for the animals and the insects and the plants to draw their life from the sun (00:21:34): and the strength of the moon and the elements that rain down on us every single day (00:21:41): from the stars. (00:21:42): We are connected to a huge system of life. (00:21:47): And it's just a beautiful thing, (00:21:48): and it ought to give us all hope and a lot of comfort that nothing's going to (00:21:53): happen to this world. (00:21:55): This is our Father's world, and we are part of it. (00:21:58): So let's just do our part to make this as much a Garden of Eden as we possibly can. (00:22:04): God has governed the circumstances around your life, (00:22:09): and you and I are born for this exact moment in history. (00:22:14): He's called us to be here and he is giving us a way, (00:22:17): even in an age of technology, (00:22:19): he is giving us a way that we can return to a more ordered, (00:22:23): natural way of living. (00:22:26): And we can govern our days by the simple waning of light. (00:22:31): darkness every day let's just start with that and start unplugging in the afternoon (00:22:37): and let our house be as as tech-free as possible in the evening go back to quiet (00:22:44): evening spent with other people go back to conversations go back to phone calls if (00:22:49): you don't have anybody living in your house and (00:22:51): and not just allow our mind to be wired to the Internet until the last second of (00:22:57): our consciousness every day. (00:22:58): It's not good for us. (00:23:00): We know that, and it's breaking us down. (00:23:02): So here we're given the pattern, sun, moon, and stars. (00:23:07): God's in your corner, and so am I. So let me know if there's any way I can help you. (00:23:12): We'd love to hear your comments or your insights on these lessons in the comments section below. (00:23:17): We'll see you next time. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
Why We're Excited About the World's Future 27:28

منذ 1 year27:28

27:28

I was talking to a young person on a college campus just this week. I asked if he was worried about the future. “Anytime I get depressed about the state of the world or even my own life, I just think about all the amazing things that have to happen just to make life possible on Earth. It lets me know that it’s not all on me.” That’s what this week’s podcast is about—the divine marvel of Earth, the living planet and that way its fruitfulness inspires us to hope and work. We are working our way through the Genesis creation narrative. In previous episodes, we talked about how our Creator filled the universe with his presence. Then he built the protective skydome to shield Earth from catastrophic disaster. He conquered darkness and limited its power by 50%. He did the same to the power of the watery deep. Everything done up to this point has been preparation. Now it's time to deliver the baby. Day Three In this episode, we look at the third “day” of creation, the rise of Earthland, and the gathering of the waters into Seas. You’ll find the story in Genesis 1:9-13 which begins with, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. Ge.1.9 NKJV God issues the command and Earthland rises up into the spotlight from the watery deep. She is gloriously pregnant with every kind of seed earth life will ever need. Thoughts about Seed I can’t say I’ve ever given much thought to seed before researching the results of God’s creative work on day three. I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about it in preparation for today’s newsletter and I’m amazed at the wisdom of God to create something so small and yet, so vital for all of us. Seeds are essential not just for plant reproduction but also for human civilization. They are a primary source of food (grains, legumes, nuts, and many fruits). They provide us with materials such as cotton and linen. Additionally, seeds play a critical role in ecosystems, supporting the diet of animals and the creation of habitat. Seeds are unique in three ways; * Propagation: Seeds allow plants to spread to new areas, sometimes far from the parent plant, through various dispersal mechanisms such as wind, water, and animals. * Survival: Seeds can remain dormant for extended periods, allowing plants to survive through unfavorable conditions until circumstances are right for germination. * Nutrition: Seeds often contain significant amounts of stored food (e.g., fats, proteins, carbohydrates), which sustains the embryo during germination and early growth. Did you get that last part? A seed is a plant embryo. In the nucleus of the seed’s embryo, the cells have genetic instructions written in DNA code. This code instructs the cell on how to care for the development of the plant and when to make the proteins that will be needed for the plant to survive in the environment, thrive, and bear fruit with even more seed Just Add water When you add water to a seed it triggers the growth of the embryo. The seed coat breaks open, and the young plant starts to emerge, using its stored nutrients until it can produce its own food as a plant through photosynthesis. What are the Odds? * Of being hit by lightening? That’s 1 in 15,000 (You would think it would be more rare, right?) * Of being hit by lightening twice? Much less odds, only 1 in 9 million * Of Winning the Powerball Lottery? Almost impossible, its only 1 in 290 million * Of planting a single seed carefully and seeing it produce fruit and multiply 1000 times? Amazingly, it’s close to 100%. That’s how much the earth rewards human care. It’s Spring, right? Experiment with one tomato plant, which comes from one tiny seed, and see how much return you receive from tending to it. Your single seed plant should easily produce fruit with between 3000-9,000 seeds. We have an invested Creator. He loves his creation and is determined to build a physical world of free beings who can thrive and develop and make full use of their creativity. Unlike the destructive powers of “the universe,” the default state on Earth is set to yield fruitfulness to those who tend to her carefully in terms of: Plants, animals, and natural resources. You’ll probably never win the lottery, but earth will reward you richly if you care for her. That’s how God designed seed to multiply for those who sow them. "The land is a gift because the people who possess it did not create it.” —Wendell Berry, The Gift of Good Land— The amazingly good news of Day 3 in the Genesis narrative is that life on earth is designed to flourish. You can build a wonderfully satisfying life here. In fact, you can ONLY build a wonderfully satisfying life here. After spending billions in SETI research and developing satellite listening stations to the edges of our solar system the clear verdict is that we can find absolutely no signs of life anywhere but on Earth. Our planet is alive. It literally pulsates with something called dynamic geography. It moves around like an active baby in a woman’s belly, rolling and bulging in an active exchange of minerals, lava and gasses still creating and repositioning mountains and valleys above and below the sea. The earth is alive and full of seed, just waiting to be tended by humans hands. At the end of the work of Day 3, the Creator critiques his own work and announces for the first time that Earth and Seas are “Tov” (good for life, constructive). Later He will plant a tree to commemorate all that is Good. Discussion Question for the chat: Has your media feed affected your feelings about the future? Do you dread what is coming or honestly look forward to where God is taking all of us? We look forward to discussing this with you in the chat (Yes, it’s back on! I don’t know how it got switched off. I’ve been missing your insights). Subscribe to gain access if you haven’t already. Please forward the Grounded Podcast to your friends and family so we can reach more people with God’s encouraging word. Thanks! We deeply appreciate it! Thank you for reading Grounded. This post is public so feel free to share it. YouTube Version: Click Here Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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Avoiding Catastrophic Loss 20:05

