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FOOTBALL IS BACK & the #ChicagoBears JUST SCORED AGAIN! Wk.1 #Bears @ #Panthers look back, Wk.2 Bears vs. #Vikings lookahead! We cover it ALL! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
AT LONG LAST FOOTBALL #ChicagoBears FOOTBALL IS HERE! Wk.1 #Bears @ #Panthers We cover it ALL! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
John Kugelman has written 24 crosswords for the NYTimes, including an impressive 17 Sundays. Today's was novel, in that for the first time it featured color illustrations — Gray Lady indeed! Both cohosts found the puzzle to be a challenge, definitely crunchier than usual for a Sunday — filled with fascinating clues and quite a few bedeviling naticks*. We loved it, and thereby bestow upon it 5 squares on the JAMCR scale.Show note imagery: Aww, it's a SHIHPOO ❤️*A natick consists of two clues whose answers cross and are both unknown to the solver.We love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!
Aww yeah, baby. Welcome to the Schneppzone! We're joined by Sparkle Buddy Josh to talk about a documentary about people talking about a movie that never got made. It's a long walk to talk about spiderbots, long shorts, skull ships and more! Let's all find out….What Happened? This is Cage Match.Intro music by Bill Panks
One last look at #BEARS vs. #Titans before we look at the Bears initial 53 man roster! We get you updated on ALL the news coming out of #BearsTrainingCamp and look at what to expect at LT, DE, CB, and S . GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
One last look at #BEARS vs. #Bengals and then we look ahead to Bears @ #Titans We get you updated on ALL the news coming out of #BearsTrainingCamp and look at what to expect at LT, DE, CB, and S . GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
One last look at #BEARS vs. #Browns and then we look ahead to Bears @ #Bengals We get you updated on ALL the news coming out of #BearsTrainingCamp and look at what to expect. GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
THE #BEARS injury report is starting to pile up with some key players! We get you updated on ALL the news coming out of #BearsTrainingCamp and look at what to expect. GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
THE #BEARS ARE BACK! We get you updated on ALL the news coming out of #BearsTrainingCamp and look at why the completion % in camp practices is about as useless as spaghetti flavored ice cream. GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
FOOTBALL IS BACK AND TTNL NETWORK HAS IT ALL COVERED! We will get you camp ready and Eric Clemons joins us to go over his re-watch of EVERY Caleb Williams pass during 2025. The results? TUNE IN to FIND OUT! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
The NFL is on vacation but TTNL isn't! TTNL will be lit up to talk some #BearsFootball What else will happen on KI100 this week? TUNE IN to FIND OUT! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
“No sink or nothing, right? You're just gonna go free ball it…” 1989 was the very first year EVER that The Recording Academy recognized hard rock and metal music with the “Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrumental”. And other than the completely insulting “slap in the face” by The Recording Academy to Metallica (think Will Smith & Chris Rock, but even more childish, petty, and completely unnecessary), there were no other Big Four albums or happenings in 1989. (SIDEBAR: Y'know, maybe it's just speculation, conspiracy theory, or just good old-fashioned karma in action, but the way Metallica “lost” that Grammy, it's like they were literally “deleted from the mix” of nominees, so to speak. Not unlike a certain bass player from a certain mix on a certain album. Moving on…) “Just gonna raw dog it…” As we are all aware, metal (especially thrash) is far more than just The Big Four, and 1989 was actually quite an excellent year for metal. As thrash was nearing the zenith of its popularity, Wrathchild America's debut album, Climbin' The Walls, hit the record store shelves, Exodus, Testament, and Sepultura each released legendary 3rd albums, and Nuclear Assault released the first, the best, and arguably one of the most revolutionary lyric videos in the history of music for Critical Mass, featuring a one-eyed smiley face saying, “Follow me!” and a “Required Nasty Bit”, courtesy of Jessica Hahn. “What is YOUR favorite album of 1989?” Prepare yourself for a bit of obscure Metal Nerdery 1989-centric trivia, embrace what it means to receive your “first JOB”, and find out what you should definitely NOT do in your landlord's pool when you JOIN US as we fire up the time machine and go check out THE CLASS OF 1989. Visit www.metalnerdery.com/podcast for more on this episode Help Support Metal Nerdery https://www.patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast Leave us a Voicemail to be played on a future episode: 980-666-8182 Metal Nerdery Tees and Hoodies – metalnerdery.com/merch and kindly leave us a review and/or rating on your favorite Podcast app Follow us on the Socials: Facebook - Instagram - TikTok Email: metalnerdery@gmail.com Can't be LOUD Enough Playlist on Spotify Metal Nerdery Munchies on YouTube @metalnerderypodcast Show Notes: (00:01): “Aww, mark the time!”/ “I might have got the end of it…hopefully it'll be enough…”/ “No sink or nothing, right? You're just gonna go free ball it…just gonna raw dog it!”/ “Do you have a problem using coasters?”/ #LakeVonMatthew / “Welcome to Lake Matthew…it's deep and it's wet…”/ “All the good buttons are gonna be Russell…”/ #markthetime / “Raw dog it…balls deep…”/ ***WARNING: #listenerdiscretionisadvised *** / “Sorry I made the table wet…” / “Turn it off now…”/ “So much yelling…that sounds like a great time…”/ ***WELCOME BACK TO THE METAL NERDERY PODCAST AND THE BUNKERPOON METAL CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE!!!*** / “It's deep and wet…and moist.”/ #bluealgae / “You can, but it's probably gonna ruin your day…Toxic Avenger style…”/ “Guys will do that? Or you'll do that?” (04:50): ***PATREON US at patreon.com/metalnerderypodcast *** / “We're not Winger over here…”/ “I think they're dangerous when they get to be that age…”/ “If you eat one more steak, it's gonna kill you…”/ “Is it the steak that's gonna kill you though? Maybe…or the steak's parents…”/ ***SOCIAL MEDIA US at #metalnerderypodcast on #Facebook #YouTube #Instagram and #TikTok / EMAIL US at metalnerdery@gmail.com and GIVE US A CALL AND VOICEMAIL US AT 980-666-8182!!!*** (07:55): “Boys…Fellas…Hey Guys!”/ #TheDocket METAL NERDERY PODCAST PRESENTS: THE CLASS OF 1989 / “It was sort of the introduction to death metal…thrash was becoming more extreme…”/ “You don't even have to sell it…it sells itself.”/ “1989 is a special memory for me…that was when I first got my first job…and on the day I went to do my interview for the first job, I also got my first ‘JOB'!”/ “He's talking about a beej…”/ #tremendous / “I got it while I was driving a car…I'm like “WHOA! I've gotta pull off the road…”/ “It's like a buffet of metal…”/ “No Big Four releases during 1989…” (12:43): “That's the one place where it's appropriate to say ‘Fabulous'…”/ #Exodus FABULOUS DISASTER (Fabulous Disaster – 1989) / #useyourheadphones #cantbeloudenough / “That's a weird timing too…”/ “Zetro had this Udo, Brian Johnson, and a little bit of Bon all slammed together…”/ #ballstothewall / “That's why thrash metal is the Olympics of music…”/ “Give credit to Slayer…give credit to Exodus…”/ “Kirk Hammett leaving Exodus may have been the best thing to ever happen to Exodus…”/ “I've got a good suggestion…I just wanted to hear a taste of Envy Life where Chuck Billy does the ‘death thing' (death metal vocal growl) …” (19:37): #Testament ENVY LIFE (Practice What You Preach – 1989) / “That's kinda heavy and creepy at the same time…”/ “Get ready for the heavy harmonies…”/ “I swear…if you listen to this and you listen to their new album…it's a completely different band…”/ “If he would have said ‘yeah-yeah' a few times…”/ “You mentioned earlier ‘Headless Children'…did y'all ever get into the W.A.S.P.?”/ “The cover (the Headless Children album cover) looks kinda like Reign In Blood…”/ “Headless Children was released March 21, 1989 on Capitol Records”/ #WASP MEAN MAN (The Headless Children – 1989) / “Remember the interview with Chris Holmes in the pool?” / #fame / “Wouldn't it be weird if you put on KISS makeup to be able to go out in public and be yourself?” (26:30): “How about some Metal Church?” / “I think Metal Church is just a metal band…they can do anything.”/ #MetalChurch BADLANDS (Blessing In Disguise – 1989) / “They don't have any problem picking excellent singers…”/ “That's a dismount right there…stuck the landing…ten out of ten…”/ #notenoughriffs / #MCTentacleChoice / “When Bill's tentacles come out, things happen (they do)…and the universe is impacted positively (it is), and we thank you (we do)…”/ “Those tentacles are magic…he's only got two of them…and he's got five mini-tentacles attached to his two main tentacles…”/ “We've never really talked about them…”/ ***You can find the show notes at metalnerdery.com/episodes *** / #Obituary SLOWLY WE ROT (Slowly We Rot – 1989) / “It's like a more death-y sounding Death…” (33:21): “You know what else is '89…Sepultura…”/ Back in the day, many considered Sepultura's Beneath The Remains to be “the next Master of Puppets” in terms of thrash greatness / #Sepultura BENEATH THE REMAINS (Beneath The Remains – 1989) / “I almost thought you said ‘a little bit of diarrhea'…”/ “Don't shit in your landlord's pool…or their mouth…”/ “Fun Metal Nerdery fact…we did an episode for Beneath The Remains…way back…with the Mighty Mixon…”/ “Speaking of Mixon…”/ “Look at all the #cokelines (for Blood Feast)…”/ #thrashy / #BloodFeast CHOPPING BLOCK BLUES (Chopping Block Blues – 1989) / “I'll bet their rehearsals were a bitch…” (39:46): “How about a little bit of Overkill?”/ “I got an inverse erection…it actually creeped up inside my body…”/ #Overkill TIME TO KILL (The Years Of Decay – 1989) / “That's what we're doing really…we're all just killing time…while we're here…”/ “That little dash in there…that's all your time to kill…”/ #NuclearAssault CRITICAL MASS (Handle With Care – 1989) / “OH listen to that! It's just dirty…”/ “They always had the best shirts…you'd see a Nuclear Assault shirt and you're like ‘that's cool…that's metal…'”/ #Kreator EXTREME AGGRESSION (Extreme Aggression – 1989) / “Look at the (Extreme Aggression) album cover…(Kreator are) radiating hatred off of their heads…” (47:06): “We would be remiss to not include The King…Conspiracy is the sequel to “Them”…”/ #ThemPartTwo / #KingDiamond SLEEPLESS NIGHTS (Conspiracy – 1989) / “That sounds like Zakk Wylde…is this an Ozzy song?”/ “Here's another one…”/ #Ministry SO WHAT (The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste – 1989) / #IndustrialMetal / “Russell Stover's…or Whitman's…or Wittler's…”/ “Respect…”/ “Wait, what is that?”/ #rebellion / “You know what? Just for fun…”/ “You've been groomed for this…”/ #BlackSabbath WHEN DEATH CALLS (Headless Cross – 1989) / “It's got a nice creepy intro…that's bass by the way…”/ “This has the sound of something… (NOTE: the intro to When Death Calls sounds somewhat similar to Planet Caravan)”/ “Keep your pants on…”/ “It's like Dio Sabbath kinda…in a way…”/ “See? The Tony Martin era didn't hurt you…”/ “What is YOUR favorite album of 1989?”/ “For those of you wondering…it still didn't touch '86.”/ THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!!! / #untilthenext #outroreel
The NFL is on vacation but TTNL isn't! TTNL will sit down with Bears Buddy of bearsbuddytok on Tik Tok to talk some #BearsFootball What else will happen on KI100 this week? It's an anything goes week with some #ChicagoBears talk thrown in! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
The NFL is on vacation but TTNL isn't! What will happen on KI100 this week? It's an anything goes week with some #ChicagoBears talk thriown in! GET IN THE CHAT AND LET'S GO!!!!!!!Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Gugs Mhlungu speaks with Paul Maluleke, Co-founder of Alexandra Water Warriors, how the organisation was started by people from Alexandra to protect the environment. They discuss its work in river clean-ups, youth training, recycling projects, and ecotourism, as well as the importance of conserving and restoring the natural environment. Gugs Mhlungu gets you ready for the weekend each Saturday and Sunday morning on 702. She is your weekend wake-up companion, with all you need to know for your weekend. The topics Gugs covers range from lifestyle, family, health, and fitness to books, motoring, cooking, culture, and what is happening on the weekend in 702land. Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Weekend Breakfast with Gugs Mhlungu. Listen live on Primedia+ on Saturdays and Sundays from 06:00 and 10:00 (SA Time) to Weekend Breakfast with Gugs Mhlungu broadcast on 702 https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/u3Sf7Zy or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/BIXS7AL Subscribe to the 702 daily and weekly newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Our annual TTNL Network Town Hall show! You wanna come on the show and ask a question or 2? LET'S GOOOO! ANYTHING GOES! #ChicagoBears questions? TTNL questions? Love TTNL? Hate TTNL? We will take them ALL! LIVE ON AIR...WITH YOU!!! We will cover IT ALL! Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
We have a new player on the cover of #EASports #Madden27 Who is it? IT'S OUR GUY! CALEB WILLIAMS! Let the hate flow through your veins HATERS! But, but, but his COMPLETION %! Moving to Hammond? NOT so fast my friends! We will cover IT ALL! Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint that HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
In ep 176 of “How Do You Say That?!” sponsored by britishvoiceover.co.uk, Matt Coles joins Sam and Mark to talk about how good writing and good direction can get the perfect read whatever kind of voice actor you are. We look at what happens when a script points one way, but then takes a sharp deviation, and how to make a choice in an audiobook script about an accent. Our wildcards include Warldorf and Statler from the Muppets, a giraffe being picky about leaves and a marathon runner exhausted at the end of the race, plus we muse about a good single malt, snotty scrambled eggs, and meeting Patrick Stewart aka Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation.Our VO question this week is all about how you differentiate between characters in an animation or a game if you're playing three different roles that could sound quite similar!Get involved! Have you got a Wildcard suggestion that we should try or an idea for the show? Send it to us via Mark or Sam's social media or email it directly to podcast@britishvoiceover.co.ukScript 1Dogs often dream...In fact, they experience similar stages of dreaming to humans - including rapid eye movement (REM), (the stage of dreaming we tend to remember). Twitches and paw movements are just some of the ways you can spot a dreaming dog. Even more amazing? Harvard experts suggest that your dog is quite likely to be dreaming about… you. Aww.Script 2If he could have assimilated the speaker's words, he might have described the accent that flavoured them as a sort of “jovial cockney.”It was jovial, but it wasn't cockney.“Please forgive my intrusion. One wonders why your blinds are all the way open in a neighbourhood with such abundant foot traffic,” the voice from the window said. “My name is Lonesome Johnny. Indeed, I should have said so at the onset. Only a villain arrives with a purpose and neglects to introduce themselves, and though I am devilishly handsome, I am no villain!”We'd love your feedback - and if you listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, hit the follow button today!**Listen to all of our podcasts here - you can also watch on YouTube, or say to your smart speaker "Play How Do You Say That?!"About our guest: Matt's an award-nominated English voiceover artist with a seriously versatile sound. Originally from the South and now based in the Midlands, he blends a clean RP tone with a natural, down-to-earth edge. He works across everything from commercials to gaming and character work, recording from his own pro studio. He's also built a following of over 25k on TikTok, where he shows off his range and personality.Matt's Website@mattcolesvoiceovers on InstagramMatt's Facebook pageMatt on YouTubeResources: Click here for the Wildcard Generator and don't forget to think of an action your character can be doing!About your hosts:With over 40 years representing major international clients such as Google, Emirates and HSBC; Mark Ryes has been trusted to be the voice for some of the world's biggest brands. If your business needs a fresh voice to represent you, then make it Mark's British voice. As a voiceover, TV presenter, podcaster or product demonstrator - Mark makes your brand truly sparkle!Mark's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/britishvoiceovermarkElegantly British with an intelligent, warm and seductive voice, Samantha Boffin helps creatives and production companies create great audio that really connects with their audience. BBC-trained and with over 20 years of broadcast experience on both sides of the mic, she's created award-winning promos, narration and commercials for companies all around the globe, including the BBC, Sky, Games Workshop, John Lewis, Audible and Penguin Random House.Samantha's demos & contact details: https://linktr.ee/samanthaboffin
¿En qué momento de la historia se nos ocurrió que trabajar 40 horas a la semana era una gran idea?
Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint HAS IT ALL COVERED! ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! Its the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint will get you ready. ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
The #2026NFLDraft is in the books but TTNL Network's work is NEVER done! Grab a cold one, kick your feet up and LET'S GO! Get in the chat and let's talk #ChicagoBears The show with no blueprint will get you ready. ANYTHING goes! Haters? Aww, how adorable! LET'S GET IT!!!!!!!!!#CalebWilliams #DaBears #Bears #NFL #ChicagoBears #NFCNorth #TTNLNetworkFor expanded TTNL Network coverage, head over to https://www.TheTapeNeverLies.com to sign up and become a TTNL Network patron! You'll gain immediate access to shows like X's with the O's, Draft MOB, Master Class and ALL TTNL Network pop up shows! It's the best $10 a month you can spend for your Chicago football fix.To order Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio(RSP) head over to https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/Follow the crew: One stop shop for ALL TTNL Network social media! https://linktr.ee/TTNLNetwork TTNLNetwork (@TTNLNetwork) https://twitter.com/TTNLNetwork TTNL Network Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thetapeneverlies Phil Ottochian (@phil_ottochian) https://www.instagram.com/phil_ottochian/ Shayne Marsaw (@wasram) https://twitter.com/wasram Ivan Vargas (@IvanV_TTNL) https://twitter.com/IvanV_TTNL Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Another pandemic? Aww rats! I'm sure Charles and Dom will treat this without any of the medical sensationalism and scaremongering that everyone else seems to be doing.BUY TICKETS TO CHASER REPORT LIVE: https://events.humanitix.com/the-chaser-report-live-and-arty---Listen AD FREE: https://thechaserreport.supercast.com/ Follow us on Instagram: @chaserwarSpam Dom's socials: @dom_knightSend Charles voicemails: @charlesfirthEmail us: podcast@chaser.com.auChaser CEO's Super-yacht upgrade Fund: https://chaser.com.au/support/ Send complaints to: mediawatch@abc.net.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Bon Jovi sellout or just sold out for those State Farm commercials? Aww vs Ewwww. Nirvana cashes in with "Smells Like Teen Spirit" air. Jeff Bezos has a $500 million yacht so what insane extras are actually on it? A Florida man tries to rob a Publix with a stapler. You find a wallet stuffed with cash, what do you do? And how lonely do you have to be to fake a lost dog just to make friends? All this and the usual madness on the Newberg Pod. Watch like and follow @Newbergpod for more smart smelling stuff. https://youtu.be/WI5m8SMjRyo
We all have some sense that there is some destiny to fulfil with our lives and yet so many people struggle to lay hold of that, to really start living the life that they know would be fulfilling their destiny. That's what I think it means to actually live our lives to the full. That's what I think it means to get the most out of life. Living Life to the Full (1) So can I ask you something? Are you really living the life to the full? I mean really. The worst possible outcome to my life and I think to yours too, is to get to the end of it one day and to look back and think to ourselves 'I think I missed out, I don't think I lived the life I was meant to live, I don't' think I've fulfilled my destiny. If only I could go back and live it again and do it properly this time.' Don't you agree? Wouldn't that be just the most tragic outcome to our lives here on earth? It seems to me that we can be alive and kicking but not really living life. We can be alive but for all and intense and purposes be dead. So I guess when I talk about discovering your destiny is what I'm really talking about is being who you were always meant to be and living the life you were always meant to live. Getting the most out of life, is that something you want? I certainly do, and I hope you do as well. And so today we're going to take a look at a man who in a very real sense managed to get a second chance and whatever you may think of his story, his name is Lazarus, the question is, what does it say about your life here and now and the possibility of a second chance? It's a powerful story the story of Lazarus. It's about a real man who died and whom Jesus we're told brought back to life again. Now there are two parts to the story, we'll look at the first half right now and the second part after a short break on the program so let's have a bit of a read. Johns Gospel chapter 11 is where you'll find the story of Lazarus. Now a man named Lazarus was sick, he was from Bethany the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Now this Mary who's brother Lazarus now lay sick was the same one who had previously poured perfume on Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sister's sent word to Jesus, 'Lord, the one you love Lazarus is sick'. When he heard this Jesus said, 'The sickness won't end in death. No, it's for God's glory so that God's son may be glorified though it. Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick he stayed where he was for two more days and then he said to his disciples, 'Well ok, lets get up and go to Judea'. 'But Jesus,' they said, 'a short while ago Jews there tried to stone you and here you're going back?' And Jesus answered them, Isn't there 12 hours of daylight in a day? A man who walks by day won't stumble for he sees the worlds light, its when he walks by night that he stumbles for he has no light.' After he said these things he went on to tell them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep but I'm going there to wake him up again'. And his disciples replied, 'But if he sleeps he'll get better.' But Jesus had been speaking of his death and the disciples thought that he was just asleep. So then he told them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I'm glad I wasn't there so that you may believe. But let us go to him right now'." The last couple of programs we've dealt with an issue, well, so many of us don't really want to deal with head on – sin. I mean in our world sin is something of a four-letter word. The stuff in our lives we know is wrong that robs us of life itself, when I look back on my life as a wealth apparently successful businessman on the outside people envied me. I seemed to have it all together and I seemed to have it all, but on the inside I was dying. I was dead and empty and hollow just like a shell, truly. I describe myself as a dead man walking. And so many people are living their lives that way today, truly they are! Are the things you're doing wrong robbing you of the life you were meant to be having? Are you a bit like this Lazarus alive sort of but not really? Sure physically alive but spiritually through the things you are doing with your life not really having a life at all? You know something, it doesn't matter how much we deny it and try and put a respectable face to it, or sell it as a feature of our freedom to do whatever we want, sin does that to all of us. It makes us dead on the inside. At this point someone might be saying, "Come on Bernie, what an old fashioned point of view." If you're in that camp I encourage you to do something, take a look, a good hard look at the way you are living your life and ask yourself am I really being the me I was meant to be? Am I really living the life I was meant to live? Do I have this sense that I'm fulfilling my destiny? See to me, it's a tragedy when people can't answer those questions with a clear assurance that yes they are being the person they were meant to be. Yes they do have a deep sense that they're fulfilling their destiny that God has for them because that's what God wants for your life, he wants a new life. Let's look at new life; let's look at how things unfold in this story of Lazarus. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him and Mary stayed at home. "Lord, Martha said to him, if you'd been here, if you'd only been hear earlier Lazarus wouldn't' have died!' and Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise again.' But Martha answer, 'I know he'll rise again in the resurrection on that last day.' Jesus said to her 'I am the resurrection and the life, who ever believes in me will live even though he dies and who ever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' And she said, 'Yes lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God who has come into this world.' And after she said this she went back and called her sister Mary, 'The teacher Jesus is here.' she said, 'he's asking for you.' when Mary heard this she quickly got up and went out to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered their village but was still in the place where Martha had met him, when the Jews who had been with Mary in the house comforting her noticed how quickly she got up and went out they followed her thinking that she was going to the tomb to mourn there for Lazarus. When Mary reached Jesus and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, 'Lord if only you had been here my brother wouldn't' have died.' And when Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit was troubled. 'Where have you laid him?' 'Come and see Lord.' And Jesus wept. And the Jews said, 'See Jesus loved Lazarus!" But some of them said, 'Couldn't he who opened the eyes of the blind come and kept this man from dying?' See here's the thing, nobody was expecting Jesus to come along and raise Lazarus from the dead. And when we look at our lives and when we see our dead things can be on the inside and we look at God and say, 'God, why didn't you show up earlier?' And we can't imagine how God could possibly breath life into our situation, we can believe he could have done something back then like the people with Lazarus, he could have stopped him from dying. We can believe that one day we will rise again and have eternal life, but it can be so hard so hard to believe that Jesus could come and breath a new life today, here and now. Let me ask you, what do you believe? Living life to the full (2) Well let's get back to the Lazarus story because there is so much more in it about living our lives to the full, remember that everyone wanted Jesus to have fixed the problem before Lazarus died, but Jesus had said to his disciples he had a different plan. A plan that people around him didn't really understand, so no one could see it. Jesus was saying to Martha, Lazarus' sister. He said, "Your brother will rise again." But Martha said, "Look, I know he'll rise again on the resurrection on the last day" so she doesn't get it. She's happy to believe in pie in the sky when you die but not so much about steak on the plate while you wait if that makes sense. Lets pick up the story and lets read the simple story, its in John's gospel chapter 11 and it begins verse 38: Jesus was deeply moved when he came to the tomb, it was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 'Take away the stone', he said. 