Podcasts about Gladly

1 Corinthians 15:12-19 | Preached by Benjamin Vrbicek

In this episode of Just Covered, we're excited to host Stephanie Charman, the new CEO of the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries (AMI), and our very own Vikki Jefferies, who has recently assumed her new role as Market Development Director. In this friendly and lively chat, they discuss their diverse backgrounds in the industry and the transitions that led them to their current positions. Gladly, they also share personal insights on current mortgage market conditions, changing regulations, and, perhaps refreshingly, their positive outlook on the future. They also discuss some of the game-changing initiatives they've recently been involved in. It's an entertaining and informative hour-long chat…This episode also covers:Some of the ongoing work and research of the AMI, including their collaboration with Legal & General. Key drivers of industry change like the rise of Green Mortgage Advice initiatives, AMI's Protection Viewpoint, the Working Mortgage Scheme, and other leading schemes and innovations.The variety of roles available in the financial services sector and the importance of mentorship in supporting advisers to realise their career goals.

Good morning! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Kris McGregor to share a Holy Week reflection from the Office of Readings. Other guests include Steve Ray to discuss the meaning of the word Hosanna, which we proclaimed on Palm Sunday, and Fr. Boniface Hicks with more thoughts on personal prayer. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** St. Thomas More Prayer Give me thy grace, good Lord,Not to long to hear of any worldly things,But that the hearing of worldly fantasies may be to me displeasant.Gladly to be thinking of God,Piteously to call for his help.To lean unto the comfort of God,Busily to labour to love him.To know my own vility and wretchedness,To humble and meeken myself under the mighty hand of God,To bewail my sins passed.For the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity. ***** Fr. Philip Larrey is online at philiplarrey.com. Dr. Benjamin Reinhard, author of The High Hallow: Tolkien’s Liturgical Imagination Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Better to Lose your Life than Waste it (Piper) . . . I. Live in a Way that Commends the Gospel! (17-19, 33ff) II. Rely on and Minister the Word to People! (20-21; 24b-25; 26-27; 31-32) III. Gladly be Mastered by God come what May! (22-24) IV. Love the Church! (28-32a) Practical Implications o How do you interpret and apply “Better to Lose your life than to waste it” where you are? o Do an Unwasted Life Review o Prepare for Supper:

Better to Lose your Life than Waste it (Piper) . . . I. Live in a Way that Commends the Gospel! (17-19, 33ff)II. Rely on and Minister the Word to People! (20-21; 24b-25; 26-27; 31-32) III. Gladly be Mastered by God come what May! (22-24) IV. Love the Church! (28-32a) Practical Implications o How do you interpret and apply “Better to Lose your life than to waste it” where you are? o Do an Unwasted Life Review

Your Nightly Prayer

Ephesians 4:31-32

The Snowflake FairyRobed in white comes Snowflake Fairy,braving wintry winds and ice,pearly "Maid of February,"whom the glistening frosts entice.Gladly welcome Snowflake Fairy,on your terrace give her room.She alone in Februarybraves the cold to shed her bloom.—Elizabeth GordonMusic by James Milor from PixabayInformation provided by:Flowers and Their Meanings: The Secret Language and History of Over 600 Blooms by Karen Azoulay (2023)https://www.bloomandwild.com/the-blog/snowdrop-flowers-meaninghttps://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/plant_profiles/snowdropsPlants That Kill: A Natural History of the World's Most Poisonous Plants by Elizabeth A. Dauncey and Sonny Larson (2018)Galanthus trojanus: a new species of Galanthus (Amaryllidaceae) from north-western Turkey by Aaron P. Davis and Neriman Ozhatay (2001). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 137, pg. 409-412. DOI: 10.1006/boj1.2001.048.Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America (3rd ed.) by Steven Foster and James A. Duke (2014)https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77118772-1/general-informationGalantamine for Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment by Clement Loy and Lon Schneider (2006). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001747.pub3https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/galanthus-nivalis/Homer's Moly identified as Galanthus nivalis L.: Physiologic antidote to stramonium poisoning by Andreas Plaitakis and Roger C. Duvoisin (1983). Clinical Neuropharmacology, 6(1), pg. 1-6. [Abstract]. Collins Gem: Wild Flowers by Martin Walter (2002)https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galanthushttps://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/snowdrop/

Switch to Catholic Radio for Lent! Download our PDF, cut up the cards, and hand them out to your friends who are looking for something edifying to listen to during Lent… Switch to Catholic Radio for Lent – Download and Print ***** Happy feast of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Mike Aquilina to discuss how their witness of martyrdom took the Roman world by storm. Other guests include Fr. Hezekias Carnazzo from the Institute of Catholic Culture and Fr. Jonathan Duncan from the Bone Church Revival podcast to preview the Mass readings for the First Sunday of Lent. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** A Prayer of St. Thomas More Give me Your grace, good Lord, to set the world at nought, to set my mind fast upon You. And not to hang upon the blast of men’s mouths. To be content to be solitary. Not to long for worldly company, little and little utterly to cast off the world, and rid my mind of all the business thereof. Gladly to be thinking of God, piteously to call for His help, to lean unto the comfort of God, busily to labor to love Him. To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me; for His benefits incessantly to give Him thanks. To think my most enemies my best friends, for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred. ***** Joseph Rule, author of Giovanni and the Fava Beans Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" Numbers 23:10John Trapp: Some faint desires, and short-winded wishes, may be sometimes found in carnal men--but the mischief is that they would break God's chain, and would sunder . . . holiness, from happiness; sanctification, from salvation and the means, from the end.They would dance with the devil all day--and then dine with Christ at night! They would live all their lives in Delilah's lap--and then go to Abraham's bosom when they die! ~ ~ ~ ~Matthew Henry: "There are many who desire to die the death of the righteous--but do not endeavor to live the life of the righteous. Gladly would they have their end like theirs--but not their way. They would be saints in Heaven--but not saints on earth. If you resolve to serve God--you must renounce all competitors with Him!" ~ ~ ~ ~Edward Taylor: "I hope none of you calculate on serving the devil all your lives--and cheating God with your dying breath. You can't cheat God by giving him the last snuff of an expiring candle!" (Edward Taylor) ~ ~ ~ ~Adam Clarke:"He who would die well, should live well; for a bad death must be the outcome of a bad life!" ~ ~ ~ ~Brownlow North: "A Christian is not afraid of death--but of sin! An unconverted man is not afraid of sin--but of death!""It is appointed unto men once to die--but after this the judgment!" Hebrews 9:2"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money!" Matthew 6:24

The Curate loses his virginity.A series in 17 parts, By Blacksheep. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. At this Sunday's service, there was much talk of the upcoming harvest festival. Members of the congregation were encouraged to donate fruit and vegetables, along with non-perishable items for the local food bank.Jenna had made an effort and brought along a bag of apples. She placed the bag on the side table in the church hall."I don't know how a brazen hussy like you has the cheek to set foot in a church."Jenna remained calm, as she turned to face Mrs. Norris. "Well I'm a Christian, the same as you.""Huh! Christian my foot. I saw what you and the organist were getting up to and I think it's disgusting! In the church of all places! And he's old enough to be your father!""Well if you clutch those pearls of yours any tighter they'll crumble to dust. And Gordon and I happen to be consenting adults. Single consenting adults. So there.""Why you, you, .horrid little slag!" Mrs. Norris fumed, lip quivering. She stormed off.Jenna exhaled and rolled her eyes."Coffee or tea?" a friendlier voice asked. It was Debbie, the Sunday school teacher, who was volunteering to do today's hot drinks rota in the hall."Tea please," Jenna replied."You ok?""Yeah. I don't think I'll be on her Christmas card list.""Don't let that old bag get to you. She's a nasty one. She's horribly ageist. Not to mention xenophobic too. I overheard her mocking Yulia's English skills last week. I can't stand her. Her husband's not that bad, he's a tedious fusspot, but there's no malice in him. But her, she's poison.""I heard her hubby spreads gossip on Facebook." Jenna said."More likely that's her doing." Debbie replied. "I'd be surprised if John Norris even knows how to switch on a laptop."A brief chill ran through Jenna. What if Mrs. Norris were to post some bile about her online? "I don't use social media anymore," she said. "Briefly poked my nose into Twitter as a teen, but didn't like the pile-ons.""Wise. I'm on Facebook, but only to keep up with church stuff. I never post anything about my private life. I imagine Mrs. Norris would have a stroke if she knew I was dating a woman. A married woman at that. Keep it to yourself. I'm not ready to come out yet.""Don't worry, I won't say a word."Jenna sipped her tea quietly as she observed the other members of the congregation file into the hall. She was hoping Reverend Morris would soon arrive, but after fifteen minutes, there was still no sign of him. Then there was Gordon; he never came into the hall after a service, and he'd sent her that amusing text message on Friday, about Charles Wesley and his "bulging hymn book."She headed out of the hall, in search of Gordon, when Josh the curate came staggering in, carrying a massive pile of hymn books. He almost collided with Jenna and dropped a couple of books."Oh! I'm so sorry!" Josh stammered. "How clumsy of me."Jenna bent down and picked up the books. "You're loaded up like a pack horse. Let me give you a hand. Where are you taking all these?""Um. So kind!" His pale cheeks went pink. "The storeroom at the far end of the hall. These are spare hymn books.""Ok. Lead the way. By the way, you haven't seen the vicar have you?"""Oh, he and the organist are in a meeting. One of the organ pipes has just been repaired.""Damn," Jenna muttered under her breath. "Oh dear. How sad. I guess he'll miss his tea and biscuits."She followed Josh down to the storeroom. She'd never paid much attention to the curate before, but looking at him now, she realized that he was rather cute. Mid-twenties, tall and stocky with fair hair and a chubby face. There was an endearing innocence about him. Reverend Morris had said he was hoping to complete his ordination next year and become a fully-fledged vicar. He'd been impressed by his devotion to the church - but he needed to come out of his shell a bit and interact more with worshippers. Josh was a shy man and lacking in self-confidence. Remembering this information made Jenna smile.I think this innocent curate needs some other kind of help,The storeroom was vast, and crammed from floor to ceiling with box files, books, old furniture and plastic crates."Holy sh,, I didn't know this room existed. And what a lot of stuff for one small church!" Jenna exclaimed."Heh, yeah." Josh said, putting the books down. "It's not just for St Michael's. We share it with St John's and the Methodist church on Oakwood Road."Jenna began putting the books on the shelf."Um you don't need to do that,”"Jenna."Josh blushed again. "Jenna. It's kind of you to do that but,”"Oh I don't mind. Why should you have to do all the donkey work? This room is a tip. Besides, a good Christian should help others, right? Especially the vicar's right-hand man. That's what a curate is, yes?"Josh relaxed a bit. "Pretty much, yeah. Like Batman and Robin.""Have you always wanted to be a curate?"Josh sat down on a stool. "In truth, no way. I wasn't religious at all when I was a kid. I suffered from crippling shyness. I used to dread being asked to read in front of the class. When I was ten, my dad walked out, and that affected me a lot. Haven't seen him since. Mum turned to drink, I relied on my grandad for support. He became a father figure to me. He used to be a vicar. Thanks to him I survived my teens and passed my exams. I was eighteen when he died. That's when I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Without him - and God, I fear, well I may have gone down a dark path. Got in with a bad crowd. Taken drugs, self-harmed, maybe ended up in jail.""Wow." Jenna replied, realizing how cosseted and safe her upbringing had been. "Well I'm so glad your grandad was there for you.""There are still days when I doubt myself and I'm in a bad place. I feel useless.""Don't put yourself down," Jenna said, walking towards him. "You're an amazing role model, especially for younger people."Josh blinked. "You, think so?""I do. Plus, you're really cute. Has a girl ever told you that before?"Josh blushed. "Err, no-one except my Nan. I don't think she counts.""Women round here must be blind," Jenna added, making him squirm with embarrassment. She leant forward and planted a kiss on his lips. He trembled, cheeks turning redder."J-Jenna, don't,”"It's alright Josh. You're not committing a sin or anything. We're not inside the church, if that's you're worried about.""N-no, it's not that. I, um,” The curate sighed. "I, I'm just scared of, I don't know if I can, do this."She already knew he was single and straight, but decided to question him. "Do you have a girlfriend?""No, but, um, that's the problem really. I'd like one, but I wouldn't know how to tell her,”Jenna stroked his arm. "Tell her what?""I worry she'd laugh at me.""Josh. Whatever it is, I promise I would never laugh at you. And I will understand."He looked down. "Shit. I'm twenty-five. And I'm still a virgin! I've never gone beyond kissing a girl."She kissed his cheek again. "Oh Josh. That's nothing to feel awkward about. In fact I admire you. In this age when we're bombarded with over-sexualized imagery 24/7 both online and offline, finding someone who's chosen to wait is pretty awesome in my opinion. I lost mine just days after reaching the age of consent. I couldn't wait to lose it. But that's just me,”"Yeah but, I, um,”She pulled him to his feet and gently coaxed the truth out of him. "You want to lose your virginity, yes?""More than anything. But, dating today is scary. It's a minefield. Especially after Me Too. I'm afraid. I don't want to say the wrong thing and come across as some horny creep,”Jenna held back a chuckle. Mrs. Norris probably thinks of me as a horny creep. She thought."I get that. But trust me. I don't think a sweet, kind-hearted man of God like you could ever be a creep. Horny yes, nothing wrong with that of course." She winked at him and he gulped. "How about it? I think you're ready right now."His eyes widened. "W-what? Here?""Why not? It's nice and private, And you're a really sexy curate!" Her face was just inches from his own, hovering there. Then her lips were on his, dancing there softly for a moment before pulling away."Jenna,” He was already rock hard, and hoped his cassock had disguised this fact."Shush. You're very special." She whispered, barely audible. "You're warm, caring, You're strong. You deserve to be experience the joys of the flesh." She kissed him again. It's okay to feel nervous. First time is always a bit nerve-racking. But just relax. You'll be just fine,”What an adorable lamb to the slaughter, Jenna thought to herself. He's so scared and unsure. I've never seduced a virgin before, so I'd better not go too hard on him. I do love a challenge. With a bit of encouragement, this sweet guy could have real potential.The touch of her lips sent a fire through his body, a jolt that brought a tingle to every micron of his skin. "Oh, Jenna!""Shhh." Her lips caressed his own, then his nose, his ear. "Don't talk just now, okay?""Mmm?"She kissed him again, gently caressing his upper lip between her own. At last, he responded."Josh." Jenna smiled cheekily. "You're a pretty good kisser, you know that?""Really?"Just relax. I'm not going anywhere, there's no rush. All we have to do is discover each other. There's no hurry. No-one's going to come in here. I imagine the vicar will be busy for ages."Jenna ran her hand down the front of his black cassock. "Oh my, you're more than ready. "Let's get these buttons unfastened." She knelt before him, opening the cassock and revealing the black trousers underneath. And another straining crotch bulge."I'm going to worship you," she whispered, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his trousers. Josh was wearing plain black briefs underneath. It was fun seeing the different types of undies men wore. First there was Reverend Morris with his "holy boxers," then Gordon and his sensible white y-fronts, now Josh with smart black tight-fitting briefs."Everything will be fine. I promise. Close your eyes if it makes you feel better, okay?"The curate hesitated still, but Jenna's smile was reassuring and gentle. "I promise you'll like it." With a shudder, Josh squeezed his eyes tight as his trousers and underwear were lowered, and he could feel the cool air of the room, then Jenna's warm breath on his manhood."There we are."He couldn't resist a peek, through half-closed eyes. He was painfully stiff, of course, harder than he'd ever been in his life, but he didn't need his eyes to tell him that. He shivered as Jenna ran her hand through his pubes and stooped to kiss him there. He gasped as her smooth palm encircled him."Oh my God!""Mmm. So beautiful. Truly God's gift to women. Just relax, don't fight the feeling. Isn't it nice?" Jenna kissed the very tip of his member, and he gasped and moaned, his muscles tensing. "Don't fight it now Josh, just let the feelings come. Relax and let it take you. You don't have to hold it back, just let it come." With that, she closed her lips around his head, tasted him with her tongue."Uh! Oh Jesus!" The curate groaned. The crescendo was boiling in him now, wonderful and frightening and exhilarating. Nothing could have prepared him for the warm embrace of a woman's mouth, the slight roughness of her tongue as she rolled it up and down his length. No porn, no fantasy could have approached the sensation of her lips gently drawing on his cock, coaxing him towards a peak of indescribable pleasure. The fire was in him and around him, consuming him and his thoughts until all that he was became the connection with her, his flesh and her mouth. Her hands cradled his cock gently as he built towards climax, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow."Oh,”"Let it come."Josh sighed deeply in relief as Jenna enveloped him again, shuddered as he felt himself swell between her lips, as he released himself to her, surrendered to her, spurting his cum. She lingered over his manhood, slowly coaxing him down from the heights of his ecstasy. She gently licked his shaft and kissed a drop of his essence from the tip, and smiled up at him."That wasn't so bad, was it?" She said, standing up. "Did you enjoy your first blowjob?""Jenna. Fucking hell!""I'll take that as a yes?""Yes!" he gasped."Oh good. Because we're not done yet. You don't get off that easily you know!" Jenna began unfastening her skirt, letting it fall to the floor. Josh's eyes widened. She wasn't wearing any panties.An old, battered table was in the middle of the storeroom. Jenna cleared it and reclined on it, spreading her legs and unfastening her blouse. No bra!"Your turn."Josh crossed himself."Just trust your instincts." She whispered, lowering herself onto her back. Josh stared at her for a second, dumbstruck by her beauty and timid as a deer. Her gently smiling face and the flowing red hair that framed it, the round fullness of her breasts, her long legs, and the tantalizing lure of her wet womanhood between,Finding his courage at last, Josh moved close. With a shaky hand he reached out and tentatively cupped her left breast. Tracing the nipple with his thumb, ever so gently."Mmm nice, Josh. Keep going!"Encouraged, Josh lowered his mouth to her other breast, the memory of the delightful sensations she'd given him earlier fresh in his mind. He felt her run her fingers through his short blonde hair as he tasted her with his tongue, heard her sigh as he closed his lips around her nipple."Gently now.""Sorry!"The curate feasted on her breasts for a bit longer, before moving down to her abdomen, planting more kisses, then he paused for a moment. Jenna said nothing, silently urging him to carry on, and he did. Tentatively, he kissed the inside of her thighs, tracing a finger through the trimmed hair above her slit.Josh continued to lovingly kiss her thighs, his nerves beginning to fade. The heady scent of her was overpowering, emboldening him to trail a finger between her cunt lips. The wetness he felt there surprised him, and he glanced up."You're doing great, Josh." Jenna answered in a throaty whisper. "Please don't stop."He ran a finger over her clit, causing her to let out a moan. Lowering his head, he caressed her softly with his mouth, tasting her."Oh Josh,” He suckled gently on her clit and she let out a scream."Jenna?" He pulled away from her, his fear returning. "Did I hurt you?""No Josh. It was incredible, that's all. When you licked me down there, wow. You sure know how to thrill a woman. You learn quick! But don't make me cum just yet. Because I want you inside me when it happens."Josh's heart leapt into his throat. "Oh,”"Are you ready?""Um, but protection, I-I don't have a condom,”"It's okay, you don't need to worry. I'm on the Pill.""Oh, right. Good,”"Think of this as doing God's work," Jenna purred, urging him to get on with it. She was eager to feel that virgin cock inside her.Slowly he positioned himself above her on the creaking table. Jenna took his cock in her hand, guiding him. He felt the head of his organ nestle inside her."Lord in Heaven!" It was such exquisite torture, fighting the urge to cum as fast as he could. The feel of her cunt as it sheathed him was beyond even the joys he'd felt already.At first, he slipped in and out of her slowly. He buried his face in her neck."Umm, oh God Josh. Yes! Go harder!"Jenna slowly relaxed her control, allowing him to work his cock in and out of her more forcefully. He thrust in deep, as far as he could, and gasped, savoring the sensation."Oh Josh, that's so good!"He speeded up, as she wrapped her legs round him. Soon he was pounding her like a pro."Jenna!" He could feel his climax coming now, a mighty force of almost Biblical proportions. Just as Jesus drove out many devils, Josh drove out his virginity, casting it aside forever. He'd been freed."Ugh!" With a roar of release the curate came, filling Jenna's womanhood with his seed. Josh wasn't sure how long his orgasm lasted. But he knew that it was wonderful, an epiphany of sensation, and that Jenna writhed and gasped in the throes of her own climax in perfect harmony with his.When they'd both calmed down, Jenna held him close and kissed him. "Are you okay? You were amazing, Josh, do you know that? How are you feeling?""Just fantastic, absolutely fantastic! I, wow. That was, incredible. Um, do you mind if I say a quick prayer for both of us?""Not at all. You go ahead."When he'd finished, he opened his eyes and looked at Jenna, who was smiling broadly. "You are going to become a bloody amazing vicar!" She said.An Erotic Dream & an organ lesson.T'was the Year of Our Lord 1739, and on a road bound for London, weary preacher and hymn writer Charles Wesley had just arrived at a tavern."Innkeeper! I hath been riding all day and my poor horse be in the great need of water and rest. As am I." Charles said."Fear thee not, good fellow, I'll tend to thine horse!" The innkeeper replied. "If it's a room for the night you're looking for, then ye hath come to the right place. Here at the Lamb Inn, there's always a warm greeting for a weary traveler. I'll leave ye in the capable hands of my fine wench Jen, who is adept at making gentlemen feel welcome,”"Greetings to you sir!" Jen said, and Charles was a little taken aback by this stunning redheaded wench. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll lead you to your bedchamber." She picked up a candle and gave him a seductive smirk."Gladly, Miss!" Charles replied, following her up the creaking wooden staircase. In the main room, sounds of merriment filled the air as many men supped ale and enjoyed the company of willing wenches."I see you're a man of faith, sir," said Jen as she reached the top of the stairs. "Have you travelled far?""Aye, all the way from Bristol. I write many hymns. I'm going to visit my older brother John, who's in London. He's a preacher too. In fact he,”"Oh gosh, of course! Your brother must be John Wesley, founder of that Methodist movement I keep hearin' about!""That's right! I'm Charles Wesley."Jen entered the bedchamber. "Here we are, Mr. Wesley. I trust the room is to your liking? This happens to be a new room - never been used before. Bed never slept in, chair never sat on, chamber pot never,”"Ah, glorious!" Charles interrupted her. "It looks most excellent. I am indeed blessed to have been afforded such kindness. God is good!""Mmm, thanks be to God," Jen replied, eyeing up Charles. He was young and rather attractive for a man of the cloth. Most of the clergy she'd encountered in her life had been very old men."There be a fresh jug of water on the table for you, Mr. Wesley. We're lucky here. The Lamb has a deep well which provides safe, clean water to drink. That's why we get so many visitors desperate to quench their thirst without worry of getting the flux."Charles nodded as he put his bag down on the chair and removed his black robe. That four poster bed looked so inviting."Why don't you sit on the bed, Mr. Wesley? I cannot help but wonder, after all that riding, do you not grow a little stiff?""Um, I am a little stiff, yes.""Then come over here and sit beside me." Jen said, patting the bed. "I'd be interested to hear about your hymn writing."Charles bashfully did as she asked. "Well right now, I am working on a "Hymn for Christmas Day." But I confess I have only written the first verse."Perchance could I hear this first verse?" Jen replied.Charles nodded."Hark how all the Welkin ringsGlory to the King of Kings,Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild,God and Sinners reconciled!""I'd say that's a marvelous first verse," said Jen. "Very stirring, very uplifting. It makes one, rise to the occasion." Her hand had somehow ended up on his thigh."Oh do you think so? That pleases me greatly, Miss! Now if only I could complete it."Jen removed her mobcap, revealing long, tumbling red locks. Charles gazed, mesmerized. "By all the saints, you're a pretty woman, Miss,”"Jen, Mr. Wesley, perhaps I can be of some help to you." She blew out the candle. "Oh my! Now we're in the dark. How careless of me! We'll just have to,”"Oh Miss Jen!" Charles gasped as her hand groped him in an intimate place."I think you've risen to the occasion Mr. Wesley!"A few moments later and the good wench had relieved the dear Mr. Wesley of his breeches and cast off the rest of his apparel, including a periwig. The preacher produced naked, stiff, and erect, a wonderful maypole. Jen put her hands to this fine example of maleness and her actions had the desired effect."Ah! I think my inspiration is returning!""I'm filled with joy, Mr. Wesley! Tis an honor to help you!""Joyful all ye Nations rise,Join the Triumph of the Skies,Universal Nature say"Christ the Lord is born to Day!""That's a wonderful second verse!" Jen ran her tongue round the preacher's erect member, before taking his entire length into her mouth."Oh Lord in Heaven, I have given in to sin, but if the sin results in a completed hymn, will thou look upon me with mercy?" Charles gasped, as the pleasure overwhelmed him.Jen withdrew. "The Lord will indeed pardon you, Mr. Wesley. Now please relax and enjoy my help!""Ah, oh my God, thine tongue is divine, it feels so good!"Jen sucked, licked and teased Charles' cock until he could take no more."Miss Jen! I'm going to spend! Oh, yes!""Ahh, I have been anointed by your holy essence, Mr. Wesley!" Jen giggled as she eagerly gobbled up his seed.Charles' face bore an expression of utter bliss and satisfaction. "Oh Miss Jen. I am so grateful God delivered me to this inn. What sweet pleasures you have afforded me this evening!"A furious knocking on the bedchamber door disturbed the blissful ambience."Jen! Jen! You need to get up!" a woman shouted."Is that, the innkeeper's wife?" Charles wondered, still dazed after his powerful orgasm.Jen licked the remaining cum off the preacher's softening cock. "Mm, sounds like Mother. But wait, Mother died of smallpox ten years ago, so how, ?"Everything seemed to fade away in a strange haze."Jen! You're going to be late for work! Wake up!"Jenna finally awoke. "Huh? What?""Are you alright?" Her mum shouted. "Answer me or I'm coming in.""Um yeah. I'm fine Mum!" She rolled over and reached for her smartphone. Squinting, she looked at the clock."Shit! I overslept!"Breakfast was a rushed affair, with Jenna barely able to drink half a cup of coffee and a piece of toast."For goodness cake, slow down before you choke on that," her mum said."Can't believe I overslept. I set my phone. I've never done that before." Jenna said."Hey, we all do it sometimes. Though your exertions at church no doubt kept you up late. Your dad and I noticed how much time you've been spending at St. Michael's. Now feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but what's with the sudden obsession with church? You've never been interested before. You used to laugh at Gran for being in the Mother's Union.""I guess the pandemic made me think about things differently," Jenna lied, trying to think up a good excuse. "I know I never attended church much before, but I never stopped being a believer.""That's great, Jen. I'm glad it makes you happy. I just hope you're not spending all your time with old people, though. It's good to mix with people your own age.""Oh there's a good mix of different ages at St Michael's. They're not all boomers, Mum. The curate, Yulia and Debbie aren't much different to me. And Reverend Morris, .he's amazing.""I'm sure he is," her mum replied, with a wry grin. "You out tonight?""Yes. Choir practice." Jenna grabbed her bag and car keys."By the way, who's Charles Wesley?""Um, what?""You were yelling his name over and over in your sleep. You must've been dreaming.""Oh. Well he's a guy who wrote a lot of great hymns. He lived in the 18th century. He wrote that famous carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", although the original words were different. Gotta go. Love you. Bye!"Jenna's mum shook her head. "Charles Wesley? When I was growing up, I used to dream about Brad Pitt.""I have got to get a place of my own," Jenna muttered to herself as she headed to the car. "That was cringe."Jenna had prepared herself for her evening "choir practice" with Gordon, by wearing her best lingerie and a sexy dress that perfectly highlighted her curves and cleavage. The organist himself had also made an effort, by wearing his best suit and tie. With his black robe unfastened, he resembled an old-fashioned headmaster."Hello there!" Gordon said, grinning from ear to ear. Whoa, she looked drop-dead gorgeous. He was practically drooling like a dog in heat."Not so bad yourself, Gordon!" Jenna replied. "Love the suit. Now all you need is a cane.""A cane?""To punish me with. You see, I've been a naughty girl. I forgot to practice that piece of music you mentioned.""Oh dearie me," Gordon said, walking over to her. "Whatever am I to do with such a naughty girl? Never mind. I'm sure you can make it up to me some way,”He sat down on the organ stool. "Come sit in my lap, Jenna. We're going to play a little tune together. I'm sure you can do it.""Why Gordon, I'm not sure I can play this. It's a bit of a step up from the piano.""Just give it a try. I'm sure you'll learn quick!" He winked. "Try the third manual," he added, indicating one of the keyboards.Jenna bit her lip and slid onto Gordon's lap. She deliberated wiggled about a bit, causing him to let out a groan. "This seat is a little, hard!"Jenna began playing the first few notes. "You're right, Kings and Queens does sound fantastic on a pipe organ. I'd have never guessed you were an Ava Max fan, Gordon.""Hah, I'm not. Can't stand modern pop music. But the younger members of the choir are always begging for this song. You're great at this!"As Jenna continued to play, Gordon began massaging her breasts and kissing her exposed neck."Oh Gordon," Jenna sighed."There's a part-time job available,” he continued, between kisses. "An assistant choirmaster and pianist at the Sunday school. Three days a week. The school isn't just open on Sundays anymore. There's a crèche and breakfast club on Wednesdays. They do after-school sessions for kids who have special needs. It's not bad money. I know you've got all the relevant qualifications. If you're interested, I could easily pull a few strings and get you in."Jenna suddenly halted her playing. "Wow, are you serious?""Of course I am. Look, the young 'uns think I'm some kind of ogre. And they're probably right. But you, you'd be such an asset to the school. And tell me honestly, do you truly enjoy working in a call center?""I hate it. The pay is shit and I hate my boss. Now she's a real-life ogre.""Exactly. Your talents are wasted in a dead-end job like that, Jenna. It's up to you of course, but please give it some thought."She turned round to face him. Kissing him hard the lips, she slipped her arms round his shoulders. "I've given it thought. I accept! Now why don't you let me thank you properly, Gordon?"Jenna hiked up her dress, and unfastened Gordon's belt. She unzipped his trousers, pushed down his underpants, and his rock hard erection sprang free from its encumbrance. Unable to contain himself any longer, Gordon pulled aside the crotch of her damp panties, positioned himself to her entrance, and pushed himself into her. The soft lips between her legs parted, and she threw her head back in sudden ecstasy as the organist began thrusting himself in and out of her warm body, slowly at first, then building in speed.Outside, a black 4 by 4 had just pulled up in the church car park. John Norris got out of the driver's side and furiously slammed the door shut."John please, don't do this!" his wife pleaded. "Not in the church!""Look Patricia, I want to get to the bottom of this. First Gordon angrily accuses me of spreading lies on Facebook. He called me "the biggest shit-stirrer in this church" to my face! Now the chaps at the Rotary Club have frozen me out. They said I've been making sexist jokes and racist comments about Ukrainians! I ask you, when have I ever made a racist comment? I haven't a racist bone in my body! And I've never signed up to Facebook either. Someone is trying to smear my name. If you ask me, Gordon's the one behind it all! Well, we'll see what he has to say, man-to-man."A look of horror swept Mrs. Norris' face. "You can't go in there! I can hear the organ - the choir are in there!""I don't care if the whole bloody town is in there!" John yelled, a display of anger that was most unlike him. "This has gone too far. I can't believe Gordon could be so vindictive. He'd a bad-tempered sod, but I never thought he'd do this. Libel is a serious offence."He stormed into the church and marched down the aisle, his panicking wife rushing after him."Alright alright, it wasn't Gordon. It was me!" She grabbed his arm. He halted."What?""I did it."John shook his head. "Why are you trying to protect him? Do you fancy him or something? Is there more to this?""No! No of course I don't! Look, I signed up to Facebook so I could access the church page but I used your name. I know I shouldn't have but, well surely you must know how members of this church treat me? I'd have been blocked immediately!"John's face had gone through several shades of red and was now the color of raw steak."You, Did what? You've been spreading lies and racist comments using an account with my name? What the hell am I married to?" He walked round the side of the organ. "Bloody hell!"Mrs. Norris shoved him aside, wondering what had shocked him. "That's her! She's the one who's caused all this! The little tart! She's bringing filth and depravity to this church!"John glared at his wife. "I'd say your own venom has done that already, Patricia." He turned and stormed off. "I'm going home. To pack a few things. I'm going to stay at my brother's for a bit. And you, well you can go to Hell.""Gordon, do you hear somebody shouting?" Jenna sighed as she felt his warm cum fill her."Probably just a bit of rowdy teen behavior outside," Gordon replied with a smirk.To be continued.By Blacksheep, for Literotica.