منذ 1 year20:05

20:05

We all want to get ahead in life. Every healthy person has dreams and visions of a better life they want to build. In the past, it was a dream about a career and building wealth, but I think people are starting to wake up to the need for a broader vision of life that starts with a healthy body, an upbeat mindset, a robust community, the anchor of family, and a meaningful body of work. You may be surprised to discover that God wants all of this for you. Humans were actually created to enjoy a wonderful experience of life. In this episode of the podcast will go deeper into the Genesis one narrative to receive God's unchanging wisdom about how to live successfully in this relational/physical/spiritual world. The Lure of Quick Success The allure of rapid success is particularly strong among the youth, captivated by tales of making millions in a matter of months or achieving instant fame through clever strategies. By midlife you start to know people who were once rich but lost it all to the economy, their partners, or in a nasty divorce. We have friends who were once such strong pillars now drinking way too much. Former “alpha males” lose their health and stature overnight to a stroke. In a universe with powerful forces of destruction like entropy and “the darkness” (from our previous videos) it doesn’t take much for things to go bottom up. The First Order of Business The Bible is here to guide us on a journey to knowing the God who made us, and walking with Him throughout the journey of building our little worlds in a way that reflects his values and dreams for all humans. In our last episode we witnessed the grace gift of God’s presence being seeded throughout the physical world so we can find God’s presence in the field, the house, and at work. God is everywhere for us. That makes life possible. We’re invited to dream big and bring those dreams to Him for review and blessing. We’re so excited to start on our bold vision, and ready to bet the farm on the new idea, but the first order of business, according to the Genesis narrative, is actually to mitigate loss. Not very exciting. The gun goes off and we’re double-lacing our shoes while others charge ahead. But our universe is hostile against us. That’s the first lesson to the wise. No fairy tales about “the universe” bringing our dreams true. In the Genesis story, the one thing you can count on from the default forces of the universe, is to resist your efforts, create friction at every turn, and to help you pick up so much speed going downhill that you’ll never make that curve. The universe wants to destroy all life. That’s why the moon is not a tropical paradise. To our best knowledge, there’s not a single living bacterium on Mars, Jupiter or anywhere else. Ours is a hostile universe. It kills all life throughout the galaxy—except here on Earth and there’s just one reason. God is our friend. He’s the only way we survive. If we’re going to make it to the end of the race and see our vision of a great life become a reality, we’re going to have to walk in step with Him and constantly mitigate the catastrophic loss that’s hovering above us. Ge. 1.6-7 NKJV Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters....and it was so." The “Firmament” In the Genesis story, after God seeds his presence (Shekinah light) everywhere to allow life to spring forth, He creates a defensive barrier, the Firmament (key idea is “firm”). The Firmament is a sky shield to protect us from catastrophic dangers above. In biblical language, it keeps the watery deep from swallowing earth from below and above. Again, this is symbolic language, but it has parallels in nature, like in the way our oxygenated atmosphere protects us from being struck by 48 tons of meteoroids each day (* NASA ). The Lesson to Us The point is that comfort is not our friend. We can’t coast our way to a good life. If we want a great experience on earth, we have to work against the anti-creation forces and make the life we want. In later passages we’ll learn that we have the power to make this happen, but not without intentionality on our part. To build a great life we must first establish an atmosphere of protection around ourselves and our little worlds. "A disaster is an emergency poorly met." Can We Avoid Catastrophic Loss? While we can’t avoid all forms of tribulation (squeezing) in the world, the Bible’s message is that Yes!, we can mitigate catastrophic loss and seize the kind of life we dream of, because it’s the one God intends for us. We can live fulfilling lives, have strong families, and build wealth as a defense and a gift for future generations. Such ambition pleases God. He will, actually, join us on the endeavor, as He did with Abraham and use the events and challenges we face to shape us in His image. It’s just that we shouldn’t get too invested in the work of building until we create a security perimeter around the key areas of our lives. Building and maintaining, those defense structures keep our labor in play and preserves it from being brought to nothing later. * Marriage. If you are married, the universe wants to see your love die. The anti-creation forces around you will work to tear you apart and leave you hating the thought of each other, ruining every holiday for your kids. So, what are you going to have to do about that to make your good marriage become great and survive all the tests of time? * Wealth. OK, Bitcoin is the next great thing, but we need to think about capital preservation more than explosive growth in our financial strategy. If we never lose, then we keep growing our base year by year. That’s why Warren Buffet is the Oracle of Omaha. * Our bodies have to last till we hit our 90’s. A bag of chips a night and a comfy recliner insures 25 years of pain in the last half of our life. What is your daily system for keeping your body healthy? * Our minds. The physical universe is tough enough, but the digital one wants to fill you with anxiety, despair, and drift. Unless we dream of life in the Matrix, we need to turn off the screen, put our phone in a box 15 hours a day, use our brains, and develop a champion’s mindset. What’s your firmament plan to keep your mind strong? Building and maintaining a firmament at all times is job one. That’s the lesson of the firmament to me. We all need a secure atmosphere all around us in order to thrive. “The only thing harder than planning for disaster is explaining why you did not.” Questions Consider what persistent concerns signal vulnerabilities in your life. What can you do to take action to protect yourself in that area? CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE VERSION Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
How to Cultivate Inner Light 34:15

