Weekly updates and training helps for use with the Bible Studies for Life Adult Curriculum.
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Lifeway Study Podcasts
Each week, join the Explore the Bible team for session-by-session leader training. At home or on the go, the convenient audio format will provide critical insights to help you lead Bible study.
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Did you know that a 2018 Lifeway study showed that 49% of ministers say they never talk to their churches about mental illness? The same study found that 59% of Christians suffering from mental illness said that they wanted their church leaders to speak more openly on the subject. We strive to normalize the discussion about mental health among Christians. Ben, a licensed professional counselor, also provides valuable insight for the family members and friends of those who suffer from mental ...
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The Lifeway Bible Studies podcast is the perfect companion for your small group or Bible study. Join us each week as we go through the latest and most popular Bible studies available from Lifeway, a premiere Christian publisher. All Bible studies, including video materials and workbooks, are available at https://www.lifeway.com/en/shop/bible-studies
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How do you build groups? Are you building or maintaining your small groups ministry? We seek to start, spark, and spur on thought trails you otherwise wouldn't have to get you asking questions you normally wouldn't because you get to hear to some of the best church leaders in Groups ministry across the country. Tune in to learn and explore areas of Groups ministry you've never considered before or need reminders.
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Ecclesiastes: Finding Meaning in a World of Passing Pursuits - With Barnabas Piper - A Lifeway Study
Barnabas Piper | Lifeway Bible Studies | Lumivoz
Barnabas Piper is an assistant pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville and is the author or coauthor of several books and small group studies, including The Pastor’s Kid, Help My Unbelief, and Hoping for Happiness. Prior to being called into ministry Barnabas worked in Christian publishing for almost 15 years. He co-hosts the Curious Curmudgeons podcast, writes regularly for He Reads Truth, and has contributed to numerous other websites and publications. Piper speaks regularly at churches, ca ...
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Every Christian—regardless of age, demographic, or background—is designed by God to grow in faith. But many of us don’t know what growth looks like. How do we even know we’re growing? In Marks of a Disciple, pastor Dean Inserra examines six measurements to help us see whether or not we’re developing spiritually. This is not a checklist or a punch card, but rather a group of traits distilled from Scripture that should be evident in the life of a follower of Jesus. As we pursue these markers, ...
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Is there purpose in your pain? Have you ever thought your life is beyond repair or wondered if God could use your brokenness for good? We all tend to look and search for purpose in our pain and suffering. Depression, anxiety, hurting relationships, and unmet expectations can cause us to question God. In this study, Noe Garcia takes participants on a journey through Romans 8, which many scholars believe is the greatest chapter in the Bible. Noe shares his life story and experiences of abuse, ...
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Turn Hardship and Doubt into Hope and Power It's hard to understand in the moment, but sorrow can give you perspective, purpose, and a platform. It’s called a “roar story.” And you can use it to inspire others to see the bright future beyond their darkest days. Whether you’ve suffered in the past, are in a trial now, or want to prepare for the inevitable challenges to come, this Bible study can provide help, hope, and healing, all for the glory of God. Both instructive and deeply inspiration ...
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Exploring the Heart of the Parables Stories Jesus Told is a six week mini-series with teaching from author Daniel Fusco. Everyone loves a good story. Whether it’s a novel, film, or song, we are products of the narratives that have formed us—for good or bad. If you need fresh inspiration or are stuck living under the weight of a story you can’t shake off, consider this study of the parables of Jesus. Through six sessions, you’ll hear directly from Jesus through the Word. His parables not only ...
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The He’s Where the Joy Is podcast is focused on the three persons of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit. If you’ve ever been stumped by the doctrine of the Trinity or wanted to know God better, this podcast is for you. In each episode, Tara-Leigh Cobble reads one chapter of Scripture that focuses on understanding God in His three-in-one-ness, then shares a quick devotional overview of the text. For the best possible experience, you’ll want to pair these audio clips with the He’s Where the ...