Welcome & News of the ChurchCall to WorshipOpening Hymn - (#2) "How Great Thou Art"Minute for Mission - Operation Christmas ChildConfession, Assurance, and Gloria PatriPraise SongsSermon - "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond" (Ephesians 5:8–14) - by Rev. Jason GrifficeHymn of Response - (#319) "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise"OffertoryDoxologyPastoral PrayerClosing Hymn - (#337) "Praise to The Lord, The Almighty"BenedictionHow Great Thou ArtO Lord my God! when I in awesome wonderConsider all the worlds Thy hands have made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed: CHORUS:Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:How great Thou art, how great Thou art!Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art, how great Thou art!When through the woods and forest glades I wanderAnd hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; When I look down from lofty mountain grandeurAnd hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: [CHORUS]And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin: [CHORUS]When Christ shall come with shout of acclamationAnd take my home, what joy shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration, And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art![CHORUS]Immortal, Invisible, God Only WiseImmortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might; Thy justice like mountains high soaring above Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love. To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small; In all life Thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; All praise we would render: O help us to see 'Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee. Amen. Praise to The Lord, The AlmightyPraise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near; Join me in glad adoration! Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth, Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth! Has thou not seen How all thy longings have been Granted in what He ordaineth?Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee. Ponder anew What the Almighty can do, If with His love He befriend thee. Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him. Let the Amen Sound from His people again: Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Good morning! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell welcome Kris McGregor to reflect on the Office of Readings. Other guests include Fr. Boniface Hicks with more thoughts on personal prayer, and Marlon De La Torre to look at connections between the Screwtape Letters and the Catechism. Plus news, weather, sports, and more… ***** St. Thomas More Prayer Give me thy grace, good Lord,Not to long to hear of any worldly things,But that the hearing of worldly fantasies may be to me displeasant.Gladly to be thinking of God,Piteously to call for his help.To lean unto the comfort of God,Busily to labour to love him.To know my own vility and wretchedness,To humble and meeken myself under the mighty hand of God,To bewail my sins passed.For the purging of them, patiently to suffer adversity. ***** Clement Harrold is online at stpaulcenter.org. Full list of guestsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Approved Affection.Based on a post by FinalStand, in 13 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels. Brandy was unlocking the door when I put a hand on her elbow and strongly turned her around. Frustration morphed into confusion and blossomed into happiness as I exacted my promised minute make-out session. Even a colossal distraction as big as the Mayor's family implosion wouldn't keep me from my Brandy-time.Big Bob 'caught' us at it. The door had been opened and the AC was exiting the front door.‘Hands above the belt-line, Mr. Samsonov,' he grumbled in a friendly manner.‘Daddy,' Brandy pouted to her Papa. ‘He's behaving himself.'‘Are you behaving yourself around my daughter?' the Sheriff quizzed me.‘Sir, I'd rather go directly to the 500 hours of community service than answer that question; Sir,' I replied. Big Bob snorted. Brandy rolled her eyes, gave me one last peck then glided past her patriarch.‘I haven't see her that happy in a long time,' Big Bob spoke softly. ‘Whatever you are doing, be a gentleman about it.'‘Ugh; I'll do my best Sheriff Carson, but it's difficult,' I groaned. Bob laughed at me and my 'agony'.‘Take care, Vlad,' he gave one final nod before closing the door. I made a quick call to Mom to update her to our change in plans. Mikhail had beaten me to the punch. She understood I had to hand-off Brandy first, no harm / no foul. She asked me to hang out at Dominque's place for a while because she knew Mr. Malik was a devious, lying rat-bastard and believed he would sweet talk his daughter into letting him back into his wife's proximity.I mulled over handing her the Malik family secret. I trusted Mom. More to the point, I trusted her to respect my decision to want that tidbit handled with care. No cops harassed me on the return trip. I had taken a circuitous route to be on the safe side. The Police Chief might be the Mayor's ally, or he might be a BBC devotee and have a Brutha solidarity moment with Chinedu too.According to their methodology, once he gave her that cock, she'd forgive every other indiscretion. True or not, I was going to try and cock-block that maneuver. I didn't have a plan when I arrived. Something immediately presented itself to me in the form of a Candy Apple Red 2014 Jaguar F Type V8 S convertible.Daddy, or Sugar-Daddy was way generous to the tune of one hundred grand; that was for damn sure. The billow red mane topping that curvaceous frame was a clear indicator the shit was going to hit the fan at the Malik household. Chine was her BBC addiction, but the Mayor was her boss and political mentor.The look she sent me was fearful over her general situation and one of only passing interest, a look I was becoming familiar with. She was yet another hot, sexy piece of filet mignon that didn't fuck White guys. Groan.‘Who are you?' she was polite enough, possibly seeking to delay the upcoming confrontation.‘I'm Vladimir Samsonov, junior Prince of Evil and I'm here to talk with your boss; she's expecting me,' dispelled her protest that the Mayor was too busy for me.‘Riley Pasternak,' she smiled. ‘I don't recognize the accent,' she added as I passed her. She let me ring the doorbell too.Statuesque and voluptuous; that is what I would call Riley. Burnished coppery hair, thick and glossy flowed in waves down to the middle of her back. Well defined brows of a slightly lighter but no less fiery color framed her oval face and enhanced her verdant eyes, pale freckled skin and flushed cheeks.The makeup she chose didn't really enhance her features which said she didn't wear it that often and the scar above her brow confirmed that she was a tomboy.She dressed to be seen, but also to move in whatever capacity needed. The push up black halter was a strong contrast to her pale skin and plumped up her already impressive cleavage.Below it she wore almost too tight hip huggers that had her lush belly just barely spilling over the waistband. Right above said waistband on the back of her hip was a tattoo that red ‘Red Wolf Bitch' for the Arkansas State Mascot. A second one was teasingly just out of sight on the front of the other hip.Drawing away just a bit from the sexy outfit were all the hippie doodles on her pants. It looked as if she'd let a five year old color on them before she put them on, the neon colors seeming to jump off the denim. She completed the ensemble with cork wedges and a tiny red purse hanging by an equally tiny red string from her shoulder.‘I'm from Alaska,' I let her know. The door flew open in seconds, revealing a tumultuous Dominque who slipped on a semi-civil mask when she saw me.‘Vlad, I thought you were going to stop by your place before coming back for your brother,' she addressed me. ‘Ms. Pasternak, get in here,' she was more abrupt with her 'underling'.I stepped aside to let Riley pass. I hadn't been invited in. Dominque took my actions into account.‘Come in Vlad. Go find your brother. I'll talk to you later,' she said.‘Well,' I began once I stepped in, ‘I think I'd be of more use sticking with you.'Dominque slammed the door behind me.‘I won't need you with me,' she corrected me.‘I'm not staying to help you,' I corrected her. ‘I'm staying to make sure Ms. Pasternak doesn't come to some misfortune.' The Mayor didn't seem pleased.‘What does he mean?' Riley looked from her Boss to me.‘Go, Vlad,' she commanded. I was a guest in her home. Barring extenuating circumstances, I was taught to behave.‘Well, nice to see you again, Ms. Pasternak,' I regarded my fellow guest. Off I went, listening for sounds of my brother and Taliyah. I was almost out of sight;‘Where have we met before?' Riley worried.‘Go, Vlad,' my hostess repeated. I kept going.‘The Cineplex two weeks ago,' I said over my shoulder. ‘The Purge: Anarchy.'‘Oh God,' she moaned. ‘V; Vlad is it; please don't leave.'I reversed course. Dominique could tell that ordering me about at this point was useless. The same instinct which had placed me between Chine and her was placing me between her and Riley.‘You fucked him,' Madame Mayor fumed. ‘Worse, you let him fuck you in a public place you; simple-minded bimbo.'‘Listen Mrs. Malik; it; I; he was insistent,' Riley back-pedaled into a wall.‘And you happened to forget he was my husband?' Dominque seethed. I had to admit she looked rather volcanic, her ass, hips and boobs trembling with repressed energy as she got ready to erupt. I maneuvered so I flanked them both, ready to interpose myself if necessary.‘How many times, Riley?' I posed the question. ‘How many times did the two of you hook up?'‘Four, five,' she reconsidered her response. Dominique looked ready to explode. She mastered herself with a great effort of will.‘What is going to happen when your Grandfather, that racist Jew Bastard, finds out you are back to banging big black bucks, Again?' she threatened. Riley blanched. ‘He threatened to disown you last time. This time, he'll do it, Princess. Then you will be nothing more than another in a long line of chunky Cocoa Puff's. No car, no apartment and damn, I'll make sure you don't have a job anymore.'‘Reggie won't; ‘ she protested desperately.‘Whore, you are only fun to be around because your fat ass is forbidden fruit. Senator Murdoch can get a dozen fresher Betties to haul his coal.' I'd go to Mom to explain the jargon flying around. ‘I know for a fact he likes them young.''Betty's' were White chicks. 'Hauling coal' meant taking black dick. Why couldn't people just say that instead of confusing everything with racial slurs? Riley's reaction showed she was playing into that fear; no fortune and no more choice selections of BBC's.‘Umm; ‘ Riley flickered her eyes my way.‘Chinedu already spilled all this secrets,' Dominique lied. She'd spilled them in her rage, but these two women lying and cheating wasn't my primary concern; taking advantage of their wickedness was. ‘He has his own reasons for keeping quiet.' Riley glanced speculatively from me to Dominique.‘Ha,' Madame Mayor snorted in derision. ‘I don't do White boys.' Oh, that deserved some hard fucking; screw the bitch. I was considering what derogatory idiocy was going to vomit forth from my mouth when Riley's phone rang. Absently she pulled it out of her purse. She paled when she saw the caller ID. Dom snatched it away then trembled.I took it out of her hands before she could make Riley eat the device.‘Both of you keep quiet,' I demanded. I answered the phone.‘Baby-cakes, let's hook up tonight,' Mr. Malik oozed his masculine charisma. ‘I feel like stepping out and I want to see you on your knees worshipping my award-winning Arkansas Black Snake, you cock-hungry slut.'He was loud enough so that both women could hear. I pointed a warning finger in Riley's face.‘Sorry, Mr. Baker, but Riley can't come to the phone right now. She's choking down my Slavic salami, but; after I finish with her and your wife, I'll send the tramp back your way; if she can still walk.'‘Wa, huh, wha, Who? Samsonov?, what did you just say?' he blathered.‘I'm kind of busy right now, Sir,' I taunted him. ‘Hold on.' I spanked Riley's flank. She gasped. ‘That was the sound of me smacking your wife's luscious, sweet and highly neglected ass. I gotta go. Your women look famished for some fucking respect and attention. I'm sure you can find a glory hole to entertain yourself at. I'll talk to you in the morning. Bye,' I signed off before he could reply.I cut off Riley's phone then pocketed it. They were both staring at me in utter shock. Dominique's full, plump lips first closed then she opened them to start laughing.‘Boy, Vlad, that was hilarious,' she chortled.‘That was a freebie, Dominique,' I grinned.‘There are two kinds of cheaters; the ones who convince themselves it will never happen to them, and the ones who believe everyone cheats. That allows them to both allow themselves to violate the essence of their relationships,' I glibly stated, ‘It also makes them want to utterly control their partners so they don't end up becoming cuckolds themselves.'‘Mr. Samsonov; ‘ Dominique studied me, ‘you continue to show me you are much more dangerous than you appear.' Taking into account my size, excellent physical shape, exhibited self-control and clear elucidation, I could only imagine I was 'dangerous' for a White guy; what a tight-ass shrew.‘Flattery will get you nowhere, Mrs. Malik,' I politely responded. ‘I don't do older Black chicks; or date used-up girls who only fuck Black guys. One of the three of us has to have some standards.' They blinked; it was the whole 'da White boy thinks he can talk back to us?' bullshit.‘I'll go looking for Mikhail now. You two have fun sharing in your communal 'I've been dicked-over, bent over and forced to suck another woman's vaginal fluids off his cock' Chine-experiences. I pray neither one of you've done Ass-to-Mouth with him; that would turn my stomach. Bye,' I waved as I departed. Dominique grabbed my arm, her fingernails digging in.‘What makes you think you can insult me that way, in my own house?' she lambasted me.‘It is the truth and we both know it,' I shrugged. ‘Somebody needs to start telling the truth around here, don't you think?'‘Get your brother and get out,' she snapped.‘Done deal,' I answered. ‘Riley; ‘ The doorbell rang. From the look on everyone's faces, none of us were expecting a caller.‘Don't you move,' Dom glared at me, ‘and don't you do a damn thing,' she balefully instructed Riley. Off she stormed.‘Gayle, what are you doing here?' Dom greeted my Mom.‘I brought dinner for my boys, Dominique,' she responded snidely. ‘I expect them to be gentlemen and you to not give a damn about anyone but yourself.'‘You've got some nerve showing up on my doorstep,' Dom grumbled.‘Not really,' Mom shouldered her way inside. ‘I've gotten on with my life. I see you've done the same.'‘Bitch,' Dom sizzled yet didn't stop her.‘Kitchen?' my maternal unit asked me. She was holding a wicker picnic basket and a large paper bag in one hand and a covered pot with a pail in the other. I pointed the way. She winked.Belatedly, Dominique slammed the door and stalked after Mom.‘What would ever possess you that I'd welcome you into my house,' she spat. ‘After what you did to Leon; ‘‘Had; do you really want to rehash that right now considering neither one of us has forgotten, or forgiven a damn thing?' Mom countered.‘Leon is still sucking his puree through a straw and pissing in a colostomy bag,' Dominique simmered.‘Mom?' I questioned.‘Oh, you haven't told your boys about what you and Theo did?' Dominque taunted her. Mom wasn't perturbed in the least.‘Vlad, do you trust me?' my Mother asked me.‘Sure. You can be unfathomable and crazy, but I don't think you've ever hurtfully deceive me.'‘Boy, you had better check that naiveté,' Mayor Malik warned me.‘Vlad, the last time Theo and I spent any time under the same roof was here, in Fonteneau,' she used Kingston's old name. ‘Leon Fox, Dominique's brother, and six other Black bulls decided to brutalize me, I was barely alive when I crawled my way back to the road where Mr. Cobb found me,' she relayed in a pleasant tone.‘So you say,' Dom interrupted. ‘It was your word against them and those seven had iron-clad alibis. To you, all Black men looked alike.'‘Think what you want. I identified all seven of them. You dad and the police chief wouldn't prosecute even though I know they were heard around town bragging about it; how they'd 'taught me a lesson'.'‘Mom, what the hell is going on?' I worried.‘Your Great-Aunt wouldn't accept that the police's investigation acquitted my brother and his friends; Because it was Black officers accepting the words of seven Black men, one of them the newly-minted Mayor's son, over a scared, battered child's,' Mom gave a feral grin.‘Yeah, you racist bitch,' Dominique seethed.‘Theo believed me. Aunt Matilda and Theo both believed me and not your chick-shit police force cover-up,' Mom kept smiling though there was not mirth behind it. ‘Theo made damn sure the guilty paid.'‘He damn near beat four grown men to death,' Dom grumbled. ‘One of them was my brother.'‘Vlad, Theo took a fileting knife and a crowbar with him when he rode his bicycle out and hunted those scumbags down,' Mom explained while staring at my host. ‘He found four of them together. He put all four in the hospital.'‘He ended up in the hospital as well,' Mom added, ‘if that makes you feel better.'‘Is that why Uncle Theo ended up in military school?' I inquired.‘He got off lucky,' Dom bristled. ‘Leon; and Roscoe Sumner never left the damn hospital, Bitch.' She turned on me. ‘Rufus never did see out of his left eye again and Martin Cutler still has to walk with leg braces and a cane.'Uncle Theo and Mom; that explained a great deal about her and her twin's relationship. I knew Mom had once broken into his military school/prison to see him. I also knew now that Mom hadn't lied to me; this vendetta was with this entire sick town, not blanket racism on her part.Black individuals in this town had raped her and other Blacks had covered it up. Theo had avenged her and paid for that with five years of his freedom. Had the Kingston's Black police force simply pursued a proper course of justice, then those seven men would have gotten what the law allowed; and be out of jail by now.Maybe that would have helped Gayle Fonteneau's emotional wounds heal. That didn't happen though. That injustice explained why Mom had initially run away from Dad. She'd suffered at the hands of law enforcement and she carried that distrust and disgust with her into her first meeting with Dad.That had to be some awkward emotional gymnastics on her part.‘Oh, come on now,' Mom chortled. ‘Leon is in a nice assisted-care living facility and Roscoe is in a coma just down the hall from him.'‘What happened to Le; your brother, Mrs. Malik?' I asked.‘According to the reconstructive specialist in Austin he was hit 27 times with a crowbar, that's what happened,' she spat at my Mother. ‘Even now his face doesn't look right and he's one step above a vegetable.'‘You took Aunt Matilda's hush money,' Mom gloated. ‘You all did.'‘That doesn't mean your brother wasn't a psycho, racist bastard,' Dom shot back.‘Bullshit, Dominique. Your Daddy made the town accept Aunt Mattie's deal because she was bringing in the Arkansas State Police (ASP) to investigate Theo's defense claims and that would have fried the whole lot of you,' Mom ignored Dom's snit. Seeing my disbelief, she told me, ‘Back in 1986, the ASP had its fair share of White racists.'‘Had those seven not been guilty as sin; ‘ she glared at the Mayor, ‘maybe Theo wouldn't have gone Rambo on this burgh.'‘Enough!' I intervened. ‘This is not helping us with the problem at hand. Right now, all Mikhail and I are worried about is whether Mr. Malik is going to come home tonight pissed off, drunk off his ass, or both.'‘Why should you care?' Madame Mayor turned my way. Mom started laughing which only made the woman angrier.‘Because unlike you, me and most of this town, my boys are decent individuals who actually give a crap about strangers, regardless of their melatonin levels,' she snorted. She made eye contact with Mrs. Malik.‘Don't blame me,' Mom chuckled. ‘I would be much happier of your shiftless shit of a husband came back and beat the fuck out of you and your daughter. To me, that would be poetic justice for what your father let him get away with.'‘No happening, Mom,' I declared. ‘Mikhail and I are eighteen now so you can't make us go home. If he's really a threat; ‘‘And you can't trust the police,' Mom sneered at Dom. ‘Your police force, Dominique.'‘You are one twisted cock-whore,' Dom riposted.‘Seven young men assaulted me,' Mom snarled. ‘Three weren't around when Theo caught up with the other four. ‘Charles Baker was one of them. The other was Demetrius Quinterre. These days he is the Chief of Police.'‘Charles Baker is Chinedu Malik now?' I requested.‘Yeah,' Mom beamed hostility Mamma Malik's way. ‘The fall after 'it' happened, Charles went to Arkansas State on a football scholarship and changed his name to something more 'African'. If he thinks it made it so that Theo couldn't find him, he's sorely mistaken.'‘Where is your crazy brother anyway?'‘Which one?' Mom snorted. ‘I've got a few.'‘Theo, you crazy cunt.'‘He joined the US Army straight out of the academy. He ended up in Ranger School then the Green Beret,' Mom updated her. ‘Now he's a contract killer for God-knows who. You, the FBI and the US military all are curious about his whereabouts.'‘That's; ‘ Dominique looked at me. What can I say? I have an honest face. ‘Do you believe that?' she asked me.‘Madame Mayor, I've talked to the men from Fort Bragg who have come calling. How to put this; Uncle Theo is exceedingly eccentric; beyond what Mom is.'In a normal situation, this would be when the concerned wife asked if her husband was in danger from my lunatic uncle. Not Mrs. Malik. Hell, a martyred husband killed by a violent racist would be a big boost to her career. It would also remove any chance of her hubby blowing up the situation with Riley, thus Riley's Sugar-Daddy. I could almost see the cold, calculating wheels turning behind her eyes.‘That's hardly encouraging. Fine; Gayle, you can get out. Vlad, I'm going to make some phone calls. Why don't you see what your brother has gotten up to,' the Mayor commanded. Mom shot me a wink when Mrs. Malik pulled out her phone.‘Bring home the pot and basket when you leave,' she advised me. She took my arm and pulled me to the door.‘You have your toiletries and fresh clothes in the bag (the big, brown paper one she'd arrived with). Then, as she hugged me, she shoved something into my front, left pocket. That weekend with the Vegas hookers paid off, I recalled the crinkly sound condom wrappers make. ‘For Mikhail,' she whispered. He was being given her 'okay' to any sexual missteps that might happen if we weren't sent straight home.I imagined most teenage boys would be thrilled to have their mothers handing them some condoms and silently wishing them luck. Not me. This was some fucked-up shit Mikhail, Alexander and I had stepped into. Mom turned without further advice and went to Dad's black '2012 F-150' pick-up truck. I closed the door, then went looking for the ladies.Dominique had taken Riley into the living room. The younger woman was sitting contritely on the sofa while the Mayor quietly brow-beat whomever was on the other end of that phone conversation. I spared them a look, knew I wasn't needed, or wanted, so I went for the stairs.‘Taliyah, Mikhail, Dinner's here,' I called up. I remained at the bottom of the stairs until Mikhail showed himself.‘Was that Mom?' he calmly inquired.‘Yeah. She's gone now,' I gave a wry grin. ‘It is safe you two to come down.' A few seconds later, Taliyah appeared.‘What is it?' she was referring to dinner.‘Whatever Kamika cooked for us,' I replied. She shrugged, clearly upset with the past few minutes of her life. She still came down. She'd missed lunch unless you counted cum swallowed, then had cheerleader workouts, horse-riding and a sex-session with my brother. Mikhail was perpetually hungry as was the norm for growing boys our age and metabolisms.The remarkable thing was her reaction to Mikhail and his blasé attitude. He wasn't walking on eggshells, as Alexander would have, or being sympathetic, like me. Mikhail was being Mikhail; Taliyah's problems weren't his concern so he wasn't intruding. If she wanted some emotional input from him, she'd have to do the 'reaching out'.We doled out portions. Taliyah started with three bowls (for the host of baby-back pork ribs) and plates for the potatoes, carrots and string beans. I motioned for two more. She mentally debated my request before complying. Kamika must have packed a family of eight. There was plenty to spare.After the meal was apportioned, I took two plates and a glass of Pomegranate Juice (Taliyah poured for her Mom) and a glass of lemonade for Riley. I juggled the lot as I traipsed into the living room. The conversation stopped when I appeared. I didn't engage either with eye contact, though I could tell Dominique resented me serving dinner to her guest. I retreated with the same grace I'd exhibited entering.The two high-schoolers had attacked the ribs with gusto.‘Hmm; these are some damn fine ribs,' Taliyah waved a freshly-cleaned bone my way. ‘No wonder the men in your family are so damn huge.' Right as the words tumbled out of her mouth, she shot Mikhail a dirty look, daring him to make a snide aside about the size of his cock. Mikhail didn't take the bait.‘Give Kamika a call around noon-time. She'll add a place-setting for you at the dinner table,' he replied after vigorously sucking the meat off his fourth victim. That was the opposite of what she expected a man, a Black man, to say. She'd never had a possibly sexually suggestive chat with a White guy.‘The food's not so good I'd want to spend time with you,' she poked him.‘I'm not hot to re-experience your she-devil bitchiness either, Taliyah,' he teased her. ‘I've got to accept that Brandy's going to keep putting a sappy smile on Vlad's face and that suggests they'll crawl out of bed long enough to get some food.'‘We are never going to have sex again,' she wacked his hand with a fresh rib, leaving a saucy mark.Mikhail licked the sweet substance off while keeping eye contact with the girl. She refused to back down from his provocation. My brother responded by tenderly poking her lips with a fresh rib. She kept her mouth closed yet couldn't keep the smile from her face. She countered by presented piece of meat in front of him. Mikhail caught the offering in his teeth and shook it hungrily.Now I felt like the one who should tell them to get a room. The two began making messes of each other's faces with sloppy feedings of one another before including me in the game. It was so engrossing, we three missed Mrs. Malik coming into the kitchen and catching us at play.‘Taliyah, what, are, you, doing?' her mother clipped off each world.‘I'm keeping the White boys quiet,' the daughter thought quickly on her feet.‘Oh, that's what you call it,' Dominique's eyebrow arched. ‘It looks more like your flirting with them both.'‘What!' Taliyah squalled. ‘I hate Mikhail; Vlad's okay. He treats Brandy like she matters, not the way Darius does. He treats her like a cum dumpster.'‘I thought you wanted to be with Darius?' Dom studied her daughter intently.‘Well; I've changed my mind. His whole attitude; the 'I'm a football stud' is getting too pricey for my tastes,' she clarified. ‘Rashaan has his head so far up Darius' ass that's stopped being funny too.'‘Taliyah, if you stop dating Rashaan, you won't be popular,' mom protested.‘Listen to your mother,' Mikhail agreed. ‘Look how well hooking up with a football star worked out for her.' Waves of furious emotions radiated from mom. Taliyah's reaction was far more direct.‘You bastard!' Taliyah swore before she punched him in the upper arm. She was starting to cry.Chine may have been a raging prick to Samsonov eyes, but he was Taliyah's Daddy.‘Fuck,' he exaggerated. ‘What makes you think; ow,' he recoiled as she began to rain blows down on his upper arm and chest. Tears started to stream down her face as she pummeled my brother who took his beating like a champ.‘You are such a; a; ‘ she stammered.‘Neanderthal?' he volunteered. Two more blows were her response then her attacks lost strength and direction. Mikhail wrapped her up in his arms as she sobbed into the crux of his arm and chest.‘Feel free to hate me as much as you need to,' he held her tight. ‘I'm not that fond of you either.' He kept her close for another minute.‘I'll take her upstairs,' Mikhail told Dominique. He kept an arm around her shoulders to aid her direction and off they went. The Mayor looked my way.‘I don't know what's up with that,' I shrugged. ‘Mikhail really is a jerk most of the time. Heck, he's the biggest bastard of the three of us; the most like Mom's dark side, so I'm not sure what he's doing being nice to your daughter.'‘If he does something to her,' she threatened me. Her eyes went past me to Riley who had come to the open doorway. ‘Don't you start thinking you can be leaving,' she aimed her prodigies' way. ‘I'm not done with you.'‘Besides, he's still out there,' I meant Mr. Malik. ‘He's likely to do something irrational that both of you will regret.'‘Why should you care? You are a Fonteneau,' the Mayor grumbled in an accusatory voice.‘I'm not sure,' I shrugged. ‘I trust my Mom a lot more than I believe your version of events. From what I know of Uncle Theo, if he wasn't sure justice had been done, he'd have come back here already.'‘The fact you are choosing to revisit this tragedy now makes me wonder when I'll see him again,' I tacked on.‘Ah, could I have some more of those ribs?' Riley extended her plate. She needed to finish her veggies.‘All that pork is going straight to those fat hips and big ass, Girl,' the Mayor cruelly teased her.Riley was embarrassed. I stood up from the kitchen table, took Riley's plate, and filled it with the portions of meat Taliyah and Mikhail had left behind. That seemed to mollify her to the point she felt good enough to walk, with her plate, back to the living room.‘You shouldn't be nice to her,' the Mayor cautioned me. ‘She's just another whore for Black Cock. Another White girl freak beneath the sheets.'That the Mayor was likely one as well wasn't something I felt I should bring up at the moment. Instead of arguing, I began to clean up the kitchen, putting the leftovers in Tupperware containers, washing the plates and then the pot and food containers. All the while, Dominique watched me work.‘I thought you had domestic help,' she said condescending tone.‘A) any kind of help is something new to us boys and Dad. B) Mom insists we all pitch in and help out. That means washing cookware and plates after meals, haul fertilizer and taking away yard debris and cleaning our rooms. We have chores.'‘That defeats the purpose of having servants,' she insisted.‘That house is huge, the 'help' could use the help, chores remind us we all need to work together and it teaches us not to take people for granted,' I repeated my Mom's words from our first day in the house.‘Your clan used to be such snobs, looking down on all us Black folks.'‘However the Fonteneau acted was before our time, Madam Mayor; ‘‘Call me Dominique, or Mrs. Malik in my home, Vladimir. You are Vladimir, right?' she said.‘Yes Dominique, I'm Vlad, the middle one. Alexander is oldest, so he's the most mature, I'm the middle triplet, so I'm the best mix of Mom and Dad, and Mikhail is the youngest so he's always out to prove himself.'‘Fascinating,' she responded drolly. ‘Stay out of the way while I deal with Riley. I'll get her squared away then deal with you and your brother.' With that, she walked off to give Riley another huge piece of her mind, rage and frustration. As I was putting up the pot to dry, the doorbell rang. I heard Mamma Malik's heels click on the marble floors as she stormed over to the door.‘Demetrius, what are you doing here?' I heard he say from the door.‘I heard you were having some problem with those Samsonov boys,' he announced. ‘I'm here to make sure everything is okay.'‘You mean my worthless, cheating husband sent you over to make them leave,' she groused.‘He might have indicated they were causing you problems,' the Police Chief allowed. ‘Let me pour those Cornfeds into their car and send them home.'‘No,' Dominique's voice cracked the whip of authority. ‘He is out whoring and drinking and that means he ain't coming home tonight; end of story.'‘I'll leave Oliver with a patrol car watching your place if that is the case,' he tried to mollify her.‘On really,' she mocked him. ‘You, Chinedu and Oliver are all drinking buddies. You and your cronies aren't going to keep my husband's drunk ass from darkening my doorway. You let Chine know he's not welcome here tonight.'‘Dom, you are being unreasonable,' the cop leader cooed. I didn't have to imagine him touching her. The Kingston cops were far too touchy-feely with women.‘Don't you touch me, you poltroon,' she blasted him. I wondered if he even knew what a poltroon was. He knew it was an insult though.‘Listen up, Dominique,' his voice grew low and threatening. That was my cue.‘Madam Mayor, is everything okay?' I stepped into the hallway. Demetrius' eyes latched onto me before turning his sneer the Mayor's way.‘Why, don't he look cozy,' he accused Dominique.‘Buddy,' I wasn't going to call him an 'officer', or 'Chief', ‘Mom just enlightened me to what you and Chine did to her all those years ago. Statute of Limitations may have passed, but don't you think the Samsonov's consider justice to be done.'‘I also know that any crime involving you and a Deputy's son automatically brings in the Arkansas State Police. Cross that portal and you cease being a concerned police officer and become a home invader,' I channeled my father and all his kin going back a dozen generations.‘How about I arrest you for trespassing?' he want for his 'bracelets' while his right hand rested on the ass of his piece.‘My house, Demetrius and I've invited him and his brother in. Believe me, Dem, if you don't hot-foot it off my property then my next call Will be to the State Police reporting You for criminal trespass,' she growled at the cop.‘So, you've become an Oreo?' he mocked her. ‘I can't wait to hear what the town council has to say about that.'‘Consider they are the same crowd who invited Dr. Pierre O'Rourke Jean-Georges to be our Principle for the next ten months; ‘ I began my counter-mock.‘Five years,' the Mayor glowered at the Chief. ‘The school board; which you are on, Demetrius; gave that freakazoid a five year contract.'