منذ 1 year34:15

34:15

I hate election years. I didn’t always feel like this, but since 2016, elections have become a blood sport and all the power of the internet and traditional media is honed to do maximum damage. Families and friends have become divided. You can lose your job for just saying what you think. It’s never been like this in my lifetime. I’m not sure what it will take to change it. Changing the behavior of even one other adult is a challenge—unless that adult is me. The question is, “Can I develop an inner source of light and just drive by that guidance throughout life without needing any outside reference?” That’s what this episode of the newsletter and podcast is about. The Bible Opens With Darkness in Charge The Big Story of the Bible opens on a universe bathed in darkness, making life impossible. Nothing can survive, much less thrive. We are absolutely dependent upon Light for our physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual life. Tragically, we cannot produce it. This episode is about the grace gift of light. In Genesis 1, God walks on the stage and His first words are the command, “Let there be light!” That's when hope enters the story. The power of the darkness is broken and life can now begin. Light is the central hopeful symbol of the Bible Genesis 1:3-5 NKJV Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. What we learn The immediate thing we learn is that light wins. Even in a tomb of darkness, one match can light your way. Darkness can’t extinguish light. There's nothing the darkness can do to turn itself up and become more dark. Light defeats darkness instantly. The Bible introduces the Creator as the champion of life in our universe. He rises up and defeats the darkness in an instant with his own inner light, allowing life to burst forth. This isn’t the light of the Sun or Moon. (In the narrative, they aren’t created for three more days). This light is the radiance that comes out of God himself. It is the presence of God bathing the universe. There is no place you can go in the galaxy without being bathed in the Shekinah light of God’s presence. It’s the Creator’s first, and most essential, gift. David pondered this. Ps. 139 NKJV 7Where can I go from Your Spirit?Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;If I make my bed in [ c ]hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall [ d ]fall on me,”Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness [ e ]shall not hide from You,But the night shines as the day;The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Before there anything could live anywhere, the presence of God had to saturate the darkness and weaken its power. The thought of God’s presence being everywhere to guide, comfort, protect and provide security is one of the great sources of hope for those who are walking in submission with Him. God glows and so do his people In the Bible, everyone who encounters God faces an overwhelming radiance as bright as lightning. Those who spend time in an encounter with God glow from the experience. One way to get more of God’s light is to hang out with those who glow. There’s so much more to say. The podcast is a better place to share it. Hope you’ll give it a listen so you can hear the answer to the question of whether we can, in fact cultivate inner light that guides us without additional help. And so, dear friend, I hereby deliver to you this week’s video podcast. This substack is very convenient. You can watch the video above or on YouTube . You can also listen to the audio version on your computer or on your phone through Spotify or Apple Podcasts or by clicking this link . If you find value in these podcasts please share this newsletter with your friends. I deeply appreciate those who help Grounded to grow. It’s a ton of work, but it’s worth it all to know that others are being helped by it. Discussion This week, let’s read 1 John every day and post what we get from it in the chat. Everyone who has subscribed has access to the chat box. See you there! Walk in the Light! Chuck YouTube Version Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
Escaping the 8 Layers of Darkness 28:51

