Would one of you please lead in prayer? Submit this class into God's hands and then we can begin our study. Okay, anyone would like to lead in prayer? I'll pray. Yeah, yeah, please Kennedy. Thanks. I have a Nihoga. A very grateful to you for this opportunity that you've given us to come in prayer with the family Nihoga. Thank you for everything. Thank you for who you are. Amen. Thank you. Thank you, Kennedy. So yesterday we did a survey of the New Testament to see what we can learn about the prophetic there. Today, we will complete the last section in that chapter. So chapter three, we left one portion which is about the prophetic presbytery. So this is also seen in the New Testament where you have leaders coming and laying hands on those who are being, you know, I would say people that they are guiding, leading. So mentors basically lay hands on these people and commission them for the work of the ministry. When this is done, we see that there is an impartation. There is an activation of the gifts which God has, you know, put inside those people. So this is a common practice in the New Testament and this is something that we can do even today. We may not see a lot of this happening currently, but this is a New Testament practice. So when you look at what Paul writes to Timothy, he says in 1 Timothy 4 and verse 14, do not neglect the gift that is in you which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. So notice that through prayer, Paul and the leadership had imparted gifts into Timothy. And during this commissioning, certain things were activated and put into Timothy. This is a spiritual dynamic which we may not completely be able to describe, but it happens. So Paul was just telling Timothy, there are gifts inside of you which you received during this time of prayer and because it is in you, don't neglect those gifts. Fan them into flame, put them into use, be led into the purposes of God through these gifts which are in you. Similar thing is seen in Acts 13 when the leadership at the Church of Antioch Commission, Paul and Barnabas to go into the missionary journey. So I am not sure how many of you know at APC Bible College as well, generally during the graduation. Just before the graduation, we have a couple of activities. There is one meeting that we have where it's a time of sharing, generally the students share their experience. Now that we are not having the in-person classes, it hasn't happened for the last two years. And I don't know about this year as well, the graduating batch, whether they can come here physically and whether we can have these sessions. But we generally have that time and it's a pretty extended time so the students share their learning, their experience. And towards the end of this session, we have a time of prayer commissioning impartation where we have the faculty come. We gather around the students and all the faculty, we pray over the students, we lay hands as the Lord leads us. This is prophetic presbytery.  So we impart what God has put on our lives upon the lives of the students so that they can carry on the work of God the way God has called them. Now remember from what we have learnt about the transfer of the anointing, we don't just conclude that people will be replicas of other individuals and other ministries. It doesn't work like that. We've already understood that whenever we talk about impartation, the anointing which is imparted upon the life of an individual, that anointing is connected to the life goal and purpose of that individual. So what kind of anointing is imparted into people, all that it's very hard to answer. But what we recognize is whatever that person needs, whether it's leadership, whether it's teaching, so God does the work and we know that God is the one who anoints people. So we just believe that. In the New Testament we've seen that happen, prophetic presbytery where leaders lay hands to pray, to bless, to commission. There is an impartation and activation. So we believe that and by faith we continue to do it and God continues to do his work of anointing people suitably and leading them forward in their work in their ministry. So Sri Kumar, I see your hand raised. Any question with regard to this? Yes, Prabhupada, I just want to know. Is it the same what we call the ordination or is it anything different? Like as you said, we impart the gifts. So when we say we impart the gift, is it based on the call of that particular individual or is it the desire of the one of the leader who is praying for him? And the second question is both are the same. The ordination and this prophetic presbytery is both the same only. I just want to thank you first. Okay. Yes, thank you Sri Kumar. Now when we talk about ordination, my understanding of ordination, let me just look it up as well. Okay. So you see ordination is also positioning someone for the work of the ministry, let's say as a pastor or a leader, generally the term ordination is used. But when we talk about prophetic presbytery, this need not be ordination. It could just be a time of impartation. That's it. Now the prophetic presbytery can accompany ordination where we are commissioning people very specifically as the Lord leads. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the one who leads and guides based on what each person's calling is. So the prophetic presbytery can accompany ordination.  Like we just pray, we bless and we let the Holy Spirit work. Thank you pastor. Yeah, sure. Thank you. So this is prophetic presbytery. Some of you may be familiar with it. Others may not. But I just want to share that we also try and do this for our students before they graduate. Okay. It's because we do believe in it. We do believe that God works by his spirit when we pray in faith over the people whom we are building up in the Lord. So now we move on to chapter four. If there are no questions from chapter three, you can always interrupt me if at all something arises, then you want to clarify it. But let's continue chapter four. Chapter four is about the prophetic word. Okay. And when we talk about the prophetic word, it's a message that we are really talking about. This prophetic word can be released in different ways and we will discuss that a little later. So basically it's a message from God. Okay. However, when we consider the prophetic and we consider what God is doing in the now, there's not just the prophetic word but the prophetic can play out in different ways. So one is to say or to give the message that God is giving us that would be the prophetic word. There can also be prophetic intercession. I know there is a slight overlap over here with prayer and intercession class that we did in the first year. So some of those insights you would find that they are repeated. But we'll try and go over them quickly. So prophetic intercession is also something that is part of the prophetic ministry. So basically this means that one prays through what they hear from God. So prophetic intercession. There is something called as prophetic power. Prophetic power is the demonstration of God's power. You know, when God is ministering in Israel, we'll touch on the most specific details and then you will have a better understanding. Prophetic power for now. We understand that it is the demonstration of power that accompanies the release of the prophetic. Then there's prophetic song. Now we are going to study this as well in depth. Song hearing from God and singing the praise, the praises of God, you know, worship unto God and also the accompanying music that can be a prophetic release. It may not just be a time of singing, but it can be a prophetic release. So the prophetic could come through in this manner in the form of prophetic song. And then there is the prophetic action. Prophetic action is when something is enacted. And in the Old Testament, we said that a lot of the prophecies were demonstrated creatively. And also in the New Testament, I think I shared the example of Agabus. He takes Paul's belt and he ties it around his waist. He could have said, Paul, you are going to go through a difficult time and you shall be imprisoned. Instead, there was an action, a prophetic act that he performed. So it can come through in the manner of an action. Today, we will touch on the prophetic word and learn about it and eventually we will touch all the other methods in which the prophetic is released. Now, once again, you know, whenever we come across these classifications in the last class, we classified the gifts of the spirit in a category, revelatory gifts. It's not to limit our understanding. You know, God is very out of the box. The way he works, we might think only two gifts will flow together, but it's not necessary. Even what I shared just now about the way the message comes through, maybe when the release of the prophetic happens, you begin by saying the prophetic word, but eventually it goes into a prophetic song and then maybe an action, a prophetic action. So it's hard to classify and be very technical about these matters. We just have to let the spirit flow. But all this categorization is only for a better understanding and clarity for us. Okay, now talking about the prophetic word, we have repeated regarding 1 Corinthians 14-3 quite often, you know, so far. And we've said that the prophetic word brings edification, exhortation and comfort. So this basic thing about the prophetic word needs to be understood. Now we're not saying that there will be no words of warning or no words of judgment.  