A Sea Captain Finds The Grotto.Based on the work of BradentonLarry, in 6 parts.  Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Once they had finally reached the beach they were ready to take a nice rest. Seeing the rocky terrain that would keep them from easily proceeding to the grotto helped to take a bit of the wind from their sails as well. So they collapsed on the nearest empty beach blanket and quickly fell asleep in a cozy little pile. Perhaps because of the relatively high concentration of XYZ in the ocean, or sea, air, though, they were soon as randy as they had been at any time in Eros. They awoke very horny, and the nearby guys were more than happy to help out. Don was surprised at how thick and hard his cock was even after the vigorous orgasm he had just had – both in Toshia's sweet pussy and all over her back. He thought he would go over to offer himself to Shelonda's mouth, but just then was distracted as a woman sauntered toward them on her way down to the water.She was a leggy blonde, with long, wavy hair of gold, a phenomenal, curvy body with amazing tits, and her face... Don was certain he recognized her from somewhere. Noticing his attention, the woman smiled broadly at him and gave him a merry wink. Suddenly Don knew exactly where he had seen her. She was a model on The Price is Right back in what he thought of as the real world. He spent a long moment standing there stunned, before making the obvious choice and turning to follow the gorgeous blonde down to the water. He admired the way her hips swayed as she made her way to the water, and then continued to wade in. When she was up to her waist, which Don thought was a shame since he could no longer see her shapely ass, she dove forward and under the water.Don was up to his knees in the surprisingly warm water by the time she resurfaced, emerging from the water like Aphrodite, her thick hair darkened and hanging around her radiant face and water glistening as it ran off her shoulders and full breasts. She smiled again to Don, who hastened to wade in further. She waited for him, her nipples just above the water line. She batted her long lashes at him as he came up close enough to say, "Hello."She unleashed that dazzling smile again, and said, "Hello there. Have we met?""Not really, no," he almost stammered."Well, I'm Rachel," she continued to smile, as Don felt her hand touching his hip under the water and then move directly to his cock, which was the hardest it had ever been. Don also felt quite sure that it was bigger than it used to be."I know," Don smiled back, moving closer and gently grasping her waist under the water."You do?" She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips and then moved in even closer, brushing her lips over Don's collar bone and then along the side of his neck. Her grasp on his straining penis was tight as she pulled on it."Yes..." Don shuddered a bit. His hands moved around her waist to slide down her lower back and then to hold her behind tightly. "Someone told me your name."Releasing her hold on his prick, Rachel slipped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. Her wonderfully full breasts were pressed against Don's chest as she asked, "Who?""It was a long time ago," Don smiled, "and far away."She cocked her head to the side a bit, her smile a bit thoughtful, before she said, "Well, it's very nice to meet you...""Don," he said. He lifted her up as she pulled herself up and jumped a bit in the water, wrapping her perfect, long legs around his waist.Rachel managed to get her hand down between them, took hold of his straining prick, and positioned it just right. As she sank downward, enveloping him in her warm, welcoming embrace, she said, "Well, it's very nice to meet you, Don."Up to his chest in the XYZ sea, Don held on to the gorgeous Rachel, helping to raise and lower her as she slowly rode up and down on his thick and steely hard cock. Her lush, full breasts moved against his chest. His hands held her firm ass cheeks tightly. Their mouths met in a heated kiss that quickly grew in passion, their tongues slipping past each other's lips and teeth. Rachel worked herself on Don's shaft and against his body with increasing enthusiasm. The water splashed against and between them as she pushed up and then slammed down on him again and again. Rachel let out a low growl, and then bit Don's lower lip. Don's fingers squeezed her ass tighter, and he groaned deeply."Oh fuck!" Rachel called out. "Oh fuck yes! I'm going to cum so hard! Goddamn, fuck, yes! Fuck me!"Then Rachel was holding on to him tightly in the water, pushing herself down on his rigid member, as she shook and trembled with what seemed to Don to be a very intense orgasm that rolled on and on. At some point she sank her teeth into his shoulder, but he barely noticed. Instead, he was intent on enjoying the moment – having this radiant beauty in his arms, wrapped around him and impaled on his cock.Eventually, she pulled back a little and smiled at him again, this time actually blushing a little. She kissed him again and said, "That was wonderful, Don. I'm very glad to have met you. Maybe we should move into shallower water.""Gladly!" Don grinned, and without letting her off his prick, he turned around in the water and began to carry her toward the beach.Rachel laughed and kissed him again. It was a friendly buss that quickly became passionate, as she held onto to him tightly. When the water was only up to his mid-calf, Don very slowly knelt down, and then carefully lowered Rachel back into the shallow water, being careful to keep himself inside her. Her hair spread out around her head in the water, as Don lay over her and began to fuck in and out of her steadily. They kissed again as their bodies moved together in the light surf. Rachel's hands moved over his wet body until they found his butt and then began to pull him into her forcefully.Don paused for a moment to lift her long legs up out of the water and put them on his shoulders. Rachel grinned up at him and cupped her tits in her hands, squeezing them and pinching her nipples, which were very hard and red. Don smiled down at her and proceeded to fuck her pussy vigorously, the XYZ-water splashing around them, and especially where their bodies were joined in sex."God, yes!" Rachel exclaimed. "Fuck me just like that! It feels so good! Fuck my cunt, Don!"Don was rather amused that this gorgeous model would be so enthusiastic, and have such a dirty-talk streak, but was far too intent on working his cock in and out of her to laugh. Instead he slammed into her roughly, letting the water absorb the violence of their fucking, and losing himself in the carnal pleasure of her pussy squeezing and pulling at him and the visual stimulation of the beautiful woman lying in the water beneath him with her eyes half-closed in rising pleasure, a sexy smile on her lips and her luscious tits in her hands."Ah! Yes!" she cried out. "I'm going to cum again! Fill my pussy with your cum!"Don was only too happy to oblige. He fucked her hard with short, deep strokes, and then, just as she threw her head back and her body arched up out of the water, he felt his cock swelling and then exploding deep into Rachel, spewing a thick fountain of cum up inside her. Don pushed up into her as she groaned loudly and her pussy squeezed his cock again and again, and as he pumped jet after jet of cum into her pussy and womb. His head swam with the intensity of his long orgasm.When he opened his eyes and looked down, Rachel was lying still, eyes closed, hands holding her breasts and a beatific smile on her face. Slowly, she opened her beautiful eyes and breathed, "Wow!""Indeed!" Don grinned. He let her legs slide off his shoulders and into the water, and then leaned down over her to give her another kiss. His cock was still very hard and gave no indication that it was inclined to soften any time soon, but he suspected Rachel might need a little break.The quiet pause was interrupted though, by Shelonda's voice calling out, "There you are, Don!" This was followed by splashing and laughter as Toshia, Shelonda and the three men ... no, now there were four ... they had been playing with found their way into the water.Shortly, after introductions, and after Toshia and Shelonda had plunged into the water, things quickly developed into a surf-washed orgy. The blonde guy Toshia had been sucking earlier was now sitting in the water, as Shelonda straddled his lap riding up and down on his thick cock. Rachel was on her hands and knees, water up to the middle of her firm thighs, and her breasts dipping into the sea, while she was taken from behind by the new guy, a fit black male with mocha skin, and the Arabic fellow who had been fucking Toshia earlier worked his cock in and out of her lovely mouth. Toshia was kneeling in the water, leaning back against the black guy Shelonda had been with earlier. He had one arm wrapped around Toshia's upper body, squeezing her right tit in his left hand, while the fingers of his right hand reached down to play with her clit, all while he worked his rather large cock slowly in and out of her pussy from behind. Don, who had a mind to convince Toshia's current playmate to shift to her ass so he could enter her pussy from the front, moved over to stand in front of her. He was about to bend down to kiss her, but she saw him and grabbed for his achingly hard cock, pulling it to her mouth as she leaned forward a bit.Don smiled down at his best friend and lover as she eagerly took him into her mouth. He brushed a few wet strands of her hair out of her face as she wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and began to move her mouth up and down it, quickly easing it down into her throat, bit by bit. Taking her head gently in his hands, Don began to rock his hips, fucking her mouth and throat, and just enjoyed the sensations of this exquisite blow job. He glanced over at Shelonda and Rachel, then down at Toshia, quite happy with this visit to the beach. Then Don glanced out, over the head of the guy who was now quite vigorously fucking Toshia from behind. Out there on the water was a large dark shape, quite obviously a sailing vessel. Don thought it looked like a corsair, or some such ship. (Nautical issues were never Don's forte.) It was clearly sailing toward shore, and gave every appearance of making for Rendezvous.Don couldn't see any indication that the ship might be a threat, so I decided to wait until there was some kind of a break in the action before drawing Toshia's attention to it. However, he did keep a periodic eye on it as she continued to pull and suck on his almost painfully hard prick. Eventually, the guy behind Toshia had his big hands around her waist and was raising and lowering her vigorously, and she was obliged to let Don out of her mouth. Instead, she held on to his cock, and whimpered happily at the serious fucking she was receiving. Toshia cried out loudly as the big cock inside her erupted with a thick fountain of cum. Don bent down and kissed Toshia as the guy gently withdrew and backed up."How do you want me, stud?" Toshia smiled."Well, as good as that sounds..." Don directed her attention over to his right, where the sailing ship had dropped anchor and was lowering several longboats over the side.Toshia washed herself again, and they waited for Shelonda to have a particularly ear-splitting orgasm, as the longboats were rowed toward shore, making for what seemed to be low docks in the rockier part of the coastline between the beach and the mouth of the river. They said goodbye to Rachel and the guys (who quickly and happily ganged up on the cheerful blonde model) and headed back up the beach blankets. As Don and the girls gathered their belongings, without bothering to put on more than their shoes, they could see groups of people disembarking from the boats. These people climbed up over the rocks and headed for Rendezvous. Don thought they moved together more like a bunch of tourists on a cruise than any kind of threat. Once each longboat had discharged its passengers, the few remaining crew headed back out to the ship."Maybe we can get them to take us to the Grotto," Don explained to Shelonda as they set off to intercept at least one of the shore parties.Captain Sage and the sailors.It was easy enough to follow the groups, particularly since they were making no effort at all to be stealthy. It seemed that all of them were heading for a large wooden building on the water-side edge of Rendezvous. It looked like nothing so much as a big, solid tavern, and the hanging sign outside the door suggested just as much.Pausing there to hastily throw on their clothes, they eyed the sign with some confusion. There were no words, and the sign featured a foaming flagon with prominent human breasts, and a rigid cock rising up out of the foam."It's a tavern sign, alright, but I have no idea what the name might be," Don mused."The Booby Mug?" Toshia offered."The Foaming Cock?" Shelonda suggested, a bit weakly.Another shore party came up then. As had seemed to be the case with the others, this was all men. They were wearing simple, short, pants – breeches, really – and few of them bothered with shirts. They were all tanned and muscular, and a bit on the weathered side for denizens of Eros. For as much as they resembled the crew of an eighteenth century sailing, or outright pirate, vessel, they also seemed to be rather clean and well-behaved, if boisterous.Even if they hadn't had an ulterior motive, our heroes would have been drawn into the tavern just out of curiosity.Crossing the threshold was like crossing into another world, or at least milieu. On the outside, the late afternoon sun lit a cheerful seaside sex resort. On the inside, was a relatively dark great room lit by many, many candles. There were long, heavy tables in the middle of the room, a scattering of round tables off the various sides, and a big bar. In addition to the newly arrived seamen (and Don could see no seawomen), there were several actual barmaids – busty, unsurprisingly, and fully clothed, surprisingly, though they did each display generous cleavage – working behind the bar and moving around the sudden influx of "customers". While they seemed to be giving the bar maids plenty of attention, the seamen were primarily concentrating on ordering drinks from the bar.Since arriving in Eros, Don had not seen anyone drink anything but water, but the drink being handed out to the men was clearly not water. For one thing, each flagon was capped with a foaming head. Leading the way toward the bar, Don managed to stop a bar maid with an armful of flagons and asked, "What is that drink?""'Tis grog, sir," she said with a tone that implied, "of course." She smiled and handed a flagon to Don before hurrying off to pass out the rest of her bounty to the seamen.The "grog" smelled like a cross between mead and beer, and tasted like a sweet beer, which made sense. There was no alcoholic aftertaste, though."Hey, pass that around, Professor," Toshia laughed as she took the flagon from him. After a cautious sip, she promptly took a much longer drink. "Yum, now that's good stuff!"As Shelonda took her turn, Don turned to the closest seaman, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me.""Aye?" the fellow turned to Don with a quizzical eye and the beginning of a smile."Hello, my name is Don, and these are my friends Toshia and Shelonda.""Yar, good day to ye ladies," the man grinned with a definitely twinkle in his eye. "I be Joseph.""I take it that you're the crew of the ship that just anchored offshore?""Har! Wouldn't do to anchor on shore, now, would it?"Don chuckled, and said, "No, it wouldn't. Who would I talk to about arranging passage to the Grotto of Ishtar?"Joseph, who was more than a little distracted by Shelonda's breasts, took a short moment and then said, "Oh, for that kind of thing, ye'll be wanting to talk to the cap'n.""Excellent," Don smiled broadly. "Where can I find the captain?""Oh, the cap'n'll be along shortly," Joseph said with some effort at restraining a laugh. One of his companions overheard his answer and did burst into a loud guffaw."Thank you," Don nodded with a frown. He turned to talk to Toshia, but she had wandered off a bit. She was now talking with a couple of the other crewmen, who were quite happy to give her their undivided attention and to share their flagons of grog with her. Shelonda was still standing nearby, but was returning Joseph's flirtatious glances while occasionally drinking from the flagon Toshia had left in her care.Noticing Don's attention, Shelonda smiled broadly and repeated, "This is good stuff!""That's good," Don nodded with a bit of concern. Apparently the grog was some kind of intoxicant – the first they had come across in Eros – and Don was a bit wary about mysterious consequences. He resolved to abstain from grog, as something of a designated adventurer."Ye've got a lovely figure," Joseph said to Shelonda."Thank you," she smiled and sidled over a bit closer.Don stepped back to get a little further out of the way. Looking around, he guessed that there were about twenty crewmen in the tavern, but there was no sign of anyone who might be the captain, or even an officer. Meanwhile, he saw that Toshia was now half sitting, half leaning on the edge of one of the big tables. She had a flagon of grog in her right hand, and was running her left along the taut, tanned bicep of one sailor, while a second man leaned in on her right to talk with her.Looking back to Shelonda, Don saw that Joseph had drawn her with him over to a chair at a side table. Don watched as Joseph pulled her into his lap and very efficiently exposed her full breasts. She laughed as he said something and began pinching and teasing her nipples.Over against the big table, Toshia was making out with the man on her left, who seemed to have his hand up between her legs and under her skirt. The man on her right looked like he had lowered his mouth to her breast on that side. In another moment, Toshia had set her flagon down on the table a bit to the side and behind her, so that she could busy her hands with reaching into the pants of the two men."Can I get you a drink, sir?" said a pretty bar maid."No, thank you," Don smiled, noticing her blue eyes and very inviting cleavage."'At your service, sir," she grinned and moved on.Toshia was now making out with the man on her right, while the one on her left was taking his turn at her breast. Don could see his muscular forearm flexing as he worked his fingers up between Toshia's legs. Toshia had managed to work their pants down and now, rather obviously, was pulling on and stroking their cocks.Don looked around, found a likely chair, and sat up on the back of it, putting his feet on the seat. This way, he could better keep an eye on things. He saw that Shelonda was now kneeling between Joseph's thighs, and the back of her head was moving up and down in a steady motion that Don had become quite familiar with. A couple of Joseph's friends were also watching intently, but apparently patiently.Toshia was now leaning back on the table, supported by her left arm, as the man on her left moved between her legs, pushing himself into her. Toshia had her right arm around the neck of the man on her right, pulling him toward her so she could continue to make out with him. Quite a few of the men were watching this scene, many of them with a flagon in one hand as they adjusted their own hard-ons. Some had gone so far as to pull their cocks out and stroke them openly.Don was finding the urge to stroke his own persistent erection almost irresistible.Just then, though, the door opened, letting in a blinding swath of white sunlight along with a small group of individuals. Squinting, Don saw three women and a large, naked man who made every other man in the room look a bit scrawny and weak in comparison. Of the women, though, there was one who instantly drew Don's attention.She swept the room with an imperious look that took in the positions of every man and woman in the room, including Don, but accorded him no more attention than anyone else. She had her hands on her hips and stood there in her calf-hugging high-heeled boots as if she owned the place. She wore a long dark brown overcoat that almost dragged on the floor behind her, as well as a black tri-corn hat with a bright red feather sticking out of the folded up brim atop the coppery red hair that fell down around her face and shoulders in an unruly tumult. Underneath the coat, which was thrown open carelessly, her torso was encased in a rust colored corset that emphasized her charms to undeniable good effect. Her smooth, muscular thighs disappeared into a rather incongruous red miniskirt. The hint of a smile on her lips betrayed equal measures of amusement and contempt. Though she was probably less than a meter and a half tall, she commanded the room as soon as she entered it. Along with the Lady and India, she was one of the most palpably sexual creatures Don had ever seen.Confident that this was the captain he had been waiting for, Don took another moment to look at her a bit more carefully. He noted her long neck, her fair complexion, the spray of freckles across her cheeks, and the particularly adorable broad nose, upon which rode the only pair of glasses he had seen in Eros. As he slid off his chair, Don was vaguely aware that Shelonda was making happy swallowing noises as Joseph groaned, and that Toshia was being fucked vigorously on the table in the center of the room with a gang of men each waiting to take a turn coupling with her, but he was focused on the woman – the captain – who was now striding decisively toward a table in the corner of the room, her little entourage in tow. Don noticed that the crewman in her vicinity bowed their heads a bit and backed away to give her space.Whether or not either of the women with her or the big man noticed him, Don proceeded as if they weren't there. He ignored them and approached the table, arriving just as the captain sat down in a high-backed chair with arms, unlike the other chairs in the room."Excuse me, ma'am," Don said, noticing that it suddenly felt very warm in the tavern. "I take it that you're the captain of the ship that just