منذ 1 year28:51

28:51

Each of us has a life battle to fight against the intelligent darkness that is seeking to pull us away from God and his righteous path. Sometimes the darkness appeals to something unnoticeable to others like nursing a grudge against a family, member or coworker. There are so many dark emotions, and any of them can become a lever to move us from our grounded position into a place of greater vulnerability. The devil does his work in darkness. In this episode of the podcast we're going to break down eight ways the Bible describes the work of darkness, eight layers of it’s presence. It begins with simple ignorance and ends with an eternity in darkness. Will we escape the darkness? Thankfully, that’s up to us. Jesus is the light of the world and he has come to give light to everyone. We can leave the light and walk with him in the light. He gives us the power and the invitation to come to him and escape the darkness. “In your light, we see light” Ps. 36.9 Even if you don’t watch the whole video please pay attention to the first two points. They show how darkness generally works in people with religious convictions—people trying to do the right thing. It’s an important point. Check out the video or audio and put your thoughts in the chat here. What are your favorite Bible verses related to darkness versus light? I’d love to hear from you on this. Walk in the Light! Love, CQ Listen to the audio podcast Watch the YouTube Version Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
Defeating Darkness: The Champion's Battle 27:04

منذ 1 year27:04

27:04

Hope you are ready for another amazing insight from the Word of God! The creation narrative is the foundation for our understanding regarding who we are and what’s going on inside and around us. In Ge 1.3-5, the creation of Earth begins with the defeat of darkness by a light that comes from within the Creator—not the sun (not created till day four). This is His Shekinah glory. Darkness vs Light The concept of Darkness is an idea seed that is planted in this third line of the big story. It germinates and spreads throughout the rest of the Bible. Unpacking this idea of “darkness and light” gives us a very deep insight regarding the human condition. The problem of the power of darkness is the core issue of every human life. We feel it and it seems inescapable. Your attempted escape from the darkness is the central plot of your life. It is your calling. It will take courage, discipline, and sacrifice to walk in the light and have light grow inside of you. Sadly, most people will not escape the world’s darkness. They will quickly surrender, make their peace with it, and settle into a respectable slavery. As Oscar Wilde wrote, "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." God has better things in mind for you, my friend, but you are the one in charge of your story, so only you can decide your path regarding the darkness. The battle between darkness and light is the central plot throughout literary history. Novels, movies, fables, and songs in every culture revolve around it. In this episode, I describe the ceaseless war between these two great opposing forces of spiritual authority, for that is what they are. The Hero’s Journey The hero’s journey begins in darkness and moves ever into light. First, we must move beyond our ignorance into belief, but then we must face the fact that there is yet darkness inside of us. For this we need that liberation only found through enlightenment from Jesus. The Apostle John, in both his gospel and epistle, does a masterful job of celebrating Jesus as the Light of the world. Some Christians read 1 John daily. It’s short and so powerful. The Father limited darkness in the creation and Jesus defeated the prince of darkness on the cross. In Him we have light, but we have to choose to walk in that light in our daily actions. What’s Coming Next There’s so much to chew with this big idea that it will take three episodes to cover. In today’s video, I’ll unwrap the idea of darkness as a spiritual force. The next video is, “8 Layers of Darkness” revealed in the Bible’s teaching. In the third episode we celebrate the Bible’s teaching on the unbeatable power of light over darkness. As always, I welcome your comments, contributions, and feedback. This episode was surprisingly difficult to do for some reason. Thanks for your prayers as I endeavor to bring solid spiritual food in a new online way. Every Blessing, Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
The Three Greatest Threats to our Survival 20:57