'But Lord,' said Martha the sister of Lazarus said, 'by this time a bad odour will be there, I mean he's been dead for four days!' And Jesus said, 'Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the Glory of God?'" I love that! If you believe you will see the glory of God! So they took away the stone and Jesus stood up and said, 'Father I thank you that you have heard me, I always knew that you would but I'm saying this for the benefit of the people around that they might believe that you have sent me.' And when he had said this Jesus said in a loud voice 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth was around his face, and Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go.' " Jesus was deeply moved … I mean he loved Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha; he cared for them! Lazarus was a good friend, that's why Jesus wept for him. So it's not some publicity stunt, but it's a tender encounter when people were thinking well, what's Jesus up to? He can't do this I mean Lazarus is dead he's going to smell, he's on the nose, his flesh is already rotting! I reckon we have to be very, very careful indeed about telling God what he can and can't do. About putting God in a little box of our expectations, imagining somehow that he could somehow never bring Lazarus back to life, imagining somehow he could never really bring life back into us! You see, all these people – Mary, Martha, the disciples all the others – they'd seen Jesus do amazing things, do amazing miracles, yet they couldn't believe that he would actually bring a man back to life. It didn't even enter their minds, but he did! And look at the picture of Lazarus when he walks out of the tomb. 'Lazarus come out!' said Jesus. The dead man came out, his hands and his feet where wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth was around his face. See Lazarus was bound up in his grave clothes, and this looks a lot like some people that I know. Living a half-life. On the one hand Jesus has spoken a word of life into them but on the other they're still bound up in their grave clothes, bound up in the things of the past, the old life. When Lazarus walked out of that tomb, beneath those grave clothes he was living and breathing there was colour in his cheeks but he couldn't' live the rest of this life wrapped in those grave clothes and the same is true for you and me. Some people have life flowing through their veins because Jesus put it there and yet they have one foot in the past in that dead half-life that didn't work, trying to live life to the full, kind of hoping things would work out but they never quite did. The picture of a living man wrapped in grave clothes is the picture of many a man's life, many a woman's life. We want to live life to the full, we want to discover our destiny and yet the past wraps us up and stops us from doing that. You know something, there is a reason for that. You can't live your life wrapped in grave clothes. What sort of life do you think would it have been if Lazarus had continued on wrapped in those grave clothes? And anyway, that wasn't Jesus' plan for him, Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." You like that bit? Let him go, set him free. Set him free to be the Lazarus he was always meant to be. Friend, how are you living your life? Is your life lived to the full? Or is your life held back by the past? Is it a life filled with joy and peace or are you still struggling with the stupid things you keep doing all the time? Is it a life of freedom or is a life wrapped in the grave clothes of your past? I can ask you those questions but I can't answer them for you, only you can do that. And wherever you are does a question rise up in your heart, a question that goes something like this? "Isn't there some better way of living my life? There has to be!" Well there is, and it's a personal thing. "Aww you know Berni, but I want to hang on to this compromise or that old attitude I still want to cheat or lie or be tight with my money or not serve other people and I want to be selfish because you know, all this Jesus stuff is not particularly convenient." Great, great! Stay in your grave clothes, but don't expect to live your life to the full. Don't expect to realise your destiny. The alternative is to set our hearts like flint on living life to the full know matter what the cost. You know there is a cost. There is a cost for a heroin addict to give up heroin and there is a cost for an alcoholic to give up alcohol and a cost for a smoker to give up smoking. The first step always is admitting who we are, where we're at and the second is the step of deciding here and now, "You know something that joker on the radio has a point. I DO have to do something, I can't live my life wrapped in these grave clothes anymore." And you know our grave clothes are all different. For some people it might be lying and cheating, for others it might be gossiping, for other people it might just be a deep attitude of selfishness. You look in the mirror and you know what it is, and yet we're powerless to take off the grave clothes until Jesus speaks his power into our lives and says, "Take off the grave clothes and set him free." My friend the answer, the only answer is Jesus. Jesus is the one whose power breathed new life into Lazarus, Jesus is the one who set him free. Jesus is the one that can bring new life to you and to your life and set your free from the things of the past that have robbed you of your life, the full life the life God made you to live. THE answer, the only answer is Jesus. A New Creation You know, it can be a lot easier to believe in something way, way out there something spiritual, something crazy even, than it can be to believe that anyone or anything could improve the lives that we're living right at the moment. How could anyone take a beaten up old wreck like me, me for goodness sakes and do anything with me? I want to be the "me" I was meant to be, I want to live the life I was meant to live, but it all just seems impossible, but you know so many people have that problem. I had that problem. It's just incredible to me how easily we throw ourselves onto the scrap heap. How easily other people put us out there on the scrap heap. How easily the advertising industry and our economy and all that stuff throw us out onto the scrap heap! It's interesting to me that back in Jesus' day there were plenty of people ordinary people like you and me, people who weren't rich or powerful and some of them were outcasts of society. If you were disabled in someway, blind or lame, you became a beggar because there was no social welfare system in first century Israel. If you had certain types of diseases, leprosy for instance you became an outcast. If you had certain types of occupation a tax collector, you were an outcast. We have an amazing propensity as people to push other people away for all sorts of different reasons, and sometimes we're not even being pushed away so much as well, you have an unhealthy perception of ourselves, low self esteem it's called these days, or an inability to trust people. There are so many different things from within and without that can act to isolate us to make us feel as though we don't belong and that tragedy of all that is that people live their whole lives not belonging, not feeling loved, not feeling accepted, as a result well what do you do? That's the question. Each person is valuable. You're valuable, you're beautiful, you have gifts and ability that can have such a great impact on this world if only other people could see that, if only let's face it, if only we could see that in ourselves some days. But how? There is a beautiful poem by Myra Brooks-Welsh, I'd like to share it with you today. It's call "The Touch of the Masters Hand". Maybe you've heard it before and maybe you haven't but it's really worth listening to because speaks into this very dilemma. T'was battered and scarred and the auctioneer,thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin but he held it up with a smile. "What am I bidding good folks?" He cried. "Who'll start the bidding for me? A dollar, a dollar then two, only two? Two dollars and who'll make it three? Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three." But no, from the room far back a grey haired man came forward and picked up the bow. Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening the loosened strings he played a melody pure and sweet as carolling angels sing. The music ceased and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low said, "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with a bow. "A thousand dollars? Who'll make it two? Two thousand and who'll make it three? Three thousand once, three thousand twice and going and gone." Said he. The people cheered but some of them cried, "We don't quite understand, what changed its worth?" And swift came the reply, "The touch of the masters hand." And many a man with life out of tune and battered and scarred with sin is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd much like the old violin. A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on. He's going once, going twice, he's going and almost gone. But the master comes and the foolish crowd never can quite understand. The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master's hand. It's only now as I look back on those twenty years of living this new life that I can see how little by little I've become the "me" I was meant to be. I keep stressing this but I'm not here to tell you what to believe or how you should see the world, that's something you need to figure out for yourself. But what I can do is tell you how this played itself out in my life. Around twenty years ago, I was experiencing deep depression and I had this sense of worthlessness. I thought I'd lost everything; all my hopes and dreams and my future. I was that dusty old violin. Truly! People don't expect the guy on the radio to talk about himself like that, but that's exactly how it was! I just couldn't see beyond tomorrow. I couldn't see how I could possibly be useful again, or achieve anything or become the "me" I was meant to be! Who the heck was I anyway? But there is something you have to recognise about that dusty old violin. It's still a violin. Maybe it's been neglected. Maybe he's been disused, maybe it's out of tune, maybe it doesn't look that good anymore, but it's still a violin. All that it needs is for someone to see it for what it is and that someone in my life is Jesus. This God they talk about who appeared somewhat irrelevant to me in most of my life was the one that stepped forward from the back of the room to show me exactly what I'm worth, and that right there was the most amazing experience of my life. Still is. You and I are made in the image of God you want to read about that? Go to the very first chapter of the bible, the book of Genesis the first page and it'll tell you that God looked at everything that he created and he said, "Let us make man in our image. Male and female he created us." Our mistakes and all the stuff that life throws at us can definitely make us look and feel and sound like that old violin but you know something all that it needs is for the master to come along and tune the strings a bit and strike up a tune and all of a sudden everybody else remembers what they had forgotten…its still a violin! When I gave my life to Jesus almost two decades ago, things started to happen…they didn't happen quickly from were I sat. In fact it felt like it took forever but other people would say to me, "Goodness what's happened to you? How was it that you're on the radio and you're speaking with all these people? How's that?" Nothing to do with me! I was just a battered old violin in the corner, washed up but then there was a touch of the Master's hand. And He came along and He struck up a tune. He knew exactly who I was and what He made me to be and what He made me to do and the tune he made me to play. And He put me in that place and that's what I'm doing today. And that same God, that same Jesus is here today to meet you in the place where you are.
Two more short stories by Barry Pain. In "The Magnet" (1901), the Reverend Ingram Shallow becomes obsessed with the recent train crash that has shaken the local community. In "Rose Rose" (1910) an artist's model determines to fulfil the terms of her contract.This is an original recording by Jasper L'Estrange.0:00 "The Magnet"15:04 "Rose Rose"33:08 OutroA MESSAGE FROM JASPER:Wow! Someone in the comments pointed out that EnCrypted Horror is five years old. And then YouTube confirmed it by putting a little icon of a birthday cake in my channel dashboard. Aww it fear worms the cockles of me 'art it do an no mistake. Perhaps, if I'd realised, I ought to have done something extra special for this 5th Anniversary Episode. What's it supposed to be? Wood? Well, I wood have if I'd known. Anyway, a bit more Barry Pain doesn't hurt. Thanks to everyone who has ever listened, subscribed, commented, liked or hyped, shared, recommended to a friend, become a Patreon patron, bought me a coffee or a Ko-fi, been a recent convert, long-time listener, friend of the show, regular commenter or lifelong lurker... You make it all worthwhile. *Blows nose, rubs dust out of eyes* As you were.
It's another chaotic daily comedy show, and this one comes fully loaded with birthday flexes, emotional dog countdowns, and a surprisingly intense debate about… rocking chairs. Yeah, we're aging gracefully over here.Lern had herself a full-blown birthday weekend featuring fancy dinners, surprise gifts, and a husband who absolutely understood the assignment. We're talking custom rocking chairs, sentimental music memorabilia, and enough thoughtful gestures to make the rest of us look like we grabbed a last-minute gas station card. Meanwhile, King Scott is juggling an anniversary, a pregnant wife, and a dog birthday like it's the most normal thing in the world (it's not).Then things take a turn into “why are we like this?” territory when Rafe starts tracking his dog's potential world record lifespan like it's the Super Bowl of senior pets. There's real tension. There's math. There's mild emotional instability. And yes, we absolutely discuss whether Guinness needs paperwork or just vibes.Also in this daily comedy show, Moon breaks down one of the weirdest dining experiences ever involving a tiny projected chef cooking your meal on the table like some kind of bougie fever dream. Add in champagne science (turns out there are about a million bubbles in a glass—because of course we needed to know that), and you've got yourself a fully unhinged mix of food, feelings, and nonsense.If you came for relatable life moments, you'll stay for the sarcasm, the dog drama, and the realization that we're all just one rocking chair away from yelling at clouds. Another perfectly ridiculous daily comedy show in the books.This comedy podcast dives headfirst into one of the most heated debates of all time: 90s movies… and why your favorite is probably losing. March Movie Madness is in full swing, and the results are already causing emotional damage across the studio. “Tommy Boy” beating “Dumb and Dumber”? Chaos. “Mrs. Doubtfire” taking down “The Big Lebowski”? Society may never recover.The crew breaks down the psychology behind these matchups—nostalgia, childhood trauma (the fun kind), and the undeniable fact that being dead apparently boosts your box office legacy. It's science. Probably.But this comedy podcast doesn't stop at movie arguments. Oh no. We also get into celebrity holograms—because nothing says “honoring a legacy” like digitally resurrecting legends for a Fourth of July performance. Totally normal. Totally not weird at all. And somehow, it makes sense for about five seconds before we all collectively question reality.On top of that, we've got celebrity chaos, legal drama, and a Tiger Woods situation that proves once again that being incredibly talented does not mean making great life choices. Sprinkle in some music talk, pop culture nonsense, and historical throwbacks, and you've got a full buffet of ridiculousness.If you like your pop culture served with sarcasm, mild outrage, and zero resolution, this comedy podcast is exactly what your brain ordered.This funny podcast starts with a wholesome moment—King Scott is having a baby. Aww. Beautiful. Life-changing. And immediately ruined by everyone else having opinions.Because apparently, choosing a baby name isn't just between two parents anymore—it's a full-blown family war. Grandparents want throwbacks, parents want trendy, and the internet wants chaos. And yes, people are absolutely using AI to generate baby names now, which feels like a bold strategy when Grandma is already ready to fight you in the group chat.The crew dives into the absolute madness of baby naming culture, including the cardinal sin: telling people your name ideas before the baby is born. Rookie mistake. That's how you end up in a verbal cage match with relatives who suddenly think they're on a judging panel for “America's Next Top Baby Name.”This funny podcast also delivers some all-time legendary real names—from “Justin Case” to “Ima Roach”—proving that sometimes the real problem isn't creativity… it's not thinking things through. Add in stories about almost-names, regrettable names, and names that probably should've stayed in someone's brain, and you've got pure gold.And just when you think it can't get weirder, we take a detour into chaotic gender reveals (including one at a Cheesecake Factory that absolutely did not go well), proving once again that humans cannot be trusted with balloons or public spaces.If you've ever named a kid, been named, or just survived a family group chat, this funny podcast will feel way too real—and way too funny.Follow The Rizzuto Show → linktr.ee/rizzshow for more from your favorite daily comedy show.Connect with The Rizzuto Show Comedy Podcast online → 1057thepoint.com/RizzShow.Hear The Rizz Show daily on the radio at 105.7 The Point | Hubbard Radio in St. Louis, MO.The U.S. Is Quietly Changing Your Gas Quality to Help with Costs—Here's the Trade-OffThe Feds Plan To Start Diluting Gasoline This May: ExplainedFull Moon April 2026: Exactly When To See The ‘Pink Moon' RiseThe Brain-Boosting Activity Doctors Wish More People DidCouple Host Gender Reveal At Cheesecake Factory. Then People Come For Them When It Fails—And Causes A Mess For The Servers: 'So Yalls House…Wasn't An Option?‘Honey' the hero dog protects family from bear‘Tolyamory' Is a New Dating Trend and It's Annoying the Polyamory CommunityA Yale student went on a blind date. Two days later he sent a six-paragraph AI-generated text.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
＜目次＞(0:00) Awwの守屋さんの紹介、宮武さんと守屋さんの出会い(5:06) 左脳 vs 右脳の仕事(7:58) ビジネス vs クリエイティブ・アート(11:05) IPのLTV：集中力と感動(13:48) ライブ配信はSNSの反動？(17:21) IPの段階・レイヤー(20:30) 悪役の重要性、SNSがつまらなくなった(24:43) ボトムアップ型のIP vs トップダウン型のIP(29:38) マーケティングによって一瞬のモメンタムに対して再現性のない世界観(36:18) アメリカVCの合宿で守屋さんがプレゼンした話(39:43) 日本の80年代〜90年代のテレビの強さ(45:58) 守屋さんが興味ある分野(50:20) 男性オタクが生まれづらい構造になった？(52:35) バーチャルヒューマンの対話できる仕組みの実装(57:27) テック業界でのストーリーテリングチームの強化Aww | 対話型バーチャルヒューマンを活用し、接客・教育・観光など多用途に対応可能なAIソリューションを提供https://aww.tokyo/守屋貴行 (@moriyan0626)https://x.com/moriyan0626＜About Off Topic＞Podcast:Apple - https://apple.co/2UZCQwzSpotify - https://spoti.fi/2JakzKmOff Topic Clubhttps://note.com/offtopic/membershipX - https://twitter.com/OffTopicJP草野ミキ:https://twitter.com/mikikusanohttps://www.instagram.com/mikikusano宮武テツロー: https://twitter.com/tmiyatake1
Dahlia parked her car and began to pull out what she'd need for the day. "Hey Dahlia, need some help?" Dahlia looked up to see Adam, Kate and Jason heading her way. "Actually, that would be great," Dahlia smiled, piling their outstretched arms with a few boxes and bags, while she pulled her small trolley with more things. "I'm heading to the Home Ec. room," she said. "Hey, Dahlia, I just, um, wanted to say thanks for the tutoring club you volunteer at after school on Tuesdays. I got my maths test, and I passed. I don't think I've ever gotten a pass before," Jason laughed. "Oh, that's awesome! And you're welcome. I'm just glad I could help; I remember learning that in when I was in grade 10 and it was a lot," Dahlia smiled. "Yeah, thanks for always helping; it does mean a lot to us," Kate agreed. She'd been tutored in English, and her grades had improved too. "Aww, I'm so glad I love helping," she smiled. "Have fun with the Grade 8's this afternoon. I think my brother Eli has a crush on you." Adam laughed. He and his friends headed off to class. Dahlia shook her head, laughed and thanked them for their help in helping her carry everything. ______________________________________________________ Join us as we dive into the story of Dahlia - the modernised story of Dorcas found in Acts 9:36-42. ALSO We did a mic roam and asked girls your age what kindness means to them. What did they say? Tune in to find out. ___________________________________ READ STORY ON THE BLOG Buy the Gratitude Journal Keep in the loop by signing up for our GIGI Notes HERE Hosts: Esther & Steph Mix & effects: Stephanie Giselle Music: www.purple-planet.com email us: writegigi5@gmail.com Write by post GIGI Teen Bible Talk PO BOX 6505 Upper Mt Gravatt QLD 4122 music credit: Purple planet music All music played on the podcast radio is covered under the APRA AMCOS Online Mini Licence.
Welcome to a wild post-Valentine's Day hangover episode of Vision Cast! Love is in the air, but so is absolute chaos. Donald shoots his shot and officially asks Stacy to be his girlfriend (she said yes!), while Rachel and George celebrate a massive 11 years of putting up with each other.Aww, how sweet, right?Wrong.Things quickly devolve into an epic, no-holds-barred AI "Song Wars." Phil drops a catchy diss track roasting George, Rachel retaliates with a jaw-droppingly raunchy hip-hop anthem that leaves the whole crew utterly speechless, and George fires back by musically dubbing Rachel a "Bobcat." The AI-generated roasts are absolutely ruthless!To cool things down, JC takes us into the tech corner for a live demonstration of "Nexi," a new open-source AI voice assistant (spoiler alert: it actually works!). Plus, Preston flexes the ultimate bachelor pad upgrade for his new apartment: a literaltalking microwaveBut the real danger lurking on the podcast today is Tallbooth (aka Tally), our brand-new feline studio manager. Tally is ravenous, and his absolute favorite meal is "anyone who ducks out early." This is terrible news for JC, who is notorious for dropping his shoutouts and bouncing before the episode actually wraps. Will JC finally stick around until the very end, or will he duck out early and become the new manager's next snack? Hit play and join the mayhem!Also, here is the link to download the latest tech innovation for your Mac computer.Hopefully it'll advance to smart devices and Windows soon.https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.github.com%2Fseregawpn%2Fnexy_production%2Freleases&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cfd8631b788f944b9164e08de6f6b0f59%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C639070702756235819%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2B2q6Ojb%2FMM3jh%2BxAYfmPw1sBKuUmQPofCNuitKOm4fQ%3D&reserved=0You can email the developer directly at: Zasorin.sergiy@gmail.com
The Adelaide Writers' Week board's decision to disinvite Palestinian-Egyptian-Australian author and academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah has seen over 180 writers and participants boycott the festival, leading to its cancellation. Board members have resigned. Dr Abdel-Fattah's lawyers have threatened defamation proceedings against South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas. AWW director, Louise Adler, also resigned saying that she “cannot be a party to silencing writers.” As the fall-out continues, Jules and Jez talk about their love of writers' festivals, the very real contribution writers' festivals make to the community, and the importance of free speech.Jules's pick: Heated RivalryJez's pick: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8j30kx1vk3oJulia Baird and Jeremy Fernandez chat about the stories you're obsessed with, the stuff you've missed and the things that matter. Episodes drop every Wednesday afternoon. We want to hear from you! Join the conversation and email the show at notstupid@abc.net.au
Nueva temporada!!IAN LEE CRISIS EN VIDEO!Nos tiramos de cabeza (pero con tiaras!) al primer número de AWW.Mucho grito y perros alados!Próxima lectura: Absolute Wonder Woman #2 y #3 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Ian Gutierrez - Gus Casals#IanleeCrisisNos pueden invitar un Cafecito a Ian y Gus y ayudarnos con el tiempo y el esfuerzo de hacer todos estos videos. Gracias! https://cafecito.app/gusian Si están fuera de Argentina y quieren colaborar, lo pueden hacer por PayPal https://paypal.me/GustavoCasals?locale.x=es_X
Full show - FrYiday | Erica called her fiance WHAT!? | Big screen or little screen? | Slacker and T. Hack are very triggered by this thing that women do | Honeymooning with the in-laws | Erica is taking the next big step in her relationship | The show's AI photos caused an uproar | Aww sheet | Let's learn 1 | Hillbilly hookup 1 | T'd Off with T. Hack - Cards | Erica's urban legend | Erin wanted to surprise T. Hack, but he ruined it | Stupid stories
Visiting people who are in the hospital - I'm guessing that's not your favorite thing to do. A lot of times it's hard to know what to say to the person; especially if their condition is serious. But there are some visits where it's easy to think of things to say - like when you're visiting a new mom or a new baby. All you have to say is, "Aww, she's beautiful!" "Oh, he looks so smart; so alert" or "That's the cutest baby I've ever seen!" See, you're supposed to say these things even if the baby still looks all red and bald and wrinkled. But that first Christmas...well, one of the first people to see Mary's baby did not follow the usual script. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Strange Words For a Christmas Mom." Following the Jewish custom, Mary and Joseph brought their baby boy to the temple to be circumcised, just eight days after that first Christmas. God had someone waiting for them there - an old man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the One he called "the Lord's Christ." He actually held the baby in his arms and praised God for sending Him. But then came those strange words for a new mom. In Simeon's words we find the shadow of great pain for Mary but great hope for you and me. In Luke 2:34-35, our word for today from the Word of God, "Simeon...said to Mary, His mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel...the thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.'" That's not exactly what a new mom wants to hear. But eight days into Jesus' life on earth, Simeon is foreshadowing the end of Jesus' life. The Bible tells us that 33 years later "near the cross stood His mother" (John 19:25). And surely, as Mary saw her boy nailed to a cross and pierced by a soldier's spear, that sword Simeon spoke of must have pierced her soul. So as we sing our "sleep in heavenly peace" and "joy to the world" carols, let's not miss the shadow looming over the manger. It's the shadow of a cross. But that cross was not some tragic twist of fate. It was the plan of a God who loves you so very much. It was His plan to give you and me a chance to go to heaven instead of hell; to enjoy the relationship with God we were made for but we've missed because we're running our own lives. And if there had been any other way to erase your sin from God's book and pay for your sin, believe me, God would have done it. But all your goodness, and your religion, and your Christianity can't pay sin's death penalty. Someone had to die to pay for it, and Someone did - the Son of God. The writer of the classic carol, "What Child Is This" expressed it powerfully: "Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you; hail, hail, the Word made flesh, the Babe, the son of Mary." So you've had your Christmases, you've celebrated Jesus' coming. Have you ever had your Good Friday where you stand at the foot of that cross and say the two words that are the difference between heaven and hell, "For me, Jesus. And I'm giving me to You." That's the only way you can receive the gift of eternal life that He died to give you. Have you known about Jesus all your life but maybe missed that step? If you've never done that, let this be your Jesus-day. You'll have a lot more to celebrate than just Jesus' coming to earth. This season you'll celebrate His coming into your life. If that's what you want, tell Him right now, "Jesus, I want to belong to You. I am taking for myself what You died for on the cross." What a new beginning this will be for you. A lot of people have found help in beginning that relationship at our website. And I want to invite you to check it out this very day. It's ANewStory.com. It wasn't just Mary's heart that was pierced on that awful day on Skull Hill. We can only imagine the anguish in God the Father's heart, watching His Son be broken for you. So you can be sure that God will never forget what you do with His Son.