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Do You Want to Be Happy? Everyone wants to be happy. We spend our money, time, and energy chasing our version of the good life. And on the way, we run ourselves into physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion. But what if the happiness we’re all striving for isn’t the happiness we were created for? Pastor and author Dr. Derwin L. Gray believes there is a better road to happiness, and it is found in the Beatitudes of Jesus. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed the shocki ...
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Romans Chapter 8: Climbing to a Place of Confident Faith Take a journey together with your small group to greater faith! If you’ve ever had feelings like, “I’m not good enough,” “I’m never going to change,” or “Life is too hard,” Romans eight is the chapter for you! Pastor Tom Holladay taught this video series beginning at the bottom and moving to the top of Saddleback Mountain through each of the four sessions to help us see clearly the journey from doubt to faith—from discouragement to hop ...
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The John Williams Uncut podcast from News/Talk 720 WGN, The Voice of Chicago.
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Fund conversations that matter: donate.accessmore.com The Cultivate Podcast is all about deepening our understanding of Scripture for a deeper love of Jesus. That’s my simple hope. Yet we live in a crazy busy culture that makes it hard to prioritize Bible study. Not to mention, for many of us the Bible can be plain confusing or intimidating. That’s why I’m so excited about this podcast! We’ll get to study God’s Word together. Absolutely nothing has gone after every crevice of my heart like S ...
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The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast discussing Northwestern University paying $75 million to the federal government over t…
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Captain Christine Coreano, Corps Officer, The Salvation Army Oakbrook Terrace, North and Central Illinois Division, joins John Williams to talk about her career in the Salvation Army, how food insecurity is an issue in every community, who their food programs serve, the reliance on food donations, their desire to meet every need in the community, s…
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Mortgage and real estate expert David Hochberg joins John Williams to talk about mortgage rates coming down a bit, if he thinks the Fed will cut interest rates later this month, how homes have appreciated in the area, how much credit card debt Americans are holding, why he insists on paying off credit card debt every Friday, and why he thinks a goo…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7840644/12-3-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-12-03-175644.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strikes…
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Clem Martin from Christ the King Jesuit College Prep joins John Williams on this Marquette Bank Giving Tuesday to talk about how long the school has been around, the students who make up Christ the King, where most of the students come from, the support they receive from Marquette Bank, and the unique Corporate Work Study Program where kids can ear…
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Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about what you can take to combat the common cold, the World Health Organization issuing the first-ever guidelines for use of GLP-1 weight loss medications, and what you can do to protect yourself from Norovir…
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Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about Northwestern University agreeing to pay $75 million to the Trump administration to restore frozen funding, and the controversy surrounding a Sept. 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. And don’t forget! You can still get tickets to Eric’s wonderful Christmas event, …
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7839029/12-2-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-12-02-193229.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strikes…
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The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Mr. Fix It offers his suggestions to prevent porch pirates, and to give some tips on how to best prepare your home for winter. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7836925/12-1-25_Lou_Manfredini_Tips_to_get_your_home_ready_for_winter_20…
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John Williams brings you a round of Speed Jokes, Part MLXVI, 12.1.25: What was the best joke of November?