منذ 1 year20:57

20:57

* Subscribe for free below. This podcast is available on video above or as an audio version with hour favorite platform like Apple or Spotify podcasts. It is also on video on YouTube. Get the front row seat and let me send it directly to your mailbox weekly so you’ll get it first and never miss an episode. It’s Free! Hey! Hope you’re having an amazing start to your week. A positive attitude is the great thermostat in life. Gratitude is the foundation for a positive outlook on life. In this episode of the podcast, I’m going to talk about three great constant threats to our survival at every level. Once you hear about them you’ll see them all around you trying to get at your life and turn it to powder, yet our Creator protects us from these threats every day. Seeing His mercy should help us develop a more conscious sense of gratitude to our creator for protecting us daily against these three great threats. Even if you don’t usually watch the video, how about giving this one a try? (You can even click the little gear and up the speed to 1.5x to make it go faster if it seems too long for you.) This teaching is important foundational stuff for establishing a truly biblical mindset in life.Please help us reach 1,000 subscribers within the next two months. You can do this by forwarding Grounded to a friend with the button below. THANKS!!! Thank you for reading Grounded. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
How "Science Glasses" Blind us to Truth 19:51

منذ 1 year19:51

19:51

Click here for the audio podcast version. The hardest part of understanding the Bible for modern people is transcending the mental categories we have all inherited by being raised in the age of science and technology. New Glasses Will Allow us to See New Truth We go through life with the automatic mental programming of our generation, sort of like wearing a pair of purple lens glasses. We've been wearing these glasses all our lives and so we just don't see certain colors accurately. Only by intentionally removing these glasses and putting on a different set can we read the Bible and really see what is being revealed. This is our first episode of actually opening the Bible to the first page so we can start to build our world narrative. This narrative must be trustworthy. I'm basing mine on what is revealed to us by the Creator about the true nature of our world. This is a fascinating study! We will go slow and make sure we take time to savor all the implications of the foundational truths revealed in Genesis 1-3. Remaining Unmovable in our New Life The current world moves ever deeper into an always-connected, tech-required experience. We are never truly offline now. Rest is a luxury. The most important life skill for all of us living in this generation is grounding—stability of mind, relationships, and actions. I believe there's no single thing you can do to ground your life. Grounding is the reward for maintaining four networked stabilizers: * A trustworthy Narrative to map out the reality of this world and define who we are and our role in it. * A resilient mindset where we meditate on the truth and implications of that mindset and use it to build our hope and expectation. * A robust interpersonal network of relationships. We live out of the resource of this relational web, and our life finds value as we serve our network and add value to the lives of others within it. * A meaningful body of work, and by this I mean the sum total of our actions as sovereign individuals who have dominion over our actions. We build our own little world, and this act of building, a beautiful life for ourselves, and those who are in it, sustains and supports us. It is where our satisfaction comes from. Some people in this generation are going to thrive. I want that person to be you. “In the Beginning…” The first line of the Bible is a perfect first sentence. In Hebrew, it has seven words, but in just seven words it outlines the entire content of this collection of revelation that will take thousands of years and over 35 different authors to express. Here’s what it tells us: * We live in a universe which is not eternal. It began at a moment in time. * Our universe was created by a single intelligence. * Our universe exists to express the desire of its Creator. * Our universe was intentionally created according to a careful design. * Our universe has two levels to it. Heavens (Skye) and Earth. Material and Immaterial. Seen and Unseen. The rest of the Bible is devoted to stories that illustrate the interplay between the seen and unseen worlds. We will meet characters from both worlds, and we will see how these two dominions are intertwined and affect one another. The Bible will teach us that universal harmony and perfection of life will come when everything in the Heavens and the Earth are completely unified, “As in Heaven, so on Earth.” Our calling as humans is to use our dominion and free will to bring earth into alignment with the heart and values of its Creator. God’s Spirit will be with us giving us the power and resources we need to make this happen in the parts of the world we control. The Story Leads to Jesus Ultimately, the story will lead us to Jesus who heals both dominions and unites them as one unified whole. Only then will the Creator King return to his creation and make it His home. With His presence (the Reign of God) the envisioned Utopia will become an eternal physical reality on Earth. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11: 6-9 NKJV) It’s the Big Story. Let’s open it up and live it out! * If this content is meaningful to you please help us grow our audience. These are our early days. Please help us reach the 1000 milestone by sharing this podcast and newsletter with your friends and family.* Thank you for reading Grounded. This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

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1
The Bible Code Explained 17:39

منذ 2 years17:39

17:39

This is the first in a series of podcasts about the Bible’s use of symbolism, story, and mythology as the Truth’s best container. This is not to say that the Bible is a book of fables like Aesops or moral stories like those of the Brothers Grimm. The Bible uses symbol to contain meaning because story is the operating system of the human mind and symbol the perfect container for truth. I have much more to say on the subject, and it will take a few additional podcasts from time to time to adequately cover it, but here's a start. Jump in on the chat if you are a subscriber. If not, sign up here. It’s free! You can find the audio podcast version in any podcast platform like Apple podcasts, Spotify or my own player right here . Pleeeeeeeze help me hit 1,000 subscribers by sharing Grounded with others on your social media feeds, OK? Thanks!!! (We have 500+ right now) Thank you for reading Grounded! Please help us grow our community with your amazing friends. Thanks!!! Watch the Video on YouTube Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