Visiting people who are in the hospital - I'm guessing that's not your favorite thing to do. A lot of times it's hard to know what to say to the person; especially if their condition is serious. But there are some visits where it's easy to think of things to say - like when you're visiting a new mom or a new baby. All you have to say is, "Aww, she's beautiful!" "Oh, he looks so smart; so alert" or "That's the cutest baby I've ever seen!" See, you're supposed to say these things even if the baby still looks all red and bald and wrinkled. But that first Christmas...well, one of the first people to see Mary's baby did not follow the usual script. I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Strange Words For a Christmas Mom." Following the Jewish custom, Mary and Joseph brought their baby boy to the temple to be circumcised, just eight days after that first Christmas. God had someone waiting for them there - an old man named Simeon who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the One he called "the Lord's Christ." He actually held the baby in his arms and praised God for sending Him. But then came those strange words for a new mom. In Simeon's words we find the shadow of great pain for Mary but great hope for you and me. In Luke 2:34-35, our word for today from the Word of God, "Simeon...said to Mary, His mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel...the thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.'" That's not exactly what a new mom wants to hear. But eight days into Jesus' life on earth, Simeon is foreshadowing the end of Jesus' life. The Bible tells us that 33 years later "near the cross stood His mother" (John 19:25). And surely, as Mary saw her boy nailed to a cross and pierced by a soldier's spear, that sword Simeon spoke of must have pierced her soul. So as we sing our "sleep in heavenly peace" and "joy to the world" carols, let's not miss the shadow looming over the manger. It's the shadow of a cross. But that cross was not some tragic twist of fate. It was the plan of a God who loves you so very much. It was His plan to give you and me a chance to go to heaven instead of hell; to enjoy the relationship with God we were made for but we've missed because we're running our own lives. And if there had been any other way to erase your sin from God's book and pay for your sin, believe me, God would have done it. But all your goodness, and your religion, and your Christianity can't pay sin's death penalty. Someone had to die to pay for it, and Someone did - the Son of God. The writer of the classic carol, "What Child Is This" expressed it powerfully: "Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me, for you; hail, hail, the Word made flesh, the Babe, the son of Mary." So you've had your Christmases, you've celebrated Jesus' coming. Have you ever had your Good Friday where you stand at the foot of that cross and say the two words that are the difference between heaven and hell, "For me, Jesus. And I'm giving me to You." That's the only way you can receive the gift of eternal life that He died to give you. Have you known about Jesus all your life but maybe missed that step? If you've never done that, let this be your Jesus-day. You'll have a lot more to celebrate than just Jesus' coming to earth. This season you'll celebrate His coming into your life. If that's what you want, tell Him right now, "Jesus, I want to belong to You. I am taking for myself what You died for on the cross." What a new beginning this will be for you. A lot of people have found help in beginning that relationship at our website. And I want to invite you to check it out this very day. It's ANewStory.com. It wasn't just Mary's heart that was pierced on that awful day on Skull Hill. We can only imagine the anguish in God the Father's heart, watching His Son be broken for you. So you can be sure that God will never forget what you do with His Son.
Seth and Sean discuss Stephen A. Smith and Colin Cowherd putting the Texans in their top 5 teams in the league. Aww man...do we have to let these guys on the bandwagon now?
Pining for Madison: Part 5 Day 2 at the Cabin. By Secretauthor2021, in 5 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. I was just about to confide to him about mine and Madison's exploits, when both girls joined us at the same time, wearing their oversized t-shirts as nighties. "Good morning, ladies. Coffee?" I greeted. "Oh, yes please," Becky replied. She walked over to Ryan, put her hand on his back, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Morning, babe," Ryan greeted. As I got up to the kitchen counter, Madison came up behind me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and rested her cheek against my back. "Coffee, babe?" I asked again. "Yes please," she replied and kissed me on the shoulder. Both girls then pulled a chair out from under the table and sat opposite each other. I grabbed two more cups from the cupboard and poured them each a coffee and placed it in front of them. "Thanks Ad," they replied in turn. I sat down and joined them all at the table. "So, is every one raring to go this morning?" I asked. "Ugh! I forgot you were a morning person. Need coffee first, enthusiasm later," Becky groaned into her cup. "What's a matter Beck's, did somebody keep you up last night?" I joked, looking over to Ryan and smiling into my cup. "You're one to talk, I saw what you did to Madison's chest last night. Trying to write your name were you?" I spat a mouthful of coffee back into my cup and started to laugh uncontrollably. Before Madison and Ryan joined me in laughing. After I calmed down I got up and emptied the remaining contents of my cup in the sink. I headed over to the patio doors and pulled apart the heavy curtains. "Oh wow!" I said loudly. "What?" a Madison replied. "Come and have a look at this." I opened the patio doors and stepped outside. The other three grabbed their coffee cups and joined me outside. In front of us was a magnificent view of a lake, with a wooden dock extending outwards from the cabin. I walked further ahead and could see two pairs of kayaks on either side of the dock. As I turned around to face the others, I could feel the chill of the morning air, causing the skin on my chest and arms to get goosebumps. It appeared I wasn't the only one affected by this, both Becky and Madison's nipples had hardened under their t-shirts. "Shall we go kayaking?" I asked, trying not to stare at their chests. "I'm in," Ryan replied. "And is that what I think it is?" I said aloud, before the girls had a chance to answer. I hurried over to a large box to the side of Madison and fingered the edge, before lifting up the huge lid. "We have a hot tub!" Madison cried out. "Now we're talking." Becky added. I found the control box and switched it on, and it roared into life. "It'll probably take a while to heat up though," I said. "It's okay, we can use it later tonight," Madison replied. I lowered the lid back down to keep the heat in. "So, showers and explore the lake?" I suggested as a plan of action. We all collectively agreed and went back inside. After one more round of coffees, we got up from the table, everyone appeared to be feeling a lot more perkier now. "Who's having the first shower?" Becky asked. "I don't mind, I'll probably share one with Adam, if it's quicker." Madison answered. "Oh yeah, three guesses what you'll be cleaning." Becky joked. "Girl, please! You'll probably be using Ryan's cock as a toothbrush knowing you." Madison replied, then proceeding to simulate the actions. We collectively laughed at Madison's visuals. "Touch Mads! Touch ." Becky responded, with a wide smile on her face. Ryan and I just looked at each other and smiled at the prospect of some shower hi-jinx. I eagerly grabbed Madison's hand. "Come on then, show me your cleaning techniques then, babe." We left Becky and Ryan in the kitchen and went to get ready for the shower. A few moments later, we returned with our towels wrapped around us and headed towards the bathroom. Becky wolf whistled as we walked past. Madison jokingly flipped Becky the bird and they both laughed. When we got to the bathroom, I closed the door behind us, and we each hung our towels on the back of the door. Madison slid open the shower door and turned the shower taps on, placing her hand under the spray of water, until it was warm enough to enter. The shower itself wasn't huge but could fit the both of us. It had a tiled seat on one side, which also housed a few toiletries such as shampoo and shower gel. Madison got in first and I followed closely behind her. She took up most of the water, while I hovered on the outskirts, every so often changing places with her. Madison squeezed some of the shower gel on to her hands and asked me to turn around. She began washing my back, her hands moving in circular motions, causing the shower gel to foam up and slowly made her way further down my back, until she reached my buttocks. From there she pressed her body against mine and her hands found their way around my hips and to the front. She held my cock in her hand, delicately washing it and gently pulling my foreskin back and tracing her thumb around the head of my rapidly hardening cock. "Is it clean enough now?" She asked. "Hmm, I think I could do with a few more minutes," I joked. "Oh, so you want the intensive clean then," she replied, turning me around to face her again. She ran her hands over her wet hair moving the stray strands clinging her to her face and dropped to her knees. She jerked me a couple of times, before taking me in her mouth, holding on to my ass for support. I raised my hands and clasped them behind my head, enjoying the sensation. Madison was just getting into the swing of things, when the shower door suddenly slid open. "Busted!" shouted Becky, she pointed her phone at Madison's face and the camera flash lit up the shower. Madison screamed and gestured, but with me still in her mouth. All I could feel was a tingling sensation as the reverberation pleasurably travelled down the length of my cock. "Didn't your mother tell you not to speak with your mouthful, Mads!" Becky said hysterically laughing. Madison clawed for the shower door and slid it back, while Becky ran out of the bathroom with her prize photo. She pulled me out of her mouth, to talk. "Oh, it's on now," she said, quickly wiping the water from her face. I looked down at her and jokingly made a puppy whining noise, because she stopped. "Sorry babe, where was I?" She took me in her mouth again and continued. I could steadily feel the pleasure growing and myself getting closer and closer to climax, when Madison stopped with her mouth and switched to her hand and jerked me, every so often rubbing the tip of my cock around her wet nipples. "Fuck, that feels good, Mad," I moaned out. "Yeah, you like that, babe?" She squeezed tighter and jerked faster and unable to hold back anymore, I shot my load across her chest and watched as the water washed it away between her breasts and down her stomach I offered my hand, helping her to her feet. When she rose, I quickly moved in to kiss her, slipping my tongue into her mouth. As we sensuously kissed she grabbed one of my hands, and slowly turned her body around, breaking the kiss. She raised a leg on to the tiled seat and directed the hand she was still holding between her legs and leaning her head back on to my chest. "I think I need a bit of attention now," she whispered. I rubbed my fingers over her wet mound, and she moaned softly. The steam from the shower filled the room and clung to our skin, causing Madison's skin to appear shiny in the light. I diligently worked her clit with my fingers, rubbing, circling, flicking and every so often slipping my finger inside of her. Her heavy exhales causing the steam to swirl around above us. I stopped, much to Madison's surprise. "Aww, Babe, don't stop, I was nearly there," she whispered in my ear. "I know, but I want to try something. Try sitting down." I instructed. She sat down facing me and I dropped to my knees, I pried her legs apart, so they were wide open and I buried my face between her legs. "Oh Jesus," she cried out as I began to attack her clit with my tongue. She ran both her hands through my wet hair and clutched at it, pulling me deeper in to her. "Umm, that's the spot, babe, right there," she directed. "Oh, oh, yeah, Umm!" She was pulling my head in to her so tightly, I could barely breathe. I knew I had to get her to orgasm quickly otherwise I'd surely pass out. I upped my tempo and began lashing my tongue so quickly it hurt. Madison's legs clamped around my head tightly, she practically rode my face as she approached her orgasm. I could only hear muffled screams as her hands desperately clutched at the walls, her fingers splayed wide as she came. Her legs slowly loosened and my face was free. I immediately pulled back, and took in a sharp intake of air. My lips, chin and jaw all sore from the work out. Madison looked at my reddened face and cupped it with her hands. "I'm so sorry if I squeezed too tightly, babe, but you were just too damn good at that, I couldn't help myself." I grabbed on to her knee and lifted myself up and ran my face under the water. We finished cleaning up and turned off the shower. I stepped out first and grabbed my towel from the door and patted myself dry, before wrapping it around my waist. I then passed Madison her towel. She wrapped it around her body and tucked it in at her chest. I opened the bathroom door and we both left to head to the bedroom to get dressed. Becky was sitting on the sofa with Ryan, with both of them looking at her phone. "You better not be showing Ryan that picture you took, missy!" "Too late," she replied. "Let me see it," Madison demanded. Becky turned her phone and waved it around, toying with Madison. A picture of Madison on her knees, with her mouth full of my cock, and exposing the side of her breast, with just a hint of her nipple filled the screen. "You better delete that, right now!" Madison playfully insisted. "Aww, but I was going to make it my new lock screen." Becky joked. "Don't you mean cock screen." Ryan quipped. I snorted with laughter at Ryan's joke. "Give it here," Madison begged. "No way," Becky replied, holding the phone out of reach and teasing her. Madison leaned forward trying to get the phone and fell on top of Becky and Ryan. They were laughing hysterically as Madison tried to clamber over them both to reach the phone. I stood there watching this ludicrous display unfold in front of me, when I noticed that her towel was shifting around quite a bit. It was then the inevitable happened. As she tried to pull herself up, her towel opened and she ended up flashing her breasts at Becky and Ryan. Ryan's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of her perfect pair. Madison grasped at her towel to cover herself up, before giving up on retrieving the phone and composing herself. "Ahem, sorry about that, Ryan. I didn't mean to give you an eyeful there," she said apologizing. "I... I didn't mind." Becky nudged his arm. "As for you Miss Becky Moore, I hope you know, I'll be getting my revenge on you. I don't know how yet, but it's coming," Madison said trying to keep a straight face. "Come Adam, we have revenge to plot!" Madison announced over-dramatically. She grabbed my arm and theatrically we stormed off to our bedroom. As we finished getting dressed, Becky and Ryan slipped into the shower. I could see Madison plotting of ways to get back at Becky. I plonked myself down on the sofa and watched as Madison snuck over to the bathroom. She tried the door, but this time it was locked. Becky clearly saw this coming. "Damn it!" Madison yelled and then joined me on the sofa. "Come on now Mads, she could see that coming a mile away. You've got to play the long game. Her guard is going to be up now," I joked. "Yeah, I guess," Madison replied, before picking up an old magazine from the coffee table and opening it. She quietly red through each page, licking the tip of her finger and turning the corner of each page she finished. Twenty minutes passed before Becky and Ryan finally emerged from the bathroom, each wearing a towel. Madison looked up from her magazine. "Nice shower?" She asked. "Lovely, thank you." Becky carried on walking, when Madison called out. "Oh, um, Becks', you've got a little spunk on your chin." Madison said all seriously. Becky started wiping at her chin. "Gotcha!" she said with a little smirk and returned to her magazine. "Funny," she called back, before turning to Ryan and asking him. "I don't have anything left on my chin, do I?" "No, it's all clean, babe." He replied, reassuringly brushing her chin with his thumb. I shook my head, laughing to myself. They left the room and when they came back, they were all dressed and ready to go. Madison put her magazine down and we both got up from the sofa. "Right then, shall we hit the lake?" I asked the group. We all ventured outside onto the deck and eyed up the bright orange kayaks on either side of the dock. There were life jackets in each one, so I bent down, kneeling on the wooden boards of the dock and grabbed one from the kayak closest to me and held it up for Madison to put it on. She slipped her arms in, and I fastened the buckles around the front for her. Ryan copied me and did the same for Becky, and we both put our own jackets on. I helped Madison into her kayak and handed her the long blue paddle, before untying the weathered rope that was holding the kayak to the dock. Ryan made sure Becky was sorted and we both hopped into ours. We cleared the dock and drifted for a bit. "Um, guys?" Becky called out, "How do you get this thing to go in a straight line?" We all looked in Becky's direction to see her going around in circles, causing us all to laugh. "Stop laughing you guys," she said, starting to laugh herself. She used her paddle to splash water at us all, in retaliation for laughing, which ended up in a water fight between all of us. When we eventually calmed down from the play fighting, we coached Becky on how to paddle and we all set off. We spent the whole afternoon exploring around the lake, before returning back to the cabin for a well-earned rest. We tied up the kayaks, freshened up and all ate lunch together at the kitchen table. As evening approached, we all stood outside and watched the sun go down, whilst drinking a bottle of beer. As the sky got darker, Madison turned the deck lights on, transforming the ambiance to a warm and inviting glow, casting soft shadows across the deck. Madison stood by the hot tub. "Hot tub anyone?" she asked. "I just remembered, I didn't actually bring any swim wear, Mads," Becky replied. We all looked at each other. "I don't think any of us did, did we?" I added. "Do we need them?" Madison casually replied. We all looked at each other again. "What, like everyone get naked?" Ryan said, hesitantly. "I mean, we're all friends here, right? And it's nothing we haven't seen before?" Ryan looked at Becky as if to take her lead. "Well, I'm game if you are," Becky added. I lifted the lid off the hot tub and the steam plumed up in to the air. "Well, it's definitely warm enough." I said, dipping my hands in the water. "So, are we doing this?" Madison asked again. "Yeah, come on, it'll be a laugh," Becky replied. Madison, who was wearing one of her summer dresses was the first to make a move. Grabbing the hem of her dress, she pulled it over her head to reveal her matching bra and panties. "Come on you lot. I'm not doing this on my own." She said, as we all watched her continue to undress. Becky was next, then Ryan and I took off our t-shirts. Madison was ahead of us and took off her bra and panties. I could see Ryan's eyes scanning Madison' naked body. Together, the girls were quickest to get naked and left two piles of clothes on the deck and climbed into the hot tub. "Umm!" Madison said, sinking her body into the warm water. "Well, come on then you two," Becky coaxed. "It's not like we haven't seen your tinkles before," she joked, wiggling her index finger like a worm. Of course it was true, Becky had seen enough of me naked during our threesome after all, but I wasn't too sure if Ryan knew that already. I pulled my shorts and underwear off in one go, exposing myself to the girls and climbed in. With the three of us in, we all waited for Ryan to join us. "Fuck it," he said and pulled down his shorts and underwear. While I was grower, Ryan was definitely a shower, his long cock dangled between his legs as he climbed into the hot tub. I could see both girls immediately fix on it as he climbed in. With us all settled in to the relaxing warm water, we passed the time talking, every so often, sending one person out to get more beer from the fridge. "I know, we should play a game," Becky suggested. "A game? like what?" I asked. "How about truth or dare!" she suggested. "Come on, that's a kid's game," I replied. "What if we make it a little more adult and anything goes, we'll call it Truth or Dare: Hot tub edition," Madison jokingly suggested. We all looked at Madison, intrigued by her suggestion. "Well, I like the sound of this. Boys?" Becky added. "Okay. We're in," I said, speaking for Ryan. "Okay, okay. Who wants to go first?" Becky asked. "Shall we go clockwise from me?" Madison suggested. "Okay, so I'll answer first," Becky confirmed. "Okay Beck's, truth or dare?" "Um, truth." Madison pondered what to ask her. "Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?" "That's easy - giving," she quickly replied, smiling and looking at Ryan and comically pumping her eyebrows. It was Becky's turn to ask the question now. "Ryan, truth or dare?" "Dare please, babe." She looked at Ryan and then back at Madison. "I dare you... to kiss Madison." The dare looked to have stunned Ryan. He looked at Madison first and then to me, as if to ask the question are you okay with this. I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "A dares a dare, dude." I said. Ryan leaned forward from his seat, with Madison moving to do the same. Their head's turned slightly and they locked lips. Ryan's hands hovered over her body, almost as if he was afraid to touch her. They made out for about twenty seconds before sitting back down again. After watching them kiss, I found myself with the answer to a question I had asked myself when I had the threesome with Becky and Madison. How would I feel if the roles were reversed and another man fucked Madison? Honestly, I don't think I'd mind, it was kind of a turn on. I think after watching Becky and Ryan going at it yesterday, I kinda think I like to watch. "Okay, babe. Your turn to ask Adam." "Truth or dare, Ad?" Ryan asked. "Let's go for truth." "Which of Madison's holes do you enjoy the most?" He asked grinning. Becky burst out laughing at the question and Madison stared at me smiling. "Well?" Madison replied. "I mean I love them all," I replied carefully. "Come on, pick one," Becky goaded. "Um, um, her cunt." Becky and Ryan clapped and Madison's cheeks turned red. "Okay, babe. Truth or dare?" I asked. "Dare please." "I dare you to make out with Becky and this time make it spicy." The girls looked at each other and then smiled at us boys. "Okay, you want spicy, do you? We'll give you spicy, right Beck's." "Hell yeah!" Becky replied completely up for it. The girls stood up from their seats and moved to the middle of the hot tub. With their legs slightly bent at the knee, they kind of slotted their bodies together. Madison grabbed the side of Becky's face and went in for the kiss. Becky's hand meanwhile slid down Madison's body and on to her ass. Ryan and I were practically hypnotized by the show they were putting on. Just as they finished kissing Madison moved on to Becky's right breast kissed it and circled her nipple with her tongue, all the while staring at Ryan and I, and running her hand down her stomach and covering her mound. "Was that spicy enough for you boys?" Madison asked. Ryan and I both enthusiastically nodded our heads in unison and the girls laughed. "Men are so easy to please," Madison said to an agreeing Becky. "Right Beck's, truth or dare?" "Dare please, Mads." "I dare you... to suck my boyfriend's cock." Madison glanced over to me and winked. Becky looked at Ryan this time to gauge his reaction. He didn't seem to object. I stood up, revealing the boner I had just gotten from watching Mads and Becky go at it. Becky stared at my looming cock. "When you say suck, do you mean to completion or just to suck?" Becky turned to ask Madison. "I'll leave that one up to Ad," she replied. Becky turned back to face me. "Um, well I can't exactly drop to my knees, I'll drown," she joked. "I think you're going to have to stand over me while I sit down." I nodded my head and shifted closer. I lifted one of my left leg up so it was resting on the seat next to her and opened my body up to make it easier for her. She leaned forward and without hesitation, she took me in her mouth and proceeded to give me a blow job. As her head bobbed up and down my shaft, I had to think of how I wanted this to end. Do I let her go all the way or do I stop her out of respect for Ryan. I could feel myself getting closer to orgasm, when I begrudgingly tapped Becky on the head. She stopped what she was doing. "It's okay Beck's, you can stop there if you want." She pulled away from me, with one last strand of saliva connecting her face with my cock, before wiping it away. "Wow Ad, that's some strong willpower you've got there," Madison remarked. "Yeah, tell me about it." "I would have gone all the way Ad, if you wanted," Becky added. "Nah, you're good Beck's." I replied. I sat back down, with my raging hard on disappearing under the water, like the periscope of a diving submarine. "Ryan, you're up. Truth or Dare?" "Dare." "I dare you..." Becky started laughing uncontrollably. "I can't say it." "What? Whisper it in my ear." Madison asked. Becky turned to Madison and whispered in her ear. Madison instantly started to laugh as well. The pair of them were now in hysterics. Madison tried to complete the dare on behalf of Becky, who was struggling to talk at this point. "We dare you Ryan, to have a sword fight with Adam." Ryan looked blankly at the girls. "A sword fight? With what?" He asked naively. I leaned over to him. "I think they mean with our cocks." "Seriously!" He blurted out. Both girls nodded their heads. "And make it convincing." Becky added. I stood up first, holding my cock in my hand, when Ryan reluctantly did the same. Turns out he had the same reaction to the girls kissing or to me having my cock sucked by Becky as he was packing a boner as well. With our two erections in hand, I made the first move and swung my cock against his and he retaliated swinging his against mine. We went back and forth. "Have at you, you scoundrel!" I said, getting into the spirit of things. The girls started laughing louder. "Scoundrel... Stop, stop. I can't breathe." Becky cried out in tears from laughing so much. Madison was pretty much in the same state as Becky. We stood down and shook hands at a fight well played. "Okay, okay." Becky struggled to say, trying to calm herself down. "I've just had a naughty idea, how about we take this up a notch." Becky turned to Madison once more and whispered in her ear. I watched as Madison's face reacted to what Becky was telling her. Madison bit her lip and her eyes darted between Ryan and me. They nodded their heads in agreement, before both turning to face us. "Having witnessed such a wonderful display of male bravado just then, how about we turn this into a bit of a competition between you two boys. I think our competitive nature kicked in and we both sat upright and leaned forward to hear Becky's impending proposition. "The competition is... who can get Madison and I off the fastest." She bit the tip of her index finger, waiting for our reaction. Ryan and I looked at each other, and back at the girls. "Adam, you will take care of Madison naturally, and Ryan you're with me," she continued. "The only rule... you can only use one hand." "How do we know if you're cheating, you know faking it for your partner to win and all." I asked. "Hmm, good point. The judges will need to confer." She leaned into Madison and whispered something else in her ear. They both nodded in agreement again. "Okay, slight change of rules. In order to avoid any cheating. Ad, you will swap places with Ryan. Are you both okay with this?" "What, so me and Madison, and you and Adam," Ryan replied. "Yeah," Becky answered. "Well, if you two are okay with that." Ryan said turning to Madison and me. "Yeah, we're cool. I said looking at Madison, who was nodding her head in agreement. "All in favor?" Becky asked the group. She looked at each of us in turn and we nodded our heads in agreement. We all stood up at the same time and I swapped places with Ryan, so that I was facing Becky. "This is so insane," Ryan said smiling. "I told you there would be no unwinding with these two." I replied. Each of the girls stood in the middle and lifted a foot on to their seat. Ryan and I stood next to them, and they placed an arm around each of us for support. With us all in position, Becky asked if we were ready. "Yes!" We all parroted. Our hands hovered over their mounds, water dripping from our finger tips, poised and ready to go. "Ready... Go!" Becky shouted. Mine and Ryan's hands went straight to work, rubbing our respective girls' clits. I slid my finger up and down, every so often looking across to Ryan and Madison. The girls moaned in harmony as we rushed to get them off. It was such a ridiculous game to play, but I'm guessing the combination of the heat of the tub, the alcohol and the copious amounts of flesh on display had made everyone incredibly horny at this point. My erection showed no signs of abating and judging by Ryan's wagging, the same goes for him. I alternated my fingering technique, going clockwise, counter-clockwise, flicking, tickling, softly pinching. Becky's wetness allowing me to easily maneuver, I pushed my middle finger inside of her and used my thumb to massage her clit. I could feel Becky's finger nails dig into my shoulder. She must be close I thought. When I looked over at Madison's face, I recognized the look enough times to know she was close too. Becky was the first to vocalize her orgasm, quickly followed by Madison. We both stopped, allowing the girls time to recover. The girls took deep breaths to compose themselves. "We have a winner," Becky said raising my hand into the air. "I think we were the real winners on that one Beck's. Fuck me that was good," Madison said, her face flushed with color. "Ready for round two, boys?" Becky called out, then slipping back into the water. "Round two?" Ryan said. "Yep, round two." "You're in for treat with this one. Endurance round," she said smiling. "Who can last the longest. Mads and I are going to jack you studs off, the first one to cum loses." "Are we switching back for this one?" I asked. "I think so," Becky replied. I swapped sides with Ryan again and the girls stood up behind us. The girls positioned Ryan and I so that we standing next to each other and aiming our hard cocks outside of the hot tub. They then reached around to grab our cocks. "Madison, would you do the honors." "I would love to Becky. On three, okay." We braced ourselves for what was going to happen next. "One... two... three!" The girls started immediately, their hands sliding up and down our erect shafts. I tried to channel my breathing in order to control the intense sensations running through my cock. "Christ, this is hard going." Madison remarked frantically pumping away. "I know, my arm is killing me." Becky replied laughing. I didn't think I could hold out much longer, this evenings antics were catching up with me now and I needed this release so badly. I looked at Ryan's face to gauge how much longer he could withstand, but he hid it well, simply clenching his jaw. I was desperately trying to hold back, I could feel the chamber was loaded and I tried to hold off from pulling the trigger but it was no good. "Oh Fuck!" I cried out. The cum started to fly out of me, spurting in all directions outside of the hot tub before hitting the deck. A mere five seconds later Ryan grunted and did the same. I watched as he ejaculated, sending four strings of spunk high up into the air. We cried out for the girls to stop, our cocks too sensitive to continue. They loosened their grips