Podcasts about Kneeling

Greg Belfrage talks to listeners about Bad Bunny being picked for the Superbowl. He also mentions why he doesn't watch football anymore because of the kneeling during the national anthem. Greg also talks about why Bad Bunny was chosen. The reason why he shouldn't have been chosen. A caller mentioned that Metalica would have been a good choice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We hope you enjoy this shiur. If you would like to sponsor or dedicate any of our shiurim or help with the running costs please do not hesitate to get in contact with us at office@rabbiroodyn.com or WhatsApp +447791221449May Hashem heal the wounded, free the captives and lead our soldiers to a swift and painless victory.#jew #jewish #torah #torahfortoughtimes #rabbiroodyn #bringthemhome #rabbi #torahanytime #Judaism #Israel #shiur #responsetotragictimes #jewishunderstanding #elul #elulvation

Back in the BLM days a group of FBI agents took a knee to show support with the rioters, Howie asks should they be fired for that?  Visit the Howie Carr Radio Network website to access columns, podcasts, and other exclusive content.

Luke's HAARP Time Warp: Part 3 Marion readies her attack. Based on a post by somethin fishy, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 11. The next morning the three of them all woke at about the same time. Luke was amazed that he had slept in and Cecilia was amazed that she had woken up early and was so rested. Watching Marion trying to walk, Cecilia fell off the bed she was laughing so hard. To rub salt into Marion's wounds, Luke was chuckling a bit as well and all Marion could do was blush. She was too sore, at the moment, to do anything else. They all took turns with the chamber pot and after Marion and Luke had washed each other up a bit; got dressed and went to get something to eat. In the dining area Luke was greeted like a mighty warrior; while Marion was getting jealous looks from every woman in the room. Everyone had heard them and every woman wanted to be her or have a man like she did. This actually cheered Marion up quite well. She actually was enjoying the looks that she was getting; after all it just proved that she had something that none of them could even dream of. The innkeeper meanwhile had given the lovebirds free food. This annoyed Luke but he yielded after the innkeeper explained that she was not only very happy for them, but their love making had lured extra people in for supper the night before. It had actually been standing room only and the only fighting had been when someone else made too much noise. She had made more money off Luke and Marion's love making then she had made in the previous month. Marion's reaction to this got laughs from everyone in the room because she flushed the deepest red that anyone had ever seen. Cecilia had also noticed that she had been getting some jealous looks; but hers were equally from men and women. It didn't take her long to figure out that they were jealous of her front row, well bed seat, to last night's entertainment. Of course, it didn't hurt that all three of them smelled like hot sex. Eventually they got done eating breakfast and returned to their room to pack up. Within an hour they were on the road to York. The three of them traveled quickly for Cecilia had given up on killing Marion on the road. Now she figured that she would use Marion to keep Luke around. Of course, that didn't mean that Marion could be free; oh no. The first thing that Cecilia planed on doing when she got home was to trump up some charges against Marion to have her thrown in the dungeon. With Marion still alive, Cecilia could use her to force Luke's cooperation. While traveling, Luke had noticed the change in Cecilia's behavior. At first, he had hoped that she might be starting to change, but a couple of comments, that she made, put this theory to rest; after all how often do leopards change their spots. Marion though, was overjoyed at her sister's change in demeanor for she had always wanted a loving sister growing up and now, apparently, she had one. As they rode Cecilia and Marion talked and joked as if they were the best of friends. Luke started to just ignore them and instead focused on keeping a look out for traps. The rest of their trip back to Cecilia and Marion's land was uneventful. Cecilia's charm though, wasn't fooling Luke and he began to mentally prepare himself to do whatever he had to do, including abandoning Marion, in order to keep his knowledge from getting into the wrong hands. As they passed back into their family lands, the ladies immediately noticed a change. A blind person could have seen it. Houses were burnt and the people that lived in the area were starting to show signs of starvation. It was so bad that even Luke felt sickened by the sights. Cecilia and Marion were pale as ghost as they threw up everything in their stomachs. Eventually, Marion found one of the people that she trusted. It was an older woman, Lucy, who had lost her husband years before. Lucy had been Marion's nanny, back when Marion was younger and they had retained a close friendship. When Marion first saw Lucy, Marion actually had to look very hard to make sure for Lucy had changed so much since Marion had last seen her, and that was just a week before Marion had left for London. “Lucy what happened?” “It was Richard. As soon as the three of you left for London, he moved in and took over. The guards that remained loyal are rumored to be in Richard's dungeon; that is if they have not been killed by torture yet. Where is your father anyway?” Lucy was so depressed and dirty that it broke Marion's heart, for she loved this woman. Lucy was the mother that Marion had never known. “Father was killed in an ambush. John, Cecilia's fiancé was killed too. The ambush was led by none other than William.” Lucy hissed at hearing this. “I am so sorry, Marion. Now the big question, who is the giant behind you?” “Oh sorry. Lucy this is Luke. Luke this is Lucy. She took care of me when I was younger. Lucy, Luke is the stranger