1
From Desperation to Determination 11:35

منذ 2 years11:35

11:35

Are you genuinely excited about the direction of your life in the coming year? You can be. The life God has for us is, "above all that we can ask or even think". I guess we've all figured out by now that although planning our destinations (goal setting) is important, “living” is more about the process of finding enjoyment in the journey itself as we do life with others. I go on my first big trip When I was eight and living in LaGrange, Georgia, Mom and Dad announced that we were going on a road trip. I would get to see where they had started their life together in Washington DC, our nation’s capital. It was going to be a long, long journey. They gave me a gift for the road, a small transistor radio with an earpiece to help me deal with the endless hours of riding in the car. They were smart enough to give it to me a month before we left so I had time to explore what a radio was and fall in love with the magical thing. (Did you have one of these as a kid?) All the way to DC and back I was plugged into radio magic and expanded my mind with all the things I heard city by city. Our journey through life is long and demanding, so God has given all of us some gifts too. Our First Gift Imagine being trapped in a life where others chose our thoughts, words, and direction. It would be like one of those nightmares where there’s an attacker and you can’t run or hit them or even shout out (don’t tell me I’m the only one). Thank God, we aren’t trapped in such a powerless existence! The first gift God gave humans when Adam and Eve opened their eyes was dominion, rulership over their own existence. Their thoughts, words, plans, and actions would be under their sole control. In other words, our first great gift is the key to the car. It’s your life and you can drive it anywhere you decide. Slow or fast. In the middle of the road or off a cliff. It’s completely up to us and only us. This has to be our journey and the sooner we take charge of our direction the better it will be for us. We should all be forever grateful for this gift alone. Our Second Gift The second power is the ability to conceive a favored future in our mind, and then focus on it until it comes into being. It’s called belief or faith. We would all do well to expand our awareness of the power of our own faith and vision for our near and longterm life. Before Jesus laid hands on people he often asked them, “Do you believe that I can do this for you?” After their miracle, he would say, “Your faith has made you whole”. Medical science has long recorded the amazing ability of placebo medications to cure serious diseases although the pills were made of nothing beneficial. It was the faith that brought the cure. Self-healing. According to Jesus, faith has the power to kill fig trees, move mountains, and allow a normal human like Simon Peter to walk on water. Your own vision for your life, if you lean into it, can bring that God-honoring future into existence. So let me ask you again, are you genuinely excited about the direction of your life in the coming year? Let’s Get Our Vision On We all need to get a compelling vision of ourselves in a better state 12 months from now. Imagine yourself physically healthy, taking long walks and full of energy. See your closeness with your family, especially if you don’t click well with them. Describe out loud the life you know God wants for you. Then put it in writing as a declaration on a card and tape it to your bathroom mirror. Believe it. Have confidence in it. Then take your dominion and align your gifts and abilities—your mindset, your attitude, your speech, your actions, your relational ability—and drive into that future. Dominion, plus a compelling vision of a favored future—that’s powerful stuff! Dominion and Faith in World Missions In urban barrios, mountain villages, and college campuses in Southeast Asia, we and our partners watch repeatedly in happy wonder as these two great divine gifts completely rewrite life stories. Time and again we have watched kids from the hardest backgrounds you can imagine catch a vision of themselves in a different life. They start to see themselves through God’s eyes of unlimited possibility. They accept our word to them, that they are the child of promise, and they take on the vision of lifting their family out of spiritual and material poverty. They see themselves as the hero in their family’s story, of God giving them the breaks as they apply themselves with all their might. They say no to destructive friendships, no to drugs, no to sexual immorality. They use their dominion and rise from brothels, from the generational poverty of the barrio and from the despair and depression that is sweeping across college campuses everywhere. Jesus changes lives, but this is how he does it. He empowers humans to live as the image of God on earth. And that, my dear friend, is how we get ourselves equipped to face the next 12 months with genuine excitement. This Week’s Video This week’s video was shot in the raw borderland of Thailand and Myanmar. Denzel Washington’s breakout hit, American Gangster, tells the true story of the drug cartel that was (and is) operating in that region. The actual village is just over the mountains behind me. It produced 70% of America’s heroin during the Vietnam War. Many, many lives have been destroyed in this place, but many amazing stories of transformation are also being written there as well. I hope you enjoy the video and will put the power of dominion and faith to work in your own life this week. This post is public so feel free to share it with your friends. *If you would like to be part of Emerge Missions initiatives in Southeast Asia you can donate here . On behalf of the thousands of young people impacted weekly, we thank you. Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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Hey there! Welcome to Grounded. 18:42