But you know, primarily what we're saying is when one flows in the basic gift of prophecy, the simple gift of prophecy that accomplishes edification, exhortation and comfort.  How do you perceive if a word is from the Lord? We would then also say that if one is a prophesying believer, we're just getting started with hearing from God and releasing God's word. It's better to, if at all, we get a word which is outside of this zone of edification, exhortation and comfort. So there's a lot of confirmation required before that word is actually released because you see, every word which we release, we have to take responsibility for it. Now I do understand that as we grow in the prophetic, there can be times where we slightly miss the exact message because of our interpretation. But the key is, yeah, that could happen. But as an individual who is prophesying, I have to take full responsibility for what I'm saying because someone might act on that word. Now if someone else is also well versed in the understanding of the prophet, they will know that, hey, I need to test every prophetic word. But otherwise, in general, someone who hears the prophetic word and many a time people also put the prophetic word in such a way that it's hard to reject it. If someone says, that says the Lord, a person who is listening to that who doesn't have a deep understanding of the prophetic might be like, okay, I need to do this. What if that was not an accurate word from God and this person acts on it? So we'll come to that. You really need a confirmation if a word is seemingly outside of this realm of edification, exhortation and comfort. But this is the main and primary intention of the prophetic word. And we see that in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 3. So every time we hear prophecy, immediately 1 Corinthians 14, 3 should come to our minds. A prophetic word is for edification, exhortation and comfort to men. And yesterday I kind of touched on what each one of these mean, edify means to build someone up. So when the message comes, it's really strengthening and building up people. Exort comes from the term paraclyses, which means calling to one side. Again, it's a word of encouragement as if you want to be there for them. So that is what exhortation means.  It comes from the word paramuthia, which is translated speaking closely to anyone. Now again, this is to bring, to console someone and as if you're speaking tenderly to them. Now as you look at the three major things that a prophetic word does, if you look at it closely, you would understand that the exhortation part is prospective. Meaning one can be encouraged regarding the future. One can be given hope for the future. So exhortation brings that kind of hope when people look at the future. Now when we talk about comfort, generally it may have to do with the past in their lives. There could have been a loss, there could have been a failure, there could have been something the individual has gone through. And the comforting word really binds them up and we recognize that it's more retrospective. Retrospective meaning looking back at the trials that one has experienced so on and so forth. So this is the primary work of the simple gift of prophecy. Now the prophetic word, let's look at what the other aspects of the prophetic word are. What is it that the prophetic word can accomplish? What is it that the prophetic word brings to us as a revelation? So when we look at the prophetic word and we've touched on some of these examples earlier as well. Prophetic word can reveal one's true character and potential. Now this may have happened in your own experience when somebody has prayed and said early on in our lives and said, oh so and so this is what the Lord is going to do in your life.  I see God's healing touch on your hands. God is going to use you mightily in the healing ministry and then lo and behold as yours passed by and you are walking with the Lord. That's the direction in which God is taking you. So how did these people discern your character, your potential, your destiny when nothing was apparent through the prophetic. And this is the release of the prophetic word over our lives. Even in scripture, I gave us the example of Nathaniel. When Jesus looked at Nathaniel, he could see the character or the buildup or the makeup of this individual and he could tell, here is a good person. Here is a person of integrity. There is a person without any guile. That's what Jesus told about him. So today, we are not going to go into the depths of this, but I would also recommend that you read an APC publication called Gifts of the Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit which goes into details on the gift of prophecy and also the discerning of spirits because it's very practical as we are living our lives and having our interactions. Even without interacting, sometimes, I'm not saying all times, this is not a gift to judge people prematurely. That's not what this is, but there are times when God could give us a witness in our spirit about an individual and say, yes, this is a good person, you can partner with them in the ministry or you can do this or that the other way around where you have a sense that, okay, I'm not sure whether I can go forward with a business deal or a partnership or something like that. So the prophetic word can really reveal the character of an individual. Now, the prophetic word can also, as I said, reveal the potential of an individual. So someone, maybe they're going through a very rough patch and they don't know what can be accomplished through their lives, but a prophetic word is like patting them on the back and giving them that strength to look ahead because God is going to do great things with their life. You know, Gideon, Gideon is a great example. Here he was under the terebin tree and he was just sitting there and wondering why so many disasters, why, you know, why are we being oppressed by our enemies continuously? And that's what he was thinking about. He never knew what he can accomplish through his life. And that's when the angel showed up and said mighty man of valor. So speaking the potential over an individual, it's only God who knows. So God speaks that over our lives. Peter is another example. If you study the life of Peter in the Gospels, you would think, don't trust this person. You know, he can't make up his mind. He can't be firm on his law, you know, his commitment to the master, but Jesus knew and early on Jesus said, you are Simon, the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas, which is translated a stone. So Jesus knew the potential and surely enough during the early church age, you see Peter rise up without anyone trying to tell him, Peter, you need to take up leadership. No, from Acts one, you see that he begins to speak up. He makes the first sermon. So there was something in him which he did not know about. So the prophetic word can reveal once potential. Now, how does this help in the ministry in the church? What can happen is when there is an awakening of the genuine prophetic, just imagine, you know, in a church setting when we as leaders, as pastors, when we pray for people, people are sitting on the sidelines. You don't even know what potential they have. But when you begin to call out people's character, potential, encouraging them, strengthening them, showing them the way forward. And of course, we need God's wisdom for this, to minister this in an appropriate way. But when this begins to happen, you will see the church are rising because people are able to see what God sees about them. Okay, so it's as if blinders are taken off of people and they have the motivation to accomplish the purposes of God. So that's how the prophetic word really awakens one to the character and the potential of individuals or themselves. Now, moving forward, the prophetic word brings a revelation of God's plans and purposes. You know, the Holy Spirit is the one who releases the gift of prophecy, isn't it? So the gifts of the Spirit are from whom? They are from one Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Now, the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of revelation and understanding. He is the Spirit who leads us. And that is why Paul wrote in the book of Romans, Romans 8.14, that we must be led by the Holy Spirit, led by the work of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And the Holy Spirit is the one who reveals