Hey, Neighbor! Don't mind The Podcast Ninja, with one foot out the door.  He would much rather be watching the Pacers Game 7 than sitting at the table.  (And, truly, he has done a LOT of communicating this week, so he has earned it.)

Shout out to the China Compass podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! Luke and Missionary Ben recorded their Final Game predictions and have plans to recap the whole series soon.

Next:  Women in basketball. Is it a good thing to "have each other's back" by beating the crap out of your opponents?  Nobody condones violence... but they totally do!

Finally:  Are women actually more LOYAL to their tribe than men?  Luke isn't convinced. But C.S. Lewis once wrote about the "intense family patriotism" of the wife/mother...

Contact The Comedian, John Branyan, by emailing [email protected]

Today the Pugs welcome Jake Dell onto the show. Jake is the pastor of the historic First Congregational Church of Woodbury, Connecticut (est. 1659). But he's also a man with a dream and a plan to win back to orthodox Christianity mainline congregations from liberal denominations. Join us today for a fascinating conversation concerning how this seemingly impossible task actually isn't all that quixotic. Jake's plan has potential. Listen in to see if you agree.

Project Return - Mission Brief https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Em4kSK74XFjs9vqtYmsRKDKf5kolmuW5HPLMAOxqOlU/edit?usp=sharing

Case Study: Reclaiming Historic Protestant Churches Through a Donor Intent Litigation Trust https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yP5cWzuC4UyrRANecKkjglY0rD-TeMfTLZfaXzcFLyU/edit?usp=sharing

The First Congregational Church of Woodbury, Connecticut http://www.firstchurchwoodbury.org/

Support the Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8

The constant focus on your deficiencies is not a symptom of humility. One is tormented by his impairments when he refuses to swallow the reality of the situation. One sees his own problem, and instead of accepting the fact and improving it, a self-degrading, proud person simply laments it. The Self-Loather is an egotist because his attention is always revolving around himself. It is a good thing to clearly see your own faults and inadequacies. You know what needs to be improved or avoided.

Welcome to another very special NBA Finals edition of the China Compass Podcast on the Fight Laugh Feast Network! (Check out the first NBA Finals podcast we did a few weeks ago here: https://pubtv.flfnetwork.com/tabs/the-pub/podcasts/30293/episodes/95)

I'm your China travel guide, Missionary Ben, flying to Malaysia (via Hong Kong) as this podcast drops!

Follow me on X (@chinaadventures) where I post daily reminders to pray for China. X is also the best way to contact me. Just follow and send a DM. You can also email me @ bfwesten at gmail dot com

Who is Missionary Ben?

I haven’t done this in a long time, but every now and then I am reminded I should probably give a little bit more of my background (and my China bonafides). Now I can’t divulge very much, for security reasons, but here are the basics: moved to China at the age of 19, in the early 2000s, taught myself to speak (and read) Chinese. Lived there w/ my family til I was deported in 2018. 

Unbeaten: Confronting the Lies (and Laughter) of the Chinese Communist Police

The Story of My Arrest, Interrogation, and Deportation from China (Unbeaten.vip)

Over those nearly 15 years, I set foot in every province, and visited hundreds of cities, towns, and villages. Alongside our evangelistic work, I helped manage a leather factory in a Muslim town, opened a yak burger/pizza restaurant on the Tibetan Plateau, served as a guide and Tibetan taxi driver, and taught English to elementary kids, high schoolers, and young adults. 

How I Taught Myself Mandarin (And How You Can Learn Chinese Too, But Won’t)

https://chinacall.substack.com/p/how-i-taught-myself-mandarin 

Follow or subscribe to China Compass and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Don’t forget: Follow @chinaadventures on X, and find everything else @ PrayGiveGo.us. 

Luke 10, verse 2, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few!