منذ 2 years18:42

18:42

Welcome friends! I’m Chuck Quinley and I want to welcome you to my new podcast, Grounded. In this episode I’ll explain what the podcast is all about and why I feel it’s important. A bit about me. My wife, Sherry and I have been living in Southeast Asia for the past 34 years, developing the broad work of a lean nonprofit called Emerge Missions which you can learn about here . such work is a lot more dramatic than you might imagine. We’ve been through three governmental overthrows, a killer earthquake, the great Tsunami, and the kidnapping and murder of good friends. Then there are the normal pressures of living across cultures, raising six kids, and narrowly avoiding burnout many times. So we’ve been around. We’ve tried many experiments that failed and even more that succeeded marvelously. We’ve journeyed with the rest of humanity from the world as we’ve always known it to this new tech-driven media age that is taking us to??? The jury is still out on that one. I would imagine it will be someplace wonderful with pockets of horrible like most ages. As in every time of massive disruption, the good news is that you can be steady even as the world tilts! Yes, it’s true! God has given us all we need to survive and thrive in times of great transition. This podcast is dedicated to finding stability for the journey of the next ten years. Being grounded comes from four stabilizers: * A trustworthy narrative, that you truly believe. I mean you have to go all in on this narrative and stick with it through your darkest hours. * A mindset that gives you mental toughness * The effective support of a carefully curated human network * A meaningful body of work, the sum total of your life’s actions I’ve come to believe that category four is the most important by far. The others provide the strength, guidance and courage for it. I label content for category four as “Changemakers”. Because podcasts and YouTube videos, where this discussion is also hosted are consumed a piece at a time rather than in a series like a book I will bounce around from topic to topic. If you subscribe to my feed on chuckquinley.substack.com you can get in on the conversation and behind-the-scenes thinking that goes into each episode. The chat is for subscribers only so please join us! Subscribe for free to receive new posts Most episodes are done in video as a podcast. A few of them are concept videos that stand alone. I look forward to getting grounded together! Every Blessing! Chuck Quinley . Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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10 Marks of a Great Mentor 14:40