the mind of God. What does God want done through my life? How does God want to lead me in the season of my life? I need to depend on the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit through the inner witness. It brings that revelation, confirmation to our spirits and then there is direction for us. Also, when we talk about the prophetic word revealing the plans and purposes of God, we must recognize that the word of God is our primary source of direction because the word of God covers everything. As you study 2 Timothy 3, verse 16-17, there is word in there for our correction, for our reproof, for rebuke, for everything. It is already there in the word of God logos. However, the Holy Spirit, he knows how to bring the word alive to us. He gives us the wisdom to apply the word in our lives. So, the prophetic word brought about by the Holy Spirit, in general we are led by the Spirit and how does the Holy Spirit lead us with the help of God's word? But the prophetic word, you can consider it as a bonus over and above in addition to. So, the prophetic word as a guide to the plans and purposes of God is a bonus for us giving us direction. Now, the good example is that of Paul. I told us that Paul already knew God had confirmed it in his spirit that he is going to be imprisoned and undergo trial. But as you see the journey of Paul, first he communicates it to the efficient leaders. But as he journeys along, you have different believers telling him, Paul, don't go to Jerusalem, don't go to Jerusalem. You have Agabus coming in again, reconfirming it. So, it was not just Agabus. You had two or three incidents that reconfirmed what Paul already knew. So, it was not that Paul was waiting on Agabus to reveal a prophetic word. No, God had already led him by the Holy Spirit but there was a confirmation that came through the Holy Spirit. So, the prophetic word, it would be good to take it as a confirmation but to be primarily led by the word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit. Now, another way in which this prophetic word for one's purpose and God's plans over somebody's life is seen in Scripture is when Zechariah speaks over his own son, John the Baptist. So, filled with the Holy Spirit. You know how wonderful, isn't it? That a parent is given the revelation about the life of the child. Before the child lives, you know, a few days or weeks, the parent knows through the Holy Spirit what direction God is going to take this child in. So, Zechariah prophesies over him. He says, and you child will be called the prophet of the highest. For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercy of our God with which the day spring from on high has visited us. And, you know, this is in Luke chapter 1 verses 67 and then 76 through 79. But when you hear this, you wonder, how can a mortal man have this kind of insight? Not just about John the Baptist, but you notice there, he says to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins. He's talking about Jesus, the work of the cross, the work of salvation. So tremendous insight and it's not possible to have this kind of insight through normal human mind and logic. So, we see here that God can reveal the plans and purposes that he has for someone through the Holy Spirit. And as we've said, you know, depend on the word of God for our specific purpose as well, because there is a general purpose of God for all of us. And then there is a specific purpose. The specific purpose will reveal whether one will go into, you know, let's say ministry or full-time ministry, part-time ministry, or go into business, go into the field of arts, media, entertainment, technology. So, how do we get to specific? Because in the Bible, you don't have those specifics. It says, thou shalt study Java program. You don't. Then what should I do as an individual? There is the general instruction of God, but even as you study the general instruction of God, you know, okay, I need to walk in the path of righteousness. I need to have all these principles for the right kind of workplace ministry. So you're walking in all of that. And then the Holy Spirit brings revelation. He brings revelation about, okay, I want you to move in this certain direction. Somebody comes to you and says, we have this opportunity. Will you take it up? The inner witness of the Holy Spirit guides us, right? So we sense peace and we do all our calculations and we know, hey, God is leading me. I must take up this opportunity. Now, over and above, if there is a prophetic word, sometimes there is, okay, then it's an additional confirmation. In my own life, I remember this was a youth camp and in the camp, you know, we had these times of worship and all that was going on. And towards the end, people were laying hands on one another. They were praying. And at that point in my life, I was really trusting God for my postgraduate education. And I wanted to know, you know, where God is going to lead me. And during that time, one auntie, she came, she started praying and then she started prophesying. You know, I did hope in my life that I would do a certain course. I would go abroad and all that. But, you know, I wasn't keen on doing it right away. It was a plan. Sometime in my life, I will do that. So she came and she started praying and she started saying specific things.  So she started prophesying what she was seeing. I see you taking the bag and this and that. So I was like, yeah, okay, we'll see. You know, I just kept it in my heart and I prayed about it. And I was like, Lord, we'll see because it is a desire. It is a plan, but not right away. But, you know, certain things happened in my life that it almost immediately transpired. It happened. It happened. And then when I was doing my course, you know, and I had traveled. I traveled abroad and I was doing my course there.  It's actually happened like that. But it was a confirmation. It was a confirmation. So I didn't wait for a prophetic word to make a decision. And similarly, I know of a lot of people who don't wait for a prophetic word. If God moves us on our hearts and you're fine that, hey, this isn't the word of God. This is the witness of the Holy Spirit in my heart. Go for it, you know, with the wisdom that you have, step into it. Sometimes, only sometimes there are prophetic words and that helps us. It gives us that additional strength to make the move. So the point I'm making is don't sit around for a prophetic word. If God chooses to reveal it, then there is a reason why he does that. And that brings the extra strength we need to step into it. Now, this could be because what we're doing needs greater affirmation. Maybe sometimes we might doubt ourselves. Is this me? Is God leading me in this way? God knows. He is gracious enough to give us that additional confirmation and strength to move in a certain direction. So that's about revealing the plans and purposes of God through the prophetic word. Now, the prophetic word, the next aspect here is prophetic word stirs up and causes a release of faith. We see this in the life of Elijah when he's ministering to the widow, woman in Zarefa. God tells him, you know, gives him a word. So Elijah comes to her and, you know, in her difficult times, the word that he releases is, thus says the Lord, God of Israel, the bin of flesh shall not be used up nor shall the jar of oil run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth in first Kings 17. That brings faith in that woman's life and strengthens her to go on. Similarly, Elisha, we see him ministering to a desperate family. The Shunamite woman where, you know, her husband has died and she is worried about debts. And at that time, the prophetic word comes through Elisha and the word encourages the family and she does. There's faith in her heart. Okay, if God is going to solve my problem, I will do what the prophet is telling me to do. So she goes, gets those jars, fills them up with oil and the oil begins to overflow.  So the prophetic word can actually build faith in a person's heart. And we know that once there is faith, then, you know, God, that's an opportunity for God to work and God can do miracles. The prophetic word also provides motivation and strength to carry out the plans and purposes of God. Now, the example here in our notes is that of the building of the church, the building of the temple at Jerusalem. We understand that they went through a hard time. And the rebuilding work of the temple was stalled for about 16 years. And that's when God raised up two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah. And we see, like even in the book of Ezra, we read about this. So God raises up these two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, and they begin to prophesy. They begin to prophesy at that time, Zarubabel. Zarubabel was in charge.  