and released our cocks, which were bright red from the squeezing. "The winner is... Ryan. Well done, babe." Becky called out and kissed him on the cheek. "Take five everyone." Madison added. We all sat back on our seats again, looking at each other. All of us having experienced an orgasm now. The girls smiled back at us. "Well, that was fun," Becky said, rubbing her sore bicep. "A few more of those sessions and I'll be ripped." "I can't believe we just did that," Ryan said in disbelief. "I mean you girls are something else. All the girls I've known, would never have done all that, not in a million years." "Well, we're not like other girls, are we Mads," Becky replied. "Besides, if we enjoy it and you enjoy it, what's the problem." "Wow, just wow. You girls are so amazing." "We know." The girls replied somewhat smugly. There was no doubt in my mind, these girls were special and Ryan saw it too. "Shall we all go inside now, I'm starting to get all wrinkly," Madison said holding her hand up and looking at her fingers. "Good idea, Mads," Becky agreed. We all stood up one by one, and climbed out of the hot tub, helping the next person out. We shook the water off us as best we good due to the absence of any towels, and went inside leaving a trail of wet footprints behind us. Madison veered off to the bathroom while Becky, Ryan and I stood by the kitchen table, not even making any attempt to cover up our nudity, we were that comfortable with each other now. Madison returned with a bunch of towels and handed them out to everyone. We towel dried and wrapped the towels around us. We were a bit cold, so decided to light the fire to warm us all up again. More beers were drunk, and we settled in for the night, huddled around the stone fireplace. We spent the next few hours talking amongst ourselves and about how much fun we'd had today and really bonding as good friends do, and I found myself getting on really well with Ryan; he seemed to really open up to the group, which is usually difficult when you're the last one to join it. I had my arm around Madison, and Ryan had his around Becky. "Mads, can you help me with something in the kitchen for a sec," Becky asked. "Sure thing," she replied. The girls got up and went to the kitchen, leaving Ryan and I to chat. "So, what did you think of the competition?" I asked Ryan. "It was pretty wild, wasn't it." He replied, taking another sip from his beer bottle. "Yeah, it was. I hope you didn't mind Becky and I, you know..." "No mate, it was fine. Considering what I was doing to your girlfriend, it was only fair." He leaned forward and I mirrored him. "To be honest, it was a bit of turn on," he confided. "I know right. Seeing you get Madison off, was really hot." "On the one hand, I felt conflicted you know, as it felt like I was cheating on Becky and it sort of felt weird getting your girlfriend off in front of you, but everyone seemed really... well, up for it." "I find with these two, it's best to go with the flow." "You sound like you're talking from experience, mate." "Oh yes," I said nodding. "What, you've done other stuff with them?" Ryan asked inquisitively. "One word - threesome." "No fucking way," Ryan replied, slightly raising his voice. "Yeah, but it was before she met you." "Living the dream, dude, what was it like?" "Amazing, as you would imagine." He looked at me, with a hint of admiration. The girls returned from the kitchen, both wearing a sly smile and we quickly ended our chat. They split up and circled around us like two leopards on the hunt. They came from behind us and placed their hands on our chests and bent forward, nuzzling their heads between our shoulder and neck. "So, Mads and I have been talking, and I don't know about you two but we're not quite ready for our little party to end. So, how do you boys feel about taking it into the bedroom?" Ryan and I looked at each other, our smiles widening across our faces. "Judging by those smiles, I'd say that was a yes," Madison said. Madison grabbed my hand, I turned and stood up, climbed over the sofa and jumped down to join Madison, with Becky and Ryan following. We left the living area and headed to the bedrooms. I was about to turn left to go into our bedroom, when Madison grabbed my arm. "Not this time," she said, turning to go into Ryan and Becky's room. Becky was the last one to enter and closed the door behind us. "Consider this the bonus round, boys," Becky said. Madison walked over to one side of the bed, while Becky walked to the other. "And we won't be needing these," Madison quickly added. The girls untucked their towels and seductively opened them, revealing their gorgeous naked bodies and climbed on to the bed. They stood up on their knees and stared at us. "Well?" Becky said. Ryan and I ripped off our towels and hurriedly joined them on the big bed. "The only rule is.., there are no rules," Becky said smiling. I leaned in closer to Madison and we started to kiss, my hands feeling all around her smooth body. Ryan and Becky watched us for a moment, before getting into their own thing. We all moved closer together in the center of the bed, before casually switching partners. Ryan moved onto Madison and they began kissing with Madison grabbing his head and running her fingers through his hair, before sliding her hands over his chest. Becky could see me watching and turned my head to face her, grabbing my hands and planting them on each of her breasts. I kissed her and our tongues went at, giving me instant flashbacks of our first sexual encounter where I took her virginity. I moved my hands from her breasts to between her legs, while she grabbed my cock and jerked me as I rubbed her. Glancing sideways, I could see what Ryan was doing to Madison. He was kissing the side of her neck and then moved on to sucking at her breast, his tongue working her nipple. I reached out my left hand and slid my fingers between Madison s mound and rubbed her as I rubbed Becky, while Ryan worked both of Madison's breasts. Becky tugged at Madison's arm, and she leaned across, kissing her sensuously with her tongue. Our hot naked bodies were all intertwined now. Madison kissing Becky, Ryan playing with Madison's breast and me fingering them both. We then moved our interplay to the next level. Becky fell on to her back and maneuvered to the middle of the bed, offering her whole body to whoever wanted it. Madison was the first to take advantage of her offer and climbed on top of her. Ryan and I just watched, rubbing our cocks as the girls enjoyed some one on one time. Madison moved from Becky's face and down her body, kissing her breasts along the way, down her stomach and straight between her legs. Becky stretched her arms above her head, clearly enjoying Madison going down on her. With Madison bent over with her head between Becky's legs, I used the opportunity to slip my fingers between her legs once more. Ryan, not wanting to be the only one not doing anything moved towards Becky's face. He angled his cock down to Becky's mouth and she started to suck it. Madison felt so wet now, that I decided to go behind her. Knowing what I wanted to do, she spread her knees further apart and pushed the tip of my hardened cock inside her with her finger tips. I started to rock into her slowly, grabbing on to her hips for support. This looked and felt incredible, we were all joined now, moving as one, waves of pleasure coursing through each of us. Madison lifted her head from between Becky's legs, and Ryan moved his saliva coated cock from Becky's mouth to Madison's. She swallowed it with gusto, taking our cocks from both ends, while Becky watched on, playing with herself. It all looked so natural, the way we moved between each other. There was no delay, no hesitation. Whatever you wanted to do there was someone waiting for you to do it. Madison's moans were muffled by the fact her mouth was filled with Ryan's cock. Not wanting to hog us for too long, she pulled Ryan out of her mouth and motioned for me to pull out. Madison moved out of the way and Ryan moved onto his back in her place. Becky sat up and straddled him, pushing him inside of her and sat up right gently riding him, before leaning forward to kiss him. I used this opportunity to get in on the action, as Becky leaned forward, I positioned myself behind her and pushed myself inside of her, so that both Ryan and I were inside her. The noises coming from Becky now were incredible. There was a contrast of sensations, as the top of my cock was feeling the softness of Becky's cunt, while the bottom of my cock was rubbing against the hardness of Ryan's cock. Our movements soon synced as we worked together to pleasure Becky. Suddenly a flash lit up the room. "And we're even!" Madison declared. As we were going at it with Becky, Madison used the opportunity to take a picture of us double penetrating Becky. We looked at the smiling Madison, while continuing to plough Becky, this felt too good to be distracted by the photo. With the photo taken, Madison climbed back on to the bed. I withdrew from Becky and went back to Madison. With me gone, Ryan rolled Becky on to her back, so that he was on top of her now. Madison fell on to her back, and was now lying next to Becky. I positioned myself on top of her, mirroring Ryan. With us all in the missionary position, we approached the big finale. The girls looked up at our red faces as, we thrust faster and faster. The cries of ecstasy now in stereo. Madison wrapped her legs around my hips and lower legs, pushing me deep into her. I couldn't hold on any longer and came inside her as she succumbed to her orgasm, before collapsing on top of her exhausted. Ryan wasn't far behind me and climaxed with Becky. We rolled off the girls so all four of us were lying next to each other in a line. Our chest's heaving and our bodies glistening with sweat. The smell of sex hung in the air. "I can't believe you picked the moment I was sandwiched between these two, to take a picture Madison," Becky said. "I told you, I'd get you back Beck's," Madison replied, wearing a look of satisfaction on her face. "Can I see it?" I asked. Madison reached for her phone on the night stand and passed it to me. I turned it on its side, so the picture filled the screen. "I'm not gonna lie, but this looks hot as fuck." "Yep, that boys, is the look of a girl who is thoroughly enjoying herself, look how I captured the moment her eyes roll back," Madison joked. "And you'd be right, it felt amazing. You should try an Adam and Ryan sandwich, Mads," Becky added. I've passed the phone to Ryan, so he could look. "God, we're like a bunch of porn stars aren't we." "Ha, maybe next time we should tape it." I responded. "That would be one red hot video." "Definitely one for next time, boys," Madison added. "So there will be a next time then?" Ryan asked, with hope in his voice. "Oh yes, definitely," Becky confirmed. "It's got my vote," Madison added. We ended the night all sleeping in the same bed, all naked and huddled together. Just a bunch of good friends having had a good time. This was definitely a trip to remember and another chapter in mine and Madison's ever evolving sex life. While it's hard to imagine anything topping this weekend, something tells me this is just the beginning. Guess I'll have to wait and see what happens next. By Secretauthor2021 for Literotica.
Bridge Engineering: Part 2 Why is my mom here? Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected. I awoke to the sound of Lizzie's bathroom door opening and closing, and the girls' footsteps moving around her bedroom. I laid there for a minute then reluctantly pulled myself out of bed to splash some water on my face and slip on a pair of flannel lounge pants and a t-shirt. I emerged from my bedroom and looked down in the great room to see the girls standing by the sofa looking at Stefani as she slept. Toni heard me coming down the stairs and asked, "Why is my mom here?" Lizzie followed that with the accurate but impolite assessment, "Her makeup is all smeared." Before I could say anything, Toni shook her mom's shoulder and loudly inquired, "Mom! Mom! Are you ok?!" Stefani stirred, stretched her legs under the blankets, and drowsily answered, "Yes honey, I'm fine. Mom just had a really rough night." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni and Lizzie went into the pantry and started lining up cereal boxes while debating the merits of each selection. By that time, I was also downstairs and gently offered, "Good morning" to Stefani as I went about rekindling the hearth. She moaned as she sat up on the sofa and said, "I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe I came here like that last night." "I'm glad you did. I don't know what that was all about, but I was happy to know you were here and safe." She gave a muffled "Thank you." while she hung her head and cradled it in her hands, then mumbled to herself, "I can't believe I thought he would be any different." Toni must have had one ear tuned into our conversation and interjected in an annoyed tone of voice, "Is this about a man?" Lizzie looked at Toni, then at me and matter-of-factly said, "She should go sit on the bridge." It was an unquestionable truth in Lizzie's mind that time sitting on the bridge would fix whatever was bothering Toni's mom. I smiled and said, "Lizzie, I think that is a great idea." She puffed her chest proudly and went about pouring a bowl of cereal. I finished adding logs to the fire and suggested to Stefani, "There's a half-bath by the kitchen, or you're welcome to use my bathroom upstairs if you would like a shower. I'll pull together some fresh clothes for you. When you are ready, I think we should go for a walk;” then in a slightly louder voice added, "away from little eavesdroppers." "You really wouldn't mind if I took a shower?" "Not at all. I'll get you some towels and toiletries." The corners of her mouth turned upward in a small smile of gratitude and, for the first time that morning, Stefani looked me directly in the eyes and offered a very heart-felt, "Thank you." She stood up, pulled the hem of her dress down, and followed me up the stairs in her black legging covered feet. At the top of the stairs, I reached in the linen closet and handed her a stack of two bath towels, a hand towel, and a washcloth. My hands then sorted through some of the miscellaneous toiletries stored in the same closet and added a toothbrush, toothpaste, and stick of pre-teen girly deodorant. I apologized as I set the brightly patterned container on top of the towels, "Sorry, you're stuck with this unless you want to use men's deodorant." Returning to our inventory of toiletries, I started checking labels on bottles of Lizzie's 2-in-1 bodywash and shampoo, "Ok, looks like your choices are strawberry, cotton candy, or bubble gum." She chuckled and said, "I think I'll go with strawberry." "Good call." We proceeded into my bedroom where I motioned her toward the ensuite bathroom and said, "Make yourself at home and use whatever you need in there. I'm pretty sure the door locks. To be honest, I've never used it." She surveyed the bedroom and its contents on her way to the bathroom and I walked the opposite direction toward my walk-in closet. "I'll find some clothes while you are in the shower and set them on the corner of the bed." She softly said, "Thank you." while walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. I proceeded to rummage through my closet looking for things that might work. I knew my clothes made for a 6'-3" tall man wouldn't fit her properly, but they were the only option available. My hands methodically moved across the wall rack, sliding each hanger a bit so I could examine the respective article. After a few minutes, I heard the sounds of Stefani turning on the shower, opening the glass shower door, and then water sporadically splashing against the tile and glass enclosure. My mind came to the awareness that there was a completely naked woman in my shower, just on the other side of the door. I couldn't help but think of how her intimate features must look as the steaming spray trickled down her body. Realizing I was standing there inappropriately fantasizing about a woman in a questionable emotional condition, I snapped myself out of it and continued thumbing through hangers to arrive at a pair of heavy flannel lounge pants. They were a much too small Christmas gift from years past, but I figured they would work for Stefani if she rolled the pant legs up a little. A t-shirt and sweatshirt seemed like the obvious choices for her upper half given a lot of women like relaxing in oversized men's clothes anyway. Organizing my selections, I noticed there weren't any undergarments and shrugged it off thinking she would just have to re-use what she had on, or go commando, but then had a last-second thought to grab a pair of boxer shorts. I folded everything neatly, set the items in a pyramiding stack on the corner of the bed, and closed the bedroom door behind me on the way out. About 30-minutes later, the girls were in Lizzie's room and I was sitting in the great room when Stefani padded down the stairs in bare feet wearing the lounge pants and the oversized t-shirt that was slightly moist around the collar from her damp curls. The t-shirt clung a little to her moist torso and gave evidence of her unrestrained tits jiggling under the fabric. She smiled as she reached the main floor and softly said, "Thank you. I really needed that." "You're welcome. Are you hungry?" "Not really, my stomach is still turning a little from last night." she said as she sat next to me on the sofa and folded her legs beneath her. "I'm so sorry for the drama. I wasn't thinking clearly and I'm thoroughly embarrassed I showed up here like that." "Please don't be. Like I said earlier, I'm just happy to know you're safe. You seemed pretty traumatized." Stefani replied, "Traumatized is probably a little strong." before seemingly pausing to consider if she wanted to offer any more information. She exhaled loudly and hesitantly continued, "I've had some; let's call them; rocky roads in my personal life, and last night was just the latest example." I sympathetically offered, "I'm sorry." She shrugged her shoulders and introspectively recapped, "I've worked with him for several years and thought he was a nice guy; and he was until he started drinking. Dinner was enjoyable, but by the time we all got to the dance club he was pretty buzzed and started getting handsy. When I rebuffed his advances, he got belligerent and more forceful." Stefani's eyes were beginning to swell as she recounted the previous evening's events in her head. My own head was filled with questions and concerns, but I sensed she had more to say and didn't want to hinder her in getting it out. "Thankfully, my coworkers saw what was happening and interceded. He took off and that was the end of it." She paused for a moment then tearily continued, "It's not just him. Last night wasn't the first time something like this happened. I seem to be a magnet for jerks and losers. At least this one wasn't married; that I know of." "I'm sorry." She quietly repeated to herself something she had said the previous night, "Why can't I escape it?" I couldn't hold back my curiosity, "You said that last night too. What do you mean you can't escape 'it'?" She answered coldly through her tears, "Alcohol," before pausing for a few quick moments to gather herself and continuing, "It ruined my marriage. It robbed Toni of a father. It turned my coworker into a creep last night. Etc, etc;” I took her hand in mine and said, "I'm sorry. I understand." She abruptly pulled her hand from mine and argued, "I appreciate your compassion, but please don't say you understand." I stood up and said, "I think we should go for a walk outside." I didn't really give her an opportunity to say no and walked to the mudroom to get a jacket. I put mine on, then handed one to Stefani as she followed me. We both slipped on a pair of my fleece lined muck boots. The boots and jacket were both too large for her, but they would suffice. I shouted to the girls that Stefani and I were going on a walk, then we stepped outside. As we strolled away from the house and into the woods, I inquired, "Please tell me about your ex-husband." "Well, we met in college and he was wonderful. I thought he was everything I wanted in life. His drinking wasn't an issue then. I mean we both went to the typical college parties and had too much to drink, but it wasn't a problem. We married the summer after we graduated and started a typical newlywed life." Our boots crunched through fall leaves on the forest floor as Stefani continued, "After we were married, he occasionally went out with friends or old college buddies and came home drunk. Again, it wasn't frequent and wasn't anything concerning." We reached Lizzie's bridge and both sat on the edge dangling our feet over the water below. "Over time, and after Toni came along, his occasional nights out evolved into several times a week and he became defensive whenever I would say anything about it. Eventually, alcoholism; let's call it what it was; completely overtook him. It wasn't just going out with friends anymore. He always had a drink in his hand. Commitments were meaningless to him and he would show up hours late, if at all. Toni's birthday parties, family holidays, dates with me; it didn't matter." "By the time Toni was three, he lost his job, which only gave him an excuse to be drunk all day. I constantly begged him to get help, but that would only agitate him and cause a fight. That continued for about a year until his agitation turned into physical abuse. That was my breaking point and I told him I wanted a divorce." Stefani was now talking through streaming tears and I took her hand in mine as a show of support. "The night I told him, he went out to the bar and never came back. After a couple weeks, I realized he was never coming back and I hired a divorce attorney who, in turn, hired a private investigator to track him down. It took a few months, but they eventually found him in Key West where he could find work as a day laborer on fishing charters and beg enough money and free drinks from tourists to get by. He demanded a healthy ransom to sign the divorce papers but, at that point, I would have paid anything." With that, she fell silent and leaned to rest her head on my shoulder. We sat quietly listening to the gentle breeze in the trees, punctuated occasionally by Stefani's sniffles. After a few minutes of building courage, I sighed and started talking, "I think I told you that Lizzie and I lived in Indiana before moving here, right?" Stefani answered softly with her head still on my shoulder, "Yes." "Well, I grew up there, in a very small town in the southern part of the state. When I was younger, my dad was a functional alcoholic. He was the best heavy equipment mechanic in the area and ran a very successful business, but came home and drank himself to blackout every night." Stefani raised her head to look at me as I continued talking, "He wasn't an angry or abusive drunk, and was never drunk in public. He was just basically an absent parent. He worked all day then came home, sat in front of the television and drank until he passed out." "My mom did everything for us and held the family together until she got sick when I was in 8th grade. The ovarian cancer had already metastasized throughout her abdomen when she was diagnosed, and she was gone a few months later." My hand had held Stefani's while she was talking and now she reciprocated by interlacing her slender fingers with mine. "Even though he didn't show it, my dad loved her deeply and her death sent him into a tailspin. He turned into a full-time drunk and lost everything; the business, the house, the cars. There were many mornings that I would wake up for school and find him passed out in the living room or, worse yet, already starting the new day with a drink in his hand. When I was in high school, it was common for me to get a call from the Sheriff saying he was drunk or passed out somewhere around town. The Sheriff was a family friend and just called me to come get him rather than arresting him. Looking back on it, he was just an enabler by letting him go." Stefani squeezed my hand in hers as I spoke, "I worked odd jobs around town and managed to earn enough money for my dad and I to survive in a tiny apartment above the hardware store. Between poverty status and my good school grades, I managed to get a full scholarship at IU in Bloomington." "I was concerned about how my dad would take me leaving for school, but it turned out I didn't need to worry. His only question was if I would have a job and keep paying the bills. I did and continued doing so even after Julie and I were married." Stefani leaned against me as we sat on the bridge and offered, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. You do understand." "Yes, unfortunately I do." She cautiously probed further, "If I may ask, is your dad still around?" I had repressed this part of my past for years and wasn't sure I wanted to dredge up those memories. My head hung and watched the bubbling water below. After several minutes without a response, Stefani squeezed my hand and prompted, "David?" "He's in prison." She dug deeper when she realized I wasn't going to elaborate on my own, "Why?" I continued looking into the moving water and softly said, "Julie and Lizzie were hit by a drunk driver." It took a second to register in her mind, "Oh my God, it was him." "Yes." She took her hand from mine and, instead, wrapped both arms around me in a sympathetic and understanding hug. We sat in each other's arms for quite some time before I said, "We should probably go back inside and see what the girls are doing." Stefani agreed and we slowly made our way back through the woods toward the house. As we walked, I said, "Lizzie doesn't know any of that stuff about her grandfather. I'll tell her someday, but probably not anytime soon." "I understand. Toni was young enough that she doesn't remember her dad and didn't know why he left. I avoided the topic for a long time, but eventually I had to tell her." "Lizzie knows that she and Julie were in a car accident. She just doesn't know the part about my dad." Stefani stopped walking and pulled on my arm for me to stop with her. She pulled me into an embrace and said, "Thank you." I returned her hug, then kept one arm around her back as we finished walking to the house. Stefani, Toni, Lizzie and I spent most of the afternoon playing board games by the fireplace and enjoying the time together. As we did, I found myself becoming attracted to Stefani, both mentally and physically. The cold, guarded person I knew faded away and a new sunny, alluring personality emerged as she smiled and laughed. I stole glances while she wasn't looking, enjoying the simple way she sat with one leg folded beneath her and the other pulled up so she could rest her chin on her knee, the way she twisted curls of hair in her slender fingers when she thought, the way her neatly-painted toes flexed when she reached for the board game pieces, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Later in the evening, Stefani and I collaborated on preparation of an impromptu taco dinner, before we all said our goodbyes. Still in my borrowed clothes as they left, Stefani gave me one more hug and whispered in my ear, "Thank you again for taking me in." before giving me a soft kiss on the cheek. Uniting. Play dates continued frequently for Lizzie and Toni over the following weeks, both at Stefani's house and at mine. However, unlike before, Stefani would invite me to stay and I would do the same when at my house. Sometimes we would simply sit quietly in each other's company working on our laptops. Other times we would chat casually about a wide range of topics, getting to know each other and exploring our commonalities and differences. During one of those discussions, we found ourselves talking about balancing life demands as a single parent; children, work, cooking, cleaning, etc., and how it left very little time for personal interests and pursuits. I joked, "Ha, sharing the work is definitely a strong argument for having a partner!" Stefani looked at me and very seriously asked, "Have you dated since Julie passed?" "I've been on a few dates, but I wouldn't say I've dated. A couple years after we moved here, some of my friends started trying to set me up with people. The ladies were nice enough, but I wasn't ready yet and it just didn't feel right. After a few dates, I decided it was best to just decline their attempts" She probed further, "How long ago was that?" "The last one was maybe 4 years ago." I answered before returning the question, "How about you? Have you dated?" She groaned, "Hmm, my dating history isn't any better than what happened with that guy from my office. I've met a few guys, but they've all turned out to be jerks. I tell you, I'm a magnet for them. One guy that I really liked and went out with for about a month, turned out to be married. The others weren't that much different than the guy from work, and it became obvious on the first dates that they were only looking for sex, not a relationship." "I'm sorry." Neither one of us said anything more on the topic and we moved on to other subjects, but there was an unspoken understanding that we were both exploring the other person's openness to a relationship. Friendsgiving. The week after Thanksgiving, Stefani and I sat on stools at my kitchen island tapping away on our laptop keyboards while Toni and Lizzie played upstairs. I was answering emails, and Stefani was filling out what looked to be a very complicated accounting spreadsheet on her screen. After an hour or so, Stefani sighed and announced, "I need a break from these numbers." She extended her arms straight above her head and arched her back as she stretched. The motion served to thrust her tits outward, stretching the fabric of her thin button-up blouse and revealing the intricate texture of a lace bra beneath. It also caused the bottom of the untucked blouse to rise upward, exposing a flat, toned midriff and cute belly button. Having been caught looking, she just smiled knowingly and asked "How was your Thanksgiving?" "It was good. Lizzie and I went over to George and Linda's house for a 'Friendsgiving'. There were about ten people there, plus a few kids. We stayed for most of the day, then came home and roasted some marshmallows in the fireplace. How was yours?" "It was stereotypical," she replied as she continued in a mock monotonous tone, "We went to my parents' house, ate dinner, and all the men fell asleep watching football while my mom and sisters harassed me to find a husband. You know, all the usual things." I said sarcastically, "Sounds delightful." then asked seriously, "I take it that is a topic of conversation at every family gathering?" "Yes, they think they are being funny about it, joking about how they should set me up with this guy or that guy, but it gets annoying really fast. Especially since I know they really aren't joking. At least I won't have to hear it at Christmas. My parents decided to go on a Caribbean cruise over the holidays, so my sisters are all going to their husbands' sides of their families." I processed that for a few seconds, then asked, "Have you made any other plans? Would you and Toni like to spend Christmas here with us?" Stefani sincerely replied, "I would love that. I know Toni will too." We went on to plan out the details and decided that Stefani would bring their gifts over on Christmas Eve so she didn't have to transport them Christmas morning. That discussion evolved into Stefani bringing some of her family's traditional Italian dishes for dinner, then further into a more formal Christmas Eve dining event. She thought it would be fun for the girls, and I certainly didn't object to the idea of seeing Stefani in a nice dress. Holidays. On the Saturday two weeks before Christmas, Lizzie and I went to the local Rotary Club tree sale. Lizzie carefully inspected every tree on the lot before running back to one of the first trees near the entrance and declaring, "This is it! This is the perfect tree!" The Frazier Fir was a little big and a little expensive for my preference, but I acquiesced and paid the man standing next to me with a perceptive grin on his face. After strapping the tree on top of my Jeep, we climbed in and I asked Lizzie, "Should we see if Toni wants to come help decorate it?" Lizzie bounced in her seat and squealed, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Stefani, "Just bought tree. U2 want to decorate tonight?" She replied back almost immediately, "Yes, I'll bring chili." When we got home, I untied the tree in the gravel driveway and did my best to shake out any loose needles. Before taking it in the house, Lizzie and I decided on a location off to the side of the great room fireplace and shifted furniture around to accommodate the tree. I then dug the tree stand and some boxes of decorations out of the basement. After all the preparations were made, I brought the tree inside. Lizzie steadied the empty stand while I placed the base of the tree and held it upright while Lizzie tightened the stand's handscrews to secure it in place. With it tightened as much as Lizzie's little fingers could muster, I crawled under the tree and made little adjustments while Lizzie gave me left or right straightening instructions. When she was satisfied, I gave each of the handscrews a final tightening. We stood together admiring our work and congratulated each other on the job well done before she went get a container of water for the tree. I spent the next couple hours on household tasks that I hadn't accomplished during the week, then decided to get cleaned up a little before Stefani and Toni arrived. I washed up, applied some fresh deodorant and cologne, then changed into a pair of casual khakis and an ugly but festive Christmas sweater. Decorating. Stefani and Toni arrived soon after I changed. Stefani carrying a crockpot of chili and Toni carrying a bag full of accompaniments. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door and unloaded their hands as they shed their coats and shoes. Stefani laughed at my sweater as she slid her coat off her shoulders, "Seriously?" I feigned ignorance and replied sarcastically, "What?!" With coats hung up and the crock pot plugged in, the four of us found our way over to the unadorned tree and began discussing how to decorate it. I opened the box containing light strands and said, "We have some multi-color lights and some white lights, which should we use ladies?" The two girls discussed it for a moment then answered in unison, "All of them!" I chuckled and started untangling the light strands and stringing them around the tree as Stefani and the girls explored the other boxes of decorations I had brought up from the basement. I couldn't help but admire Stefani as she picked through the boxes and watched me wrap lights around the tree. She was wearing a loose-fitting cream color corded sweater, black leggings, and cream color fuzzy socks that matched her sweater. I'm sure she intended it as a comfortable lounging outfit, but it complimented her long, toned body very well. I finished the last strand of lights and took a seat on the sofa while Toni and Lizzie continued unwrapping ornaments and laying them out on the floor. Stefani had found a tree skirt in one of the boxes and asked, "Should I put it on?" I answered, "Sure. There should be another one somewhere in the boxes if you want to see it, but I think the one you have is the best." She said, "This one is nice." then crawled over to the tree. She unfolded the skirt and reached under the tree while on her hands and knees to pull it around the trunk. Gravity slid the bottom of her oversize sweater above her hips and a few inches up her back as she leaned and stretched to adjust the skirt, presenting a wonderful view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. My gaze was fixed on the sensual, womanly curves that were only slightly veiled by the form-fitting legging fabric. Stefani pulled the skirt edges outward and tried her best to smooth any wrinkles before asking, "How does that look?" Still staring at her ass, I rallied courage to suggestively answer, "It looks incredible." Curious about the overly enthusiastic response, Stefani looked back over her shoulder and saw me looking at her rear, not the tree skirt. She smiled mischievously, subtly wiggled her ass, then spent a couple more minutes unnecessarily straightening imaginary wrinkles in the skirt. The girls were unaware of the adult exchanges and Lizzie innocently asked, "Can we start putting ornaments on now?" I came back to reality and answered, "Sure, go for it!" as Stefani moved to sit next to me on the sofa. The girls formulated a plan for shorter Lizzie to decorate the bottom of the tree, taller Toni to hang ornaments on the middle section, and Stefani and me to get whatever they couldn't reach. Stefani nestled against my side as we watched the girls make trips back and forth between selecting ornaments laid on the floor and choosing the perfect location for each on the tree. Their happiness being together and sharing in the festive atmosphere was infectious, and I sat there feeling emotions I hadn't felt in a very long time. It was very comfortable to have Toni and Stefani there with us. It just felt right. With those thoughts swirling in my head, my hand reached to find Stefani's and our fingers intuitively interlaced. My heart swelled as Stefani snuggled further into me. When the girls had their portions of the tree sufficiently loaded, Stefani and I finished decorating the upper portion and I added the crowning star. We all stood back to admire our work and I flipped the switch for the grand lighting finale. The girls cheered with delight while Stefani and I each put an arm around the other's back and shared a side-hug while appreciating the tree. After sharing a few moments, Stefani moved on to serve dinner while I cleaned up the empty decoration boxes. We all shared conversation over the meal at the dining room table, then played some after-dinner card games. I felt a pang of emptiness when it was time for Stefani and Toni to leave, and really didn't want them to go. That evening I felt a sense of family that I hadn't felt since Julie died. I didn't want to scare Stefani with the heaviness of my thoughts, and understatedly said, "I really enjoyed spending the day with you. I hope we can all spend more evenings like this together." Stefani wasn't as subtle. As they were putting their coats on and heading out the door, she gave me a goodbye hug with the girls looking on, and whispered in my ear, "I didn't see mistletoe hung anywhere. You should get some." Holiday Break. The week before Christmas was a whirlwind, filled with school holiday activities, Christmas shopping, and end-of-the-year accounting for my business. There wasn't time for play dates, but we did all see each other at the school holiday play and concert. Both girls had parts in the play, Toni as an ice skater and Lizzie tending a chestnut roasting cart. Stefani and I found each other in the crowd of parents entering the auditorium and enjoyed the show side-by-side. I didn't know how she felt about the two of us being friendly in public, so I sat next to her playing the part of a plutonic acquaintance. It was Stefani who reached over and placed her hand on the top of my thigh, which I covered with mine and gave a squeeze of affection. We all went to the downtown sweet shop after the concert where the girls both ate mountainous ice cream sundaes while Stefani and I sipped on decaf coffee. We shared another goodbye hug when we parted ways at the end of the evening. This time it was my turn to whisper in Stefani's ear, "We need to find some time alone." She inhaled sharply and shuddered a little when I discreetly placed a kiss just under her ear. The Big Event. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Lizzie and I made some final preparations for the big event, including retrieval of a formal set of china and crystal stemware packed away in the basement. We washed all the china and stemware before turning our attention to the table by spreading a white linen tablecloth, arranging the china and crystal place settings, and creating a centerpiece with some fir boughs and velvet ribbon. The crowning element was a forest of candles randomly spaced along the center of the table. After finishing, I steered Lizzie up to her room to change clothes before doing a quick final clean of the kitchen and great room, then heading upstairs to freshen up and change. I opted for a slightly casual look with a sport coat and open collar button-down shirt. Lizzie went for an all-out, over-the-top look in a way only a third-grade girl can, with a long lace dress, heels, and an abundance of costume jewelry. I heard gravel crunching under tires as I was complimenting Lizzie on her dress and looked out the window to see Stefani and Toni's car coming to a stop outside. Lizzie and I greeted them at the door. Lizzie with squeals of excitement for Toni, and me with a hug for Stefani. With a long overcoat still on, Stefani said, "Presents and dinner are in the trunk of my car. Would you mind?" "Of course not." I didn't bother putting on a coat and swiftly walked out to retrieve hot trays of food covered in aluminum foil and packed in boxes. Toni held the door open upon my return to the house and I complimented her attire, which was on par with Lizzie's style for the evening. I entered to see Stefani standing in the kitchen wearing a floor-length, deep burgundy satin evening gown. The off-the-shoulder cut drew attention to her lithe neck and sensually exposed collar bones and shoulders, while the deep-V bust line and her pendant necklace pointed directly to the shallow valley between her modest tits. The torso of the dress was neatly fitted to her narrow waist then flared outward over her hips into the pleated A-line gown. It was the perfect dress for her body and she looked absolutely amazing. My admiration grew even more when she shifted position to purposefully reveal a long, toned leg through the full length slit in the side. "You look incredible!" I praised while placing the boxes of food on the kitchen island and making a show of looking at her from head to toe. She feigned a shy, "Aww, thank you." and humbly said, "I wear it once a year for the company holiday party." I turned to make another trip to her car and on the way out the door, I replied, "You should wear it more often. You make that dress look really good." I made several trips schlepping boxes of food and Christmas presents. When I returned and put the last couple boxes on the kitchen counter, Stefani had begun unpacking an assortment of homemade Italian dishes, including chicken piccata, fettucine with clam sauce, an antipasto salad, and an assortment of other side dishes. I exclaimed, "Wow, this looks and smells fantastic!" as I moved to steal a small clam off the top of the fettucine. She swatted my hand and playfully disciplined, "You need to wait, mister!" The girls tasked themselves with lighting the numerous candles on the table as I dimmed the house lights. Meanwhile, Stefani finished plating the last few items and carried them to the table. We dined by the soft glow of candlelight talking about good memories of Christmas, with Stefani and I temporarily ignoring the painful ones from our respective pasts. At one point, as the girls were consumed with a conversation of their own, Stefani commented, "This china is beautiful. You have good tastes." I didn't want to kill the mood, but I also wanted to be honest. "Julie picked it out for our wedding registry. She had an eye for the finer things in life." "Oh my gosh, I'm so, so sorry! I should have known!" "Please, it's okay. I wouldn't have used it if I wasn't ready to talk about it. I figured it was time to dust it off for a special occasion." She meekly asked, "Is this the first time you've used it since?" "Yes." Her beautiful blue eyes looked warmly into mine as her long slender fingers mindlessly twirled a lock of hair above her right ear. She spoke with layers of meaning, "I'm understanding more and more that Julie knew how to choose the finer things." We shared an extended gaze across the table that was only interrupted by Toni asking, "Can we have dessert now?" Stefani and I chuckled and she answered, "Yes, you may." before standing up to clear the table of dirty plates. I offered in my best butler voice, "I will service the table, madam, if you would like to prepare the next course for the Ladies of the Court." The girls thought that was hilarious and started practicing their own stuffy accents, which only intensified as consequences of the sugary tiramisu and cannoli took hold. When we had all finished, I announced in my Lordship voice, "Thank you Ladies, the food was remarkable and so was the company. Shall we retire to the parlor for after-dinner amusements?" The girls looked confused, so Stefani clarified, "He means games." after which they scrambled out of their chairs to explore the cabinet housing our selection of card and board games. Stefani and I cleared the table and generally tidied up the kitchen while the girls debated which games to play. We worked efficiently as a team, sharing a lot of unnecessary and 'accidental' touches as we moved about. The girls finished their game selections and we played several games of 'Chutes 'N Ladders' before moving on to 'Sorry' and, finally, a very long game of 'Monopoly' in which they eventually lost interest and asked if they could go watch a movie in the basement. Stefani started to object, "It's getting late. We should probably be going." before I gestured for the girls to go on downstairs. They didn't wait for Stefani's response and took off down the stairs. She looked at me quizzically as I stood up and motioned for her to follow me. We trailed the girls down the stairs where Stefani silently absorbed what was before her. I had set up two twin beds in front of the downstairs television and created a makeshift tent out of some decorative tree branches, tulle fabric, and twinkle lights. It was a perfect sleepover paradise for two third-grade girls. I put my arm around Stefani and whispered in her ear, "You're right, it is getting late. Maybe you should just spend the night." She put her arm around my back and whispered back, "Umm; sounds nice, but;” as she nodded toward the girls. I responded not to her, but to Lizzie and Toni who were sitting on one of the beds scrolling through movie options on the DVR. "Girls?" When they both raised their heads to look at me, I announced, "We've decided to let you have a sleepover tonight so that we can all be here together for Christmas morning;” They cheered and hugged each other before I continued, "; but there are a couple rules; first, you can watch a movie, then you need to get ready for bed in the bathroom down here and go right to sleep. The pink gift bags on your beds are special Christmas Eve sleepover kits with pajamas, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a few other things." Lizzie and Toni scurried to check out the gift bags, but I interceded, "Wait a minute; the second rule is that you can't come upstairs until 7:00 tomorrow morning;” I said motioning to Stefani and I, "; we need a decent night's sleep. Do you both agree to the rules?" They eagerly shouted in unison, "Yes, Yes, Yes!" "Ok, we'll see you on Christmas morning!" Before we could turn to leave, Toni asked, "Mom, where will you sleep?" I anticipated the question and interceded with a little white lie, "She'll sleep in my bed. I'm going to sleep on the great room sofa so I can make sure you two don't try to sneak upstairs to look at the presents." Seemingly satisfied with that answer, Toni simply said, "Okay, goodnight mom." To be continued in part 3. Based on a post by Architect 23 94, in 3 parts, for Literotica.
Special Patreon Release: Janelle Rupp Conversations with your Teen About Sex Puberty and Identity *DISCLAIMER* This episode contains adult themes and is not intended for little ears. "Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 (NIV) *Transcript Below* Questions We Discuss: Perhaps one of the most asked questions by Christian singles is, "How far is too far?" How do you respond to that question? Knowing the importance of educating ourselves as adults, what is the most popular sexual behavior among teens? What are some wise and age-appropriate guidelines recommend for teaching our kids about sex and sexuality? Janelle Rupp is a Christ-follower, wife & mom of three (in that order). Upon graduating from Cedarville University with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing and a Minor in Biblical Studies, she worked nine years as a Pediatric ICU nurse before transitioning into nine years of nursing education for the Empower Life Center of Peoria, Illinois. There she specialized in Sexual Health with an emphasis on Sexual-Risk Avoidance. After moving to the Atlanta, Georgia area, Janelle developed a Biblically-based, Christian & Home school curriculum entitled “Remember Whose You Are: Rooting Human Sexuality in Gospel Identity." Using an expositional study of Genesis 1-3 alongside evidence-based scientific research, the four-unit program builds on itself to establish how gospel identity determines holy & healthy & holy sexuality. With a passion for both science & Scripture, Janelle is currently teaching the curriculum at North Cobb Christian School while watching the Lord grow the program at schools nation-wide. She can be reached at jrupp.rememberwhoseyouare@gmail.com. Recommended website for Parents: axis.org Thank you to our sponsor: Daisy Kings Use code SAVVY to Save! Connect with The Savvy Sauce on Facebook, Instagram or Our Website Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.” Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“ Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“ Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” *Transcript* Music: (0:00 – 0:09) Laura Dugger: (0:09 - 1:31) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here. Today's message is not intended for little ears. We'll be discussing some adult themes, and I want you to be aware before you listen to this message. Thank you to Daisy King's, a skincare brand that meets simplicity. Their tallow-based products are made with wholesome, God-given ingredients to deeply nourish, restore, and protect your skin. There are no toxins, no fillers, just pure, effective skincare. Visit DaisyKings.com to nourish, restore, and glow. Janelle Rupp is my guest today, and she packed so much knowledge and inspiration into this time by educating us on a healthy view of sex, sharing God's holy and awe-inspiring design of our bodies, and ways that all of this points to Him. She also is going to include meaningful conversations to have with our children throughout the years that they're in our home. Here's our chat. Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Janelle. Janelle Rupp: (1:32 - 1:35) Thanks so much, Laura. I'm so glad to be with you today. Laura Dugger: (1:35 - 1:42) Will you just get us started by telling us a little bit about your faith journey and where it's brought you to today? Janelle Rupp: (1:43 - 4:51) Sure. I was raised in a Christian home. I remember from a young age actually being struck with the realization that God loved me so much that He sent His own son for me. But it really was probably more in my teenage years that I realized the depth of my sin, that it was great, and that Jesus was that bridge between who God was and who I was. Also, early on in my life, I knew I wanted to be a nurse, which is actually kind of interesting because there was no one in my family who was a nurse or in healthcare. But I had watched my mom care well for others in her family who had a myriad of mental and physical health problems. So, I do think that the compassion that God put in my heart at a young age did find its place in a healthcare setting just over time and experiences I watched her. I really felt like my dream job would be to work in preventative healthcare, specifically with teenagers. And I had a heart for girls in really tough situations like teenage pregnancy. It's a very marginalized group of humanity. And so, after college, I ended up in the pediatric intensive care unit at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis for about seven years. And during that time, I met my husband. We got married. We had our first child. And then while pregnant with our second, we decided to move closer to my extended family back in Illinois. And a few years after I had our second child, I actually ended up landing that dream job that I felt like the Lord had laid on my heart way back in college. And so, I started the Empower Life Center in Peoria, Illinois in 2008. And I worked there for nearly 10 years as a nurse educator, teaching parenting and newborn classes. But my primary role was a sexual risk avoidance educator, specializing in sexually transmitted disease and infections. And I would teach in public schools and private schools and charter schools. It's a junior high and high school level and also a guest lecturer at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. And I always tell people that no one grows up and hopes to be a sex teacher one day. I did not envision that God would put me in that area of education, but he did. And so, after 10 years of doing that, when our family then transitioned down to Atlanta, Georgia for a job transfer for my husband, we had chosen to put our kids, now three kids at that point, in Christian education. And within months, the middle school principal had heard about my background and approached me to create a curriculum for their fifth through eighth graders that was centered on a biblical view of sex and sexuality. So, I spent a series of months developing that curriculum. I then decided to go ahead and accept a teaching job to teach that curriculum. And it's entitled Remember Whose You Are. And it's designed as a four unit developmentally appropriate program for Christian schools or homeschool environments. And currently we're in the beginning stages of equipping and training other schools to implement it at their school as well. Laura Dugger: (4:52 - 5:17) Wow, that is so interesting to hear how you got interested in teaching others this healthy view of God and sex. And at the foundation of your teaching, you begin with a theology of God. So, I'd love to zero in on just one of your points that God is a relational God. Will you elaborate on that and share how it ties into this topic we're discussing today? Janelle Rupp: (5:18 - 7:13) For sure. One of my goals in teaching this is just to help my students see God for who he is, fall in love with who he is. And God being relational is one of the places where I always notice that beginning to take shape. I find evidence for that in Genesis 1:26, where it says, “and God said, let us make man in our image after our likeness.” The definition of the word relational means a desire to pursue relationship or connection with another. And before we think of God pursuing relationship with us, it's actually really critical to look at that verse and note that God is already relational within himself. So, we see evidence in that verse that he's referring to himself in a plural sense. And when we take that alongside other areas of Scripture as well, we see God existing as Trinity, Father, Son and Spirit, three in one, indicating that God does not need humanity for relationship. He only desires humanity for relationship. And one day, actually, when I was teaching that to a group of fifth grade boys last year, I said, God does not need you, but he wants you. One of the fifth grade boys, in all complete sincerity, said, “Aww.” And it was one of the sweetest things I had ever heard because it was this very honest verbal expression of what it felt like to know that we are wanted by the God of the universe. I tell my students, “You know, someone only wants relationship with you when they love you.” And so, while 1 John 4:8 tells us, “that God is love.” It's pretty amazing that way back in the first chapter of Genesis, as we find God creating man and creating woman, He's still incredibly loving that He even desired to create it in the first place. So, I think God being relational is such an important aspect to the who and the why of who He is. Laura Dugger: (7:14 - 7:28) Absolutely. And I really envision this chat being a time when parents can listen alongside their teen or their tween or whenever it's age appropriate. So, will you just give us a glimpse of what you do teach in schools? Janelle Rupp: (7:29 - 13:04) I would be happy too. The very first unit is just the who and the why of God. We focus on 10 characteristics of God, and then we transition to the who and the why of humanity. What do all humans have in common? And we highlight eight characteristics that we all share in common. And then unit two, it's centered on the who and the why of me. And specifically looking at Genesis 1:27, identity means that we're made in the image of God and that we are made male and female. So, Genesis 1:27 says, “So God made man in his own image, in the image of God, he made them male and female, he created them.” So, here we really want to introduce what does it mean to be made in the image of God as a social being, emotional being, a spiritual being, an intellectual being? But also, what does it mean to be made with this physical body, male or female? And so, we introduced the reproductive system with an emphasis on puberty and human growth and development. And within that introduction, in that unit, I do something that's historically not been done in Christian settings, which is that I am teaching both the male and the female reproductive system to both genders. And this next sentence may sound a little odd to some of your listeners. I know my students sometimes giggle when I say it, but I see the glory of God when I study the anatomy of both the male and the female reproductive systems and the intricacies of the design in order to see how they both work perfectly together. To me, it's awe-inspiring. And so, I believe females have every right to see and begin to grasp the design of a male reproductive system. We use really basic anatomical diagrams for that. And then males equally have every right to see and begin to understand the basics of the female reproductive system using a diagram. And my approach to that is clinical and scientific. It's definitely from an anatomy perspective. But I also make sure to take the time to point out some of, again, the beauty of the design. For example, females, when they are born, are born with all the eggs that they will ever, ever have in their ovaries. And this design is super perfect because it means that you and I are not going to be 70 years old and find out that we're unexpectedly pregnant. Eventually, those eggs will run out about in our mid-40s. And I always thank God for that design. It is a good design. Another one is just the female cervix. The female cervix doesn't reach full maturity and protection until our early to mid-20s, where it then provides this wonderful protective barrier between the external and internal anatomy of the female reproductive system. When you explain things like that, I literally watch the kids have what I call light bulb moments, where they begin to see the why behind the design. And it's so important. They've never taken the time to look at that and to hear it. In fact, I often call the reproductive system the forgotten body system. Christian kids in particular, they will get through a whole unit on the body having never talked about the reproductive system. And if they are, then usually they're taught just about their own gender and they're missing that overarching beauty of what God designed. So, I think it's really important to highlight that reproductive system and for both genders. But in Unit 3, we move from the foundation of just gospel identity as made in His image and male and female into then specifically human sexuality. And we use mostly Genesis 2 as we look through this about how God designed marriage and God designed sex, which is super clear in Genesis 2:24 and says, “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and take hold of his wife and they will become one flesh.” And so, God's design for marriage and sex is clear that it's between a man and a woman. And also that that man and woman should follow the order of this verse. First, that they leave and leaving might be dating. It might be courting. It might be pursuing a relationship. However, we set those boundaries for our kids. And then second, that they would take hold and experience the intimacy and blessing of marriage, referencing that connection that God put Adam and Eve in through marriage. And third and last in that order, but that they become one flesh, which is referencing sex. And so, after explaining that very good design, we transition into Genesis 3. And honestly, I love how Moses starts off the chapter here, Genesis 3, by saying, “Now the serpent.” And I always tell the kids that I hear that music in my head of dun, dun, dun. Like you just know that everything is going to change. This good design is going to change and it's not changing for the better. And so, we start then looking at all the distortions that sin has caused within the overall topic of sex. And that means not just looking at premarital sex, but also adultery, pornography, sexting, gender identity, sexual identity. And honestly, that list just keeps on growing every year that I teach. And so, then unit four, that last unit, is what I call the now what unit. In light of taking everything that we know now about gospel identity and human sexuality, I really encourage the kids to start really thinking about how they practically should be living in relationships with someone that they're attracted to and that they want to pursue. And we use the entire Bible to help us answer that question. We actually end that unit with the question and answer panel discussion, using questions that the students have come up with through the course of that week. And it's always a sweet time of conversation focused on, again, gospel identity and human sexuality. Laura Dugger: (13:06 - 13:19) Oh my goodness, that is so amazing and comprehensive. If parents are listening and they're wondering just about that diagram, what age do you recommend showing something like that? How would you respond to that question? Janelle Rupp: (13:20 - 14:08) That's an excellent question. So, we're doing that in sixth grade. You know, it always depends on what your child's exposure and experience is, what their environment is, and their curiosity. I think each child is so different. But in general, sixth grade would be age 11, 12, I think that's 10 to 12 for sure. But even you could probably push it as you're talking about puberty, which is where we interject it, just because it gives reference to what is a period for a girl? Or what are the changes as a male that I'm having inside my body right now? Where's that coming from? So, I think starting as young as eight or nine to 10. No later really than 12, I think would be really, really important. Laura Dugger: (14:09 - 14:16) Thank you. That is helpful. I'm assuming that you're everybody's favorite teacher and that this is their favorite course to take. Janelle Rupp: (14:17 - 14:48) We have a lot of fun. And I love when the kids buy into it. You know, sometimes I'll find that kids come in and they're a little hesitant to talk about this or they feel awkward by it. But I think, you know, coming at it from both a clinical perspective, but also a biblical perspective, doing my best to keep them at ease and have fun as we have these conversations. Eventually, they loosen up over time. And it ends up being a really sweet time to talk about stuff that really, really matters in life. Laura Dugger: (14:48 - 15:05) It does. And you're sharing so much truth. And it is the truth that sets us free. And I can see where that would overcome so much confusion. So, let's even get really practical. When you're teaching these young people about sex, how do you define it? Janelle Rupp: (15:06 - 19:12) This is such a great question. No one's ever actually asked me this. And I think it's so, so important. The CDC definition of sex, it is very complete in its definition. It does a really good job covering what I believe are really important distinctives within that definition. And so, that definition is, quote, “Sex is defined as any part of your body and or specifically your reproductive area coming into contact with another person's body and or specifically their reproductive area.” And