منذ 2 years14:40

14:40

[Video Versions at the Bottom of the Page— Join the discussion in the Chat ] Mentoring is key to advancement in life no matter our age. It’s the best way to make sure the advantages of the last generation’s experience in life aren’t lost so they can benefit the next generation. Hopefully, you’ve had some good mentors in life. I know Sherry and I have. The benefits we gained from these interactions made us determined to be the best mentors we could even when we were just in our early 20’s. It became our life’s calling. We call it, “Building Big People.” It’s not a transactional thing. It’s something more like friendship. If someone comes up to you and says, “Will you be my friend?” it feels like they might be emotionally unstable. Just spend some time together and if you are a fit, a friendship will emerge. If a friend gets jealous or shows up too often it usually leads to a cooling in the connection. Mentoring is like that too. It has a natural flow to it and if you make it official, like calling someone your “best friend,” you might just mess it up. A mentor isn’t an official job, it’s a kind of influence we recognize as beneficial on our momentum in life. Mentoring gives our life meaning and helps us pass on the ancient wealth of wisdom we have gotten from our elders throughout life. (Their’s is 100 year old wisdom, folks, so it’s the good stuff!) Mentoring is the most important thing we do as leaders at Emerge Missions. It is now the foremost thing our next generation leaders request of us. 10 Characteristics of Great Mentors * They intend to mentor. The best mentors have accepted this as a calling from God. It is their high work in life and a focus their intent on doing an excellent job as a mentor for the next generation. * They “see you”. There's a patients to them. They are not working so hard to be seen so they have more capacity to see others and where they are in their development. * They “read” you. Maybe the best word for this is discernment. They don't just scan people to see how attractive they are, or if their clothes seem to be expensive. They read deeper, and they analyze people that they interact with, but they do it with mercy, remembering themselves in all the various stages of their own development and awareness. * They have a hopeful vision for you. They are generous and upbeat. It is easy for them to become excited about the potential in another person's life. They have learned what works and they will quickly spot your tools and special abilities. * They don’t take you over. This is what separates them from cult leaders. Anyone who uses the vulnerability of you opening up to them to “power up” on you and start taking over your life has no business in this kind of work. Anyone who would say things like, “As your (sponsor/mentor/pastor/father/leader/discipler/coach), I’m here to help you but also to kick your butt if you do stupid things…” is toxic. Such people have unmet personal needs for power. Get away from them. The people who truly change your life for the better have no interest in dominating you. Your own dominion is what they want to see flower and expand. The ones who change your life have their own power. They rule their own world and they don’t need to rule yours. * They create time boxes for you where you get 100% of their attention. They take your call and whenever you speak, even if it's just for five minutes, you can tell they are completely tuned in to you. Your conversations matter to them. * They really listen whenever you speak. They show with their body posture and their eye contact so strongly that you open your heart even more than you had planned. When they listen they listen with a third ear. Our words are just one layer. Wise mentors recognize how much of human communication is done through tone and gesture and timing. After selling them on your big new plan they might pause for a minute and say something like, “It’s exciting to start new things in life, isn’t it?! But, it feels like you aren’t completely sold on this idea yourself.” That’s when you realize that you only made that bold plan to impress your father in law whose approval you’ve never felt. You don’t even want to do it. Your mentor saved you a ten-year detour in life. That’s the power of a person in your life who simply listens deeply to you and asks questions. * They call out the strengths they see in you. Most of us see our weaknesses already. We don’t need another voice in our head about that. We win in life because of our strengths. The good mentor has a keen sense of what we’re good at. They notice things, like attention to detail, courage, working well with others, or bringing a six-pack of “enthusiasm” every day. These might not seem like important stuff, but a seasoned leader knows that so called, “soft skills” are the truly irreplaceable ones. Most hard skills can be gained through training and many of them become instantly irrelevant through one technological advance. The soft stuff is our core. It fuels our greatest contribution to the teams we serve in life. * They connect you to other healthy people, resources, and opportunities. In other words, they invest in you, sharing their accumulated lifetime social and professional network. They open doors for you if they can. Their network, like yours, is the backbone of their life. Meaning comes from making a valuable contribution to the network we build throughout life. * They cheer for you from the shadows backstage, versus stepping out to share the stage with you. Mentors have had lots of victories in life. They’ve won awards and been on stage. They don’t need more of that. Their joy is in watching you earn your moments in the spotlight. The Ironic Gift The mentor will ask for little from you except to also pay attention and put wisdom into practice. There’s a bit of universal magic here, however. Although the good mentor asks for nothing, they really get the most benefit out of the relationship. Leadership studies have shown that having a dedicated mentor changes your upward trajectory by 15% in terms of the general markers of success. Becoming a mentor, however, has an upward push of 45% or more! So, if you’re only 15 years old, you should try to mentor some 12-year-olds. They will think you hung the moon and the posture you assume will begin transforming you into a life-giving leader. That change in perspective then sets you up for all kinds of success in life. Mentoring as Mission Mentoring is the key to the success of the Batang Sidewalk program in Metro Manila. Kids mentor kids. It has been tested for 25 years now and the results are breathtaking. Hundreds of kids from families under the crushing weight of generational poverty have been mentored and later become mentors for kids younger than them. They all go to Jesus camp. They stay in high school and become the first in their family history to graduate college and move up in life. Then they return to the barrios every weekend in search of the next hungry generation and bring the gospel to them as well. This system is the ancient core of the Jesus community. “Making disciples” is about having a holistic concern for other people. You want them to be set free from their sin and their destructive habits. You want them to feel the embrace of their savior and to become aligned with their Creator so life works for them. You want to see their faith built up so they believe God is behind them, giving them dominion in life so they can crush the works of the devil and rise up as children of God. Mentoring changes us at every age. There’s always someone just a little bit younger than us, and behind us in our development in life. It can give retirement age individuals,It can give retirement age individuals a new purpose. This year my father passed away. It was agonizing to watch his body breaking down system by system over his last three years. He had been my mentor throughout life. The deepest investment he made in me was to share his personal mistakes and failures with me. He could have covered these things and persevered the legend, but he was committed to my development so he gave this costly treasure to me. I will always cherish this gift and be wary to avoid those same traps along my path. In his last year, I said, “Dad, you’re my mentor in all things. You are teaching me how to do the last hard mile of life. Any advice for me when I get to your stage?” Without missing a beat, he said with his wry smile, “I’d skip it if you can.” Mentors are with us forever. I love ya, Dad. Watch the video in this player: Watch the video on YouTube Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe…

Grounded with Chuck Quinley

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How to Release Your Potential by Developing a Mindset of Abundance 26:54

منذ 2 years26:54

26:54

Get full access to Grounded at www.quinley.com/subscribe

مرحبًا بك في مشغل أف ام!

يقوم برنامج مشغل أف أم بمسح الويب للحصول على بودكاست عالية الجودة لتستمتع بها الآن. إنه أفضل تطبيق بودكاست ويعمل على أجهزة اندرويد والأيفون والويب. قم بالتسجيل لمزامنة الاشتراكات عبر الأجهزة.