You're going to complete it and that strength comes back. You know, sometimes we need that encouragement to carry on with the purposes of God and complete it. And we might lack the motivation, but the prophetic word can bring the motivation back into our lives. And so, you know, God works through it. The next thing here is that the prophetic word releases God's power. In Isaiah 44, verse 26, we've seen the word says that God confirms the word of his servant and performs the counsel of his messengers. So once the word has been spoken, that God is going to bring light in your darkness. God is going to open a door. It might seem like, you know, an impossible thing, but sometimes it takes the prophetic word to release God's power.  But once the word is spoken, something begins to take place, right? In the prophetic realm and things are set in order, things are set in motion. And so, there is a release of the prophetic power through the prophetic word of God. And even this can take place. And that's why the prophetic word is so important.    So I have a pastor friend of mine. He always used to say, in the beginning when we were all flowing in the prophetic and, you know, we had our own challenges and questions. Really, you know, I said this, I don't even know how I said it. It came to me for this particular person. And then, you know, I just happened to share this word. I don't know how such a thing can take place in their life. So he used to tell us and he used to tell me also, don't worry. It's God's responsibility. You did your part to discern the prophetic word well enough and to be careful to release the right prophetic word beyond that, you know, to fulfill that word in that person's life. Leave it on the Lord. God takes charge to fulfill the word that he has spoken. So, you know, in a way, it's a partnership with God. We do our part. Hear from God, release that genuine word as accurately as possible and then, you know, he takes over. He has to do the rest. Otherwise, you know, we really can't, we can't make anything happen in people's lives. Okay. So the prophetic word releases God's power and God works with that word in people's lives. Then the prophetic word brings correction and restoration. While we're talking about prophecy, remember, I began today by saying that, yes, the, the, the simple gift is to bring that kind of strength and encouragement to people. But when there is a need for correction, God knows, God knows what each person's life is like. And if they need correction and restoration for them to realign themselves to God, then the prophetic word can bring that as well. And the good example that we talked about earlier was the way Nathan communicated to David. So correction was brought to David, you know, he had sinned against God, sinned with Bathsheba. He had killed Bathsheba's husband and God knew everything. God knew everything and David thought he can cover it up. But the prophetic word actually exposed David's sin. But the good part is David responded in the right way and he said, okay, God, you know, I repent of this and therefore restoration was possible in David's life. So God can bring correction and restoration through the prophetic word. The prophetic word can cause conviction, repentance and turning to God. So a good example is when Paul writes to the Corinthian church and he says, look, if everyone prophesies and if there's someone coming into the church who doesn't know God, now that person will be convicted. That person will wonder, how do these people know all these things about me? There is a God, right? Conviction will come upon the unbeliever, then repentance will come upon the unbeliever and that person will turn to God. Jesus also, through the prophetic word, you know, moved in this, the woman at the well in John chapter 4 is a good example. When Jesus went to her in Samaria and started, you know, telling her things about her life and she's wondering, how does this man know? Jesus told her, whatever she said, yeah, I don't have a husband. You're right, you don't have a husband. You know, you've been with these men and even right now the person that you're with, you're not married. So many things that Jesus knew about this woman, what was the result of that? He didn't say to put her down, he didn't say to condemn her, but ultimately it led to conviction, repentance. And the wondrous thing that happened is not only did she turn to God and, you know, to Christ, the Lord Jesus, but she went and told her whole village.  So it brings repentance and conviction. The prophetic word, of course, brings transformation of nations. No wonder we've had all these prophets, these mighty prophets of God prophesying over nations. You have your Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, people like this prophesying over nations. And the prophetic word causes the purpose of God to be accomplished over that nation. Beautiful passages from Jeremiah 1, verses 9 and 10, God tells Jeremiah that the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, behold, I have put my words in your mouth.  How is all this going to happen? The building, the planting, the rooting out, the pulling down through the word, the prophetic word from the mouth of the prophet. And you know, if you recall, Ezekiel, he prophesies to an army of dry bones to the nation.  And through that prophetic word comes the release of the prophetic power and the work that God wants to do in that nation or the community. So the prophetic word can work and transform nations. And finally, the prophetic word helps us in warfare. Paul told Timothy 1, Timothy 118. I charge, discharge, I commit to you some Timothy according to the prophecies previously made concerning you that by them you may wage the good warfare. Sometimes we have these prophetic words and the current circumstance in life seems like you're never going to make it. But you have the prophetic word. God is telling you one day this is what you will be flowing in. So right now in the season when I don't say anything happened, I can use the prophetic word in spiritual warfare. So when I'm praying, I say the word and I say, God, but you said this, this and this. So what does that become? It becomes my weapon. The prophetic word becomes my weapon. We begin to use it and we say, Lord, but you said you're going to do this in my life. So the prophetic word can be used in warfare. I know I kind of went a little fast on these insights. But if you have any quick questions, we have two minutes, we could take it up and we can wrap up this class for today. Yes, yes. Pastor, I want to know, as you said, the word which is spoken through the prophet and God brings it or God performs it. So I just, I heard so many prophecies where it, maybe they release the word, but it never come to pass. Like, so in that case, is it the problem of the one who receive it? Or is the one who, the man who is ministering, he heard it in a wrong way. And second question is that, as you said one line that when you prophesy, you should take the responsibility of your word. So what do you mean by that actually? See if I am praying for someone and if I release a word. So how can I should be responsible for that? Thank you. Okay, sure. Thank you, Shikumar. So I'll answer it in the shortest way that I can. So the answer to your first question is every prophetic word is conditional. Okay, so it will not automatically happen. And we will touch on that in depth soon. So I hope for now you're happy with that answer. Okay, it's conditional. Now coming to the second question that you have, which is person takes responsibility. See, we will talk about the character of the prophet because the anointing is the wine, but the character is the wine skin. So if I don't have, I mean, I have to do my best to have integrity in what I'm saying. See, because interpretation is my responsibility. Did I really hear from God? Is this my flesh? Is this my spirit? Is this in line with what God's word? See, all that processing, no? That is my responsibility. So that's what I mean. Again, we will get into the depths of it soon. How and what goes into the processing. Okay, thank you. Yeah, sure. Okay, so I think these are the fastest answers I've ever given my life. Thank you. Thank you and thank you everyone. This is a very lively subject. So please do go back, read your notes and let's come back next week and study more. Okay, let's close with a word of prayer. Anyone? Could you please pray and close please? I'll pray. Father, thank you Lord. Thank you for what you've been teaching us. Father, we pray that as we become your mouthpiece, we pray that we get to hear from you and be that channel of blessing to others, exhorting, edifying and comforting each other and that we get to only share what we hear from you, Father. We pray that as we teach, let it be your spirit that surrounds us and helps us to learn in the right direction. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you Tarun and have a good day everyone. God bless you. Thank you pastor. God bless you too. Thank you. Thank you. Bye for now. Thank you ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. God bless.