one of the key points that I want to point out from this definition includes this phrase, reproductive area. I find my students have no reference for that, and even adults often don't. But simply put, the reproductive area is anything on the outside of the body that covers the reproductive system organs on the inside of the body. So, this area actually extends from the belly button down to the genitals. A lot of times we only reference those genitals, but it actually extends belly button down to the genitals. And so, again, people are often surprised by that. But at the same time, you know, whether it's called the reproductive area or maybe a private area, people do commonly recognize the importance of keeping that area safe and private. I often stick with that phrase, reproductive area, to reference the importance of trust when it comes to keeping things safe and private as a jumping off point to just help the kids see that a person is trustworthy if they keep you safe and if they keep things private. And again, such an important thing that we need to teach our children is that if someone pushes past what feels safe for us or pushes past areas on our body that are private, our children need to know, and we need to know those are not trustworthy people. And furthermore, we should then give our children permission to tell someone that they do trust, hopefully us, but somebody that they do trust, somebody that keeps things safe and private about any person whose words or actions don't prove trustworthy. And as a side note, giving kids appropriate anatomical names is so important for this as well. But if you aren't using those terms and they don't understand it, we're speaking a language that they can't understand and maybe aren't able to convey. And so, I think additionally, as children get older and you continue to reference that reproductive area as an area you keep private, I think it's super important to keep going back to theology and to Scripture. And in Genesis 1 and 2, we don't see anything having to be kept private because there was nothing that needed to be private. And in fact, the end of Genesis 2 says in verse 25, “And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” My students giggle when we get to that verse because that sounds so foreign to them. But reminding them that again, God's design was so good that there was nothing to be held back. They were fully intimately known by God and fully intimately known by each other and also without sin. But then when sin enters in Genesis 3, as Eve is tempted and enticed by the serpent, Adam is tempted, and enticed by Eve. We see in that instant that sin changes every single thing because it causes Adam and Eve to then feel ashamed before God. They want to hide from God. It causes them to feel ashamed between each other. They want to blame each other and it causes them to lose their sense of identity and purpose. And this is what happens to us, too, when sex and sin become entwined. It causes shame. It causes us to hide. It makes us want to blame others. It causes us to question our identity and question our purpose. But even though sexual sin changes the heart of man, it does not change the heart of God. And so, if our heart's desire is to love God in return for the love He's shown us, then our heart's desire should be to orient our lives around His design for our lives. And I would say even especially orienting our lives around His design for marriage and sex. Laura Dugger: (19:13 - 19:23) Perhaps one of the most asked questions by Christian Singles is, How far is too far? So, how do you respond to that question? Janelle Rupp: (19:24 - 25:50) Yes, I mean, this is the question that inevitably somebody's going to ask in my classes every single year. And no doubt, I mean, I think everyone has asked that question at some point or another in their lives. I certainly did. And I was told that that was the wrong question. And I want to explain why first and then tell you how I answer it. But the reason was because when we look at Scripture in terms of holiness, which is having our heart completely for God versus idolatry, which means having our heart turned to something else, we see over and over and over in Scripture that we can't serve two masters. We can't serve both holiness and idolatry. Matthew 6:24 is a great example. It's talking about the idolatry of money. But it does say that whenever our heart is going after two things, we will either end up being devoted to the one and hate the other or devoted to the other and thus hate the one. And so, in other words, as we apply it to this question, we actually can't just straddle the line of both holiness and idolatry. And a lot of times that's where this heart of motivation of how far is too far is like, what line is the line that I can get to and still be holy? But we really can't try to find and live on that line, because healthy and holy sexuality and sexual immorality doesn't exist. It is one or it is the other. And so, that's an important truth of Scripture. I'm always in complete agreement with everything that I just said. But I also recognize that the Bible is really, really clear on how to give us direction in terms of setting boundaries and learning how to escape and endure temptation rather than to be enticed by it. And so, I teach my students a method to answer this question using an acronym called GRAY, G-R-A-Y, just to help them think biblically and critically about this question. And actually it can be applied to any what I call the gray areas of life where Scripture may not specifically be very black and white about what we can and can't do. For example, another easy gray area topic within this same kind of umbrella idea would be dating. We aren't specifically told if we're to encourage our kids towards dating or courting or maybe arrange marriages. Right. And yet I believe that there's four specific steps that we can use to determine the heart of God for our lives when it comes to gray areas of life. And so, the G in gray stands for go to God and it refers to prayer. James 1:5 encourages believers to ask God for wisdom. It says, “He will give it generously to anyone who asks.” And I think praying for wisdom is such a foundational place to start on any topic, but specifically this one. And then the R in the acronym stands for read the word. I always encourage my students and I would encourage parents as well, actively study the word of God, finding verses that give direction for decision making on this question. How far is too far? One that I think jumped out at me is First Corinthians 10:23. As it's again, speaking of idolatry of the heart and it says, “all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful. I can do all things, but not all things are building up. And so, let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” So, when you apply that verse to this question of how far is too far, you begin to see that the question isn't so much is kissing OK, is anything done with our clothes on OK? But the question is more what behavior is helpful for me as I try to honor Christ with my body? What behavior builds up my desire to honor Christ with my life and or what behavior seeks to honor the person that I'm with? And so, again, I think reading scripture can help us be able to know how to reframe that question and create boundaries. And then the A in gray stands for ask for advice. And here I encourage teens to seek out someone who is doing relationships well. In other words, is there a couple that they admire, someone older than them that they admire, maybe a friend or sibling or a friend of a sibling, a teacher, a parent, a youth group leader? I found in my own life that God often gives wisdom through people like that. And actually, in the last 10 years, as I've been teaching this type of material, I found that asking couples that I respect this very same question. How did you answer? How far is too far? It brings some of the best responses and encouragement that then I can share with my students to help them learn and grow. So, I think asking for advice is a vital part of this. And then lastly, the Y stands for yield. It is the last step. And yet it's such an important part of answering this question. Yield just simply means to wait. And you and I both know this generation does not like to wait. Instinct gratification is their thing. And yet teaching them that there's so much value in yielding when we don't have clear answers to critical questions like this. So, I actually love to literally walk this out in front of the classroom. I will demonstrate how, when I yield, I hold back on decisions such as how far is too far. I am always allowing myself room to continue to walk forward as I feel more certainty over the answer or I feel more led with the wisdom that God is continuing to give. However, if I walk forward without clarity, if I'm pushing boundaries that are perhaps lawful, I can. But they're not to my benefit, not to my partner's benefit. Then it's very realistic that I am going to push farther than I am able to handle. It's going to bring harm to the relationship that I am in. And I can't ever go back. The truth is that the line between being enticed by sin versus escaping and enduring the temptation to turn from sin. It's a thin line. And so, helping teenagers with these four steps, I think just think more critically about where to set those boundaries is important. And then I do usually go on to encourage students to be really specific in writing out those boundaries. I'm a big fan that writing is remembering. It stores in our long-term memory. And then to even share those boundaries in order to have accountability with them. Laura Dugger: (25:51 - 27:47) And now a brief message from our sponsor. I would like to specifically address the ladies. Because let's talk skin care. As moms, as women, we spend so much time caring for everyone else. But what about us? If you're tired of dull or dry skin and products filled with chemicals and fillers, it is time for something better. God designed our skin to thrive with real nourishing ingredients. 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So, what are some statistics you think we need to be aware of to educate us on sexuality and youth in America right now? Janelle Rupp: (27:49 - 29:55) Yes, you know, this is constantly changing. And so, I do look for these on the regular. And so, the ones I'm currently kind of using as I educate this year, the average age of first pornography exposure is currently 11 years old. And 1 out of every 10 visitors to porn sites are actually under the age of 10. And 22% of those are regular visitors to those sites. It's not that they're just there once. They're regular visitors. When you talk about that next age group, 11 to 17-year-olds, 53% of them are accessing pornography. In addition, 1 out of every 14 are receiving sexually explicit material through social media, through texting. And 1 out of every 17 are sending it, which is an interesting thing. I always tell my students that means that as people are receiving it, they're sending it to more than one person. And so, you know, somehow we could think that it's a conversation maybe staying between two people. And almost in every case, that is not the reality. 41% of teens are engaging in sexual behavior and oral sex and vaginal sex and anal sex and what I call outer course. Every 11 minutes, CPS finds evidence of sexual abuse claims. And 2 out of every 3 of those are age 12 to 17 years old. And then lastly, and this is kind of newer from a research study that is an important one, but identifying as LGBTQ+, has actually risen in teens on average by 4% in the last 5 years. Girls being higher than boys. Girls averaging about 5% increase and boys at 3%. And I think, you know, you give those 9 quick statistics, and I'll be honest, you know, even every time I have to say them, I get that sinking feeling in my stomach. It takes a lot to shock me after 10 years of working with teens on this topic. But it never feels good to say those out loud. I think it just reflects such brokenness on behalf of our culture's view of sex and sexuality. Laura Dugger: (29:57 - 30:09) Wow, that is sobering. And if that reality feels alarming or overwhelming to a parent listening, then how would you advise them to educate their son or daughter? Janelle Rupp: (30:10 - 33:09) Yeah, I think the scariest thing is when we allow those feelings that we're having to really just cripple us and our ability to parent our children through them. I had a mom come up last year, and she said, I'm just really exhausted by it all. I'm tired of checking up on my kid. And, you know, as a mom of teenagers, I hear that. I resonate with that. But I think we need to fight through those feelings and encourage each other to fight through those feelings in order to parent with intention and godliness when it comes to these subjects. I developed this Remember Who's You Are curriculum for students, but I 100% believe that parents are to be the first go-to for our kids on these topics, whether they feel like they have all the answers or not. It's really not the role of the school, nor of the church, nor of the youth pastor. It is primarily and foundationally the role of parents, with ideally then the school and the church, you know, locking arms with parents, coming alongside with a similar message. And so, when it comes to equipping parents, which is something I feel strongly about as well, in order to have these ongoing conversations, I break down educating parents with three regular statements to help them kind of combat those feelings of overwhelmed or anxiousness when it comes to these topics. And the first regular statement would be to regularly educate yourself. We can't teach what we don't know. And so, parents need to have answers to questions, and I'm going to give a series of questions here that I think need to be answered as examples, but there's certainly more. But questions like, what is God's design? Again, what is the reproductive area? What does sexting mean? What does sending nudes mean? Because that's becoming actually a more popular phrase right now than using the phrase sexting. Why is not porn good for our brains if it actually keeps us from not having sex outside of God's design? That's a question I've been asked. And a follow-up to that, what does the Bible say about masturbation? How does a condom work? I've been asked that one. What is the most popular sexual behavior among teens? Those are some toughies. You don't just kind of like pop out an answer to that without dedicating some time to researching those answers. I don't think that this needs to be an overwhelming amount of time. In fact, I actually just encourage parents to set aside 15 to 20 minutes once a week, maybe even once every other week, but just put it on the calendar so that you really devote yourself to that time. You know, I think we dedicate ourselves as parents to things we care about. And I don't mean to say this harshly, but many moms spend much more time exercising than they do in their Bibles and figuring out answers to these questions and apologetic type answers. And parents, you know, we spend a lot of time talking to our kids about sports and grades. And yet these are topics that have lasting relational impacts for their lives, not just in our family, but in their family to come. And so, we have to be diligent to set aside time and regularly educate ourselves. Laura Dugger: (33:09 - 33:38) Janelle, I love all of this that you're saying. And I just want to pause on this first step of educating ourselves as the adults and as the parents. So, listening to something like this, hopefully people feel encouraged already doing a great job educating yourself. And so, let's just answer a couple of those questions because it can be hard to know where do I go to find out these answers. I'm careful to Google this because something may pop up that I don't want to see. Janelle Rupp: (33:38 - 33:38) Right. Laura Dugger: (33:38 - 33:46) So, let's go with two of them. One of them you said is what is the most popular sexual behavior among teens right now? Janelle Rupp: (33:47 - 34:46) Yeah, I think that this one is a little bit shocking for parents. And they often are unaware of where their teens are at as they are pushing boundaries on sexual behavior. You know, when I was growing up, oral sex became, and that's mouth to genitals, but that became a really popular sexual behavior. And I remember hearing people say, well, that makes me feel a virgin because I now have not had vaginal sex. And so, again, just continuing to push these boundaries. So, now today's teenagers are past oral sex. That's become just something that's normal and acceptable. And the most popular sexual behavior right now that you'll actually they will talk about and do would be anal sex right now, which is the anal area, which is obviously I always point this out, not actually the reproductive system, but in fact, the expiratory or the end of the digestive system. But that is the most popular sexual behavior among teens currently. Laura Dugger: (34:47 - 35:14) That is really helpful to hear. And even years ago, when I was practicing as a marriage and family therapist, something that we learned was that the rise in pornography exposure was also corresponding or correlating with this rise in pressure for women to engage in anal sex. And that was a lot of times where it was coming from. I'm assuming very similar with teens. Janelle Rupp: (35:15 - 35:59) Yes, absolutely. And as our culture continues to kind of push the envelope on trying to get teenagers and adults to accept pornography is a natural part of human sexuality. I think we will just continue to see that behavior pushed more and more and more just among teens and relationships in general, which is really devastating. I think of so many of these behaviors that are very degrading, particularly to women, but even to men. And again, that women, that girls would be thinking that that is considered an acceptable part of a relationship is such a tragedy, really. And again, just so reflective of the brokenness of our culture. Laura Dugger: (36:00 - 36:19) And you bring up another question I want to follow up with, Ben, because porn is so destructive for a lifetime. But how do you answer that question if parents want to educate themselves of somebody making an argument of why not pornography if it keeps them from engaging in penetrative sex? Janelle Rupp: (36:20 - 38:18) Yeah, so, there's some excellent websites that you can find that talk about the damaging effects of pornography. And I found, you know, good resources. Anyone's welcome to email me. I'll include that later. But to get some of those resources. But it really does change and alter, actually, the connections that are created in the brain. And one of the, I think, more interesting studies on pornography in the brain, as they looked at men who were watching and engaging in pornography, it would continually light up an area of the brain and stimulate it, which is an area of the brain that is usually lit and stimulated when a man would use power tools. And that's concerning on, I think, a couple of levels. One, that is degrading. And again, this human made in the image of God to something that is to be just used. Right. And then second, anytime we engage in pornography, we are we're engaging more with a screen than a person. And so, that intimacy level, that is something that's so precious about sex. You know, sex isn't just for making babies. It isn't just for this intimate connection. It isn't just for pleasure. But it is to be wholly represented, all three of those when we look at God's design. But when we engage with pornography, we're completely reducing it down to one person's pleasure, one person's use. And so, again, those connections that are supposed to exist between people now exist between a person and their screen. And you'll see across the board, these are people who easily get addicted. It's meant to be addicted, experience increased levels of depression, anxiety, suicide. Grades go down for teenagers. They lose friends. So much research showing the devastating impact of pornography. Laura Dugger: (38:19 - 38:32) That is really helpful. Thank you for sharing that. And back to that greater question. So, when you're advising parents to educate themselves, that's the first step. What's the next step in the process? Janelle Rupp: (38:33 - 41:29) So, the second step that I recommend is to regularly to enter in. We aren't called to be our kids' best friends. We're called to step into their lives. And that means stepping into friendships and relationships. It actually means stepping into their phone. You know, the amount of parents that tell me, I feel really bad because it's their phone. And yet it's something that the parent is paying for, right? And so, that is a part of our lives, too. Theirs and ours. But stepping into social media pages, their schools, their activities. And I think we don't have to be creepy about it. And that's what I think parents most, they're like, I don't want to creep my kid out or make them pull away. I just think we have to be really intentional beforehand that we're developing this relationship of trust and communication. So, Josh McDowell has said rules without relationship equal rebellion. And so, the flip side of that is that when I have rules where I'm entering in and I have relationships where I'm entering in, that will equal trust. And so, we need to keep entering in because we want to keep earning their trust. It goes both ways. We want that trust and communication. So, entering in out of a desire for relationship, but also entering in with boundaries and rules for our kids in order to continue to build that trust between us. And then the third regularly statement is to regularly extend grace to yourself. Guilt and shame cannot go away without grace. And a lot of us live with guilt and shame when it comes to these subjects. I often hear that that's one of the key reasons that parents will hesitate to talk to their child. They'll say to me, I don't want them to ask me about what I did. And the only remedy for shame is grace. It's why God's plan to extend grace in sending Jesus. It's the best plan for our world because we're literally drowning in guilt and shame over these subjects. And so, as parents, we first have to learn and work through accepting grace for ourselves. But for the purpose of extending it to others, it's very, very hard to extend grace when we haven't accepted it ourselves. And so, I think it starts with us. And then again, it extends out to our kids. My husband and I were working through something that was happening with our teenagers this year. And I thought it was so profound. As he said this statement, by God's grace, our kids will never get caught up in it. But it's also that same grace that will provide a way for our kids to get out of it. And so, we need to remember God's grace is greater than all of our sins. And we can rest in that even if we don't do everything perfectly as a parent. Even if we forget to answer one of the questions. Even if our kids choose a path that is different than what we had taught them. God's grace is greater than all of our sins. Laura Dugger: (41:30 - 43:53) And I don't think we can hear that enough. So, thank you for that reminder. Did you know that we are now accepting donations online through Venmo? It's just one of our additional ways that you can give to support the work of the Savvy Sauce Charities and keep us on the air where we can keep providing this content for free. We pray that you'll consider partnering with us and generously donating before your end. Thanks for your support. Well, Janelle, I think that you're so wise to teach parents that there's obviously no formula, and that's why it's so vitally important to keep in step with the spirit as we have these conversations with our children. But also, I'm sure that you've learned some wise and age-appropriate guidelines for teaching our kids about sex and sexuality. So, will you share those with us for the different age ranges? Janelle Rupp: (43:55 - 50:10) Yes, I think you're exactly right. There isn't a set formula because, again, as I mentioned before, every kid is different. Every experience and exposure is different. But there are some general guidelines in order to, again, have these regular conversations with our kids. So, beginning ages kind of three to seven, I think focusing on what it means to be made in God's image, what it means to have a male part versus female part, how that kind of defines each gender. And understanding also what is private and safe within that is important. So, one of the things that I did with my kids is very early on, as we were bathing in those ages, we would say, Thank you, God, for our fingers and our noses, and thank you, God, for our toes, and say, Thank you, God, for a penis because you're a boy, and thank you, God, for a vagina because you're a girl, and thank you for parts that we can't see inside of us. And I would name some of those parts as well, because I think it just helps them start recognizing, again, the beauty of what it means to be created by God. And also highlighting safe pictures and unsafe pictures, safe touch and unsafe touch, and stuff that I touched on before. I think that's important as well. But then I personally believe this is one of the best ages to begin forming a framework on the sanctity of human life, that all life is created by God and for God in the image of God. And therefore, all life should be treated with dignity, respect, and love, regardless of size, regardless of gender, regardless of skin color, regardless of neediness or challenges. It's a really natural and important tie-in to the subject at this age. And then when you get into that next age, age 8 to 10, I kind of think of it a little bit like preteen. Just continuing on with that conversation but bringing up this word puberty. And kids always look terrified when I say that word. And I always tell them, then puberty is not a scary word. And I'm sorry that you have this vision that it is. But puberty really is just human growth and development that make us male and make us female. And so, I think teaching our kids not to be even afraid of that word. There are parts that we need to keep private. And yes, we don't need to talk about that with everybody. But these are not wrong or bad parts. They're parts that are created by God for God. And God is a good God. And God is a sovereign God. And so, He created it for our good with us in mind. And so, just continuing to engage and encourage our kids on those ideas at age 10. And then 10 to 12, and some educators would say sex should be introduced by age 10. I found that based on just, again, the exposure that my kids had, we had this type of a conversation as they headed into more age 11. I think it for sure should be talked about before age 12. But at that point, you want to make sure you're including just a framework on what biblical sex and marriage is and what it's purposed for. Again, purpose for procreation, making babies, purpose for intimacy, even purpose for pleasure. Listen, no 10 to 12-year-old is going to understand that part yet, which is fine because you're going to revisit it later when they're kids. This is a regular thing, right? But you want them to hear it from you. You want them to hear it from you first so they understand that you are trustworthy. And so, they should be taught that sex is best seen in that context of marriage. One man, one woman that have left their father and mother, they've taken hold of each other in marriage. And as a result, then a parent and actually ideally both parents, mom and dad, are able to help a child understand that framework and also recognize basic deviations outside of that framework. Not just that sex before marriage is outside, but also sex outside of marriage, the sexual and gender identity confusion. Anything that's falling outside of God's design for marriage and sex is a deviation from what he designed. And then in that kind of 13 and older, recommendations that I make is always that you begin to establish a really good framework on how to have God-honoring relationships with someone of the opposite gender. I actually highly recommend Ephesians chapter 5 as you make this plan with your child. And a couple key points that it talks about within that chapter is that we treat those in the faith, those that share our common belief in Jesus Christ as brothers and sisters in Christ, in friendship and in a possible relationship, but one that has a lot of purpose and a plan in place. But then we treat those who are not sharing our faith with love, but yet an understanding that those aren't relationships that I can pursue because I can't have an expectation that they are going to bring me closer to Christ, whereas the other should. And so, as parents within that, again, 13 and older category, you really need to start paying very much attention and entering in into those relationships that they have with their friends and their peers, because this is the second biggest impact maker on their decision-making next to you. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with the wise will be wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” I really believe in parents. If you need to change up their environment in order to help them form more God-honoring relationships in step with that Ephesians 5, we should not be afraid to do so. And again, continuing to expand on those other frameworks before, because regular conversations, but you're just getting into greater detail, more fine-tuning. And I actually think at this age, too, you're digging deep into the truth of Scripture with your child. So, you let them come alongside you as you're learning how to answer these questions so that they can continue to refine who they are in Christ and to refine how to keep accountable with the Word of God and to refine how to set boundaries and how to navigate relationships in what I call purposeful dating versus purposeless dating. And purposeful dating, really just the overarching idea there is just that in the end, if it does end, that there may be sadness, but that there is also learning that comes so that I am lessening the brokenness and damage that may come as a result as well. Laura Dugger: (50:11 - 50:30) And I love how also in your teaching, you lay out specific guidelines that don't fit within an age category, but they're more so for children who are at cell phone age or where they have unattended internet use. So, will you share some of those guidelines with us now, too? Janelle Rupp: (50:31 - 54:54) Yes, for sure. You know, I always say when you introduce a cell phone to your child, especially one that has internet included with that phone, it does change a little of those guidelines that I just mentioned in that you need to increase the speed and the ages or decrease the ages, technically, in which you are discussing these things. Just because you're giving them a lot of access to things that will speak an opposite message from what you would be saying. And so, when I encourage parents to look at a couple things as they're making the decisions about when to give a cell phone, I think you're specifically looking at does your child understand what it means to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit? And are they showing evidence of the fruits of his work in their lives? In other words, do I see evidence of the Spirit in the life of my child? And so, that means does he or she recognize self-control? They know when they have it and they know when they don't. Do they recognize how to be a peacemaker? Do they recognize how to be loving in what they say and what they do? Do they recognize and show faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, joy, patience, all of those fruits of the Spirit? And do they recognize and show that not just in person with someone, but even behind the screen when they don't see that person face to face? And listen, no parent is going to say, oh, yeah, 100% of the time my kid is showing evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. But if I can honestly say yes, my child is showing that he is growing in evidence of that. And then you decide this is the age for him to have a phone. Most educators, I'll just be super clear, most educators that work with teens, they recommend an age of anywhere from 13 to 15. But when you do give that, those same adults that work with those teens will also say the following, that a device should not be allowed in a private room or a private place. There should be a family charging place. And we are on phones when we are around other people. And then that you should also have no phone zones for us. The dinner table is one of our very most important ones so that we are learning how to, again, continue to engage in conversation with one another without our phones, which is growing the relationship building that we want to grow. And so, we hold to those boundaries. Understanding that an all access, unmonitored pass to the Internet does break down identity. It does work against. And there's so much evidence to this. You know, even five years ago, I was less inclined to say hard and fast rules on the use of cell phones for teens. However, more and more and more and more, we continue to see research study after research study. There's documentaries. Now there's reports about the dangers of the unlimited, unmonitored access to screens and how it hurts our kids emotionally, intellectually, socially, spiritually and even physically. I mean, I think of less sleep. Right. Something that I've learned over these 10 years is that no kid stumbles into pornography with the use of their phone on purpose. So, so, so many times the first time is an accident and it happens again because that Internet use is unmonitored. And so, here's another hard truth as well. It often also happens because someone else in the house or the family may be viewing pornography and it's in that browser history or it's in the logarithm of the device they're using. And so, understanding what drives that first use, but then the ramifications of that first look. So, even if it's an inadvertent look, the hook to pornography is so addicting. And again, we talked about the damaging effects on our brains, our emotions and our relationship. So, I just think monitoring phones and Internet access is, yes, exhausting. I mean, I feel it. But at the same time, the risk is so great that there's no way that we can stop while they are in our home. Because the worry and the regret of, oh, I should have done X, Y, Z, I think outweighs any type of temporary exhaustion for me in my day to have to check and monitor phone use. Laura Dugger: (54:55 - 55:21) That's such a good point. It's going to cost us energy on one side or the other. But that is a wise choice to go with the hard choice first and hopefully more of an easier or more fruitful path. When you reflect on our conversation so far, what hope do we all have for the gospel of grace impacting us specifically as it relates to our sexuality? Janelle Rupp: (55:23 - 58:58) When I hear that question, I really love it. I instantly think shame is a result of sin, connecting that to the grace that is shown from our Creator and our Redeemer. And all of that, again, is really on display in Genesis 3. And so, I want to take us there as I answer that question. I tell my students shame has two definitions. There is shame as a verb to shame someone. And then there is shame as a noun to feel shame as a result of something that we have done wrong. Shame as a verb is something we never want to do. That's not a good thing, right? But shame as a noun is actually a God-given gift that is meant to bring us back into relationship with God. And you look at how Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. It makes me chuckle, honestly, because as they feel the shame of their sin, their next step is to create garments to cover themselves. And their shame was so great, but they went ahead and put these fig leaves on top of their bodies, these parts that now have to be private because of shame. And I just think to myself, those fig leaves had to have been so insufficient. We do this too, though. We come up with ways to clothe ourselves to cover up the shame that we feel. It might be past sexual sin. It might be present sexual sin. And we try our best to hide it. We try our best to make ourselves look presentable with our covering so that people won't see our sin and see our shame. I mean, all of that is that feeling that comes from that feeling of shame as a result of sin. But what's beautiful when we look at Genesis 3, when Adam finally comes clean about his sin and shame. And I will say, listen, he doesn't do it perfectly because God has to literally say, where are you? Knowing where he is, but like basically saying, Adam, come out, come clean, right? But as Adam does come clean about his sin and the shame that he's feeling, right? What does God do? God covers Adam and Eve with garments that He provides and He makes from the very first shedding of blood that we see recorded in Scripture. And I'm doing it now. I weep every single time that I talk about this part, because God knows how to deal with shame so much better than we do. He knows how to deal with our shame in a way and cover us in a way that is a once for always. And it's Genesis 3 is just a beautiful foreshadowing of how Christ is going to be sent. And there he comes in Matthew, right? To cover shame forever. And so, as we remember that Jesus spilled his blood on a cross and then resurrected, conquering death and sin and the grave. We also get covered by that blood so that we no longer have to hide. We no longer have to feel that shame. And we can stand, Romans 8 says, without condemnation. “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ,” because Christ has covered us with garments completely and perfectly for forever. And so, our hope in this for our own sin, our past sin, any present sin, any future sin, and our hope for any sin that may rise up out of the heart of our child. It's in the gospel that the gracious and loving covering that God gives us through Jesus is complete, making us right before God for all time. Laura Dugger: (58:58 - 1:00:05) I love that so much, Janelle. And it makes me think of, I can't remember the research study, but they tracked people's brains when they were feeling like shame or regret or guilt. And found that sometimes people who struggle with anxious thoughts, that they have an over-functioning part of their brain where they can have those feelings of shame, sometimes when they haven't done anything shameful. So, there's almost like a real guilt or a false guilt. And all of this conversation brings me to 2 Corinthians 7:10, where God addressed that first, because in the Bible it says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” And so, if we're going like even a level deeper to tease out that shame, sometimes we've felt that before. Maybe, let's say, if something was done to us, and that's not the same shame that requires repentance, which is the godly sorrow. So, does that make sense? Janelle Rupp: (1:00:05 - 1:00:28) Yes, exactly. That's exactly my point. And getting the kids to understand the difference between those shames but then seeing shame as not something that I have to push against. Because if it is that godly shame that comes after me making a wrong choice, that is that shame to bring me closer to God in and through repentance. And again, that's a beautiful thing. Laura Dugger: (1:00:29 - 1:00:39) It is, and it leads to freedom, which we may not think of in the moment, but that confession and bringing something to the light, that that is the best way to live. Janelle Rupp: (1:00:39 - 1:00:40) Exactly. Laura Dugger: (1:00:40 - 1:00:48) Are there any other important takeaways that you want parents and their children to be aware of as it applies to sex and sexuality? Janelle Rupp: (1:00:49 - 1:02:44) Yes, you know, I think of two things here. The first being that, you know, sexual sin is really just one of many sins that Christ covers that he died for. You know, the blood of Christ covers the adulterer just as much as it covers the gossiper. It covers the pregnant teenager and her boyfriend just as much as it covers you and I. And I think in the past, the church has overemphasized this sin and underemphasized others. But yet on the flip side, I mean, I think we really can't deny these are sins. And even when we look at Scripture, it doesn't deny this. These are sins that carry a greater consequence and potential for enticing us towards, again, more habitual, ongoing sin in ways that just affect us deeper than other sins, which is why 1 Corinthians 6:18 says “Flee from sexual immorality.” And I'm going to pause there for just a second, because the Greek word for sexual immorality is the word pornea. And you and I can't hear the word pornea without immediately thinking of porn. And so, I think it's fascinating that the root word for pornography is literally translated as sexual immorality. It's really an important thing. But 1 Corinthians 6:18, again, it starts saying “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside of the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” And this means that sexual sin at its root is a problem of identity, which is, again, why you have to link that human sexuality with gospel identity. Our aim cannot be for our children to make it to marriage having never had sex or never getting pregnant. To me, that's a low fruit. That is a low aim. Our aim needs to be raising children with a gospel identity that is rooted in the creative and redemptive work of Jesus Christ and seeing the outgrowth from there. Laura Dugger: (1:02:44 - 1:02:56) Wow. Well said. And if we boil all of this down, what is just one action step that you first recommend for anyone who finishes this message today? Janelle Rupp: (1:02:57 - 1:04:19) Yeah, I'm going to give you a three-in-one just tying back to those three key regularly statements. One of the primary resources that I love to recommend in terms of educating ourselves is for parents to go to axis.org. That is A-X-I-S dot org, and sign up to receive their free Culture Translator weekly newsletter. And that will be sent to your email on a weekly basis for free. And it gives a whole rundown of what's been happening in teen culture for that week. And just by simply opening up your email, you're going to start educating yourself. And they also have a host of other excellent resources and podcasts and a ton of material on their website that I would recommend. But that's just one little step. And then for the enter in, I would recommend scheduling a date now. Put it on your calendar. Find a time to take your child on a shopping date, an ice cream date, so that you can begin to enter into their lives and keep building that relationship with them. And then lastly, between now and that date, just open up God's Word. Reflect on the grace of God. Let it wash over your heart. Let it wash over your mind. Get engaged with worship. All of those will equip you well to do that hard work of entering in with your child when you meet them for that date. Laura Dugger: (1:04:20 - 1:04:29) I've loved this chat so much. And if anybody's wondering about
It's always the same with kids these days, isn't it. "Aww gee Dad, can't I have just one more exorcism before bed?" "Okay, but this is the Last Exorcism." And then they get up five minutes later and they're insisting they're still possessed. Sure, it's cute, but you can't wait until they grow out of it....none of that is related to the 2010 mockumentary 'The Last Exorcism', but don't worry--you've got a whole episode on that to listen to! So tell your kids to go back to bed and have their exorcism in the morning, and listen to Half Price Horror!
Weekly Comic Reviews: DC DC K.O. Knightfight 1 by Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora, Triona Farrell Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes 1 by Erica Henderson Marvel Alien vs. Captain America 1 by Frank Tieri, Stefano Raffaelle, Neeraj Menon Echo: Seeker of Truth 1 by Taboo, B. Earl, Jim Terry, Elisabetta D'Amico, Matt Milla Melissa Flores, Kyle Charles, Carlos Lopez Planet She-Hulk 1 by Stephanie Phillips, Aaron Kuder, Sonia Oback Marvel Unlimited It's Jeff Halloween 5 Marvel Meow 31 Ahoy Death Dog 1 by Bryce Ingman, Alan Robinson Dark Horse Space Scouts 1 by Matt Kindt, David Rubin Dynamite ThunderCats: Pumyra 1 by Ed Brisson, Alice Leclert, Arancia Studio IDW Monster High: Shock and Aww 1 by Heather Nuhfer, Kellee Riley Image Impact Winter Evenfall by Travis Beacham, Sumeyye Kesgin, Sarah Stern Comixology Batya's Unicorn by Arnon Shorr, Joshua Edelglass Mad Cave Circus Maximus 1 by Mark Sable, Emilio Lecce Oni Crownsville 1 by Rodney Barnes, Elia Bonetti Titan Doctor Who: The Prison Paradox 1 by Dan Watters, Sami Kivela, Valentina Bianconi OGN Countdown: A Little Step by Mimi Szeto Neopets Vol 2: The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity by Rebecca Mix, Sabrina Alexandra Hutchings Miro Chronicles by Emily Arons, Isabella Laman Aw, Nuts!: The Crumbelievable Adventures of Peanut and Jelly Giants Vol 2: Siegfried and Adryel by Lylian, Paul Drouin Polygon by Antoine Pedron eXpets Vol 2: The Skunk Who Challenged the World by Mark Tatulli Additional Reviews: Scarlet Morning by N.D. Stevenson Smile 2 It: Welcome to Derry ep3 Hazbin Hotel s2 ep 3/4 Star Wars: Vision S3 News: Abrams Star Trek officially dead, Gremlins 3 greenlit, Stranger Things animated series announced, Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon lead in mini by Chip Z, new Avengers Lego special, Funko going out of business, other Iron Fist getting a new miniseries, Bendis and Bagley back at Marvel, AWA folding Comics Countdown (05 Nov 2025): Assorted Crisis Events 6 by Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki, Jordie Bellaire White House Robot Romance 2 by Chip Zdarsky, Rachael Stott, Tamra Bonvillain Absolute Superman 13 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola Absolute Green Lantern 8 by Al Ewing, Jahnoy Lindsay Space Scouts 1 by Matt Kindt, David Rubin Archie vs. Minor Threats 3 by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Timmy Heague, Scott Koblish, Hi-Fi Batman 3 by Matt Fraction, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey Gotham Academy: First Year 2 by Becky Cloonan, Karl Kerschl, Brenden Fletcher, Marco Ferrari, Eva de la Cruz Crownsville 1 by Rodney Barnes, Elia Bonetti Quick Stops 3 by Kevin Smith, Mark Reihill
AwwHellnahween is BACK!It's October, and you know what that means. The spooky season has descended, and so has our favorite terrifying tradition: AwwHellnahween!To kick off the horror this year, we're diving straight into the deep end by drafting the most terrifying concept of all: killer kids. Because why should adults have all the fun when it comes to murder and mayhem?Join us as we size up these young psychos and build our nightmare teams. Grab your popcorn and prepare your "Aww hell nah!" reactions. Let's get into it! Want more How Was It? I in your life?Email us your show ideas, burning questions, comments, recommendations, and anything else at SHWIPodcast@gmail.com.Follow us on Twitter/X : @HowWas_ItJoin the conversation on Threads: @HowWasItPodcastFollow us on Bluesky: @Shwip.bsky.social
AWW! Gavin Newsom confesses his love of Minions while playing Fortnite on Twitch with ConnorEatsPants ! Plus Trump becomes a Mean Girl, two hawks were stolen from SoFi Stadium, arsonist gets caught by ChatGPT, what is a Saturn Burger, and more! Want to stay up to date with the podcast? Give us a follow on our social media platforms, and check out the video version of this show on YouTube in the links below! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ittakesallkindspodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ITAKPodcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSQ1H-tYJrxroyz82ygvJoI9splHke-Ez 00:00 Intro 08:34 Trump is a Mean Girl 21:29 Gavin Newsom plays Fortnite 38:36 Hawks stolen from SoFi Stadium 49:28 Palisades Fire Starter Gets Caught by ChatGPT 59:37 Clips of the Week 01:09:56 Carson Cinema Corner 01:35:25 Watcha Listening To? 01:21:46 Outro
Improve your English listening skills as Isi tries to guess where these 7 strong accents from the UK are from... Interactive Transcript Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership Transcript Intro Mitch: [0:22] Hiya everybody, welcome to the Easy English Podcast. Isi: [0:27] Hello. Mitch: [0:28] I'm overdoing my enthusiasm I feel, because we are in a low energy state. We've just come back from Berlin and we both caught the dreaded Corona. Isi: [0:44] Dreaded. Mitch: [0:45] So, we've been a little bit under the weather. So, I'm going to try to infuse some extra energy to the podcast, right Isi? Isi: [0:54] Please. I don't have it today. Mitch: [0:56] Aww... but before we carry on actually, because we have just come back from Berlin and we met lots of really nice people, it wasn't anything to do with Easy English we were actually there for the Easy German Summer School. But we met loads of you who were also Easy English Podcast listeners, so huge shout-out! Isi: [1:17] Shout-out to everyone. And we also did a new episode for Easy English. Mitch: [1:21] We also made an episode in Berlin, about Berlin, comparing um... cultural, culture shocks, that we noticed in our time there, the one week we spent, before we caught the dreaded (Co)rona. But that's not what we're discussing today. Today, a little bit of a follow-on from last episode, where Isi tested me on cultural slang words. Isi: [1:46] Yes. Mitch: [1:46] The reason she did that, was because, we like to play a game now, where she quickly, guesses the accent of a person, when we're in the UK. And she's on fire. She's on a hot streak of victories. Isi: [2:02] Well... God, you make me scared. Mitch: [2:06] So I searched online and found some... because Brighton is very southern, most of the time. Only rarely do you hear someone from the far reaches of the UK, so I went and found accents from the far reaches of the UK. So we're going to play a little game, maybe you can play along with us, and pause and try to guess yourself, where you think this person's from, and we're going to discuss little hints and tips as to why we think they sound like where they're coming from. Because there are some giveaways in all of these, because they're quite strong, regional accents. Support Easy English and get interactive transcripts and bonus content for all our episodes: easyenglish.fm/membership
“Aww, come on! I just healed that!” The scouts fight off some particularly aggressive flowers... Episode Artwork by MikeBroken Tusk Rising Cover Artwork by Shaun @shaunmakesTales of Bob Cover Artwork by @CosmicAmazingAudio Production by Cristina Featuring:Mike as The GMAshley as AklepJessica as XankathJosh as IvanPavel as Luukallo — Need More Bob in Your Life? Check out our other (NSFW) podcast, House of Bob Apple Podcasts Spotify — Support the Show: Patreon Merch Store Etsy Contact Us: Discord hobcast.com Twitter Instagram Facebook Email — Thank you so much to our current Patreon supporters! This podcast would not be possible without you. AnetteBrandonChristineConnorD ChanDan Klip-KlopEliasElliEthanGarbanzoJessica CJessica DJoshKeithMarkPadraigPavelScooterShakaTeam EAMONNThe Pink PastorThomasTom ITom W — Music by: Mike Hammockhttps://mikehammock.bandcamp.com/ Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Tales of Bob uses trademarks and/or copyrights owned by Paizo Inc., used under Paizo's Community Use Policy (paizo.com/communityuse). We are expressly prohibited from charging you to use or access this content. Tales of Bob is not published, endorsed, or specifically approved by Paizo. For more information about Paizo Inc. and Paizo products, visit paizo.com. The Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path Book Two was written by Jessica Catalan.
“Aww, come on! I just healed that!”The scouts fight off some particularly aggressive flowers. Episode Artwork by MikeBroken Tusk Rising Cover Artwork by Shaun @shaunmakesTales of Bob Cover Artwork by @CosmicAmazingAudio Production by Cristina Featuring:Mike as The GMAshley as AklepJessica as XankathJosh as IvanPavel as Luukallo—Need More Bob in Your Life? Check out our other (NSFW) podcast, House of BobApple PodcastsSpotify—Support the Show:PatreonMerch StoreEtsyContact Us:Discordhobcast.comTwitterInstagramFacebookEmail—Thank you so much to our current Patreon supporters! This podcast would not be possible without you.AnetteBrandonChristineConnorD ChanDan Klip-KlopEliasElliEthanGarbanzoJessica CJessica DJoshKeithMarkPadraigPavelScooterShakaTeam EAMONNThe Pink PastorThomasTom ITom W—Music by:Mike Hammockhttps://mikehammock.bandcamp.com/Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Tales of Bob uses trademarks and/or copyrights owned by Paizo Inc., used under Paizo's Community Use Policy (paizo.com/communityuse). We are expressly prohibited from charging you to use or access this content. Tales of Bob is not published, endorsed, or specifically approved by Paizo. For more information about Paizo Inc. and Paizo products, visit paizo.com. The Quest for the Frozen Flame adventure path Book Two was written by Jessica Catalan.
Unfortunately the touch of Nurgle is upon us and Dan is sick as hell while posting this, so expect fewer yuks this time around. "Aww shucks, where's my yuks?" is something you could say if you wanted. But only if you wanted. Anyways here are some topics: An AP3 shot right into my pavussy Being pretty sure about that tonsure And an actually helpful segment on movement! Enjoy! https://www.patreon.com/40kBadcast https://40kbadcast.bigcartel.com/ contact@40kbadcast.com
Karen Dukess's first book, The Last Book Party, was wildly successful by any measure—sold at auction, Indie Next pick, Discover New Writers pick… you probably read it. The second…Didn't sell. Not as in, not very many people bought it but as in, no publisher published it. She spent the requisite couple years or so, her agent signed on but… no takers. She felt like she was the only person in the whole entire world that that happened to… until she started asking around. Turns out, you know how people say writing books is hard? And publishing is tough? They're right!Never fear, Karen lived to tell the tail. Her next novel (do we call it second or third?), Welcome to Murder Week, is wonderful and available in a bookstore near you (and as you'll hear, I loved it and it's the perfect page-turner but not-anxiety-producing read for a swimming pool, beach, airplane ride or couch). But the real joy is that Karen is willing to dish. You'll hear:What happens when you want to be a bullet journal sticker getting writer with your butt in the chair but you're just … not.How to have fun writing a book that maybe no one will want (and why you'd better).How Karen found the right mindset to keep going.Karen's one rule as a beginning writer who couldn't quite get the hang of 1000 words a day. Links from the Pod:LauraPaloozaKaren Dukess, The Last Book PartyZibby EventsThe Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray#AmReadingKaren: The Original, Nell Stevens KJ: Welcome to Murder WeekKaren's Substack Keep Calm and Carry On, a Substack from Karen Dukess or find her on Instagram @karendukess, or her website www.karendukess.comDid you know Sarina's latest thriller is out NOW? Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she's a mess. She knows that stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she's out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.Digital books at: Amazon | Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Audible Physical books at: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | More paperback links here!New! Transcript below!EPISODE 452 - TRANSCRIPTJess LaheyHey, it's Jess here. A few years ago, I got to go to Laura Palooza. Laura Palooza is the conference that is run by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association. I was invited because I wrote about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie books, and at the very beginning of The Gift of Failure, there's a mention in the opening chapter. And I was invited to go, and it was fantastic. And I got to meet Dean Butler, who had played Almanzo, which was quite a moment for me, because I had been quite in love. Anyway, this year's Laura Palooza 2025 is going to be taking place July 8 through 11th, 2025. Laura Palooza 2025's theme is prairies, pioneers and pages. If you want more information on attending Laura Palooza 2025, you can go to L-I-W-L-R-A — L-I-W-L-R-A dot org slash laurapalooza. I will be putting it in the show notes for whatever episode this ends up on, and it's going to be really, really great. I'm jealous that I can't go again because it's not going to be near me. It's going to be in De Smet South, I hope that's how you pronounce it, South Dakota. But they're going to even have, like, a feature on the fashion at the time. They're going to have a section on planes, claims and all those land deals, a beginner's guide to mapping homestead claims. It's going to be cool, challenging gender norms. Laura Ingalls in fiction, and Rose Wilder Lane in reality. Folklore, fiction or forecasts, separating and linking science, storytelling and mythology in weather, lore, that's going to be by Dr. Barb Boustead, who has been on this very podcast. She's fantastic. Laura Palooza 2025... July, you should go, you should sign up. It's really fun. They're going to be doing a field trip also to the Ingalls Homestead, I believe. Check it out. It's pretty cool.Multiple Speakers:Is it recording? Now it's recording, yay. Go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. I don't remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay, now one, two, three.KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is Hashtag AmWriting, the weekly podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, nonfiction, in short or really actually, usually long. We are the podcast about sitting down and getting your work done. And I am KJ Dell'Antonia. I am the author of a bunch of novels, the most popular of which is The Chicken Sisters, and the most recent is Playing the Witch Card, and you should read them all. And I have with me today a guest that I'm really excited about for a topic that you all are going to love. So, with me today, I have Karen Dukess, and she is the author of The Last Book Party, which you might have read in 2019 because it was unmissable. It was everywhere. It was an Indie Next. It was a Discover New Writers pick, it was...it was all over the place. And that is partly what we're here to talk about today. And we're also here to talk about her new novel, Welcome to Murder Week, which I have just read and enjoyed, but mostly we're here to talk about the six years in between. So, welcome. I am so glad to have you here. So, Karen and I have met in person. We met at a Zibby book event and at an event for the amazing Annabel Monaghan, who also has a book out this summer. The lovely thing about the universe is that nobody reads just one book.Karen DukessThat is true. Thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo, you can be like, yes, read Annabel's book, read my book. Read. I mean, anybody who reads? I mean, yeah, there are people who read just one book, it's probably not going to be ours. Oh, well, people seem to like the Bible. I don't know that's a popular one. See that? A lot around a lot of Crawdads, also see that. Okay, so anyway, tell us what the story of the long six-year journey between your very, very successful debut novel, and what is about to be your very different sophomore novel.Karen DukessSo, I feel like I have an upside-down writing career in that most people write a lot of novels that don't get published before they write a novel that gets published, and mine went backwards. So, The Last Book Party was my first novel, and I wrote it...Didn't... I wrote it, finished it when I was in my early 50's, around 54 -55, spent about four years writing it, and I had done a lot of writing before, then stopping and starting and thinking that. I must not have what it takes, because this is too hard. I didn't realize that novel writing just is hard, and that is the way it is for all but a few unicorn people. So that novel, I was so happy when I finally finished it. I was so satisfied to just finally have written a novel, and I was truly thrilled, and I I felt like, if it doesn't get published, I'll publish it myself. I'm just so happy to have achieved this goal. And then it sold incredibly quickly. It was unbelievable. I mean, it was like beyond my wildest dreams. It went to auction. It sold very quickly for a good advance, and the publishing experience was great, including the fact that they were originally going to publish it in 2020, but they decided to bump it up to 2019 I don't know why. But I was like, sure, I've waited to my 50's to get this book out, like the sooner the better. And then I dodged the bullet of waiting all these years to publish a novel and have it come out during the pandemic. So, the paperback came out in the pandemic, which wasn't great, but I still felt so grateful that I had gotten this book out before then. So, then I started working on my second novel, which later someone had given me some someone, a friend...it might have even been Annabel. Someone gave her the advice that your second novel, don't make it very, very personal. And I kind of wish I had gotten that advice, even though I'm not sure I would have listened to it. But the thing about a second novel, and I don't know if you experienced this, KJ, but if you have success with your first novel, the second novel is scary because you're like, was I a one hit wonder? You know, was it a fluke? Can I do this again? And people would say, well, you know how to write novels now. And I'd be like, no, I know how to write THAT novel. I have no idea how to write another novel. And the novel I wanted to write at that time was drawing on the many years I spent studying and living in Russia and working as a journalist in Russia. I was in Russia in the 90's, and I wrote a novel that was about an American woman's journey in Russia and some American journalists in Russia. But it was set in Russia in 2017 and with flashbacks to the 90's, and it was hard to write. It was not fun. I think I had, like, sitting on my shoulder this sort of like, oh, can she do it again? You know that kind of thing. And I knew that the luck I had the first one, like, you know, I knew it was unlike, unluck, unlikely to be like that again. Plus, I had this sense of like, this is my Russia novel. And even though it wasn't a novel like, directly about Russia, it still was my chance to sort of give my take on things there. So, I think I also had sitting on my shoulder, like all the journalists I know knew in Russia, and people that studied Russia and the real Russia experts, and what were they going to think of my take?KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, yeah.Karen DukessSo it was, it was not writing, sort of like joyfully, it was a tough novel to write. And then it was also, it was fiction, but it was sort of personal, midlife kind of novel. So, there was just a lot of baggage with that novel. And the writing of it was tough, you know, it was just, it took longer than I thought it it just, I just remember a lot of sort of hair pulling, kind of, you know, those writing days. I had a lot of them. I finished it. My agent said he loved it. I don't think he loved it as much as the other two novels I've written, but, you know, he was ready to send it out on submission. But as I was finishing it, I was getting more and more concerned, because I finished it right around when Russia invaded Ukraine. And my novel, which was set in 2017 Russia, now things were so different, and they had been increasingly becoming different. Suddenly it felt very anachronistic, because I wasn't writing with these big current events in mind. Plus, there was this whole kind of like, oh, Russia, yuck, nobody, you know. And I felt that too. So, I was nervous about it, and my agent was like, just finish it. You've spent this much time on it. Let's finish it and see what happens. And so, we sent it out, and the response I got was kind of... Uh not great, you know, it went to my publisher first. They'd write a first refusal, and we're like, this novel. It about American woman in Russia right now, it's just not the right time. And, you know, there may have been other things about the novel as well, but it was kind of a, like, not a good sell. So, we sent it out to maybe five or six more editors, you know, I got lovely rejection letters, you know. Well, I really enjoyed it. This part was so interesting. But, yeah, I don't know, I don't know how to market this novel right now. And it was, you know, it was crushing, of course, but it also kind of echoed my feelings about the novel. The whole thing gave me a knot in my stomach, yeah, so my agent said, well, we haven't really exhausted the possibilities yet. We can send it out another round, or you can revise it, or you can set it aside. And I felt really sure at that point that I just wanted to, I didn't want to keep submitting it. I just felt like not the right time. And it was disappointing, but it was also kind of a relief, because if someone had decided to publish that novel, I think I would have been really nervous for the whole time before it came out.KJ Dell'AntoniaI think the only thing worse than having your second novel not published is having it published to like, you know, universal hatred.Karen DukessYeah exactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaOr just, or just to your own disappointment, you know?Karen DukessYeah. And then there's a long lead time between the time and novel gets accepted and the time it gets published. And to just feel like, nervous that whole time, I just...