Marge Sipla, Speed Jokes spirit animal, cataloger and Member of the Speed Jokes Committee, joins John Williams and the gang to give us her favorite Speed Jokes of November 2025 (and John likes these)! What was your favorite joke this month? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected] https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7836992/12-1-25_John_Wi…
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Session 2 (Dec. 14) Explore the Bible Adults
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16:43
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16:43Dwayne McCrary and Amber Vaden look at session 2 (Matt. 4:12-25) in the Winter 2025-26 Explore the Bible study of Matthew 1-13.By Lifeway Podcast Network
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Date of First Use: December 14, 2025 Title: When Your Circumstances Fall Short The Point: God’s grace will sustain you through life’s circumstances. Life Connection: Christians learn quickly that following Jesus does not lead to or guarantee a life of ease. While we may wonder why God is not removing our difficulties or blessing us with pleasant ci…
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Envoy Scott Hurula, Corps Administrator and pastor at The Salvation Army Joliet Corps, and Salvation Army volunteer Novel Woods, join John Williams to talk about the importance of Salvation Army volunteers, and what you can do if you want to be a bell-ringer this season. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7832865/11-26-25_Importance_of_bell_ringers_t…
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Matt Singer, editor and critic at ScreenCrush, and author of ‘Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever,’ joins John Williams to talk about the 50th anniversary of the TV show starring famed movie critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Matt explains how Siskel and Ebert impacted movie criticism, their influence on films in general, …
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Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7833022/11-26-25_Elder_Law_Attorney_Kerry_Peck_2025-11-26-184222.128.mp3 Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, …
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Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob says continue to water your trees and shrubs and remember to cut your lawn down to 2 inches for the winter. https://serve.…
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John Williams read a portion of a letter from listener Janelle from Michigan: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7833298/11-26-25_-_Gratitude_2025-11-26-201438.64kmono.mp3 Good morning, John. I wanted to share this with you, after listening to it again this morning….. John Williams shares his thoughts on the election So interesting to look back and r…
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U.S. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL 14) joins John Williams to talk about what she found when she visited the Broadview ICE detention center. Rep. Underwood details the inhumane conditions at the facility and also tells John what she expects from Operation Midway Blitz in the months to come. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7832816/11-26-25_…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7832787/11-26-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-26-165327.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strike…
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Dr. Jeffrey Kopin, Chief Medical Officer for Northwestern Medicine Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital, joins John Williams to talk about why you should go for a brief walk after having your Thanksgiving meal, why he suggests getting a COVID shot and a flu shot in separate arms, Pfizer’s mRNA flu shot outperforming the standard flu vaccine…
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Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, joins John Williams to talk about the best Thanksgiving food, why he thinks Chicago’s winter-parking rules are more of a cash grab, and his idea to get rid of divisions in the NFL. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7830924/11-25-25_Eric_Zorn_winter_parking_ban_thanksgiving_food_nfl_playoff_rules_2025-11…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7830757/11-25-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-25-171657.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strike…
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What Your Favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Says About Your Spirituality
22:46
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22:46Help us end childhood Cancer here: https://fundraising.stjude.org/site/Donation2?PROXY_ID=6668811&mfc_pref=T&idb=1427750123&df_id=5940&PROXY_TYPE=20&FR_ID=158671&5940.donation=form1Healing Hands International is a proud sponsor of this podcast. Get more info about them here: https://www.hhi.org/ Ben and Travis return to discuss more Teenage Mutant …
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The Mincing Rascals 11.24.25: Marjorie Taylor Greene resigns, sedition accusation, CTU audit, favorite Thanksgiving food
The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg, Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and author of the The Last Ward, and Jon Hansen of WGN Radio and Block Club Chicago. This week, the Rascals kick off the podcast with ‘News or Noise.’ What are the news stories tha…
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Davis Jaspers, Founder & CEO of VitaLife, joins John Williams to talk about their weight loss and wellness program, how they are able to figure out what the body needs, their focus on getting metabolism working the way it should, what their weight loss program looks like and the typical client they serve, if they have seen an impact on business sin…
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Kelly Leonard, Vice President, Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City and host of the “Getting to Yes, And…” podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a podcast he recorded with Dr. James Kimmel about his new book, “The Science of Revenge: Understanding the World’s Deadliest Addiction and How to Overcome It.” Kel…
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The great Mr. Fix-It, Lou Manfredini, joins John Williams to tell us the projects we need to be working on this week. Lou has some amazing advice on how to pre-clean your dishwasher before Thanksgiving. And, as always, Lou answers all of your home improvement questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7828817/11-24-25_Mr_Fix_It_Lou_Manfredini_2025…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7828686/11-24-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-24-172126.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strike…