I get triggered when I hear these terms in UX. I get triggered when I hear these terms in UX. Uh, ma. What problems are you trying to solve? Duh. We're all about empathy. Oh my God. It's too cliche, too general, and you really wanna direct that empathy towards action, not just say empathy. I like this, but I don't like that. Nobody cares what you like or what you don't like. Keep your subjective feedback out the door. Let's try to think outside of the box. You know, actually there's no box. So, just to clarify.


So I've looked at a lot of Steven's work again lately and I'd like to start with your early work on irregular verbs And it's striking to me how much in this work you think like an economist So some verbs are regular you conjugate them with an ed others are irregular right you don't say get it you say got Now how computationally efficient is that process? The I think it taps two of the mechanisms that make intelligence possible I mean why why would I spend a good chunk of my career studying the minutiae of irregular verbs? I do love language. I love linguistic detail for its own sake But I chose that topic because I thought it shed light on bigger issues of cognitive organization so why do we have a 165 or so quirky exceptions like Stride strode come came sing sang go went and so on which just seems there could be no rhyme or reason behind it I think it's just a consequence of the fact that we Memorize words and that's one of the two mechanisms behind language we Store by brute force wrote memory Arbitrary pairings between a sound and a meaning the word Duck doesn't look like a duck or walk like a duck or quack like a duck But I can use it to get you to think the thought of a duck because we and everyone in this room has memorized a Pairing between that sound and that meaning We don't just blur out words, but we also combine them into phrases and sentences using rules that allow you to Predict the or compute the meaning of a combination from the meaning of the parts in the way that they're arranged Those I are the two Mechanisms that make language possible But there are some kinds of meanings where they can compete over which system expresses a particular concept in the case of Regularity or a irregularity. We have two different ways of conveying the concept an action that took place in the past or in the case of plurals like mouse mice and rat rats two ways of talking about more than one thing we can memorize a more or less independent word to convey the idea like Struck or saying or we can apply an algorithm to say something in the past tense add ed to the end and then we get walk walked and because of the peculiarities of the history of a language you can have that labor divided between the rule system the algorithmic system and the memory system and it's the tension between those two systems that give rise to a Lot of the quirkiness of language including English irregular verbs So when you did this this was one of the first things to make you famous Did you know it in the back of your mind? This was a kind of Hayekian argument because it seems to me the common verbs that we use a lot those go irregular And it's easy to remember them because you use them all the time But the irregular verbs The regular verbs are ones that you don't use so often and thus again you're economizing on information in this decentralized way Yeah, I don't know how I don't know how well that analysis would work across a range of Zones of irregularity so in the it is certainly true that irregular verbs tend to be Common and which is kind of the bane of the language learner you you learn Spanish or French and all of the words that you use All the time you've got to memorize the conjugations But the and I think the reason for that is I might even Invoke Darwin more than than Hayek Namely that in the generation to generation transmission process of an irregular very regular group has to be memorized Because by definition there is no rule behind it The only way you know that the past tense of come is came is that you hear everyone else use came Since memory thrives on frequency the more often you hear something the better you remember it if any verb Declines in frequency and verbs become more or less fashionable for all kinds of reasons then you could have a generation that never Successfully masters it they'll default to the all-purpose ad-ed rule And then the verb will go from irregular to regular for that generation and all subsequent generations And so you've got a kind of an erosion of the stock of irregular verbs as they get filtered through the minds of children Memorizing them out where it's the less frequent ones that tend to fall out of the language So dreamt becomes dreamed for instance dream is prettier it is prettier and that's one of the Reasons that irregular verbs do stay in the language and one of the reasons that often lyricists and poets and novelists will prefer the irregular to the regular when when there there's a choice strided versus strode Strobe versus strived whole versus heaved is that they are they're good words they actually fit the Phonological template for a standard word in the language the kind of sound that you would use for a nickname or a Common word and they are more euphonious Because they aren't assembled in a kluji way from the verb stem and this this bit of detritus hanging on the end this ED or Or as the suffix which is serviceable. It allows you to convey a message, but it makes the The sound of the word itself a bit clunky, and then there are almost unpronounceable regular words like Sixths or edited where because you're sticking an extra bit on the end of a word. You're actually Messing up the nice contour of a standard word in the language And that's another one of the tensions that over the history course of the history of the language Will kind of shape the balance of regular and irregular forms. So that is Hayekian in the sense that No one planned the language to be optimal in satisfying one criterion. There are trade-offs. There are multiple tugs pushes and pulls and In a as speakers millions of speakers make little adjustments as they use the language as kids learn the language the language itself spontaneously evolves with some balance


of Centering Silence. Please remain seated while we sing the in-gathering hymn that is either in your church program or it's 184 in the blue hymnal. Well afternoon it is Love Fall and we welcome you to First Unitarian Society of Madison. This is a community where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical, and social issues in an accepting and nourishing environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Pat Coulson and on behalf of the congregation I would like to extend a special welcome to visitors.  Newcomers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour after the service in the common area of the atrium addition. Members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. Also this evening is our first potluck dinner of the fall and again we would welcome you to join us at our potluck dinner whether you brought a pot or not because there's always more than enough food. If you are accompanied by a young child please remember that if you need to talk or move about the loja area to my right is a good place to retire with them and at this time we ask you to turn off your beepers cell phones and other electric electronic equipment that might cause a disturbance during the hour. I would like to acknowledge those individuals who help our services run smoothly. A list of our volunteer helpers should probably start with Karen Timberlake who I understand answered the call from the pulpit last Saturday to help coordinate. We volunteers who need to be coordinated of course. So this evening we have as ushers Carol Roem and Carolyn Sanders and many of you met Tammy Huffmeister as you came in and Carol excuse me Chris Carlson is our lay minister and of course all of us will be over to greet the newcomers also in the library. Please note the announcements that are in the red floors which is an insert in your order of service which describe upcoming events of the society and provide more information about today's activities. As I already mentioned today is the potluck and so that's a very special activity for all of us. Again welcome we hope that today's service will stimulate your mind touch your heart and stir your spirit. We continue with the words of the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. Today the piece of autumn pervades the world. In the radiant noon silent and motionless the wide stillness rests like a tired bird spreading over the deserted fields to all horizons its wings of golden green. Today the thin thread of the river flows without song leaving no mark on its sandy banks. The many distant villages bask in the sun with eyes closed in idle and languid slumber. In the stillness I hear every blade of grass in every speck of dust in every part of my body in the visible and invisible worlds in the planets the sun and the stars the joyous dance of the atoms through the endless time. I invite you to rise in body or in spirit for the lighting of our chalice. And if you will please join in reading the bolded sections we have gathered here in search of insights into life's riddles. Let this be a place not only of searching but of discovery. Let this be a place not only of meeting but of meaningful connection. May we create here a circle of