When don't we suffer fools gladly? When we know best, when we have made up our minds, when we don't need more ideas, when we want to get things done. When we believe our own nonsense.

Did you know that 64% of Americans report feeling guilty about the food they eat during the holidays? I don't know about you, but I find that really sad. The holidays are meant to be a time of joy, celebration and connection - not guilt.   In this episode, I'm digging into how to give yourself permission to enjoy the holiday foods that you love, without going overboard, and without feeling like you've done something wrong.   Let's face it, diet culture is especially loud this time of year, and all of that noise makes it hard to listen to your body and to trust yourself with food. I'm going to give you some really practical strategies to help you enjoy food this holiday season, while also listening to your body.    Intuitive eating can be your superpower this time of year! Go ahead and hit play, and I'll show you how to use intuitive eating to your advantage as you navigate the holidays, so that you can have peace and freedom with food (minus the side of guilt).    Today's Wellness Woo is collagen   Resources Mentioned   Grab the Free Holiday Intuitive Eating Guide Here   Read the full episode show notes here.   Resources for Your Intuitive Eating Journey   Intuitive eating education on the blog Work with Katy Explore the self-paced mini-course Stepping Off The Dieting Rollercoaster     Connect with Katy Harvey   Website: KatyHarvey.net Instagram: @katyharvey.rd Facebook: KatyHarveyRD      Subscribe and Review   Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts   I would be thrilled if you could rate and review my podcast! Your support helps me reach and encourage more people on their intuitive eating journeys. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Don't forget to share what you loved most about the episode!   Also, make sure to follow the podcast if you haven't already done so. Follow now!  