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After 6 rounds of voting on 64 of Chicagoland’s favorite Christmas events and attractions, polls officially closed at 10 AM, November 24th. WGN Radio senior digital strategist and bracketologist Michael Piff joined John Williams to announce and call the winner of the Chicagoland Christmas Traditions Tournament, sponsored by Treetime Christmas Creat…
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Session 1 (Dec. 7) Explore the Bible Adults
20:40
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20:40Mike Livingstone and Amber Vaden look at session 1 (Matt. 3:13–4:11) in the Winter 2025-26 Explore the Bible study of Matthew 1-13.By Lifeway Podcast Network
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Introduction (Matthew 1-13) Explore the Bible Adults
3:43
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3:43Amber Vaden gives some background on the gospel of Matthew as we begin the Winter 2025-26 Explore the Bible study.By Lifeway Podcast Network
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Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the likelihood we see an interest rate cut in December, why the stock market likes the idea of a rate cut, where people should be putting their money considering the volatility in the market, why consumer sentiment is down, his thoughts on the jo…
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Dr. David J. Gunkel, Distinguished Research Professor, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Chair – Department of Communication, Northern Illinois University, joins John Williams to talk about AI generated music, what the AI landscape in the arts is like right now, how human artists are using AI in their music, the ethical problems that come with AI, …
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Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected]! https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7826021/11-21-25_John_Williams_Best_of_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-21-175921.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .…
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NewsNation Now anchor Connell McShane joins John Williams to talk about President Donald Trump meeting New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the Coast Guard changing their swastika policy, President Trump telling a reporter, ‘Quiet, piggy,’ and President Trump accusing several Democratic lawmakers of “seditious behavior,” after they posted a vi…
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Session 1 Date of First Use: December 7, 2025 Title: When Your Faith Falls Short The Point: A faith that looks to Jesus is a powerful faith. Life Connection: A common misconception among both believers and non-believers is that, if one has enough faith, anything can be accomplished. This view wrongly places the emphasis on the one believing. This v…
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Kimberly Bares, CEO, Magnificent Mile Association, tells John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about this year’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival! Kimberly also talks about the economic impact and what it means for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7824684/7824684_2025-11-20-215224.128.mp3…
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Judy Socha, who has organized the Addison blood bank for over 50 years, joins John Williams to talk about her personal connection to blood drives, the importance of people donating blood, why she continues her mission to help bring in blood, the wonderful people that she has met on her journey, the amount of blood they have collected in Addison, an…
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It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some holiday vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we head north and visit with the always delightful Stephanie Klett, President and CEO, Visit Lake Geneva! S…
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Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the three things she’s going to add to her Thanksgiving routine, how to add color to your Thanksgiving meal, the most important tip to enjoy a healthy Thanksgiving, and how to R.E.S.E.T. your health the next day and beyond! https://serve.castfire.com…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7823726/11-20-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-20-174226.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strike…
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John Williams talks with Jeff Nydegger of JeffBuysYourHouse.com and Chris Kasper, both veterans of the U.S. Army. The two became friends while serving in the 864th Combat Heavy Engineer Battalion at Fort Lewis, Washington. In 2003, while attached to the 101st Airborne, the two were among the first to cross the border into Iraq. They both also serve…
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The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, political pundit Marj Halperin, and long-time Chicago journalist Cate Plys, publisher of Roseland, Chicago: 1972. This week, the Rascals start the podcast talking about Illinois launching Mobile ID for iPhones. Are the Rascals on board with …
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Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias: Mobile ID is a new way to think about identity, security, and convenience
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias joins John Williams to talk about Illinois implementing Mobile IDs. Secretary Giannoulias explains how the digital technology works, why this technology is both convenient and safe, where you can use your digital ID right now, when the mobile ID will come to Android phones, and if passports will be comi…
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Tameka Patterson, MSW, LSW Divisional Pathway of Hope Project Manager, The Salvation Army, North and Central Illinois Division, joins John Williams to talk about the work she does at the Salvation Army, what they do to help families in tough circumstances, how many people they typically serve in a day, how each family they help is unique in their n…
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Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7822032/11-19-25_Landscape_expert_Bob_Bertog_answers_all_of_your_fall_lawn_and_garden_questio…
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John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected]. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7821650/11-19-25_John_Williams_Speed_Jokes_2025-11-19-165550.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams Should Chicago’s Christkindlmarket limit capacity? .cls-4{fill:#000;} Northwestern deal, boat strike…
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