curiosity and love and now in this fine October afternoon I invite you to turn to your neighbor in exchange with them a warm and friendly greeting. Please be seated and if the children would like to come up and join Kelly and me for the message for all ages more visible. So this is a story called The Three Questions and this story is based on an earlier one that was written by a man named Leo Tolstoy who lived in Russia oh 150 years ago. It's a very very famous story. So there was once a boy and the boy's name was Nikolai and sometimes he just didn't know how to act. I want to be a good person he said to his friends but I don't always know the best way to do that how to be a good person. Well Nikolai's friends they understood and they wanted to help him out. If only I could find the answer to my three questions he said to them then I would always know just the right thing to do and the three questions were when is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one and what is the right thing to do? Nikolai's friends well they thought about the first question and Sonia the heron said to know the best time to do things one must first make plans one must plan ahead. Gogol the monkey who had been rooting around through some leaves to find something good to eat said you will know when to do things if you watch closely and pay attention and Pushkin who was the dog was just dozing off and he rolled over and he said you can't pay attention to everything all by yourself you need to have a pack in order to watch and help you decide when to do things. Well Nikolai thought about his friends answers and then he asked them the second question who is the most important one those who are circling in the heavens said Sonia as she circled up in the sky those who know how to heal the sick said Gogol and he was nursing a bump on his head where a coconut had hit him. Those who make the rules are the most important Pushkin the dog growled. Nikolai thought some more then he asked his friends the third question what is the right thing to do flying said Sonia the heron having fun all the time said Gogol the monkey fighting barked Pushkin the dog. The boy wasn't satisfied with any of those answers he knew that his friends were trying the best they could to answer those questions but none of the answers seem quite right and so then an idea came to Nikolai he thought I know who I'll ask I'll ask Leo the turtle he has lived for a very long time surely he will know the answers to the questions that I'm asking so Nikolai he hiked high up into the mountains where the old turtle lived all by himself and when he arrived he saw Leo digging in his garden the turtle was pretty old and so digging was hard work for him I have a problem Nikolai said to Leo and I came for your help and he repeated to Leo the three questions Leo listened carefully but he only smiled at Nikolai and returned to his digging Nikolai looked at him said you must be tired that's an awful lot of digging and you're old let me help you for a while and so the turtle gratefully gave Nikolai his shovel and thanked him the work was easy for a young boy and he quickly completed the task but just as Nikolai finished the wind began to blow and the rain began to burst from the sky and so they moved over to the turtle's cottage to find shelter but then just as they were going in the door Nikolai heard this cry for help he turned around and rushed down the path and he found a panda a panda bear whose leg had been hurt by a fallen tree and so Nikolai lifted her up very carefully and carried her into Leo's cottage and he put a bamboo splint on her leg and he tucked her into bed and the panda looked up at Nikolai and said but but where is my child Nikolai ran back outside of the cottage and down the path he was pushing against the stiff wind it was drenched with rain he ran into the forest and there he found the panda's baby shivering on the ground the baby was cold and wet but she was still alive so Nikolai carried the little panda back into the cottage dried him off and laid him in his mother's arms Leo the turtle smiled when he saw what the boy had done and then the next morning when they got up the mother panda thanked Nikolai and at that moment the three friends Sanya, Gogal and Pushkin arrived to make sure that everybody had gotten through that storm okay and Nikolai well he felt a great sense of peace within himself he knew he had these wonderful friends and he had saved the pandas but you know he was also disappointed because he still did not have an answer to those three questions and so he asked Leo the turtle one more time Leo looked at the boy and said Nikolai you already have the answer to your questions I do said Nikolai of course said Leo now yesterday if you had not stayed to help me dig my garden you would not have heard the pandas cries for help in the storm and you could not have saved them and therefore the most important time was the time you spent with me digging in the garden and the most important person at the moment was me and the most important thing you had to do was the digging and then later when you found those injured pandas the most important time was the time that you spent mending the panda's leg and saving her child the most important ones were the panda and her baby and the most important thing was to take care of them and make sure that they were all right so here's the thing Nikolai said Leo there's only one important time and that time is right now the most important one is the one that you are with and the most important thing to do is to do good to the person who is standing right beside you for these my boy are the answers that are the most important to the most important questions in the world and that's why all of us have been put on this world in the first place so that's the story of the three questions and I hope you remember them and can ask them of yourself sometime and think about those answers so we're going to have you stay right here because we're going to have a choral anthem that you can listen to so we continue with a selection from the great physicist Albert Einstein from an essay entitled the world as I see it the fairest thing that we can experience is the mysterious it is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science he who knows it not can no longer wonder no longer feel amazement he is as good as dead as a snuffed out candle it was the experience of mystery even if mixed with fear that engendered religion a knowledge of the existence of something that we simply cannot penetrate of the manifestations of the most profound reason and the most radiant beauty which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms it is this knowledge this emotion that constitutes the truly religious aptitude and so in this sense and in this sense alone I am a deeply religious man I cannot conceive of a god who rewards and punishes his creatures or who has a will of the type of which we ourselves are conscious an individual who should survive his physical death that too is beyond my comprehension nor do I wish it otherwise such notions are for the fears and the absurd egoism of feeble souls enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life and the inkling of the marvelous structure of reality together with the single-hearted endeavor to comprehend just a portion be it ever so tiny of that reason which manifests itself in the natural world and the second reading comes from a book entitled ecclesiasticus which basically translates from latin as the book of the church it's also called the wisdom of the son of cirac and you're not going to find ecclesiasticus in either standard versions of the bible it's only found in the bibles that the catholic church uses because this is a deuterocanonical book ecclesiasticus is not to be confused with the book ecclesiasties my son if thou wilt thou shalt be taught and if thou wilt apply thy mind thy shalt be prudent if thou love to hear thou shalt receive understanding and if thy bow their ear thou shalt be wise stand in the assembly of the elders and cleave unto him that is wise be willing to listen to every godly discourse and let not the parables of understanding escape thee and if thou seest a man of understanding get thee betimes to him and let thy foot wear the steps to his door bear except no man against thine own soul and let reverence for no man cause thee to fall let the counsel of thy own heart stand for there is no man more faithful unto it than you for a man's mind is sometimes want to tell him more than seven watchmen that sit high above in the high tower now i invite you to turn in your hymnals once more to number 293 of star of truth please be seated so those of you who read our monthly newsletter and i suspect that applies to only a few of you probably learned from your reading that i am not a birthright unitarian universalism i was not born into this tradition my earliest experience of church was in the modest disciples of christ congregation to which my paternal grandmother and great grandmother belonged the disciples of christ if you know anything about them are a warm and a welcoming people communion is celebrated every sunday and no one not even doubters and disbelievers is excluded i don't recall any mentions of fire and brimstone in my childhood and the prevailing message seemed to be what a friend we have in jesus all in all the first christian church was not a bad place to hang out for a couple of hours