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessSo, I was relieved and disappointed. And I remember very well thinking like, oh, well, this is what people talk about. When they talk about, you have to be able to deal with rejection as a writer, because I hadn't dealt with it yet. I had been so lucky, and I really had this sense of like, all right, well, now I get to find out if I'm really a writer, like, can I deal with this and or can I not? And so, I was like, I'm going to write something else. But I was determined to write something very, very different. Like, I needed the whole experience to be different, yeah, and it ended up being kind of liberating, because I went on a trip with my sister to England. We went to the Peak District in England for a week. We rented a little cottage, and this was right before the novel went on submission, I think, or maybe right after, maybe it was on submission, I don't know. So, it was around the time when I wasn't feeling good about the novel, but I wasn't sure it was like a dead deal yet. And we had this absolutely fantastic week in the Peak District, where I was my first time traveling in the English countryside. I'd been to London, but I'd never been in the English countryside, and I felt like I was just stepping into the pages of all my favorite English novels, like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre. And also, like I was stepping into scenes of every BritBox masterpiece, mystery thing, I had written, you know, think, oh my god, there's a vicar. And just really, I was in a... my sister, we have similar reading tastes, and we were just both in this mood, like everything was just kind of entertaining us, and we were laughing at ourselves for seeing England through all these fictional characters. So, when I came back, I think I came back, and that's when I kind of realized this Russian novel was dead or shortly thereafter. And I thought, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to write something about Americans going to England. I want to continue that mood. And I really felt like, if I'm going to do now that I knew you could spend years writing a novel and have it not get published, which I knew intellectually before, but I didn't, hadn't experienced it. I I just felt like, if I'm going to spend another couple years writing a novel like fun has to be the number one thing. It just has to be fun. I'm like, not going to be miserable again. I can't do something like the Russian novel again. I have to just entertain myself and make myself happy, and hopefully it will entertain other people and make them happy too. And that's how I landed on the idea of sending these writing about Americans that go to England to solve a fake murder mystery, which is what Welcome to Murder Week is about. And I just had such a good time writing it. And I wrote it quicker than I've ever written. I wrote it in a little over a year, and it was honestly delightful. Like, I couldn't believe it. Like, writing could actually be really fun.KJ Dell'AntoniaWho knew? The result is also delightful. It just, it's, it's kind of like every warm and lovely book setting on to you you've ever read. It is it Is that I really enjoyed it, So...Karen DukessI'm so glad.KJ Dell'AntoniaI don't know what the Russian novel was like. That doesn't sound fun.Karen DukessI mean it wasn't really heavy, because I'm not like a heavy writer... like it still had...KJ Dell'AntoniaRight.Karen DukessIn it, and it had emotion, etc., but I'm not sad that it's not out.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessLet's put it that way, yeah. So, yeah, this one was just fun. And I, you know, my initial idea was to send a group of Americans to England. Initially it was going to be a writing group. I like the idea of putting characters together who would not ordinarily know each other, but to have them together in a space and then a friend of mine said, Okay, so that's an idea. You're going to send some writers on a writing retreat to England, and what are they going to do there? Like, write? Like, that's not very interesting. And that's how I, kind of, you know, ended up moving to this thing where I could have them participate in this weeklong, solve a fake English village murder mystery. And I could have, you know, the villagers, some of them participating in this, and some eagerly participating, some cynical and send a bunch of Americans, you know, Britbox crazed Americans, to compete in this thing. And, yeah, that's, that's how it ended up. And it was fun.KJ Dell'AntoniaI, yeah. I mean, it reads like you had fun. I, as someone who has... so Playing the Witch Card has like a big game sort of Halloween event at the center of it. That would be really hard to do in reality. This is kind of like that.Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaLike, this is like the dream murder week, both from some of the point of view of someone who might want to put one on and from someone the point of view of someone who might want to go and do one. It's not, it's um, you know, it's not. Sometimes you read these and they're like, they're like, silly and hokey. It's like, very sincere, super fun murder week that anyone would wish that they could do that likes that kind of thing. Anyway, I yeah, I totally enjoyed it. All the characters were really fun. I could see that you must have had fun writing it.Karen DukessI did. And I also, you know, people often say, like, write the novel you want to read. And I really did that with this because I wanted it to have so it has a fake mystery, but then it has a real mystery as well.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessLike the main character, thirty-four-year-old Cath, little do you know, she goes on this trip because her estranged mother, before she died, booked them on it, and she's sort of reluctant to go, but can't get a refund. And then I sort of developed this whole story about she teams up with her house, shares a cottage with people to solve the fake mystery, but that she also solves the real mystery of why her mother wanted her to go, her late mother, and that was sort of like the writing the story you want to read. Because I like light and funny, but I also like something that has, like, some emotional heart to it, like I wanted to try to story that was fun, but that has something going on. And the more I wrote, the more Cath's serious story became part of the story, I think, in the first deeply satisfying, yeah, and the first version, the first draft that my agent read, and I had never shared a draft before with him, and, you know, I think I was just hoping he would be like, it's almost perfect. And he was like, well, I think Cath is the hardest story. I think you need to develop that more. And then I went back and did and sort of... blended the two. So, the whole experience was just, yeah, of course. Now I'm like, can I have fun again?KJ Dell'AntoniaYes, yes, you can. Nobody ever tells me my first draft is perfect, and I really hate that.Karen DukessYeah, I know. I think it's, I don't even know if I should have shared it with him, like, I just wanted him to say, like, it's amazing. And he was like, yeah, it could be really good.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, but you just want them to know that you're doing, yeah, I'm a I'm going to share the first draft of the thing I'm doing with my agent, and it might be a terrible idea, but I'm going to do it anyway, because I want her to know I'm doing a thing. And yeah, I'm excited. And yeah um...Karen Dukess I also think that, like, you know, when I said that, it was liberating, in a way, to sort of have the experience that I had with the Russian novel. I think it was also maybe by the time, you know, getting to the third novel, or maybe it's getting to my age. I felt sort of like, I think I gave my permission, myself, permission to write a novel that, yeah, it has a serious story at the heart of it, but it's not like a deeply serious book, you know? And I think there's a tendency to think like, you know, I would look at the world around me sometimes, when I was drafting it, and feel like there's so many serious things to write about, and I'm writing this funny story, like, is that super fluffy? And, you know, it was like, this is what I wanted to write? That's okay, you know? I don't have to prove anything. Like, here is my serious tome. You know, I really just wanted to give people like, an emotional, amusing, heartwarming experience. And that is okay.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt is funny how locked we get into that, both as writers and as readers, this idea that if it's not serious or experimental or deep or dark, it's, I don't know, somehow not worthy. There was somebody was reading somebody's Substack the other day, and they were sort of deeply apologizing for the book they had recommended, which sounded really amazing. And I was like, why you, you know, you clearly enjoyed this, and it sounded great. And I don't. I mean, as a reader, I don't want to read things that are dark and deep and serious A. all the time...Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd B. sometimes not at all.Karen DukessYeah, I do like to read dark and serious, but I've learned that I don't like to write that like writing a novel is, it's always so much more time than you think. I mean, even this one was quicker than usual. It's a lot of time, like you're living it. And I was just like, I can't live in a dark place, like I can read a dark book in a couple days, you know? And...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessWipe my eyes and move on. But...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessYou know...KJ Dell'AntoniaA light one.Karen DukessYou could assume... but you know. When I'm writing a novel, I'm going to bed thinking about their the characters, and I'm thinking about it when I'm exercising, and it's just like churning in there, and I just don't want to be in a dark place for two years.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, and most of the time people, I mean, I guess it just depends on, on who you are. But a heart, it's hardly ever dark all the time. I mean, even people that I have known that we're going through some really horrible things have found, you know, levity and joy and pleasure in in some parts of it. And I think we all hesitate to say, well, that's everyone. Or you got to, you know, we don't want to impose that on every, on anyone, because that's kind of also where we are is, is this delicate dance of not wanting to expect anybody else to be the way you think they're going to be. But I it just seems like people find levity, even in even the worst, even in the worst moments. And people want, um, solace, you know?Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'Antonia Something... something pleasant... something.Karen DukessYeah, I work with an editor, kind of a more like a writing coach, like she doesn't actually edit, but she sort of helps me figure out the story and stuff. And there was one point when she was reading a draft, and there's a scene in the book. I don't know if it's a minor thing, but when my main character Cath, who there's a little romance in it. And when she's first together with this guy, and they're sort of rolling around in bed, the first draft that, the first version of it, she accidentally hit her head on the headboard, and then she's like, “Oh my god, are you okay?” And she was like, “no”. My coach was like, no, no. I don't want to be anxious that maybe this guy is a little violent. Like, no, no, you've got to take that out. I don't want to be anxious in the reading of this book. And it was such a minor thing that I think she was like...KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd you had him hit his head instead, right? Yeah.Karen DukessBecause I don't think anyone was going to worry that she's violent. But it was funny. It was like, she was very much like this book is, there are books where you want the reader to feel anxious, but she's like, this book is not that I don't want anxiety in this book you know?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, yeah.Karen DukessLike she's still concerned about Cath and her story. You can feel sad about what she learns, but not anxiety.KJ Dell'AntoniaYou know I think you've really put your finger on something, because that is exactly right. This book is a page turner, like you want to find out what happens. You want to be with the characters you want to it's a hang and it's like, like, I read something recently where, um, in the middle, you, I found myself sort of, I was still reading it because it was a good hang, but in the middle I was just kind of, like, I forget why we're here. I forget what I'm wondering. You're not really wondering anything, but I like it, so I'll keep this. Your book was not like that at all. This is a fantastic hang but you're right. It never, it's not... that's exactly right. It's not, it's not anxiety producing. And I think that's its own vibe. Like you can have romances that are fun and they're good, but they actually, you do have anxiety around, you know, like, how the characters are going to pull themselves out of this, or how they're going to feel or, yeah, and you can have them or you don't. I like that as, like, a sort of a line in the sand.Karen DukessYeah, yeah. And then I kind of thought about it as I continued, like, yeah, okay, that's right. We're not going to go to like, the really unsettling places.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah. I mean, even if you really want to know what would what will happen, and you really want, like, the things that happen to turn out in satisfying ways, but it doesn't feel like, if they turn out in some like, there were a variety of available options, none of which felt horrible.Karen DukessYeah, exactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaThank you for that. Thank you for a lovely reading experience. So, what else did you take away? Like, what else did you change between the drafting of the book that does not end up being published, which you know, for all we know, is actually great, but the timing was really bad. What should you change?Karen DukessWhat changed for me... in writing?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, what are you changing? Did you change anything in your process?Karen DukessUm, I think I, I don't know if it was completely because of the experience with this book, but definitely it fed into it. Um, I worked with the same writing coach on the Russia book, and she keeps saying that book will be published someday. I'm like, yeah, maybe, maybe not. I don't really care, honestly at this point, but one thing that she really pushed on me, which I discovered in the writing of murder week, was really true, is that to be open and playful and just really to be creative, I needed that. I needed to be in the right mindset, like, I know your thing is always butt in chair, butt in chair. And it is true, you have to, you know, you have to push yourself to finish a novel. It's not easy. And there are times when you just have to push forward. But for me, in the drafting of it, like the butt in chair thing, for me, is more important in the revising and the final draft, when it's like, you've got to get through it, and you've just got to keep sitting there and doing it. But when I'm in this sort of creating stage, when I'm not sure what the story is, when I'm in those moods where I'm just like, sit down and work at this like, I don't write good stuff. I just don't. And she would sometimes say to me, like, if I would talk to her, and I was really angsty and I was really self-critical, or I don't like what I've written, or I don't know where I'm going with this, or whatever , she was really she would very much say, like, when you're in that kind of mood, just walk away. Don't sit at your computer. Like, that is not the time for butt in chair. That is the time for just go do something else and like, lighten up on yourself. And that was really true for this. And I'm trying to remind myself that as I work on the next novel that you know for me, being kind to myself and feeling playful and open is when I'm going to write the best stuff and surprise myself. And that applies whether I'm writing like a serious scene or a funny scene. And the tricky thing about it is, you know, it's always a little scary to write, so it's like, Am I walking away because I need to lighten up my mind, or am I just plain procrastinating?KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, or am I walking away because I just don't know how to...Karen DukessSo, I think that is something though, that I do feel like I write better from a free place than from a sort of, like, grim, determined place.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, that makes sense.Karen DukessI think I was learning that and trying to learn that when I was writing the Russia novel, but it really came true with this one, which is why I think I was able to write it quicker, because it's actually, you know, the weaving together of the fake murder mystery and the real mystery and the arcs of all the different characters. Like, it wasn't simple putting all together, but yet it was simpler for me to write, because I was just looser about it.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight. I think you learned to trust that you would finish this, even if you didn't finish it today.Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaDoes that make sense?Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaI, yeah.Karen DukessAnd I just think, like, trusting the process is so important, you know. And I talk about this with friends in my writing group, you know, sometimes when you're like, working so hard to figure it out, because it feels good to figure the novel out before you write it, because then you don't have the anxiety of, what if I don't figure it out? But it doesn't always work best that way. I don't think, like, I think there are times for that, and there are times to just, like, just keep going and like, let it go a little and let some interesting things happen, and then you'll figure out how to put it all together for me anyway. But obviously I'm not a plotter kind of person, so...KJ Dell'AntoniaI think, yeah, I think that varies. But what's what I'm really hearing here is that, like, even you knew, okay, if I don't, maybe I don't sit down today. That doesn't mean I'm never sitting again, down again. And I think that is, that's part of what I struggle with in my like 1000 words a day. Just, just keep doing it time. And I, and I think I, too, have come around to the idea that I'm going to finish it like...Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaI'm not. I'm not suddenly, you know, just because I only got to 700 words today, that doesn't mean tomorrow I'm going to be like, yeah, I'm not a writer anymore. Oops!Karen Dukess Yeah, exactly. Well, I think, and I think I've learned that, like, I can't tell you how many times, I mean, I've listened to your podcast forever, and, like, years ago, I would listen to it, and I would be like, Yes, I'm going to do the stickers, or, Yes, I'm going to do 500 words a day, or, Yes, I'm going to text a friend or you know, none of that stuff. I could never sustain it.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt doesn't work for you.Karen DukessI have no routine; I have no methods. But what I've learned now is like, but I get books done, so it's okay, like, yeah, I will sometimes go a couple days where I don't write, or I will, you know, think I'm on a routine of 500 or 1000 words a day for a while, and then I'm not, and that's okay, because it's just like, I know that I can still get them done in my crazy way.KJ Dell'AntoniaThat is what we have tried to start saying more often, is, listen, this doesn't work for everybody. If you're doing something different and you're getting the work done, then you're great, yeah, if you're doing something different and you're not finishing things, then maybe try this.Karen DukessYeah, well I remember, like, when I was working on The Last Book Party, right before I got kind of serious on it, I was in a writing group, and I was starting, then I was like, I was learning in the writing group through, finally being in a community with other writers. So, like everybody struggles. Published writers struggle. Really great writers struggle like and that, and I loved reading interviews with writers like I couldn't get enough of interviews and essays about writer's struggles, because I had to, like, keep convincing myself that like, my struggles didn't mean I wasn't a writer. But then there was one point where I remember making a rule for myself. And I was like; I am not allowed to read about writing if I haven't written that day. You know, spend a lot of time...KJ Dell'AntoniaYes.Karen DukessWorking on your novel, but what you're actually doing is like, reading about writing and reading interviews and listening to podcasts. So, it's like, I cannot listen to KJ's podcast until I've done some writing. So, I've had to, I have had to make some rules.KJ Dell'Antonia Yeah, well, that's, I mean, that's how you turned yourself into somebody who gets the work done, and now into somebody who has her own like now you have a way people ask you, so what's your process? How did you get this done?Karen DukessI don't think anyone has tried my process, but yeah. And it can be different for every book, I guess, you know?KJ Dell'AntoniaHorrifyingly, I think that it can when you see pointed out, yeah, you that you knew how to write that book, that is so true, and that has been a huge thing for me, is to realize that even after writing a bunch of books, people still struggle, it's still hard, every book is hard. Every book has, I mean, we have a joke among the podcasts, you know, because you get to a point where you're like, okay, I hate this now, and we'll all be right, right-on target,Karen DukessExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaBaby's developing nicely. Here's our 18-month checklist. Aww and you're crawling, and you hate your book. Yay!Karen DukessYeah, yeah. I don't think the process gets easier, but I think knowing that you can get through it makes it a little easier. Maybe it diminishes the panic a little bit like, you know, you'll figure it out. You'll figure it out.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, this, I mean, this has been great. I'm sure it's going to be inspirational for everyone. It is inspirational for me, because I also... so I have a book that I worked on for the last year and a half, and I, we didn't, we didn't try to sell it because, because it's not very good.Karen DukessAre you still working on it? Or...KJ Dell'AntoniaIt's leaving, it's living. I make these gestures as though, like, there's like, a blobby object over here that is my, but is my finished, but also not revised and not good uh...Karen DukessI had this theory about books, like, it's the same theory I had with au pairs.KJ Dell'AntoniaOkay.Karen DukessWe had a lot of au pairs when my kids were growing up and I was working out of the home, you know, not writing. And I felt like every time I selected, you know, they would come for a year. One or two of them stayed for two years. But every time I selected a new au pair, it was in reaction to the problems of the other... the previous au pair. So, like, when I had an au pair that was like a horrible driver, so much so that we had to, like, get rid of her. Then I was like, okay, where is it hardest to get a driver's license? Germany. Okay, I'm having a German au pair, you know. Then I had, like, a German au pair who was great, but it was like, she was too, I don't know, whatever if I had an au pair, that was like, two lax, then the next one was like, oh, this person has, like, you know, worked in a boys school. I want that.KJ Dell'AntoniaRight? yeah.Karen DukessAnd I feel like, you know, I wrote Welcome to Murder Week because I had had this tough experience with this Russia novel. Then it was like, I'm going to do something really fun. So, and I don't know that I would have written that if I hadn't needed so badly to have fun. I don't know that I would have said, no, yeah, forget doing something, you know, serious or with some geopolitical things in it. I'm going to write a, you know, a murder week story. I don't know that I would have written it if I could have gone on that vacation and just had a great time and come back and not felt the need.KJ Dell'AntoniaWritten something else.Karen DukessSo, you know, maybe the one that's not working is going to lead you to write the next fabulous thing.KJ Dell'AntoniaWell, I hope I'm already well into... I'm well into something else, but, yeah, it's, you know, you spend a lot of time on something, not everything works. It's one of the reasons this is a terrible job, and you absolutely shouldn't do it unless you know, you can't do anything else,Karen DukessExactly.KJ Dell'AntoniaOr unless you really want to.Karen DukessYeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaThere. That's that. That's really good advice. That's going to make a great bumper sticker. All right. So have you read anything good lately besides Welcome to Murder Week, which, in fact, is what I will be raving about in just a second.Karen DukessUm, yes, I read a book called The Original by Nell Stevens. It out in June. She's a British writer, and it's really good. It's sort of an also kind of genre, blending the way my book is, but it's very different. It's like a gothic novel. It's set in an old house in England in the 1800's and it involves an orphan who's being raised by relatives, and she has an incredible talent for painting forgeries, and she sort of has this secret business in selling forgeries, but it also involves an imposter who returns from abroad in the family, and there's a queer romance in it, and it's totally unlike anything I've read, and very compelling.KJ Dell'AntoniaOof, I love that.Karen DukessIn a really compelling way.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd by the time people hear that, that this, this will either be out, or like, buy your next week self a present. That sounds great.Karen DukessYeah, it was very... it's very good. It's kind of like a rainy day book. You know?KJ Dell'AntoniaI love that. Well, I already raved about Welcome to Murder Week, but I'm telling you all, it's a real it's a real joy. I want to compare it to things. But there's almost like it's, I'll think of things that I that I want to...Karen DukessIt's hard to compare because it's not a traditional mystery,KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, no, um, I feel like Clare Pooley's books are, and I can't even think of the titles of them, but that, yeah, that is kind of ringing the right bell for me. I don't know who else a little bit of the like the murder, like, if you really thought The Murder of Mr. Wickham was super fun, which I absolutely adored, that is completely different, and yet also it's the same, like, it's the same... I think the vibe we're looking for here is page turner, no anxiety. And I love that. I love that for all of us...in England.Karen Dukess Yes, yeah.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo go grab this one. You're going to enjoy it, all right. Well, thanks so much. This was really fun. Thank you for being so open, and not just, you know, wandering around saying, well, I just it took me six years to write this because it's very good.Karen DukessYeah, I have to say, you know, I think that writers should talk more often about their failures. And by that...KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah.Karen DukessI mean, like novels that they wrote and abandoned, or novels that they wrote and tried to get published and couldn't, because it was only until I wrote this Russian novel and didn't sell it, and I would mention it to people. Then all these writers I knew, and people I knew, you know, would suddenly tell me about their own published novels. And I was like, why did I know about this beforehand? There's no shame in it... you know? It's a tough business. It's a tough business. The writing is tough; the publishing is tough. And now I'm like, oh my god, like so many writers I know have novels that did not get published, and for whatever reason. And I'm sure many of those novels are great novels, and but knowing that you know the journey of being a writer, just like I don't know a single author who hasn't like lost their editor at some point, you know, their editor leaves. Then they find a new, you know, be assigned to a new editor. That happens everybody, and I realize how many people have novels that did not see the light of day, and it was comforting to know it. So, I think people should be more open about it.KJ Dell'AntoniaI think we just are afraid that, you know, a reader will hear, well, I don't know if she's capable of writing something... that doesn't work, maybe it's not very good, which readers aren't listening to anything. They can barely remember our names. They just know if the book sounded good and someone pressed it into their hands.Karen DukessYeah, had a great cover.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, had a great cover. Yeah, all, all of the things, and it's just, it's, it's just a little scary to admit, because I guess one of the scary things about it, of course, admitting that that has happened means it could happen again. And hey It could! Oh well.Karen DukessYeah, but I've survived it. So...KJ Dell'AntoniaYou've survived it, you would survive it again. And also, it didn't happen this time. Welcome to Murder Week is great, and everyone is going to be sitting with it by the pool looking very happy. This is my wish for you. All right?Karen DukessThank you. Thanks so much KJ.KJ Dell'AntoniaOh, thank you. Hey, anywhere people should follow you? Oh, you have a Substack. What is it? I love it!Karen DukessI have a Substack. I mean, I think on Substack you can find it by my name Karen Dukess, it's, I don't know... it's called, “Keep Calm and Carry On”, but I think you can just look me up by name on Substack, and I am on Instagram more often at Karen Dukess, as I post about books that I'm reading all the time. Obviously, there'll be a lot of quarter week stuff, but I try to, you know, I'm reading eclectically and all the time. So, I'm always posting about books. Those are probably the best places to find me. And I have my website with all my events on it.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt'll be linked. It'll be linked.Karen DukessGreat.KJ Dell'AntoniaHopefully I can get to something... all right. Well, thank you so much. And all you listeners out there, I mean, you know you do you, but in some way, keep your butt in the chair, hey and or your head in the game.Jess LaheyThe Hashtag AmWriting podcast is produced by Andrew perilla. Our intro music, aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output, because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
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