 The Curate loses his virginity. By Blacksheep. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. At this Sunday's service, there was much talk of the upcoming harvest festival. Members of the congregation were encouraged to donate fruit and vegetables, along with non-perishable items for the local food bank. Jenna had made an effort and brought along a bag of apples. She placed the bag on the side table in the church hall. "I don't know how a brazen hussy like you has the cheek to set foot in a church."Jenna remained calm, as she turned to face Mrs. Norris. "Well I'm a Christian, the same as you." "Huh! Christian my foot. I saw what you and the organist were getting up to and I think it's disgusting! In the church of all places! And he's old enough to be your father!" "Well if you clutch those pearls of yours any tighter they'll crumble to dust. And Gordon and I happen to be consenting adults. Single consenting adults. So there." "Why you, you, .horrid little slag!" Mrs. Norris fumed, lip quivering. She stormed off. Jenna exhaled and rolled her eyes. "Coffee or tea?" a friendlier voice asked. It was Debbie, the Sunday school teacher, who was volunteering to do today's hot drinks rota in the hall. "Tea please," Jenna replied. "You okay?" "Yeah. I don't think I'll be on her Christmas card list." "Don't let that old bag get to you. She's a nasty one. She's horribly ageist. Not to mention xenophobic too. I overheard her mocking Yulia's English skills last week. I can't stand her. Her husband's not that bad, he's a tedious fusspot, but there's no malice in him. But her, she's poison." "I heard her hubby spreads gossip on Facebook." Jenna said. "More likely that's her doing." Debbie replied. "I'd be surprised if John Norris even knows how to switch on a laptop." A brief chill ran through Jenna. What if Mrs. Norris were to post some bile about her online? "I don't use social media anymore," she said. "Briefly poked my nose into Twitter as a teen, but didn't like the pile-ons." "Wise. I'm on Facebook, but only to keep up with church stuff. I never post anything about my private life. I imagine Mrs. Norris would have a stroke if she knew I was dating a woman. A married woman at that. Keep it to yourself. I'm not ready to come out yet." "Don't worry, I won't say a word." Jenna sipped her tea quietly as she observed the other members of the congregation file into the hall. She was hoping Reverend Morris would soon arrive, but after fifteen minutes, there was still no sign of him. Then there was Gordon; he never came into the hall after a service, and he'd sent her that amusing text message on Friday, about Charles Wesley and his "bulging hymn book." She headed out of the hall, in search of Gordon, when Josh the curate came staggering in, carrying a massive pile of hymn books. He almost collided with Jenna and dropped a couple of books. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" Josh stammered. "How clumsy of me." Jenna bent down and picked up the books. "You're loaded up like a pack horse. Let me give you a hand. Where are you taking all these?" "Um. So kind!" His pale cheeks went pink. "The storeroom at the far end of the hall. These are spare hymn books." "Ok. Lead the way. By the way, you haven't seen the vicar have you?"" "Oh, he and the organist are in a meeting. One of the organ pipes has just been repaired." "Damn," Jenna muttered under her breath. "Oh dear. How sad. I guess he'll miss his tea and biscuits." She followed Josh down to the storeroom. She'd never paid much attention to the curate before, but looking at him now, she realized that he was rather cute. Mid-twenties, tall and stocky with fair hair and a chubby face. There was an endearing innocence about him. Reverend Morris had said he was hoping to complete his ordination next year and become a fully-fledged vicar. He'd been impressed by his devotion to the church - but he needed to come out of his shell a bit and interact more with worshippers. Josh was a shy man and lacking in self-confidence. Remembering this information made Jenna smile. I think this innocent curate needs some other kind of help, The storeroom was vast, and crammed from floor to ceiling with box files, books, old furniture and plastic crates. "Holy sh,, I didn't know this room existed. And what a lot of stuff for one small church!" Jenna exclaimed. "Heh, yeah." Josh said, putting the books down. "It's not just for St Michael's. We share it with St John's and the Methodist church on Oakwood Road." Jenna began putting the books on the shelf. "Um you don't need to do that,” "Jenna." Josh blushed again. "Jenna. It's kind of you to do that but,” "Oh I don't mind. Why should you have to do all the donkey work? This room is a tip. Besides, a good Christian should help others, right? Especially the vicar's right-hand man. That's what a curate is, yes?" Josh relaxed a bit. "Pretty much, yeah. Like Batman and Robin." "Have you always wanted to be a curate?" Josh sat down on a stool. "In truth, no way. I wasn't religious at all when I was a kid. I suffered from crippling shyness. I used to dread being asked to read in front of the class. When I was ten, my dad walked out, and that affected me a lot. Haven't seen him since. Mum turned to drink, I relied on my grandad for support. He became a father figure to me. He used to be a vicar. Thanks to him I survived my teens and passed my exams. I was eighteen when he died. That's when I decided I wanted to follow in his footsteps. Without him - and God, I fear, well I may have gone down a dark path. Got in with a bad crowd. Taken drugs, self-harmed, maybe ended up in jail." "Wow." Jenna replied, realizing how cosseted and safe her upbringing had been. "Well I'm so glad your grandad was there for you." "There are still days when I doubt myself and I'm in a bad place. I feel useless." "Don't put yourself down," Jenna said, walking towards him. "You're an amazing role model, especially for younger people." Josh blinked. "You, think so?" "I do. Plus, you're really cute. Has a girl ever told you that before?" Josh blushed. "Err, no-one except my Nan. I don't think she counts." "Women round here must be blind," Jenna added, making him squirm with embarrassment. She leant forward and planted a kiss on his lips. He trembled, cheeks turning redder. "J-Jenna, don't,” "It's alright Josh. You're not committing a sin or anything. We're not inside the church, if that's you're worried about." "N-no, it's not that. I, um,” The curate sighed. "I,  I'm just scared of, I don't know if I can, do this." She already knew he was single and straight, but decided to question him. "Do you have a girlfriend?" "No, but, um, that's the problem really. I'd like one, but I wouldn't know how to tell her,” Jenna stroked his arm. "Tell her what?" "I worry she'd laugh at me." "Josh. Whatever it is, I promise I would never laugh at you. And I will understand." He looked down. "Shit. I'm twenty-five. And I'm still a virgin! I've never gone beyond kissing a girl." She kissed his cheek again. "Oh Josh. That's nothing to feel awkward about. In fact I admire you. In this age when we're bombarded with over-sexualized imagery 24/7 both online and offline, finding someone who's chosen to wait is pretty awesome in my opinion. I lost mine just days after reaching the age of consent. I couldn't wait to lose it. But that's just me,” "Yeah but, I, um,” She pulled him to his feet and gently coaxed the truth out of him. "You want to lose your virginity, yes?" "More than anything. But, dating today is scary. It's a minefield. Especially after Me Too. I'm afraid. I don't want to say the wrong thing and come across as some horny creep,” Jenna held back a chuckle. Mrs. Norris probably thinks of me as a horny creep. She thought. "I get that. But trust me. I don't think a sweet, kind-hearted man of God like you could ever be a creep. Horny yes, nothing wrong with that of course." She winked at him and he gulped. "How about it? I think you're ready right now." His eyes widened. "W-what? Here?" "Why not? It's nice and private, And you're a really sexy curate!" Her face was just inches from his own, hovering there. Then her lips were on his, dancing there softly for a moment before pulling away. "Jenna,” He was already rock hard, and hoped his cassock had disguised this fact. "Shush. You're very special." She whispered, barely audible. "You're warm, caring,  You're strong. You deserve to be experience the joys of the flesh." She kissed him again. It's okay to feel nervous. First time is always a bit nerve-racking. But just relax. You'll be just fine,” What an adorable lamb to the slaughter, Jenna thought to herself. He's so scared and unsure. I've never seduced a virgin before, so I'd better not go too hard on him. I do love a challenge. With a bit of encouragement, this sweet guy could have real potential. The touch of her lips sent a fire through his body, a jolt that brought a tingle to every micron of his skin. "Oh, Jenna!" "Shhh." Her lips caressed his own, then his nose, his ear. "Don't talk just now, okay?" "Mmm?" She kissed him again, gently caressing his upper lip between her own. At last, he responded. "Josh." Jenna smiled cheekily. "You're a pretty good kisser, you know that?" "Really?" Just relax. I'm not going anywhere, there's no rush. All we have to do is discover each other. There's no hurry. No-one's going to come in here. I imagine the vicar will be busy for ages." Jenna ran her hand down the front of his black cassock. "Oh my, you're more than ready. "Let's get these buttons unfastened." She knelt before him, opening the cassock and revealing the black trousers underneath. And another straining crotch bulge. "I'm going to worship you," she whispered, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his trousers. Josh was wearing plain black briefs underneath. It was fun seeing the different types of undies men wore. First there was Reverend Morris with his "holy boxers," then Gordon and his sensible white y-fronts, now Josh with smart black tight-fitting briefs. "Everything will be fine. I promise. Close your eyes if it makes you feel better, okay?" The curate hesitated still, but Jenna's smile was reassuring and gentle. "I promise you'll like it." With a shudder, Josh squeezed his eyes tight as his trousers and underwear were lowered, and he could feel the cool air of the room, then Jenna's warm breath on his manhood. "There we are." He couldn't resist a peek, through half-closed eyes. He was painfully stiff, of course, harder than he'd ever been in his life, but he didn't need his eyes to tell him that. He shivered as Jenna ran her hand through his pubes and stooped to kiss him there. He gasped as her smooth palm encircled him. "Oh my God!" "Mmm. So beautiful. Truly God's gift to women. Just relax, don't fight the feeling. Isn't it nice?" Jenna kissed the very tip of his member, and he gasped and moaned, his muscles tensing. "Don't fight it now Josh, just let the feelings come. Relax and let it take you. You don't have to hold it back, just let it come." With that, she closed her lips around his head, tasted him with her tongue. "Uh! Oh Jesus!" The curate groaned. The crescendo was boiling in him now, wonderful and frightening and exhilarating. Nothing could have prepared him for the warm embrace of a woman's mouth, the slight roughness of her tongue as she rolled it up and down his length. No porn, no fantasy could have approached the sensation of her lips gently drawing on his cock, coaxing him towards a peak of indescribable pleasure. The fire was in him and around him, consuming him and his thoughts until all that he was became the connection with her, his flesh and her mouth. Her hands cradled his cock gently as he built towards climax, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow. "Oh,” "Let it come." Josh sighed deeply in relief as Jenna enveloped him again, shuddered as he felt himself swell between her lips, as he released himself to her, surrendered to her, spurting his cum. She lingered over his manhood, slowly coaxing him down from the heights of his ecstasy. She gently licked his shaft and kissed a drop of his essence from the tip, and smiled up at him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" She said, standing up. "Did you enjoy your first blowjob?" "Jenna. Fucking hell!" "I'll take that as a yes?" "Yes!" he gasped. "Oh good. Because we're not done yet. You don't get off that easily you know!" Jenna began unfastening her skirt, letting it fall to the floor. Josh's eyes widened. She wasn't wearing any panties. An old, battered table was in the middle of the storeroom. Jenna cleared it and reclined on it, spreading her legs and unfastening her blouse. No bra! "Your turn." Josh crossed himself. "Just trust your instincts." She whispered, lowering herself onto her back. Josh stared at her for a second, dumbstruck by her beauty and timid as a deer. Her gently smiling face and the flowing red hair that framed it, the round fullness of her breasts, her long legs, and the tantalizing lure of her wet womanhood between, Finding his courage at last, Josh moved close. With a shaky hand he reached out and tentatively cupped her left breast. Tracing the nipple with his thumb, ever so gently. "Mmm nice, Josh. Keep going!" Encouraged, Josh lowered his mouth to her other breast, the memory of the delightful sensations she'd given him earlier fresh in his mind. He felt her run her fingers through his short blonde hair as he tasted her with his tongue, heard her sigh as he closed his lips around her nipple. "Gently now." "Sorry!" The curate feasted on her breasts for a bit longer, before moving down to her abdomen, planting more kisses, then he paused for a moment. Jenna said nothing, silently urging him to carry on, and he did. Tentatively, he kissed the inside of her thighs, tracing a finger through the trimmed hair above her slit. Josh continued to lovingly kiss her thighs, his nerves beginning to fade. The heady scent of her was overpowering, emboldening him to trail a finger between her cunt lips. The wetness he felt there surprised him, and he glanced up. "You're doing great, Josh." Jenna answered in a throaty whisper. "Please don't stop." He ran a finger over her clit, causing her to let out a moan. Lowering his head, he caressed her softly with his mouth, tasting her. "Oh Josh,” He suckled gently on her clit and she let out a scream. "Jenna?" He pulled away from her, his fear returning. "Did I hurt you?" "No Josh. It was incredible, that's all. When you licked me down there, wow. You sure know how to thrill a woman. You learn quick! But don't make me cum just yet. Because I want you inside me when it happens." Josh's heart leapt into his throat. "Oh,” "Are you ready?" "Um, but protection, I-I don't have a condom,” "It's okay, you don't need to worry. I'm on the Pill." "Oh, right. Good,” "Think of this as doing God's work," Jenna purred, urging him to get on with it. She was eager to feel that virgin cock inside her. Slowly he positioned himself above her on the creaking table. Jenna took his cock in her hand, guiding him. He felt the head of his organ nestle inside her. "Lord in Heaven!" It was such exquisite torture, fighting the urge to cum as fast as he could. The feel of her cunt as it sheathed him was beyond even the joys he'd felt already. At first, he slipped in and out of her slowly. He buried his face in her neck. "Umm, oh God Josh. Yes! Go harder!" Jenna slowly relaxed her control, allowing him to work his cock in and out of her more forcefully. He thrust in deep, as far as he could, and gasped, savoring the sensation. "Oh Josh, that's so good!" He speeded up, as she wrapped her legs round him. Soon he was pounding her like a pro. "Jenna!" He could feel his climax coming now, a mighty force of almost Biblical proportions. Just as Jesus drove out many devils, Josh drove out his virginity, casting it aside forever. He'd been freed. "Ugh!" With a roar of release the curate came, filling Jenna's womanhood with his seed. Josh wasn't sure how long his orgasm lasted. But he knew that it was wonderful, an epiphany of sensation, and that Jenna writhed and gasped in the throes of her own climax in perfect harmony with his. When they'd both calmed down, Jenna held him close and kissed him. "Are you okay? You were amazing, Josh, do you know that? How are you feeling?" "Just fantastic, absolutely fantastic! I, wow. That was, incredible. Um, do you mind if I say a quick prayer for both of us?" "Not at all. You go ahead." When he'd finished, he opened his eyes and looked at Jenna, who was smiling broadly. "You are going to become a bloody amazing vicar!" She said. An Erotic Dream & an organ lesson. T'was the Year of Our Lord 1739, and on a road bound for London, weary preacher and hymn writer Charles Wesley had just arrived at a tavern. "Innkeeper! I hath been riding all day and my poor horse be in the great need of water and rest. As am I." Charles said. "Fear thee not, good fellow, I'll tend to thine horse!" The innkeeper replied. "If it's a room for the night you're looking for, then ye hath come to the right place. Here at the Lamb Inn, there's always a warm greeting for a weary traveler. I'll leave ye in the capable hands of my fine wench Jen, who is adept at making gentlemen feel welcome,” "Greetings to you sir!" Jen said, and Charles was a little taken aback by this stunning redheaded wench. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll lead you to your bedchamber." She picked up a candle and gave him a seductive smirk. "Gladly, Miss!" Charles replied, following her up the creaking wooden staircase. In the main room, sounds of merriment filled the air as many men supped ale and enjoyed the company of willing wenches. "I see you're a man of faith, sir," said Jen as she reached the top of the stairs. "Have you travelled far?" "Aye, all the way from Bristol. I write many hymns. I'm going to visit my older brother John, who's in London. He's a preacher too. In fact he,” "Oh gosh, of course! Your brother must be John Wesley, founder of that Methodist movement I keep hearin' about!" "That's right! I'm Charles Wesley." Jen entered the bedchamber. "Here we are, Mr. Wesley. I trust the room is to your liking? This happens to be a new room - never been used before. Bed never slept in, chair never sat on, chamber pot never,” "Ah, glorious!" Charles interrupted her. "It looks most excellent. I am indeed blessed to have been afforded such kindness. God is good!" "Mmm, thanks be to God," Jen replied, eyeing up Charles. He was young and rather attractive for a man of the cloth. Most of the clergy she'd encountered in her life had been very old men. "There be a fresh jug of water on the table for you, Mr. Wesley. We're lucky here. The Lamb has a deep well which provides safe, clean water to drink. That's why we get so many visitors desperate to quench their thirst without worry of getting the flux." Charles nodded as he put his bag down on the chair and removed his black robe. That four poster bed looked so inviting. "Why don't you sit on the bed, Mr. Wesley? I cannot help but wonder, after all that riding, do you not grow a little stiff?" "Um, I am a little stiff, yes." "Then come over here and sit beside me." Jen said, patting the bed. "I'd be interested to hear about your hymn writing." Charles bashfully did as she asked. "Well right now, I am working on a "Hymn for Christmas Day." But I confess I have only written the first verse. "Perchance could I hear this first verse?" Jen replied. Charles nodded. "Hark how all the Welkin rings Glory to the King of Kings, Peace on Earth, and Mercy mild, God and Sinners reconciled!" "I'd say that's a marvelous first verse," said Jen. "Very stirring, very uplifting. It makes one, rise to the occasion." Her hand had somehow ended up on his thigh. "Oh do you think so? That pleases me greatly, Miss! Now if only I could complete it." Jen removed her mobcap, revealing long, tumbling red locks. Charles gazed, mesmerized. "By all the saints, you're a pretty woman, Miss,” "Jen, Mr. Wesley, perhaps I can be of some help to you." She blew out the candle. "Oh my! Now we're in the dark. How careless of me! We'll just have to,” "Oh Miss Jen!" Charles gasped as her hand groped him in an intimate place. "I think you've risen to the occasion Mr. Wesley!" A few moments later and the good wench had relieved the dear Mr. Wesley of his breeches and cast off the rest of his apparel, including a periwig. The preacher produced naked, stiff, and erect, a wonderful maypole. Jen put her hands to this fine example of maleness and her actions had the desired effect. "Ah! I think my inspiration is returning!" "I'm filled with joy, Mr. Wesley! Tis an honor to help you!" "Joyful all ye Nations rise, Join the Triumph of the Skies, Universal Nature say "Christ the Lord is born to Day!" "That's a wonderful second verse!" Jen ran her tongue round the preacher's erect member, before taking his entire length into her mouth. "Oh Lord in Heaven, I have given in to sin, but if the sin results in a completed hymn, will thou look upon me with mercy?" Charles gasped, as the pleasure overwhelmed him. Jen withdrew. "The Lord will indeed pardon you, Mr. Wesley. Now please relax and enjoy my help!" "Ah, oh my God, thine tongue is divine, it feels so good!" Jen sucked, licked and teased Charles' cock until he could take no more. "Miss Jen! I'm going to spend! Oh, yes!" "Ahh, I have been anointed by your holy essence, Mr. Wesley!" Jen giggled as she eagerly gobbled up his seed. Charles' face bore an expression of utter bliss and satisfaction. "Oh Miss Jen. I am so grateful God delivered me to this inn. What sweet pleasures you have afforded me this evening!" A furious knocking on the bedchamber door disturbed the blissful ambience. "Jen! Jen! You need to get up!" a woman shouted. "Is that, the innkeeper's wife?" Charles wondered, still dazed after his powerful orgasm. Jen licked the remaining cum off the preacher's softening cock. "Mm, sounds like Mother. But wait, Mother died of smallpox ten years ago, so how, ?" Everything seemed to fade away in a strange haze. "Jen! You're going to be late for work! Wake up!" Jenna finally awoke. "Huh? What?" "Are you alright?" Her mum shouted. "Answer me or I'm coming in." "Um yeah. I'm fine Mum!" She rolled over and reached for her smartphone. Squinting, she looked at the clock. "Shit! I overslept!" Breakfast was a rushed affair, with Jenna barely able to drink half a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. "For goodness cake, slow down before you choke on that," her mum said. "Can't believe I overslept. I set my phone. I've never done that before." Jenna said. "Hey, we all do it sometimes. Though your exertions at church no doubt kept you up late. Your dad and I noticed how much time you've been spending at St. Michael's. Now feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but what's with the sudden obsession with church? You've never been interested before. You used to laugh at Gran for being in the Mother's Union." "I guess the pandemic made me think about things differently," Jenna lied, trying to think up a good excuse. "I know I never attended church much before, but I never stopped being a believer." "That's great, Jen. I'm glad it makes you happy. I just hope you're not spending all your time with old people, though. It's good to mix with people your own age." "Oh there's a good mix of different ages at St Michael's. They're not all boomers, Mum. The curate, Yulia and Debbie aren't much different to me. And Reverend Morris, .he's amazing." "I'm sure he is," her mum replied, with a wry grin. "You out tonight?" "Yes. Choir practice." Jenna grabbed her bag and car keys. "By the way, who's Charles Wesley?" "Um, what?" "You were yelling his name over and over in your sleep. You must've been dreaming." "Oh. Well he's a guy who wrote a lot of great hymns. He lived in the 18th century. He wrote that famous carol "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", although the original words were different. Gotta go. Love you. Bye!" Jenna's mum shook her head. "Charles Wesley? When I was growing up, I used to dream about Brad Pitt." "I have got to get a place of my own," Jenna muttered to herself as she headed to the car. "That was cringe." Jenna had prepared herself for her evening "choir practice" with Gordon, by wearing her best lingerie and a sexy dress that perfectly highlighted her curves and cleavage. The organist himself had also made an effort, by wearing his best suit and tie. With his black robe unfastened, he resembled an old-fashioned headmaster. "Hello there!" Gordon said, grinning from ear to ear. Whoa, she looked drop-dead gorgeous. He was practically drooling like a dog in heat. "Not so bad yourself, Gordon!" Jenna replied. "Love the suit. Now all you need is a cane." "A cane?" "To punish me with. You see, I've been a naughty girl. I forgot to practice that piece of music you mentioned." "Oh dearie me," Gordon said, walking over to her. "Whatever am I to do with such a naughty girl? Never mind. I'm sure you can make it up to me some way,” He sat down on the organ stool. "Come sit in my lap, Jenna. We're going to play a little tune together. I'm sure you can do it." "Why Gordon, I'm not sure I can play this. It's a bit of a step up from the piano." "Just give it a try. I'm sure you'll learn quick!" He winked. "Try the third manual," he added, indicating one of the keyboards. Jenna bit her lip and slid onto Gordon's lap. She deliberated wiggled about a bit, causing him to let out a groan. "This seat is a little, hard!" Jenna began playing the first few notes. "You're right, Kings and Queens does sound fantastic on a pipe organ. I'd have never guessed you were an Ava Max fan, Gordon." "Hah, I'm not. Can't stand modern pop music. But the younger members of the choir are always begging for this song. You're great at this!" As Jenna continued to play, Gordon began massaging her breasts and kissing her exposed neck. "Oh Gordon," Jenna sighed. "There's a part-time job available,” he continued, between kisses. "An assistant choirmaster and pianist at the Sunday school. Three days a week. The school isn't just open on Sundays anymore. There's a crèche and breakfast club on Wednesdays. They do after-school sessions for kids who have special needs. It's not bad money. I know you've got all the relevant qualifications. If you're interested, I could easily pull a few strings and get you in." Jenna suddenly halted her playing. "Wow, are you serious?" "Of course I am. Look, the young 'uns think I'm some kind of ogre. And they're probably right. But you, you'd be such an asset to the school. And tell me honestly, do you truly enjoy working in a call center?" "I hate it. The pay is shit and I hate my boss. Now she's a real-life ogre." "Exactly. Your talents are wasted in a dead-end job like that, Jenna. It's up to you of course, but please give it some thought." She turned round to face him. Kissing him hard the lips, she slipped her arms round his shoulders. "I've given it thought. I accept! Now why don't you let me thank you properly, Gordon?" Jenna hiked up her dress, and unfastened Gordon's belt. She unzipped his trousers, pushed down his underpants, and his rock hard erection sprang free from its encumbrance. Unable to contain himself any longer, Gordon pulled aside the crotch of her damp panties, positioned himself to her entrance, and pushed himself into her. The soft lips between her legs parted, and she threw her head back in sudden ecstasy as the organist began thrusting himself in and out of her warm body, slowly at first, then building in speed. Outside, a black 4 by 4 had just pulled up in the church car park. John Norris got out of the driver's side and furiously slammed the door shut. "John please, don't do this!" his wife pleaded. "Not in the church!" "Look Patricia, I want to get to the bottom of this. First Gordon angrily accuses me of spreading lies on Facebook. He called me "the biggest shit-stirrer in this church" to my face! Now the chaps at the Rotary Club have frozen me out. They said I've been making sexist jokes and racist comments about Ukrainians! I ask you, when have I ever made a racist comment? I haven't a racist bone in my body! And I've never signed up to Facebook either. Someone is trying to smear my name. If you ask me, Gordon's the one behind it all! Well, we'll see what he has to say, man-to-man." A look of horror swept Mrs. Norris' face. "You can't go in there! I can hear the organ - the choir are in there!" "I don't care if the whole bloody town is in there!" John yelled, a display of anger that was most unlike him. "This has gone too far. I can't believe Gordon could be so vindictive. He'd a bad-tempered sod, but I never thought he'd do this. Libel is a serious offence." He stormed into the church and marched down the aisle, his panicking wife rushing after him. "Alright alright, it wasn't Gordon. It was me!" She grabbed his arm. He halted. "What?" "I did it." John shook his head. "Why are you trying to protect him? Do you fancy him or something? Is there more to this?" "No! No of course I don't! Look, I signed up to Facebook so I could access the church page but I used your name. I know I shouldn't have but, well surely you must know how members of this church treat me? I'd have been blocked immediately!" John's face had gone through several shades of red and was now the color of raw steak. "You, Did what? You've been spreading lies and racist comments using an account with my name? What the hell am I married to?" He walked round the side of the organ. "Bloody hell!" Mrs. Norris shoved him aside, wondering what had shocked him. "That's her! She's the one who's caused all this! The little tart! She's bringing filth and depravity to this church!" John glared at his wife. "I'd say your own venom has done that already, Patricia." He turned and stormed off. "I'm going home. To pack a few things. I'm going to stay at my brother's for a bit. And you, well you can go to Hell." "Gordon, do you hear somebody shouting?" Jenna sighed as she felt his warm cum fill her. "Probably just a bit of rowdy teen behavior outside," Gordon replied with a smirk. To be continued. By Blacksheep, for Literotica.

LESSON 323I Gladly Make The “Sacrifice” Of Fear.Here is the only “sacrifice” You ask of Your beloved Son; You ask him to give up all suffering, all sense of loss and sadness, all anxiety and doubt, and freely let Your Love come streaming in to his awareness, healing him of pain, and giving him Your Own eternal joy. Such is the “sacrifice” You ask of me, and one I gladly make; the only “cost” of restoration of Your memory to me, for the salvation of the world.And as we pay the debt we owe to truth, - a debt that merely is the letting go of self-deceptions and of images we worshipped falsely - truth returns to us in wholeness and in joy. We are deceived no longer. Love has now returned to our awareness. And we are at peace again, for fear has gone and only love remains.- Jesus Christ in ACIM

Loving acts are genuine to the degree that they are not done begrudgingly.