every week but ultimately it was just too conventionally churchy for my father and so we began to attend a small lay-led unitarian fellowship that had recently taken up residence in a country chapel not all that far from the farm on which we lived it was as i said in my newsletter a place where questions were welcomed and rational explanations readily provided william ellery chanting early 19th century unitarianism's most prestigious minister and theologian chanting once wrote that the multitude do actually receive religion on authority on the word of others but a faith so received seems to me to be of very little worth the precious the living the effectual part of a poor man's faith is that of which he sees the reasonableness the excellence that which approves itself to his intelligence to his conscience to his heart those parts of his belief which he takes on blind trust do him little or no good whatsoever now in one important respect william ellery chanting differed from those who frequented our little unitarian universalist fellowship in the early 1960s chanting was a convicted christian who did trust that the bible was divinely revealed but chanting was also convinced that human beings possess what god given reason reason which must be used to resolve scriptures inconsistencies and to shed light on its varying claims it is each person's responsibility thoughtfully to examine the text and reach his or her own conclusions as to its significance by contrast the good unitarians of my early experience pretty much dispensed with the bible entirely i cannot recall hearing it cited except to point out the absurdity in the many ways in which its assertions were antithetical to reason the adults i knew were for the most part died in the wool no-nonsense humanists who insisted in the immortal words of dragnet's sergeant joe friday just give me the facts ma'am only the facts unfortunately unitarian universalism has in more recent times adopted a more moderate position with respect to sacred scriptures including the bible we now are able to quote approvingly as i did a few moments ago those passages that contain inspiration and wisdom for daily living without inferring divine authorship without according the good book some kind of ultimate authority over our lives and that being said like our forebears like william ellery chanting we still place a great emphasis on the power of human reason and so we certainly do not agree with nor do we subscribe to the view that it's expressed in the book of proverbs whose author admonishes us to trust in the lord with all our heart and not to rely on our personal insight and the great protestant reformer martin luther's equally dismissive appraisal strikes us as utterly inappropriate as religious beings reason is the greatest enemy that faith has luther scoffed it never comes to the aid of spiritual things but more frequently than not he continues struggles against the divine word treating with contempt all that emanates from god and so whoever wants to be a christian should tear out the eyes of his reason the fourth of our seven unitarian universalist principles stand in stark contrast to martin luther's point of view as followers of a progressive faith we are invited according to the fourth principle to participate in a free and responsible search for truth and meaning a free and responsible search for truth and meaning free free that implies unfettered by creeds dogmas ideologies or authoritative prescriptions search means that the truth is not all in that there is always more for us to learn and that revelation whatever its source is continuous responsible suggests that we must each apply ourselves to the task of examining and testing the truth claims of any sacred scripture of preachers of teachers and political pundits that's the fourth principle the fifth source from which we you use draw inspiration adds greater specificity to that fourth principle in keeping with humanist teachings it said we must rely on reason the scientific method lest we succumb to the idolatries of the mind and the spirit now it could certainly be argued that if anything our world today suffers from a dearth of reason at a time when many influential opinion leaders maintain positions completely at odds with scientific findings and common sense one begins to wonder whether as a society we have slipped in back into some pre-adolescent habit of magical thinking 97 percent of the scientific community agrees that anthropogenic climate change is real and that it's a growing problem there is a virtual consensus among experts in the life sciences on the broad outlines of evolutionary theory the vast majority of social scientists are convinced that systematic racial bias has contributed significantly to america's achievement gap policymakers in other countries have reasonably concluded that easy access to high caliber pistols and assault weapons make mass killings far more likely and yet substantial numbers of americans remain unconvinced and appear to have abandoned the rationalism that is in the words of charles watz the faculty of judgment which discriminates infers deduces enabling us to premise future possibilities from past experience and to to distinguish truth from error now the word reason has on occasion been used to describe something rather different from this a human faculty superior to the merely rational and so ralph waldo emerson and his transcendentalist colleagues contrasted capital r reason with a lesser mental attribute that emerson called understanding understanding employs an empirical methodology it utilizes hard data and systematic analysis to reach its conclusions but emerson reason with a capital r that was more akin to intuition the sage of concord was interested in absolute rather than tentative provisional truths the truths that are the stock and trade of understanding of science and its related disciplines but today emerson's interpretation and definition of reason really only serves to muddy the waters because it bears so little resemblance to the word as we typically define it today near synonyms that we use are thoughtful sagacious discerning discriminating sensible astute erudite logical rational the enlightenment think old tear extolled reason at quote the best weapon we have for fending off the trials of life and dealing with its problems it partakes of common sense and it seeks results that are useful and pragmatic and so that's the sense that I use the term reason to pretty much interchangeably with but if rationality and reason thought is so important and if it is so demonstrably effective why isn't it more consistently practiced why are its findings not more widely accepted a couple of possible explanations one has to do with the provisionality of rational and in particular scientific thought provisionality refers to the state of our knowledge at any given time and it is a concept this idea that our knowledge exists in a particular and definite state of time that many people find rather distressing opinion polls reveal widespread and deep support for science education in our schools and generally speaking science is seen as a very positive force in our society but at the same time at the same time the methodology of science is poorly understood in our society because many folks seem to expect science to reach conclusions that are equivalent to divine revelations the last word on the subject and when provisionality kicks in tentative answers to people's questions then those expectations of the ultimate truth are not met people become cynical they become disillusioned and ignoring probability they conclude that any theory at all creationism for for instance is just as good as any other and the second and related reason for eschewing the dictates of reason has to do with the manner in which our brains index and categorize information according to psychologists roger shank and robert abelson reasoning is not really straightforward process rather it is always conditioned by the stories we tell ourselves stories and storytelling are fundamental to human knowledge these scholars argue if a set of facts if a rational proposition doesn't align with the stories that we tell ourselves it bounces off it is not deemed to be incredible so in his book brilliant blunders mario livio shows how even towering figures of science like charles darwin and linus pauling and albert einstein these people made great errors in reasoning because as he said they were held captive by their entrenched intuitions and refused to accept new ideas until they were faced with overwhelming evidence in short these great scientists said to themselves this is my story and i'm sticking to it and in their insightful book animal spirits economist george ackerloff and robert schiller discussed the role that stories play in determining our economic behavior the economy does rather well they observe when public confidence is high and confidence builds in a culture with the circulation of inspirational stories stories about successful startups people getting rich off their investments and within the marketplace stories like these spread like viruses and they may be schiller and ackerloff right as contagious as any disease markets become overheated markets become depressed not because the players are making carefully considered choices but because rather there is a change in the contagion rate of certain stories certain ways of thinking so the person is probably as