that rescued Cecilia and me from the ambush. He killed William with his bare hands and he has been keeping us safe ever since. Also, we have fallen in love.” “Oh really.” “What, I am not allowed to fall in love?” Lucy smiled at this. Marion had always had a bit of fire in her soul. “Back to serious issues Marion, you three need to get out of here before you are discovered. Word has it that Richard has put a bounty on your and Cecilia's heads.” “Not to fear Lucy, the only head that is going to be collected will be Richard's” growled Luke. Lucy now felt a spike of fear go through her. She had never heard a human sound like this. This Luke sounded much more like a wild animal. More to her surprise, the look on Marion's face had hardened as well. Obviously these two knew something that Lucy didn't. “Lucy, I need all the information and rumors that you have on this Richard bastard.” Said Luke. Over the next hour the woman told Luke everything that she knew about Richard. Richard was an older Earl that lived next to their land and had been eyeing Marion's family land for years. Richard was one of those who get everything that he wanted, mostly because he was very quick to resort to very dirty and underhand tactics to get them. In the thirty years since Richard had gained his Earldom, he had tripled his land holdings. In the process, he had killed off whole villages and had put such a tax burden on the peasants living on his land that many of them were in a constant state of half starvation. This is what he had started doing in Cecilia and Marion's lands, but here he taxed the peasants at such a high rate that many of them would be dead by the end of the year. If a peasant couldn't pay the tax then one of several things might happen to them: they might be tortured, killed, if there were good looking women in the family then they would be taken to serve Richard or his men, young boys would be taken to be turned into soldiers. To put it simply, Richard viewed everyone below him as an expendable plaything and everyone including the king was below him, in his mind. By now, Cecilia had realized that she would have to put a hold on getting revenge on Marion. There was no way that Cecilia would live long enough to make up the charges against Marion, never mind pump Luke for information. Luke listened carefully to everything that the women told him and asked pointed questions if he thought that they might have missed something. Finally, Luke asked Lucy: “Where can I find Richard?” “Why he now lives in the castle” said Lucy while she pointed at the castle that had once been Marion and Cecilia's home. Luke gave Lucy some money and one of their extra horses and told her to get lost and if he failed to get rid of Richard, never come back. Luke had figured out, listening to all the stories that the only way to get rid of Richard was to kill him. So that's what Luke set out to do. He had Marion show him a spot from which Luke could watch the castle and remain hidden. He then told Cecilia and Marion to get back to Lincoln and stay there until Luke sent for them. Cecilia was good with this, Marion wasn't. Eventually it was agreed that Cecilia would travel to Lincoln with Lucy and Marion would help Luke. The ladies hugged each other when Cecilia set off with Lucy. Luke and Marion had given almost all their money to Cecilia and Lucy. Luke had told Lucy that she should find some business to invest in. That way she could keep making money and would have a secure future. Luke now had to face the problem that he didn't know what Richard looked like. Yes, he could shoot Richard from a long way off, but he had to know what Richard looked like first. Marion couldn't take Luke to show him Richard, because too many people in the castle knew Marion. Then he hit on a solution. Luke would go into the castle, claiming to be a Scottish mercenary looking for a new job. “How are you going to do that?” asked Marion “You're not Scottish.” “Something I haven't mentioned to you, my family name is MacDougall, and I've spent enough time in Scotland to fake the accent good enough. Just have to hope that Richard doesn't have any other MacDougall's around.” “Damn it Luke, how many more secrets do you have?” “If you're afraid of the answer then you probably shouldn't ask the question my dear. On the plus side, you already know my biggest one. The rest aren't too bad.” Marion just gave him the stink eye. “I should only be gone for a couple of days. If I'm not back by sunset four days from now, get out of here as fast as you can and never look back.” Marion was starting to argue, but Luke wasn't having any of it. “Damn it Marion, think with your head and not your pussy. We can't launch an attack without knowing what all Richard has going on inside and you are too well known to go in. That leaves me, plus I have a military background so I know what to look for.” Again, Marion was gearing up for a fight, when she suddenly drew in her breath. She had realized that once again Luke was right and that if she tried to go in, she would be caught before the sun had gone done. “Okay, Luke. Get going, just be careful and remember that I love you.” “I love you too, Marion. Remember if I'm no back by sunset four days from now get out of here, and take all my gear with you.” With that, Luke mounted his horse and started riding toward the family of York's castle. Chapter 12. Getting inside the castle was a pain for Luke, for he was searched multiple times. Finally, he managed to get through the guards. Once inside, Luke was amazed at how destitute the place was. Everywhere it seemed there were people hanging at the end of ropes or in stocks. The air was thick with flies, but the remaining people didn't seem to even notice. He saw some desperate people actually walk up behind someone in stocks and carve a big piece of flesh from them. A number of the people hanging appeared to be merchants and craftsmen which amazed Luke; after all what kind of idiot ruler would go after the very people who earned the money to pay the taxes. Of course, three answers came to