In this episode of FUT in Review, John discusses the latest SBC updates, including player reviews for Retegui, Lindsay Horan, and Alexia Putellas. He emphasizes the need for player picks and shares insights on the value of the new cards, particularly the high-cost Putellas SBC. The episode concludes with a reminder for Patreon supporters and a preview of upcoming content. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Housekeeping 03:13 SBC Updates and Player Reviews 06:02 Player of the Month: Retegui and Horan 08:56 Analyzing the Putella SBC 11:53 Value Assessment of Putella's Card 15:14 Conclusion and Final Thoughts ⁠⁠Join the Discord Server for Free! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://discord.gg/rzAjWezwr3 Questions:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠futinreview@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/futinreview⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.futinreview.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/futinreview⁠

PreludeWelcomeCall to WorshipOpening Hymn - (#118) "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God"Confession, Assurance, and Gloria PatriRecognition of StaffPraise SongsSermon - "Set Free: Miracles Along the Way" (Joshua 3)Hymn of Response - (#82) "Victory in Jesus"Receiving of Our Tithes and OfferingsDedication of Hurricane Relief OfferingOffertoryDoxologyPastoral PrayerClosing Hymn (#337) "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty"BenedictionPostludeA Mighty Fortress Is Our GodA mighty fortress is our God,A bulwark never failing;Our helper He amid the floodOf mortal ills prevailing.For still our ancient foeDoth seek to work us woe—His craft and power are great,And, armed with cruel hate,On earth is not His equal.Did we in our own strength confide,Our striving would be losing,Were not the right man on our side,The man of God's own choosing.Dost ask who that may be?Christ Jesus, it is He—Lord Sabaoth His name,From age to age the same,And He must win the battle.And though this world with devils filled,Should threaten to undo us,We will not fear, for God hath willedHis truth to triumph through us.The prince of darkness grim,We tremble not for him—His rage we can endure,For lo, his doom is sure:One little word shall fell him.That word above all earthly powers,No thanks to them, abideth;The Spirit and the gifts are oursThrough Him who with us sideth.Let goods and kindred go,This mortal life also—The body they may kill;God's truth abideth still:His kingdom is forever.Victory in JesusI heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory,How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning,Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.CHORUS:O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!He sought me and brought meiwh His redeeming blood;He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him—He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood.I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing,How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit,"And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.[CHORUS]I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;About the angels singing and the old redemption story,And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.[CHORUS]Praise to the Lord, the AlmightyPraise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!All ye who hear,Now to His temple draw near;Join me in glad adoration!Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,Shelters thee under His wings, yes, so gently sustaineth!Has thou not seenHow all thy longings have beenGranted in what He ordaineth?Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.Ponder anewWhat the Almighty can do,If with His love He befriend thee.Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.Let the AmenSound from His people again:Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Some of the most realistic, sympathetic, complex, and villainous women of the ancient world are found in the works of Euripides. He seemed to have had an interest in the people on the margins, women, foreign "barbarians", and enslaved people. Today we're looking at them, and Euripides through them. Find the International Podcast Day livestream here! CW/TW: far too many Greek myths involve assault. Given it's fiction, and typically involves gods and/or monsters, I'm not as deferential as I would be were I referencing the real thing. Sources: (Translations listed under each) Euripides' Hecuba, The Trojan Women, Medea, Hippolytus, Andromache, The Suppliant Women; Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusae; Mary Lefkowitz' Euripides and the Gods. Attributions and licensing information for music used in the podcast can be found here: mythsbaby.com/sources-attributions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judges 8 (Judges 8:22-28) NLT 22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! 24 However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)25 “Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. 26 The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.27 Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.28 That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon's lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.Week 6, 9/22 Sometime this week, read about Gideon's tragic ending in …  Judges 8:1-27 - Extra challenge: read & journal any thoughts, questions, confessions, studies

A Rainy Ceremony.Based on a post by Quinn_McMullen, in 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Saturday was overcast with a threat of rain. I hoped Anders and his partner Geoffrey had contingency plans. The wedding ceremony and reception were scheduled to start at 4, I planned on picking up Zoë at 3:15. I wore a white dress shirt with a little blue pinstripe in it with a matching tie. White pleated Dockers, penny loafers, and a blue sports coat completed my ensemble.I walked up to Zoë’s front door and rang the bell. Jackie (although I had to remember that Chrissy wanted us to call him Johnny) opened it. He had a tiny, sweet voice, “Want to play with me? I have my trucks.”“Johnny, I would love to play with you, but I have to take Zoë to the wedding.”“She has a pretty dress. Mommy is sad. Daddy’s not being nice.”“I’m sorry. Can you take me to Mommy and Zoë?”Johnny grabbed my finger and led me to the living room. “Here’s Mommy. Where’s Zoë?”Chrissy said, “She’ll be down in a moment.”I came in smiling, “Hi Mommy. Johnny, I would love to see your trucks. Can you show them to me?”“Okay.” He ran off to get them.Chrissy looked at me longingly, “You’ve got the grandfather stuff down cold.”“Seven years of practice. How are you doing?”Chrissy said, “Mommy’s hanging on by her fingertips.”“Don’t take this wrong, but you look like hell.”She smiled and with a touch of sarcasm said, “I love you too, Quinn.”“How did your visit with the counselor go?”“She’s great. It really helped. I’ve got a standing appointment for Thursday afternoons. Amy, my lawyer has hired a private investigator to find out…” She looked for Johnny. “…how old the C-U-N-T is.”“That would ruin his life. Felon. Sex offender.”“Right?”Zoë appeared in the doorway, “Hey.”Chrissy observed, “Isn’t she beautiful?”Zoë blushed.I imitated Billy Crystal, “You look marvelous.”Johnny arrived with two toy trucks. He held them up to me, “See.”I sat down in an arm chair so I would be more at his level. “What kind of truck is this?”“Friar truck.”“Oh, it is has a fire hose for the firefighters.” Johnny nodded vigorously. “And what kind of truck is this?”“Dump truck. It goes like this.” He showed me how the dumping mechanism worked.I pulled a couple of coins from my pocket, “Here, let’s see how this works.”I put the truck on the ground and dropped the coins in the truck bed.Johnny dumped them onto the floor, then put them back and dumped them again. “See Mommy.”“I see. Quinn is pretty good at this, but I think we need to let Zoë and Quinn go to the wedding now.”Johnny exclaimed, “I wish I could go! I can dance.” He stood and wiggled his ass.We all laughed. I said, “Yes, you can.”I stood up and Chrissy came over and hugged me, “Thanks for everything. I don’t know how I will ever repay you two.”I kissed the top of her head, “Friendship doesn’t have debits and credits. We do these things simply because we love you.”Tears welled up in Chrissy's eyes, “Now you’re going to make me cry. Off you two go. Have a nice time.”Zoë came over and hugged ChrissyI got down on one knee, “So Johnny, shake?”He came over and shook my hand quite vigorously, “Mommy says you’re a good guy.”I asked, “Do you think I’m a good guy?”Johnny nodded.I smiled, “I think you are a good guy too.”He laughed, “We’re both good guys.”I stood and extended my elbow to Zoë, “Off we go.”The wedding ceremony was a simple affair. Anders and Geoffrey (he pronounced it Joff-ree) wore tuxes, but there wasn’t a wedding party, just a presiding official. There were about seventy people there including both grooms’ parents. Because of the threat of rain, the reception was moved indoors. After the ceremony there was a receiving line to enter the reception.Zoë wanted to be at the end of the line, so we waited for everyone to congratulate the happy couple. When our turn came, Zoë wrapped her arms around Anders’ neck.Joyful tears were flowing as she told him, “I am so happy for you.”Geoffrey said, “Zoë, my love, you look simply ravishing. Quinn you must ravish her and ravish her.”I just smiled wondering whether he knew what the word meant.Anders said, “Didn’t I tell you that dress was perfect for you. The color is perfect for your skin and hair.”Geoffrey said, “And her eyes.”Zoë gave Geoffrey a hug. I shook Anders hand and he pulled me into a hug.He whispered, “I was chatting with her the other day. Thank you for being her friend. I love that you two are together like you are.”I said, “The pleasure is all mine.”He smiled, “I know. It’s really good for her.”I shook Geoffrey’s hand, “Congrats. You have a terrific husband.”“Don’t I know it?!”Zoë and I went into the reception and saw a faculty colleague at a table with her husband. There were open chairs and I pointed Zoë in that direction.As we approached, I said, “Suzette, do you mind if we join you?”Her husband stood to greet us.Suzette grinned, “I’d love it. No shop talk though.”Zoë nodded, “Fine with me.”“This is my husband Garrett. My colleagues Zoë and Quinn.”I shook his hand, “Pleased to meet you.”Suzette gave us each a hug, “Before the pandemic I was never much of a hugger. Now I want to hug everyone.”Zoë laughed, “Right? Me too.”We sat and exchanged small talk. After several minutes, Anders took a microphone from the DJ and thanked us all for being there. We were directed to a buffet line, but we waited for the line to shrink before queuing up. Once we got to the food, I had a slice of prime rib. Zoë went for fettucine Alfredo. Once again, she didn’t eat much. There were the obligatory champagne toasts, and then the music started. I didn’t recognize the song, but Zoë pulled me out on the floor. She danced up a storm and I felt most of the guests’ eyes were on her. After two songs, I begged off being old and tired. Zoë grabbed Suzette and I got to watch.Zoë never stopped moving and her body flowed gracefully to the music. Her legs, hips, and arms keeping perfect time while at the same time being subtly enticing.Garrett leaned over, “So are you two dating?”“Just for today. Zoë needed a date and I gladly said ‘yes’.”“Well, I think you are a lucky man.”“I think so.”The ladies stayed on the floor for two songs. Then a slow song came on. Zoë ran over to me, grabbed my hands, and pulled me onto the dance floor.She placed her hands behind my neck and I put mine on her the small of her nude back.I whispered into her ear, “You are a wild woman.”“I love dancing,” she looked lovingly into my eyes, “Thank you so much for coming with me. This is so much fun.”“You’re welcome. You are enchanting most of the men here. You dance beautifully.”She was smiling ear-to-ear, “Am I enchanting to you?”“Most definitely. Dancing like this with you is getting me hard.”“Then I guess your trick works.”“Which trick is that?”She whispered in my ear, “Coochie perfume.”“Ah. But I have to say my dear that you would still have that effect on me with or without pheromones. Your body moves so gracefully.”She smiled and swayed to the music.The song ended and Anders approached us. He held out his hand to Zoë, “My dearest friend, may I have this next dance?”James Taylor’s version of 'You’ve Got a Friend’ started. Zoë took Anders’ hand and I headed for my seat. I was headed off by Nina, an administrator who worked with Anders. My grandmother would have described her as having an 'ample bosom’. I think a more common term is a big, beautiful woman. Her dress revealed a lot of cleavage, her neckline plunging nearly as far as Zoë’s. I could see large nipples pointing downward through the fabric of her blouse. She immediately placed her hands behind my neck.“Queen, you must dance with me.” She had some kind of Eastern European accent.Before I could say anything she started swaying to the music. I placed my hands on her hips, trying to maintain some distance between us. It didn’t work as she thrust her hips forward.Nina looked at me lustfully, “You and Zoë make a very nice couple, but I am surprised a little thing like that can satisfy a man like you.”“Pardon?”“Oh Queen, you know what I mean. A man like you must split her in two. You need a big woman like me to satisfy you.”“And what would your husband say?”“He would sit in the closet and wank his tiny dick. You could play with my tits. You like my tits? They have huge nipples just for you. Can you see them? You could pinch them right now. You could suck on my nipples. You could fuck my tits.”She pronounced it 'fook’.She continued, “You could fook all my holes: my mouth, my cunt, my arse. You shoot your cum on my face and then we could do it all over again. Think about putting your huge, hard cock in my mouth. I could take you all the way. Think about putting your cock in my wet, juicy cunt. A man like you needs to be satisfied by a woman like me.”I was not exactly thrilled with Nina’s proposition and my face must have showed it.“Don’t be bashful.” Her breasts were pressed into my stomach, “My cunt is so wet for you right now. If you want I can let you taste my cunt juice right now. I have nothing on underneath this. If you want you could fook me up the arse. You should take that little girl home and then come to my bed. We could fook all night. It will be so good you will never want to leave.”The song ended and she let go of my neck. A fast song started up.She said, “I’ll give you my address. The door will be open for you. Just come in.”I didn’t say anything and there was a grimace on my face. She pinched my ass and winked at me.Zoë came over and took my hand, “Let’s get something to drink. I’m thirsty.”We walked over to the bar.I whispered in her ear, “Thank you for rescuing me.”God she smelled good. I kissed her earlobe and she playfully pushed me. I asked for a glass of water and Zoë asked for seltzer.Zoë leaned over and whispered, “Anders said that she was probably hitting on you. He said she hit on him all the time until she found out he was gay.”“She was describing all the ways I could 'fook’ her.”Zoë smiled, “Would that interest you?”“Not in the least.”Zoë asked, “How long do you want to stay?”“As long as you want to, my dear.”“I would like to have one more slow dance with you. Anders said he would talk to the DJ.”The fast song ended and the DJ spoke into his mike, “Anders and Geoffrey are sending this next song out to Zoë and Quinn. Here’s the Chairman of the Board with 'Fly Me to the Moon’.”Zoë made a little squeal and pulled me onto the floor.We assumed out previous dancing posture, but I started singing to her: “Fill my heart with song, and let me sing for ever more, you are all I long for, all I worship and adore.”With that she pulled my face down and kissed me.I continued singing with Frank, “In other words: please, be true; in other words: I love you.”The song ended. Zoë kissed me again, “You sing beautifully.”“Thank you, my love. You dance even more beautifully.”“I’m thinking that was enough dancing for tonight. Let’s say good bye to Anders and Geoffrey, then we can go.”We avoided Nina’s table and circled around to Anders and Geoffrey. We bid our adieus to the happy couple and headed out.As we approached the door, Nina’s husband approached and held out a card. He spoke with a thicker accent, “Please consider our hospitality.”I took the card, “Thank you.”We passed through the door and Zoë observed, “If anything, they are persistent.”I handed the card to her, “Please dispose of that when you have a chance.”“Gladly. I wonder how many men take them up on their propositions.”“I’m thinking there are not very many.”Chapter 11.One the way home, Zoë was playing with her phone, “Oh, that’s James Taylor. I think that is my new favorite song.”She put the phone on speaker and started playing it.I observed, “Carole King wrote it. It’s on her Tapestry album."Well, I love it.”“Zoë, can I ask you a personal question?”“Yes, you may.”“Are you okay? You don’t seem to eat very much.”She reached for my hand and squeezed it, “I think that is so sweet that you notice things like that.”“I’m not trying to be your mother, but you have me a little worried.”“Quinn, I’m okay. I just have a history of ulcers and reflux. My stomach is always acting up on me and I try hard to not over do it.”“I’m sorry. That must be awful. Personally, I think good food is one of the great joys of life. But I will stop worrying. Well, at least stop worrying about that.”Zoë reached over and touched my arm, “Quinn, can I ask you a question?”“Certainly, my dear.”“You have started using a lot of endearing names for me. You’ve called me 'sweetheart’, 'love’, and 'dear’ a lot. What’s going on?”I thought for a moment, “I’m not sure. Those are terms I used to call Roz all the time. So, let me offer two hypotheses. One, maybe I am getting very comfortable around you like I was with her.”I didn’t say anything for several moments.Zoë broke the silence, “What’s the second hypothesis?’"That you’ve cast a magical Wood Nymph spell on me and I have fallen in love with you.”Zoë was silent for quite a while.Finally, she said, “I think that the first hypothesis is mostly likely correct. But, I pray that it’s the second. Either way, I feel so very special when you call me those names.”When we arrived at my house, Zoë retrieved a reusable grocery bag from the back seat.As we entered the house I asked, “Can I get you anything?”“Do you have any of the wine from last weekend?”“I do. I don’t know if it’s still good.”“If you don’t mind, I’d like just a little. Not a lot. I want to be completely sober when we make love tonight. I’ll be right back.” I heard her run up the stairs.First, I buttoned up the house. I poured us both about two fingers of wine in my nice wine glasses. I turned the lights on in the living room and sat on the couch, waiting for Zoë.It took her a while and I heard her moving about upstairs. Finally, she appeared in the doorway wearing a shear nude colored negligée.I raised my eyebrows, “Hello beautiful lady.”She smiled wide, then sashayed over to center of the room. She made a little twirl. The negligée revealed just enough to be very enticing. “Do you like?”“I like that very much. I swear you are more and more beautiful every day.” I held out the wine glass.She came over and straddled my lap facing me, her knees on either side. One hand held the wine, the other was around my neck.“Just so you know, I intend on following your advice from the other night and I am going to romance you with a lot of foreplay.”“That sounds wonderful.”“Before we do that I wanted to give you some instructions on how tonight is going to go. I want to get the instructional part out so it won’t be a buzz kill. I want do anal tonight. I bought a bunch of towels at Goodwill to protect your sheets. They are already on the bed.”I remarked, “Remember, I haven’t got a clue what we’re doing and I don’t want to hurt you.”Zoë tongue kissed me. “I’ve been doing a lot of research and I made some purchases. I’ve been upstairs getting everything ready. The bed is ready and I gave myself an enema. That’s to protect you.”I was just talking all this in, “Oh.”“When we get upstairs I have two tubes of KY lube, a box of Kleenex, and some things called anal trainers laid out on the side of the bed.”“Anal trainers?”She nodded, “So the way this is supposed to work, is you have loosen up my sphincter so that I don’t tear and bleed. That’s what these things are supposed to do. They are in increasing thicknesses to get me loosened up. I think we just need to use the first two sizes. I have actually been practicing for about a week now.”“Practicing?”“Loosening up my ass. Once we get going, you are going to take these things and 'train’ my ass to accept larger objects. Once I think I’m ready and I have you as hard as possible, you are going to lay on your back and I’m going to ride you cowgirl, but with my ass. I hope you don’t mind, but that way I can control it.”“I’m good with that.”“Quinn?”“Yes, Love.”“I have to tell you that I am scared to death and excited at the same time.”“I will do whatever you need me to do.”“If this starts grossing you out, please let me know. The first thing I need you to do is play with my asshole. Remember last week when you finger fucked my ass a little. You have to do that a lot more and get my sphincter to relax and use the trainers. I’m going to be on my side for that part. Any questions?”“No, Professor Zoë.”She downed the rest of her wine, brought her hand up to my face, and kissed me ever so gently, pressing those soft lips to mine. “Just so you know, I really want to do this tonight. I know you care about me and won’t hurt me. I trust you completely.”

In the latest episode of Numbers and Narratives, we engaged in an insightful discussion with Disha Gosalia about the transformative impact of AI on customer experience (CX). Gosalia, drawing from her extensive experience in the customer experience space (most recently as Gladly's Chief Customer Officer), shared valuable perspectives on the current state and future of AI in CX.Key takeaways from the conversation:- AI adoption crucial is inevitable in the CX space- Generative AI actually lowers the barrier for personalized experiences- New AI-specific roles are emerging- Privacy and hallucination concerns are a threat to adoptionGosalia emphasized the importance of starting AI implementation now, while being mindful of potential challenges. She advised CX leaders to focus on efficiency and be cautious of unrealistic vendor promises. The discussion highlighted the evolving nature of CX roles and the need for companies to adapt their strategies in this AI-driven landscape.You can find Disha here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dishagosalia

August 17, 2024 Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 13 - Psalm 111:1-5, 9; antiphon: Psalm 111:10Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:22Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. (Psalm 111:2)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Creating the intricate and yet wholly expansive world with His Word. Destroying His entire creation with water and yet preserving life through one family in one big boat. Parting bodies of water for His people's safe passage. Feeding His prophets with the help of birds. Using the small and weak to defeat the large and strong. Bringing the dead back to life. Calming nature. Feeding a lot with a little. Healing the sick with Words. Dying on the Cross and Rising again. Great and delightful. Studying the great works of the Lord is beautifully overwhelming and delightfully humbling. Consider the fact that the Creator of all, the Author of perfection, also created you. Sin broke God's perfect plan. He created a world for His people, but doubt and mistrust ruined it. And yet, before His creation even came to be, He had a plan for the redemption of His people. He promised Jesus even as the perfect and holy creation was marred. God continually provided for His people and weaved together the story of their, and our, salvation. We, Baptized children of God, get to look back and marvel at all that our Lord has done. We, His Beloved, get to read, learn, study, and remember all the mighty and amazing works that God has done. And the awe-inspiring fact about studying the works of our Lord is that their amazing qualities continue to bring about jaw-dropping wonder. Today, consider the works of the Lord. Remember that the Lord Who designed the hummingbird, the hammerhead shark, and the banana tree also made you. Remember that you were dead in your sin, lost in damnation, but God, in His mercy and faithfulness, sent His perfect Son Jesus to die in your place. Remember that He breathed new life into you at your Baptism and continues to sustain your body and life. Remember that you get to attend the Divine Service, receive Absolution, hear about the great works of the Lord, receive Jesus' Body and Blood for you, and have hope for today and tomorrow. We, God's Beloved, delight in studying about God's works, for we know that through His abundant love, grace, and mercy, these works are for us and for our salvation. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him! All that has life and breath, come now with praises before Him! Let the Amen Sound from His people again; Gladly forever adore Him! (LSB 790:5)-Deac. Sarah Longmire, Bible study editor for Higher Things.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.