consistently rational as he or she might imagine and that when we consider the role that our emotions play in the process the picture becomes even more problematic i suspect that we have all been in situations where distress or excitement or panic swept in took possession and our minds froze as daniel goalman points out in order to think clearly we need to have a handle on our emotions according to goalman studies have shown that the kind of intelligence associated with iq our linguistic and logical mathematical problem solving ability that accounts for only 20 percent of the factors that produce life success your iq you're in the men's club 20 percent of your life success is dependent on that other variables that have a bearing on our success could include your race your social class being in the right place at the right time dumb luck but it also includes knowing how to manage your feelings the latter is critical emotional intelligence goalman writes matters immensely for our personal destiny and that includes the ability to motivate oneself to persist in the face of frustration to control impulse and delay gratification to regulate one's mood to empathize with others and to remain hopeful in short emotional intelligence is the ability as kelly crocker noted last week to listen with the heart as well as with the head so the point is we can always be strictly rational even if we want to be even if we aspire to be creatures of pure reason this is not only inevitable but it may in certain respects be a good thing for instance in her book transformative experience the philosopher la paul disputes the notion that we can make big decisions in our life whether or not to have a child or to enter into a particular profession on the basis of reason alone because it's almost impossible for any of us to extrapolate extrapolate what life is going to be like as a parent or as a unitary universalist minister for that matter and so you should not feel fool yourself paul says you have no idea when you're making those decisions what you're getting into so don't worry yourself trying to figure it all out she says the best way to approach a big life decision is to just move courageously into the unknown open yourself to new experiences and be eager to discover who it is you will become now for those of us who value it so highly we need to be cognizant of reasons limits and we need to be aware of its pitfalls because something seems to us to be reasonable doesn't necessarily make it right so for instance our education system has become increasingly reliant on mooks mooc massive online open courses and massive open online courses may make sense from a practical and economic standpoint but then we have to ask ourselves how much intangible benefit is lost when that physical link between teachers and students is broken what does that do ultimately to the educational experience we're still trying to find that out and then there's this thing called cost benefit analysis whose aim is to rationalize the choices that institutions make solely on the basis of monetary value and thus the notion that an old growth forest or an historic building or an orphan drug that any of these things might possess intrinsic value and therefore merit extra consideration according to cost benefit analysis that would be nonsensical too often the philosopher robert solomon complains in our market driven society the real test of rationality is maximizing one's own interests rationality is the ability to get whatever it is you want a unitary universalism as i mentioned earlier has historically regarded reason as the primary tool for ethical and spiritual investigation and there have been times in our history when we seem to think it was the only tool that we needed in our toolbox now today we recognize it's but one of several means that we may use to gain insight and to grow in wisdom the first of our six sources references something other than reason direct experience of the transcending mystery that mystical feeling that albert schweitzer or that albert einstein also extolled and then the sixth source cites wisdom from the earth-centered traditions which as david abrams writes requires that we regain our carnal sensorial empathy with the living world that sustains us and finally the words and deeds of profits and social reformers are commended to us in the second source history making figures who buck the odds out of a sense of moral necessity these profits and social reformers were not reasonable men and women for as george bernard Shaw said the reasonable individual adapts himself to the world the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself therefore all progress depends on unreasonable men history and increasingly science do confirm that important as it may be reason is but one of several human faculties that contribute to a well-tempered and fulfilling life and left to itself rational discursive thought may very well inhibit other equally important human powers such as empathy and imagination the ancients as daniel gorman writes gave every aspect of human nature its due and so should we bless it be and amen and at this time we will receive the offering and i invite you to share in it generously a portion of which will be given to the fair share csa coalition whose work is described in your program this evening we close with these words from wall Ralph wall person in ups is the soul of the whole the wise silence the universal beauty to which every part and particle is equally related the eternal one and when it breaks through our intellect it is genius and when it breaks through our will it is virtue and when it flows through our affection it is love bless please be seated for the post


Stevenson gets the 23-7 win over Eastern in the Matt Commonwealth semifinals. Glenn Clark with head coach Paul Cantabene. Coach, if your team plays like this, is there anybody in the country they can't beat? Well, you know, I mean, that's whatever we're about. You know, we got to play, especially in offense, if you play as a unit. We're trying to tell them that I think we're pretty good. We share the ball, we move off the ball really well, and we're pretty tough to do that. When we start to play as individuals and force things, and we did a few times today, we're not so good. And so I think our team does a great job of that for the most part. Ever since we played these guys the first time, 13-12s, we're averaging around 20 goals a game. So I think they really kind of picked up on how we have to play. And I'm really proud of them, especially the young guys. We're playing a lot of young guys in there. Those three freshmen have done a great job. But our seniors have also done a great job leading us, which is also great. You know, I mean, we're just playing with that. We just got to play with that discipline the same way. And I think we've played tough all year. I mean, we've done plays of a lot of really good teams. I think we've played tough, which is another really good aspect that I really like about this team. Does it mean something more to you that they came out and played like this in a playoff game with the season at stake that they showed that they were ready for this moment? Well, I didn't think we're going to win 23-7, but you know, because... Neither did we. We talked about that a couple of times.  But I think that when you're in this situation enough, you know, we've been in this game for 15 out of my 17 years, basically 18 without the COVID year. And we've been in this game. We won it a lot and get to the championship game. So we kind of know how to handle it. I think our guys do a great job of that. We don't put a ton of pressure on them, but we also want to make sure they play with the urgency you need to get to the next level. You know, you've got to play this game before you get to the next one. So, you know, now that this is done, we'll get ready for York who's a very good team again and will be ready in the rain, I guess. But I think that our guys have the right mentality and I think that that's what I really like about them. And we got great people. So we talked about some of the changes that you made from the first game against Eastern to this, some of the defensive switches. Are there other things that you saw about the York game that maybe similarly, not that you're going to give away any of your game plan, but could there be some changes that make things that you do different for the second?  You know, he really shot him down and did a great job at him and 10 on 7 did a great job at him and putting Nick inside to make some of those choices with his length. Did a really good job knocking down passes. And, you know, we look at the game film again like we have and going to make those changes as York's going to make changes.  You know, it's going to be big things, but we'll be ready to go and, you know, we're excited about it to get after it again. That's for sure. Coach, go win a championship. Appreciate you. Yeah, I got one of my best coming up here talking to you, Cam Leidig. He's been a three-time captain for us and just a great guy. Got us 100th point today and there's not a better role model about what Stevenson La Crosse is all about than Cam Leidig. So we're just really happy for him to come up here and talk to you a little bit about his game today, which is awesome and, you know, his experiences here at Stevenson. Thank you, Coach. Appreciate you. You got it. It's Paul Cantabene.