Today, we talk with theologian and activist Jesse Wheeler about the rotten fruit of the West's theology in Palestine and the broader region. We get into:-        How everyday Christians can tell the difference between good and bad theology-        Examples of the fruit of bad Western theology in Palestine and the region of the Middle East/North Africa-        How we must acknowledge the horrible effects of the Zionism on both sides of the political aisle, even while rejecting Trump-        What the political witness of Christians should be with respect to how we handle power-        And after the interview, Sy and Jonathan discuss the Christian nationalism and bigotry in faith leaders' response to controversies at the OlympicsMentioned in the Episode-            Our anthology, Keeping the Faith-            Jesse's essay from the anthology, “Bad Theology Kills”-            Jesse's book, Serving a Crucified King-            Jesse's organization, Friends of Sabeel North America-            The new Institute for the Study of Christian ZionismCredits-            Follow KTF Press on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Subscribe to get our bonus episodes and other benefits at KTFPress.com.-        Follow host Jonathan Walton on Facebook Instagram, and Threads.-        Follow host Sy Hoekstra on Mastodon.-        Our theme song is “Citizens” by Jon Guerra – listen to the whole song on Spotify.-        Our podcast art is by Robyn Burgess – follow her and see her other work on Instagram.-        Editing by Multitude Productions-        Transcripts by Joyce Ambale and Sy Hoekstra.-        Production by Sy Hoekstra and our incredible subscribersTranscriptIntroduction[An acoustic guitar softly plays six notes in a major scale, the first three ascending and the last three descending, with a keyboard pad playing the tonic in the background. Both fade out as Jonathan Walton says “This is a KTF Press podcast.”]Jesse Wheeler: The Kingdom of God, or Christians, or those who would seek to be citizens of the kingdom, cannot live in such a way that emulates the kingdoms of this world. What that entails is, I call it the proper use of power. It's not like physical versus spiritual as sometimes we try to kind of get. It's like, no, it's actually how we understand power and why Jesus through going to the cross, he was basically saying, “Okay, empire, the forces of violence and hatred and exploitation, give me your all.” And he took it to the cross and took it on the cross, and he rejected the violent option.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “I need to know there is justice/ That it will roll in abundance/ And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.]Sy Hoekstra: Welcome to Shake the Dust, seeking Jesus, confronting Injustice. I'm Sy Hoekstra.Jonathan Walton: And I'm Jonathan Walton. We have a great show for you today, including an interview with another one of our authors from our anthology on Christianity and politics in the era of Trump. This one's on how regular Christians can discern between good and bad theology, and how we can see bad theology playing out in the Middle East. Plus afterwards, hear our thoughts on the interview, and we'll be doing our segment, Which Tab is Still Open, diving deeper into one of the recommendations from our newsletter. This week it's all about the Olympic opening ceremony controversy, trans athletes at the games and the White Christian persecution complex.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs]. We should probably say non-trans athletes at the Olympic Games.Jonathan Walton: I was literally about to be like, “and not?” [laughs] but…Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, that's part of the persecution complex. But we will get to that folks, don't worry. You will hear the whole story on how ridiculous it is. Before we get there, a quick reminder, please, everybody consider going to KTFPress.com and becoming a paid subscriber. We will not be able to continue doing this work beyond this election season if we do not get a lot more paid subscribers. So if you want to see this work continue, please go there and sign up. That gets you all the bonus episodes of this show. It gets you access to our monthly Zoom subscriber chats and more community features. So please KTFPress.com, become a paid subscriber.If you already are a paid subscriber, consider upgrading to a founding member level and please share widely with your friends and family to anyone who you think might be interested in joining our community here. Thank you so much all. All right Jonathan, tell everybody about our guest this week.Jonathan Walton: Yes, we have the amazing Jesse Wheeler. For almost three years, Jesse has served as executive administrator and development director for Friends of Sabeel North America, an interdenominational Christian organization seeking justice and peace in the holy land through education, advocacy, and nonviolent action. Prior to that, he served just shy of seven years in Beirut, Lebanon as a project's manager for the Institute of Middle East Studies at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary. He also ran the Master of Religion in the Middle East and North African studies program, working also as support instructor for MENA history, politics and economics.He has served in Nazarene, evangelical free and Presbyterian churches, and he holds a PG certificate in baptistic histories and theologies from the University of Manchester, a master of divinity with an emphasis in Islamic studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a BA in diplomatic in Middle Eastern history with a minor in political economics from the University of California Berkeley. Jesse's wife Heidi is Palestinian-American, and they have three amazing boys. Now, Jesse's essay in our anthology was called Bad Theology Kills: How We Justify Killing Arabs. We actually published that at one point on KTFPress.com, so we'll have the link in our show notes to that. And you can get the entire anthology with all 36 essays at Keepingthefaithbook.com. That link will also be in the show notes.Sy Hoekstra: So we did this interview like we did a lot of our interviews a few months ago, at this point [laughs]. We've been releasing these slowly. This one we did in April, which is relevant. I only say that now because we talk about Biden a decent amount, and when it comes to Palestine, which is what we're talking about when we mention Biden, there's not a lot of distance between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.Jonathan Walton: Nope.Sy Hoekstra: So [laughs], I just wanted to note that up top so that you know that effectively all the content, all the things that we actually say on the subject don't really change given the candidate switch. But that disclaimer behind us, here we go with the interview with Jesse Wheeler.[the intro piano music from “Citizens” by Jon Guerra plays briefly and then fades out.]Jonathan Walton: Jesse Wheeler, thank you so much for being with us today on Shake the Dust. We really, really appreciate it.Jesse Wheeler: Yeah, no, thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be with you guys.How Everyday Christians Can Tell Good Theology from Bad TheologyJonathan Walton: Yeah. We were privileged to publish your essay in our anthology, and you gave us a relatively simple and accessible test for judging the value of the theology that we hear from leaders. Could you talk a little bit about the fruit test?Jesse Wheeler: Yeah. The fruit test, basically, it's taken straight from the Sermon on the Mount. It's no secret that there are different theological systems that exist in the world, different schools of thought, different ways of thinking, and it can be overwhelming, actually. And I'm even thinking of either my own context back when I was in seminary and sort of some of the destabilizing aspects of it, or when I was working at a seminary and working with students who are introduced to new ideas. And it can be overwhelming even epistemologically overwhelming when they're getting ideas that sort of might butt up against core ideas that maybe they were grown up with that are core parts of their identity. It can be very destabilizing.And this question of is there a way to distinguish good theology quote, from bad theology quote- unquote, if, I mean, those are very reductionist [laughs] the terminology itself, of course. But I think it comes straight from the Sermon on the Mount actually. And Jesus in the concluding sections of Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7, Jesus gives this, “By your fruit you will recognize them.” How to tell true prophets from false prophets on the basis of their fruit. He doesn't necessarily say, go get a doctorate in systematic, [laughs] in dogmatics to determine whether they are… He's like, look at the fruit of what is happening.Jonathan Walton: Right.Jesse Wheeler: And it's for normal people too. This is like normal people without massive theology to say, “Hey, look at this. I see that the fruit of this is leading to hurt and harm and destruction, or the fruit of this is leading to healing and health and flourishing.” It's not to denigrate or dismiss theology. I mean, the title of my chapter is Bad Theology Kills. I think Theology is important.Jonathan Walton: ExactlyJesse Wheeler: [laughs] It's a litmus test for assessing theology. And right there, Jesus chapters five, six, and the first part of seven, he gives a whole list of instructions of teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, and then concludes with, “Therefore do to others what you would want others to do for you. This summarizes the law and the prophets,” which is of course, the scriptures. Basically saying, if you wanna know what the scriptures teach, what God is expecting of you, do for others. And even in other parts of the gospels, when people ask, “Oh, what's the greatest commandment?” And he comes back to, “Love the Lord your God,” it's the Shema.And then right on adds it, and your neighbor as yourself taking that from the Leviticus. And he's like, there you go. Basically says that and then immediately goes into this section on two roads, easy road and narrow road. And then right after that talks about the false prophets who will come, who might speak eloquently, lovely, and yet the fruit is rotten.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jesse Wheeler: The fruit is rotten.Sy Hoekstra: Absolutely.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: Out of the three of us, I feel like I am the one in the position to most appreciate your point, that you don't need a big theological education to apply this test [laughs]. Because for me and for a lot of the people listening, if you don't have a master's in divinity like Jesse, you haven't been doing ministry and Bible studies and everything for years and years like Jonathan, the more you learn about how little as kind of lay people we know about the whole wide world of theological academics and whatever, the more you realize, I don't feel equipped [laughs]. And so this is, I think, like Jonathan said, it's accessible. It's something that the average person can apply and have some success [laughs] according to Jesus, trying to figure out what's good and bad.Theologies that Have Born Rotten Fruit in the Middle East and North AfricaSy Hoekstra: And then I would like to hear from you, in your work doing work with advocacy in churches in the MENA, in the Middle East and North Africa, sometimes abbreviated MENA region, what have you seen bearing bad fruit? What kinds of theologies have you seen bearing bad fruit?Jesse Wheeler: So, I mean, I could start with the three I listed in my chapter, but I think I kind of want to say like, there is so, so much misunderstanding and prejudice and straight up bigotry that's filtered through a theological system that attempts to justify it.Colonialist PaternalismJesse Wheeler: But I'm going to start with the three I listed in my chapter, and the first one, colonialist paternalism.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Jesse Wheeler: It's a theology of colonial supremacy. Why one person gets to make the decisions for another person, gets to invade another country, gets to conquer, but it's couched in a paternalistic language, often. In a this is for your own good language.Jonathan Walton: Right.Jesse Wheeler: It's the, I'm not going to attempt to do the French, but the civilizing mission [laughs], hand in hand with the White man's burden from back in the 19th century of bringing our civilization, our Christianity, on one hand… I mean, sometimes it was the church and sometimes it was full on those modern secularists springing [laughs] their enlightened, was just, it was hand in hand with the colonial project too. And that's actually what muddies up the water sometimes in our discourses, especially on more left side of the aisle discourses [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, absolutely.Jesse Wheeler: Because you go from there and you go into speaking right in the Middle East, right after World War I, when you had the three competing promises, you had deals, you had The Balfour Declaration on the one hand, you had Hussein McMahon promising the Arabs of the Hajj, the like the Hussein family, a state, an Arab state, if they would help fight against the Ottoman Turks. And then you had the Sykes-Picot which was basically France and Britain getting together and saying, “Okay, here's how we're going to divide up the spoils.” [laughs]Sy Hoekstra: And the Balfour Declaration was Britain's intent to make a Zionist state.Jonathan Walton: Right.Jesse Wheeler: Yeah. Basically a Zionist state in historic Palestine. And so, but you get into afterwards and you had the 14 points, and Wilson came in with, “Oh, we're gonna create a whole new world of peace and…”Sy Hoekstra: The League of Nations.Jesse Wheeler: The League of Nations, yeah. And the mandate system, like the fruit of 2that, where basically it's like Sykes-Picot. It's like Britain takes control, France takes control of Lebanon, Syria, Britain, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and they had Egypt too. So it's just, but it's couched in this language of, it's for your own benefit. We are here to provide guidance to these native populations who need to be trained in the ways of democracy.Jonathan Walton: It's framed as benevolence. Like this is a good thing.Jesse Wheeler: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's a good thing. It's like we are colonizing you for your good thing. Of course, land extraction, resource extraction [laughs], all of these marks of colonialism are part of this, right, but this is how it's justified, how it's sold, how it's…Sy Hoekstra: But the theology, like basically you're saying there were always churches and people propping up those colonialist ideas in the Middle East with basically the stamp of approval of the Bible or the church.Jesse Wheeler: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. And it's not a total. I do need to make the point that sometimes the missionaries were very much… actually in the Middle East and in, or very much part of the colonial project, sometimes they actually would actually fight and counter the colonial project in certain ways, even though they were also facilitated by it. But yeah, these theologies, the colonialist paternalism. But to continue on, you have a theology of the Cold War developed almost of democracy and we'll bomb your entire country, but we will protect you from communism [laughs], you know.Jonathan Walton: Right.Jesse Wheeler: To very much part of my life, the war on terror. We're bringing democracy to the Middle East.Sy Hoekstra: Right. I was going to say that just sounds like George W. Bush, like everything that they were saying post World War I. It hasn't changed a lot.Jesse Wheeler: It has not. It has not. And so that's the first one.Henotheism: My Good God Will Defeat Your Bad GodJesse Wheeler: The second one in my book I describe as, I take this term from a scholar Joseph Cumming, he's a comparative theologian of Christianity and Islam, but he calls, he speaks of Henotheism.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jesse Wheeler: Which is sort of your tribal deity. I don't want… people push back on using tribal as a negative, but sort of the sense of like God is our God and we are the holy ones, and their God is a demon, and we will defeat them and destroy them. And so I even take this quote again from this, the war and terror era where a general speaking about fighting this warlord, whatever, in North Africa, talking about, “We have God on our side, and their god's a demon, and that's why we're gonna win and be victorious.” And this is so much in situations of conflict and situations, you very much have this sense of, “we are the good, our God is the good, they're the evil. And so because they're so evil, any violence is justified against them.”Sy Hoekstra: And that dates like straight back to the crusades.Jonathan Walton: Yep.Jesse Wheeler: Oh, yeah. This is crusades [laughs]. Exactly. Exactly. It's a crusader theology, but it's also when you really dig into it and you ask, well, these are supposed monotheists. And isn't the whole point of monotheism that there's actually one God for everybody, and thus it's to turn the God of the cosmos, the monotheistic God into a territorial idol.Settler Colonialism/ZionismJesse Wheeler: I'll move on to the third one, which I think is very relevant in that what I listed as manifest destiny. But it's the settler colonial theology, where it's different from the colonialist paternalism, because this is really, it's a theology that justifies why I deserve to go into a land, remove the indigenous people and take it for my own, basically.Sy Hoekstra: Which is the difference between settler colonialism and like metropolis, distant ruler colonialism.Jesse Wheeler: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And Jim Wallace, once he wrote, the most controversial statement I ever wrote talking about something he previously wrote was how America was founded on the genocide of one people and the enslavement of another. There was a time in my life where hearing words like that would be so deeply, deeply disorienting for me. My identity, my understanding of who I am. I think part of that discomfort, which is very real, because that's part of my background, and is I think what drives people to someone like Trump. Less the logic behind it, but the emotional, the emotions of feeling safe to have this champion on my side. But that's the simple truth. I mean [laughs], there's this belief that we are god's, we have this divine mandate to come into this new territory. And so I'm talking here about America, but of course this happened all over the world, actually. France and Algeria.Jonathan Walton: Right.Jesse Wheeler: That was so utterly destructive of traditional Algerian society. And France would even talk about, “Algeria is fully France. We are one.” And so I don't understand why these people are rebelling because we've given them democracy and freedom, when it's like, no, you've completely disrupted their entire civilization and ruled, but how it affects the news, you have the whole Charlie Hebdo incidents and these attacks in France. And this was violent murderous acts, yes. And morally they should be condemned, but you have to see them in their historical context [laughs] of this, the Algerian conflict. But South Africa, this was a deeply theological Dutch Calvinist movement. Even Argentina was a settler colonial context as well.Sy Hoekstra: I mean, most things in the Western hemisphere are [laughter].Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Jesse Wheeler: Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. But in a way of the natives were cleared out more.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, yes. I see what you're saying. Right. In Argentina, yes.Jesse Wheeler: Compared to like Brazil, just to the north. And then of course, Zionism is right in there with that. I think it's a theology that justifies why one group gets to come in and displace another group. And those three are three big ones.The Rotten Fruit of Colonialism and Zionism is on Both Sides of the Political AisleJonathan Walton: Yeah. I think those three, if we could hold them together as we press into the conversation, all of them are relevant. As we kind of move from the anthology into the present day. So in 2020 you wrote, “If our task is to examine the fruit and avoid falling prey to seductive rhetoric, it is crucial to note that from the vantage point of the Middle East, Republican drones don't look or act much differently than Democrat drones. Biden's record on the Iraq War or Israel-Palestine, while not as appalling or destructive as that of the Republicans is nevertheless quite bad. He's the only viable choice put before us on election day, yet we must remain vigilant in holding a potential Biden administration to account in the weeks, months, years that follow.”Now, I don't think any of us knew when you wrote that [laughs], how relevant, prophetic and important that last sentence would be. Especially when we talk about the settler colonial ideas that you just talked about, and the deep enmeshment and entanglement with Christian Zionism and the colonial state that is Israel. So, can you… I don't know how to say this just in a simple way. Can you tell us a little bit about what you've been up to with the Friends of Sabeel over the past several months, since October 7th? And what are your thoughts about the two candidates? Because they're the same [laughter], as we look towards the election in the Middle East now. And I will also say our thoughts and prayers are with your friends and family in Palestine.Jesse Wheeler: Thank you.Jonathan Walton: And we've been praying that they would be safe in Jesus' name.Jesse Wheeler: Yeah. No, thank you. I'm trying to think of where do I start digging in? First, my wife is Palestinian. Her family, still a lot of family in Bethlehem. My kids therefore are Palestinian. So I have a deep personal connection. And so to your listeners, knowing that [laughs] who is this guy? I definitely have a deep and emotional pull and connection to what's happening right now. But to go back to what you were first saying is, as you were reading that quote, that passage, and you had wrote, Biden is the only viable [laughs] candidate, my heart sank [laughs]. I'm like, “Ugh.” I understand why I said it at the time, but the listeners need to understand the depth of feeling of the pain, the sense of betrayal, especially amongst the Arab and Palestinian-American community and even wider Muslim community. The utter hurt that they felt in these last six months by everything that has happened.And so, it's so hard because Trump, just to get into the politics of, it's like I don't even need to say it. From my perspective, from where I stand, Trump is bad [laughs]. I mean, it's like he's out there saying, re-implement the Muslim ban and all completely bigoted and horrible. His son-in-law's talking about, “Oh, yeah, and there will be prime real estate in Gaza,” and [laughs].Sy Hoekstra: Yes. Right.Jesse Wheeler: You know, back to settler colonialism. And yeah, it's terrifying. But the thing about Biden, and here's where I just have to say, he will in one breath talk about the importance of combating anti-Arab bigotry and Islamophobia, and in the next breath give billion more dollars of armed shipments to a country that the International Criminal Court is saying in their legal language, is very plausibly in the midst of an active genocide [laughs]. I'm not a lawyer. Sy, you're the lawyer [Sy laughs]. And it's just the duplicity is what hurts. So KTF shaped, you talk of Christian nationalism a lot and the dangers of Trump, and that largely the anthology was digging into that. And I remember writing the idolatrous fruit is rotten. I mean, that is like, the man thinks he's Jesus, I mean, or… [laughs] It's just horrifying.Sy Hoekstra: But it's still there with Biden.Jesse Wheeler: It's still there.Sy Hoekstra: Right.Jesse Wheeler: It's like when you are connected to the Middle East, either via family or study, or I lived in Lebanon for seven years, when you're paying attention, it's very hard to cheerlead one political party versus another when it comes to the American presence in the Middle East, which has been incredibly destructive.Sy Hoekstra: And we have come back to that point that you made in your essay. If you listen to a lot of episodes of this show, you will have heard Jesse's name and this point brought up before [laughs].What Should the Political Witness of Christians Be?Jonathan Walton: Mm-hmm. You explained in the essay and just now, drones do not own political parties. The bombs that are dropping are the same. The impact they have is the same, devastation is the same. So the idea of the cross to so many people around the world, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, the MENA region is a symbol of hatred and violence when it's supposed to be like the ultimate expression of God's holy love. We are recording this just after Easter, contemplating the death and resurrection of Jesus. To you, what should the political witness be of people who carry the cross of Jesus?Self-Sacrifice and a Rejection of Imperial ViolenceJesse Wheeler: Self-Sacrificial love. Quite simply what the cross represents. But at the same time, to dig into it a little more, the cross is what? It's a instrument of imperial violence, that's what it is. There's a reason Jesus died on the cross. It is ultimately a rejection of the Imperial way. Theologically, we need to talk a lot of the kingdom of God and how the kingdom of God exists as a direct challenge to the kingdoms of Pharaoh, of Babylon, of Caesar. And one of the brilliant things of the Hebrew scriptures of the Old Testament is the fact that it's also the kings of Israel and Judah [laughs], who become the Babylonian leaders. So you have the prophets who rail against the injustices of the Assyrians, but also look back at their own kings.And when Jesus comes proclaiming the kingdom of God, and when he comes before Pilate and he's brought before Pilate, what does this show right now? And I'm just pulling straight from N. T. Wright, so don't [laughs] pretend I'm like some great Bible scholar here. No. But you have Jesus, who is the representative of the kingdom of God standing before Pilate, who is the full legal representative of Caesar, son of God as they were known and called. And it's just a straight back and forth. And what does Jesus say? He says, my kingdom, there's the quote that always gets misinterpreted. So if you're talking politics and faith, my people say, my kingdom is not of this world. Well, people tend to say, oh, well, Jesus is, it's a spiritual kingdom.So all we do is sit and pray, and then you just let the world live as what empire, as injustice, like do we have nothing to say? No, he says it's more like, my kingdom is not from this world. It's not in kind to those kingdoms of this world, but it's very much in and for this world. Why?Jonathan Walton: Amen.Jesse Wheeler: Otherwise, Jesus says, going back to the garden, we just came through holy week, otherwise what? My disciples would've fought. They would've picked up arms, they would've become revolutionaries, they would've fought my arrest. They would've holed up in the mountains. They would have… So you have the kingdom, but going full back to the cross, kingdom by way of cross. So the kingdom of God cannot, or Christians, or those who would seek to be citizens of the kingdom, cannot live in such a way that emulates the kingdoms of this world. What that entails is, I call it the proper use of power. It's not like physical versus spiritual as sometimes we try to kind of get… It's like, no, it's actually how we understand power and why Jesus, through non-violence, through going to the cross, he was basically saying, okay, empire, the forces of violence and hatred and exploitation, give me your all.And he took it to the cross and took it on the cross, and he rejected the violent option. He did not take up the swords and the arms. He just said, just previously, those who live by the sword will die by the sword. And so that is the witness of the cross. It's self-sacrificial love. It's not this assertion of like, “Hey, this is mine. This is my space, this is my territory.” This is why, back to America, this is why the Christian nationalism is so idolatrous.Sy Hoekstra: We just had a, our March bonus episode, you're like hitting a bunch of our points, actually [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yes. Keep going.Jesse Wheeler: Oh, no. Yeah. Thanks [laughs]. It's why it's so idolatrous, is because it's complete rejection of the way of Jesus. It's a complete rejection of what the cross is and what it's supposed to represent. I mean, scrolling through social media, I came across what this is like giant muscle Jesus breaking free from the cross. I'm like, no, that's the complete… no, the cross is the… Like Jesus says, you don't think… back in the garden, he says, you don't think I could call down angels? Call down [laughs] fire from heaven, and just like in an instant, make this all go away? He's like, “No, I'm going to the cross.” It's an example for us to follow.It Takes Faith in the Resurrection to Use Power Like JesusJesse Wheeler: And it's an article of faith. This is where people will come back and say, this is why it is hard for people, because it is a belief in the resurrection.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Jesse Wheeler: All the forces of death and all the things we do to avoid death. All the killing we do of others, the things we… all the hoarding of resources. All the things we do that we try to preserve ourselves and in the process hurt other people. And we build walls and we break them down. He's like, let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Go to the cross because the resurrection is happening. And it's hard for people because if you don't believe in resurrection, in a sense it's very difficult. But it is very much a faith stance and a faith position.The Roots of Sabeel in the Political Witness of Palestinian Liberation TheologyAnd going back to, you asked about Sabeel, you asked about where I work. So Sabeel is an organization founded by Palestinian-Christians out of the time of the first Intifada, the Palestinians uprising. Very much a movement, a spontaneous movement that didn't involve the PLO, which was largely external at the time, or the Palestine political leaders, and was a complete shock to many of the global leaders.And largely involved a lot of nonviolent direct-action, sort of creative actions, creative resistance and great violence actually was to try to throw it down in response. And yet, Naim Ateek, he was the founder of Sabeel, he wrote a book, published it 1989. It's called Justice and Only Justice, A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, basically started asking the question, how does our faith, our Christian faith, does it have anything to say to the situation, to us being under this violent, brutal occupation? And sort of the traditional, across the board, Orthodox Catholic, Protestant theologies weren't really saying much.So they started just, would preach there in St. George's Episcopal Church right in Jerusalem. And after the service, they'd kind of get together and start discussing. Like let's read a passage and let's think and just look. It's very much like you, if you think of the classic liberation theology in Latin America. The base communities just getting together. It's basically kind of got together and started thinking, but it grew from there to, so Naim Ateek sort of was the founder, but then it was really this core group that formed and they started inviting… because even back then, they're like, “We know the narrative imbalance that people are not hearing the Palestinian side of the story. Let's bring people and show them.”And they bring people, they show them, and immediately people are converted once they see the reality. People go on tours with the holy land all the time, they're highly curated and they don't go to those scary Palestinian areas. But the moment you enter Palestinian areas and are greeted with wonderful Arab hospitality and like [laughs]… But then here's what the reality of being under their military occupation is. And it is like, oh, I see it now. So people would go back and they founded, I work for Friends of Sabeel North America, but there's groups all over and it's been still going on. And then there's subsequent groups that have formed and other great partners too that we work with.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.Sy Hoekstra: Thank you so much for being here. I mean, you didn't just write for the book. You were an enormous help in actually getting it published. You did a ton of work for us, source checking and all kinds of other things. You were… and were not running around looking for credit for any of that. So you definitely had your head down and you were doing [laughs] what you needed to do to get the word out. And thank you so much for being here today to talk to us.Jesse Wheeler: Thank you for doing it. I mean, I was really proud to be.Jonathan Walton: Thank you so much, man.Jesse Wheeler: Thank you for having me. And thank you for your witness. I mean, Palestine is a wheat and chaff issue, and I feel like those who've really stood for the truth and stood for justice and stood for what's right in the face of so much that's wrong. And it's just been amazing to see the witness of you guys, and I just want to thank you for that. It's very, it means so much.Sy Hoekstra: No, thank you for everything you do as well. We so appreciate it, man.Jonathan Walton: Amen. Blessings on you and Friends of Sabeel. Amen.Jesse Wheeler: Thank you so much. Blessings to you guys.Jonathan Walton: Amen. Thanks.[the intro piano music from “Citizens” by Jon Guerra plays briefly and then fades out.]Jesse's Social Media and RecommendationsSy Hoekstra: You can find Jesse @intothenoisejsw on Instagram and Twitter. His organization, the Friends of Sabeel North America is at FOSNA.org, and those will both be in the show notes. And also, Jesse wanted us to mention another organization that just kind of had its grand opening over the summer after we recorded this interview. It's called the Institute for the Study of Christian Zionism. It's a really cool new organization with a lot of people involved who you may recognize if you're familiar with kind of the field of that particular branch of theology [laughs]. And basically, they want to be a one-stop shop, a hub, a go-to resource for everything related to fighting the heresy, as they call it, of Christian Zionism.And so, that you can find that organization at Studychristianzionism.org. We'll also put that in the show notes, obviously.Jonathan's and Sy's Reactions to the InterviewSy Hoekstra: Okay, Jonathan. After that interview, what are your thoughts?Jonathan Walton: Bad theology kills people.Sy Hoekstra: Yes. Uh-huh. It's not a joke.How We Resist Institutions Built to Protect and Reinforce LiesJonathan Walton: [Laughs] I think we need to lean into that and say it over and over and over again. We cannot divorce what we believe from what we do. Can't. They are intertwined with each other. And it's baffling to me that particularly American Christians, and this like runs a gamut like Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, native, all the things, how strongly we cling to, I believe this, I believe this, I believe this, how deeply committed we are, how there are institutions, there are studies and conversations, there are all these different things that are built up around things that are just not true. Like just the level of intricacy of every apparatus to hold together a lie is mind-boggling to me.And it is so effective that we can get caught up in all the details and never think about the impact, which is what I feel has happened. Like, oh, all I do is read these books. All I do is write these articles. All I do is do these podcasts. All I do is give money to this organization. All I do is pray. All I do is watch these documentaries. All I do is host these little dinners at my house. Not knowing at all that it is undergirding the bombing of Palestinians and the rampant Islamophobia and the destruction of Palestinian Christian life. Don't even know it because it's just an encased system. So I think for me, I'm reminded of the power of the gospel transformation because the gospel and liberation is also a complete process, just like colonization is and settler colonialism is.So I'm challenged because the next time I think to myself, I'm going to change the world. I'll remember this conversation and realize only Jesus can [laughs] do that. And I need to have just as robust of a theology and apparatus built around me and participating as a follower of Jesus as the forces that are hell bent on destroying people's lives. That was just a thing I've been holding onto, particularly as we were talking about Easter, as we are reflecting on the reality of the resurrection, we need a theology of life, abundance and liberation that is just as robust, just as supported, just as active and engaged as the theology of destruction that we have now.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. The theology, specifically what he was talking about kind of toward the end about the use of power.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: I had that same thought basically that you just said. Like the way that we use power via sacrifice as opposed to using power via dominance. Like that needs to be as emphasized as anything else in our Christian discipleship.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: Because it is just, it's so absent. You cannot insist to so many Western Christians that that aspect of our faith is as important as the stuff that we'll get into a minute about arguing about like sexuality or whatever [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: We have just so deprioritized these things that were so central to Jesus when he said things like, my kingdom was not of this world. So there's that.We Emphasize the Importance of Theology for the Wrong ReasonsSy Hoekstra: The other thing that I was thinking about was also related to what you just said, which is, you say bad theology kills, and we need to understand how important our theology is in that sense. But we also need to understand the way that our theology is important because we actually do think theology is really important just in the wrong way.Jonathan Walton: Yeah. Right.We think theology is really important for defining who is in and out of Christianity or just for having proper orthodoxy and that sort of thing, just to tick all the boxes to make sure that your beliefs are correct.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: Which absolutely pales in comparison to the real reason that theology is important, which is it shapes our behavior, or it can shape our behavior [laughs]. Or it interacts with our behavior and they reinforce and shape each other in ways that create policies and government actions and whole social transformations and systems across the world [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: So yeah. That's what I am coming out of this thinking. We need to stay focused on. And I'm just so happy that there are people like Sabeel and others fighting in that way. And by the way, back on the point of how we exercise power and how important it is to exercise power in the way that Jesus did. Jesse actually wrote to us after the interview and said kind of, “Oh, shoot, there's a point that I forgot to make,” [laughs] that I wanted to bring up here, which is something that, so the founder of Sabeel, his name is Naim Ateek often raises, which is that, like Jesse said, Sabeel was founded after the first Intifada in 1987. But he says, there are two organizations that were founded out of that Intifada.One of them was Sabeel and the other was Hamas. And he said, basically just look at the two approaches [laughs]. There's armed insurrection and then there's non-violent direct action and education and advocacy and whatever. Like it is small what Sabeel is doing. It is certainly smaller than what Hamas is doing. And it is one of those things that probably to the rest of the world looks like it's less powerful, it's less effective. And like Jesse said, it is an article of faith to believe that that is actually the stronger way to go. You know what I mean? That is the more powerful road to take, even though it is the much more difficult one to take. And I just really wish that we could all have a faith like that.Jonathan Walton: Yes. Yes, and amen.Sy Hoekstra: Shall we get into Which Tab Is Still Open, Jonathan?Jonathan Walton: [laughs], all the tabs Sy. Let's go.Which Tab Is Still Open?: Christian Reactions to the OlympicsSy Hoekstra: All the tabs are still open. We're gonna talk about two stories that have to do with the Olympics, that also have to do with Western Christians [laughter], and how persecuted we feel.Jonathan Walton: Yeah.Sy Hoekstra: I'm just, let me quickly summarize what happened here. The details are very silly on the first one. You probably heard about this one, this is probably the more popular story. During the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, well, here's some background. The opening ceremonies to the Olympics are weird. They're always weird. They've always been weird [laughs]. I always come away from them thinking, “Wow, that was weird,” [laughter]. They usually include some kind of tribute to ancient Greece where the Olympics came from. And in this case, one of the things they did was a little tribute to the Festival of the Goddess Dionysus. Wait, goddess? Was Dionysus supposed to be a man or a woman?Jonathan Walton: A man. Dionysus is a man.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs] Okay.Jonathan Walton: No. Diana is a woman, but yeah.Sy Hoekstra: All right, fine [laughs]. So anyways, they had this staging of a feast, and the way it was staged with all of the people sitting at the table facing the audience and the cameras reminded a lot of Christians of the way that Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is staged with Jesus and all the disciples facing the painter [laughs]. But all of the, or not all, but the most of the people sitting at the table were drag queens. And so Christians took this as a massive insult, that people must be mocking the Last Supper and our religion and our beliefs about conservative traditional sexuality and et cetera. The Olympic organizers came out and said, “This had nothing to do with Christianity, we apologize for the offense. This was about Dionysus, and that was kind of it. We weren't talking about Christianity, but we're sorry if we offended you.”And that was the end of it. But basically Christians said, “We're being mocked, we're being persecuted, they hate us,” et cetera. Second story, a female boxer by the name of Imane Khelif was in a fight with an Italian female boxer and hit her pretty hard a couple of times. And then the Italian boxer quit and said that Khelif is a man who is a trans woman fighting in the women's competition in the Olympics. The only reason that this was a viable thing for the Italian woman to say was because in the year before that, at the 2023 World Championships, the International Boxing Association disqualified Khelif from the competition saying that she had elevated testosterone levels and that she had XY chromosomes and was in fact a man. So she failed the gender eligibility test.The reason this is a ridiculous thing for them to have said [laughs], is that Khelif was born assigned female at birth. Her birth certificate says she's a woman. She has lived her entire life as a woman, she has never claimed to be trans in any way. And they never published the results of the test. And they only came out and said that she had failed these gender eligibility tests after she defeated a previously undefeated Russian boxer. Why does that matter? Well, the president of the International Boxing Association is Russian, has moved most of the IBA's operations to Russia, has made the state-run oil company the main sponsor of these boxing events, has close ties to Putin, et cetera [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Yep.Sy Hoekstra: It has become a Russian propaganda machine. The International Boxing Association, the International Olympic Committee has actually cut ties with them, is no longer letting them run the World Championships or the Olympic games boxing tournaments. They have suffered from corruption, from match fixing by referees, lack of transparency in finances, et cetera. It is a big old mess, and they never published the results of these gender eligibility tests. And it is pretty clear that they were made up in order to preserve the undefeated title of a Russian favorite boxer [laughter]. So it's absolute nonsense is what I'm saying.Jonathan Walton: Right.Sy Hoekstra: But that has not stopped anyone, including people like Elon Musk and JK Rowling from saying, “what we clearly saw here in the Olympics was a man punching a woman. And this is where you get when you follow the transgender agenda,” and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Obviously I just named, well, Rowling is a Christian, but lots of Christian leaders jumping on this same train. Jonathan, these were yours.Jonathan Walton: [exasperated exhale] These are mine.Sy Hoekstra: Why did you include these? You have been, I'll say you have been very focused on these, the Christian reaction to things going on in the Olympics has been on the brain for you. Why [laughs]?Fusing Faith with American PowerJonathan Walton: Because I think there's a couple things because bad theology kills people. Sy, we talked about this and like…Sy Hoekstra: Well, no, wait. How is this, explain the relation there, please.Jonathan Walton: Gladly. Gladly. So I think [laughs], I'm gonna read this quote by Andy Stanley who posted this after the Dionysus thing and then took it down because I think he realized the err of his ways. But I am grateful for the interwebs because somebody screenshot it. Here we go [Sy laughs]. “Dear France, the Normandy American Cemetery is the resting place of 9,238 Americans whose graves are marked by 9,238 crosses. American soldiers, who in most cases volunteered to come to your shores in your time of need. Their final prayers were to the God whose son you mocked in front of the entire world. It was during the very meal you went to such creative pains to denigrate, that Jesus instructed his followers to love one another and then define what he meant. Quote, greater love has no one than this, that one laid down his life for his friends, end quote. While you host the Olympic Games, remember your nation hosts 172.5 acre reminder of what love looks like. You don't just owe Christians an apology. You owe the West an apology.” End quote.Sy Hoekstra: It's so much Jonathan [laughs].Jonathan Walton: It is. That's a book. That is a book. It's called 12 Lies.Sy Hoekstra: That's your book, yeah [laughs].Jonathan Walton: And then it's an anthology that like [laughs] called Keeping the Faith, right? So that to me, and what's happened in this season of the Olympics has crystallized something for me that I think about. But these are such concrete, clear, succinct, edited examples of like, here is what happens when geopolitical power of the American apparatus is just completely inseparable, completely fused, completely joined together with the Jesus of empire.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: So much so that minutes after this ceremony was completed and broadcast, you have people with the language, you have people with the vocabulary, you have people with statistics. He's like, this is the number of crosses. That means he Googled something, he don't just know that.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah [laughs].Jonathan Walton: We are primed as… not me, because I'm not. But the White American church and folks affiliated and committed to White American folk religion, like this race-based, class-based, gender-based environmental hierarchy that dominates this false gospel of the merchant, the military and the missionary all coming together. Like that is just so frustrating to me. And it's not going to stop because the apparatus is in like, I feel like a full maturation right now because it is under threat and constantly being exposed. So what tab is still open for me is the reality that the people who are armed with a false gospel are finally being met online and in real life by people who are willing to challenge them.And so what was amazing to me was watching a Fox News segment where someone came on and said, “Hey, Imane Khelif was born a woman, is a woman. This is not a trans issue.” There are people willing to go on and say the things. There's an online presence of people willing to go online and say the things. And I think we have an articulation of faithful followers of Jesus who are willing not just to say this is wrong, but name the connection that when we have conversations about Christians being persecuted, boom, here's a picture of Christians actually being persecuted, Palestine. Right?Sy Hoekstra: Yeah.Jonathan Walton: When we have conversations, oh, we are being persecuted and violence is being committed against us. No, no, no. Violence is actually happening to trans people at a staggering level. And it correlates with when we have these nonsensical conversations that actually create environments that are more dangerous for them in the bathroom, in schools and wherever they go. And so, I can have a conversation with someone and say—this was a real conversation—we have the luxury of having this conversation as people who are not involved directly, but we do not have the luxury of as followers of Jesus is not then following up and saying, “I was wrong.”So I had conversations about Imane Khelif with Christians who said, “You know what? Oh, I didn't know that. Let me go back and post something different. Let me post an apology. You know what, I see what you're saying. I clicked on the links. Yeah, we shouldn't be doing that. I'm gonna go and have a conversation with these people.” That to me is hopeful, and at the same time, I know that this will not stop because my mama would say, “When the lights come on, the roaches run everywhere.” I fully suspect that there will be more examples like this leading up to and beyond the election.Sy Hoekstra: Oh, for sure.Jonathan Walton: …as there is more light on the sheer nonsense that Andy Stanley and these other people are propagating on a regular basis.Christians Demonstrated How Christian Nationalism is Common and Acceptable in White ChurchesSy Hoekstra: And people who jumped on this by the way, were like, Ed Stetzer and people who are kind of like in the middle politically in America and in American politics at least. They're not Trumpers. These are regular Christians [laughs].Jonathan Walton: Right. And that's the thing that we talked about a few episodes ago. This is the soft Christian nationalism, socially acceptable American exceptionalism. All these things are totally normal, totally fine in quote- unquote. that normal Christianity.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah. And actually, so one of the things I want to emphasize about that thing you, that someone screenshotted from Andy Stanley, was that his idea of love in that post is like, I'm gonna sacrifice myself for you and then in exchange I get control over your culture so that you will not insult me.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: Which is not the love of Jesus. The love of Jesus is laying down your life for your friends, period, end of story. Jesus laid down his life for people who have nothing to do with him. You know what I mean? Who can't stand him, who don't like him, whatever.Jonathan Walton: Who desired to kill him [laughs]. Right.Sy Hoekstra: Yeah, exactly. And did not demand then that they conform to his way. He let them go on their way.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: The quote unquote love that says, all these soldiers at Normandy sacrificed, therefore you cannot insult us, is not Christian. Has nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus. And it does have everything to do with tying your faith to an empire that uses military might to demand conformity. That is colonizing faith, period.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Why White Christians Invent Enemies Where None ExistSy Hoekstra: That aspect of it then kind of plays into some of the stuff that I was thinking about it, which is that like if you are someone who has so fused your faith with dominance like that, then you are constantly looking for enemies who don't exist to come and defeat you because that's your way of living. You live by the sword. So it's almost like a subconscious, like you live by the sword, you expect to die by the sword. You live by cultural dominance, you expect people to culturally dominate you. So you're going to find insults against one European artist's rendering of a scene from the Bible where none exist. Just because they had drag queens you don't like.You are going to find trans women who don't exist [laughs] and argue that they are a sign of the things that are destroying the culture that you built in the West. And I just think that is so much more revealing of the people who say it than it is of anything that they were trying to reveal through what they said.Jonathan Walton: Absolutely. I wonder if there were followers of Jesus who when da Vinci painted what he painted, said, “This is not my savior.”Sy Hoekstra: I can think of one reason, but why would they have said that Jonathan?Jonathan Walton: [laughs] Because the Last Supper is a parody of an event in the scriptures. The reality is Jesus is not a Eurocentric figure sitting with flowing robes with people surrounding him. That's not how it happened. That's not how Passover looks[laughs]. So I mean, the reality of them being these American insurrectionist pastors who say, “You know what, we are going to get angry about a parody that isn't a parody, about a parody that we believe is actually sacred.”Sy Hoekstra: [laughs]. Well, okay. Calling the Last Supper parody I think is a little bit confusing.Jonathan Walton: No, the…Sy Hoekstra: Because I think da Vinci meant it the way that he… [laughs].Jonathan Walton: No, I'm sure da Vinci reflected his cultural reality on the scripture, which is something we all do.Sy Hoekstra: Right.Jonathan Walton: But to then baptize that image to be something that can be defiled and then demand capitulation because of our quote- unquote military might, those lines are bonkers to me. So I can be frustrated that I feel mocked, because that's a feeling, I feel mocked. But what should happen is we say, I feel mocked because I don't actually have cultural understanding and acuity to be able to differentiate my own emotional realities from the theology of the Bible when we don't have those skills. And actually we don't have that desire because we desire for them to be one and the same, like you said. I desire to feel affirmed and good and empowered all the time.And if that comes under any threat, then it's either the merchant, let's take money from you. Let's sanction you, let's get you out of the economic system so you cannot flourish in the way that we've defined flourishing to look. We will bring missionaries and people and set up institutions to devalue and debunk your own cultural narratives and spiritual things that you hold dear. And if that doesn't work, we'll just shoot you and make sure it does. Anyway, that's was more forceful than I expected it to be.Sy Hoekstra: [laughs] It wasn't for me because you keep putting these Olympics things in the newsletter and you keep telling me how frustrated you are about them, but it goes to stuff that is extremely important and I appreciate you bringing up and bringing us into this conversation.Outro and OuttakeSy Hoekstra: We have to go. You specifically have to leave in a couple minutes, so we're going to wrap things up here. Even though you and I could talk about this subject forever [Jonathan laughs]. Maybe Jonathan, maybe we'll talk about it more at the next monthly Zoom conversation.Jonathan Walton: Yes.Sy Hoekstra: …on August 27th that people can register for if they become paid subscribers at Ktfpress.com, which you all should please go do if you want to see this work continue beyond this election season, get access to all the bonus episodes of this show, the ability to comment, other community features like that. The anthology, again, is at Keepingthefaithbook.com, that's what Jesse wrote for and what 35 other authors wrote for trying to give us a faithful path forward as so much of the church idolizes Donald Trump and the power that he brings them in this particular political era. Our theme song is Citizens by Jon Guerra. Our podcast Art is by Robyn Burgess, transcripts by Joyce Ambale, editing by Multitude Productions. Thank you all so much for listening and we will see you in two weeks.Jonathan Walton: Bye.[The song “Citizens” by Jon Guerra fades in. Lyrics: “I need to know there is justice/ That it will roll in abundance/ And that you're building a city/ Where we arrive as immigrants/ And you call us citizens/ And you welcome us as children home.” The song fades out.]Jonathan Walton: The White Christian persecution complex. [Jonathan lets out a deep, croaky “Maaaaaaaah”].Sy Hoekstra: I really should have… what was that noise [laughter]?Jonathan Walton: I think it's appropriate [Sy laughs]. It was the exasperation of my soul. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.ktfpress.com/subscribe

In this final installment of my conversation with author and bookstore co-owner Lucas Mann, we talk about the books, writers, TV shows, music, and even dinners that are getting his wheels turning, including: The book he recently read with his book club that got him excited about writing in new ways and that he couldn't stop talking about Why a long walk or bike ride can solve most problems The two writers whose work and ways of being inspire him The reality TV show he would forego sleep for weeks at a time if he could The dad music he has embraced, the morning beverage he drinks until he feels ill, the recent book that kept him awake, and his favorite sushi restaurant Visit Lucas at www.lucasmann.com. For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com. Thanks to this week's sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this solo episode, Run the Numbers host CJ Gustafson breaks down all the different ways software businesses make money. He does an overview of the different monetization models including subscription, consumption, hybrid, transaction-based, and advertising models. He then zooms in on subscription contracts and references the piece he wrote “The ‘Planet Fitness' Era of SaaS is Over” to discuss professional services, examining the differences between product-led growth (PLG) and sales-led growth models. He talks about the three key things that PLG has influenced CFOs to push for when evaluating buying decisions. He also explains why subscription contracts don't equate to revenue durability and what real durability is in SaaS, also spelling out (literally) the major differences between recurring revenue and reoccurring revenue, and why you may want a blend of both.If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a customized KPI checklist.—SPONSORS:Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

Is this "Republican convention" unity? Why is the media spending so much time on Biden saying "bullseye" & ignoring the divisiveness going on at the RNC convention? Crazy Alert! Conservatives slammed RNC for giving prime speaking slot to someone into Satanism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey Potters! Velma Misjudged days as always and June flew by! Today we will be talking about Fairy tales that have a little extra or a little behind the scenes. Don't Believe everything you read! Sometimes it gets changed in history. Happy 100th Episode to Impulsive Thoughts! If you haven't checked them out DO IT NOW! Today we smoked a Vape Cart of Orange Wifi. You can find us on all Podcast Platforms and social media @stirthepot_pod Recommendations? GLADLY! Email us stirthepot.dv@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/stir-the-pot-pod/support

Contentment. That Christian buzzword that feels ever so elusive, and yet as we reach the end of our Philippians Bible Study, the Apostle Paul shows us the way to truly find contentment with joy. It's our penultimate episode in the book of Philippians - so do join us as we wrap up the season next time.For more information about our sponsor, Christian Focus and the books we have been recommending, visit their website.To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, visit our website, where you can also find lots of other resources!

In this episode, Sascha, Jana DeCristofaro and I open a discussion with our death companions about how we might spend our final incarnate moments together.Being variously acquainted with/inclined toward the idea of death companions that are born alongside us and accompany through mortality teaching and reteaching us ways we might fall into their arms, this experiment plays out a little differently in each of us.In the end we talk about: shame and guilt, cougars, respectful informality, Sicily and trust. I do not officially sign up to be death-witness for the general public, but do gladly and gratefully accept the position for Sascha's and Jana's deaths. Gladly and gratefully.

McAlvany Weekly Commentary Can This Be Called Another Powell Pivot? Chinese Selling Of U.S. Treasuries To Buy Gold Cannot Be Ignored FED “Slows” Tightening Instead of Cutting Rates The post Wimpy FED “I’ll Gladly Pay You On Tuesday” appeared first on McAlvany Weekly Commentary.

The first message of Senior Preaching Week is from Josh Ratliff. Today he shares from 1…

Covid didn't kill Plachy, but it got close enough to look him in the eyes. Nevertheless, we are back with the next era of Bullshot. We play current video games now, like Papers Please. Discord: https://discord.gg/EHpsTkguxz

Date: March 10th of 2024   Speaker: Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard  Text: John 6:1-15  Context: Sermon at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Minot, ND    Manuscript: CLICK HERE 

Todd Rakow, CFO of Gladly joins CJ for this deep dive into usage-based revenue models, strategic finance leadership, and the complexities of managing growth and headcount in line with ARR. Todd shares tons of tactical insights, including building out the usage-based model, forecasting customer usage patterns, commissioning sales reps, and teaching your teams to distinguish between reoccurring and recurring revenue. If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program until April 15th, 2024. — PSA: Run The Numbers has a new Spotify and Apple show link. Follow the links to subscribe and ensure you'll never miss an episode Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/run-the-numbers/id1723787140 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0zQCkklNnVgMD364kCW5SV — SPONSORS: Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

Todd Rakow, CFO of Gladly joins CJ for this deep dive into usage-based revenue models, strategic finance leadership, and the complexities of managing growth at scale. Todd shares tons of tactical insights, including building out the usage-based model, forecasting customer usage patterns, commissioning sales reps, and teaching your teams to distinguish between reoccurring and recurring revenue. If you're looking for an ERP head to NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/metrics and get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program until April 15th, 2024.SPONSORS:Maxio is the only billing and financial operations platform that was purpose built for B2B SaaS. They're helping SaaS finance teams automate billing and revenue recognition, manage collections and payments, and put together investor grade reporting packages.

In this episode, Jim Stamm and Gary Morgan discuss how the Pirates haven't done much, Ohtani and the Dodgers that might have just done something that changes the game forever. Let's talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loving acts are genuine to the degree that they are not done begrudgingly.

Adam and Dr. Drew open the show discussing the state of healthcare in America and Drew presents some of his non-expert (but highly informed) thoughts on what kind of changes we could possibly implement in an effort to improve things. Later Adam is joined by Dr. Bruce as they take calls, first from a father who had to give up skydiving and then from a listener who has mixed feeling about finding a therapist. Finally, Dr. Drew is back as the pair stay with the phones and speak to a caller wondering what the fallout will be from the media's misleading reports on COVID.