Luke's mind. Evil despot rulers, socialist, and communist and usually the evil despot rulers were brightest of the three. Their end goal was always the same just dressed up in different ways; power for themselves and their supporters. Luke didn't even have to look for an inn because there were so many abandoned homes to pick from but first Luke had to get a meeting with this Richard idiot. This actually proved to be very easy. Luke just walked right up to the main castle doors and told the guard that he was a mercenary looking for a job. Luke looked the part too with two swords, an impressive collection of knives, and a large shield that he had bought while in Lincoln. When Luke finally met the Earl Richard for the first time Luke almost fell to the floor laughing. This guy had some serious man issues. For starters he was hideously ugly. Marion of course had told his this, but Luke had never pictured something this ugly. Another thing was Richard was extremely short, even for the era. Luke estimated him to be no more than four foot nine or ten. Finally, the guy had some kind of speech problem which for normal people wasn't a problem, but for people who thought of themselves masters of the world, this was a major problem. “So, I hear that you want a job as one of my soldiers?” “Yes sir, that is correct.” Stated Luke with his slight Scottish accent. He could have laid it on thicker but figured that keeping things light would help convince Richard that Luke was really a very experienced soldier. “Why?” “Why not. I need a job and I heard that you sir are hiring.” “Well, let us see what you can do.” “David, Matt, John. Test this man's metal.” Richard set back to enjoy the entertainment. He was going to enjoy watching his best man whittle this giant down to size. The three of them approached Luke spaced out evenly around him. Luke waited until the last possible second, then stuck. Using the same method that he had used on William; Luke sidestepped David's strike, grabbed his right wrist with one hand and broke is elbow with his other. Luke then moved and snapped David's neck. This pissed the other two men off for all three were very close. With new fury they moved on Luke who was still calm as ever. This time he drew his swords. These were hand and a half swords, but in Luke's hands they became single handed swords. With longer swords and much more strength, Luke quickly forced the other two knights back. Finally, Matt managed to get past Luke's swords and deliver a blow to Luke. This blow was normally a fatal blow, but Luke just shrugged it off. Before Matt could get out of the way, Luke hit him between his eyes with the pommel of one of his swords. Matt's skull shattered with the blow causing everyone around to cringe. Now it was one to one and John was not only in a rage, but was also fearful. He had seen both his best friends killed before his eyes and this giant had received a usually fatal blow from Matt. Yet it barely seemed to affect him. Luke now went on an all-out attack on John. It was all John could do to keep Luke's blades off of him. If John didn't do something fast, he would be killed too. Finally, John had an opening and he took it. Problem was that Luke had purposely let his have that opening and taking it proved to be a fatal mistake for John. As John delivered what he hoped would be at least a debilitating blow on Luke, Luke trapped John's sword and pulled John to him. Close in, Luke dropped his swords, picked up John, turned him over, and drove him head first into the floor. This completely crushed John's head. It was so bad that you couldn't even tell that it had been a head. Luke the casually picked his swords up and sheathed them. He then started to return to in front of Richard who was sitting in his chair with is mouth open. He had never seen someone win a three to one fight so fast. As Luke got back to where he had started, he heard the unmistakable sound of a bow being drawn. As quick as lighting, Luke drew a throwing knife and let it fly. It stuck the bowman in the throat, killing him instantly. Luke walked over, kicked his knife loose of the man's neck, wiped it off on the man's uniform, and returned the knife to its place. By now the look of fear was in every face of the room, including Richard's. It was obvious to all that this man was not one to be messed around with. Upon returning Luke asked: “Well, happy now?” “Yes, you are a remarkable soldier, how did you survive Matt's strike; sorcery?” Luke snorted at this. “Sorcery please? Do not insult me in such a way ever again. I survived because I designed my own armor which is hidden in my clothes. Only complete losers blame their loss on sorcery. Real men take responsibility for their victories as well as their defeats.” “So, they do, friend. So, they do. Now to business, what would you be charging for your services?” “Eighty pounds sterling a year.” He had talked with Marion and she had told him that while this was a bit expensive Richard would gladly pay it to have a soldier of Luke's caliber. “Sixty pounds a year plus I will provide you with girls to use whenever you please.” “Seventy, plus some girls of my choosing.” “You drive a hard bargain, Hildyard. I accept and my I say that name suits you very well.” “Thank you my lord.” Luke had picked this alias for that very reason. It meant one who is like a wolf in battle. “Take my new knight to pick his girls.” Richard said to a servant. The servant wouldn't even dare look at Richard for Richard would kill anyone who he thought gave him a disrespectful look. Luke followed the servant into another set of rooms. There were many good-looking females there, some being quite young and some being decent looking Milfs. “Thank you, my good man. What is your name?” asked Luke looking at the servant. “Michael, sir” Kneeling down in front of the servant Luke said quietly to him: “Never call me sir again, you hear me. My name is Hildyard. Got it?” “Yes sir, Hildyard” said Michael with a slight grin. “Good.” Luke had a warm smile on his face “When you tell your friends about me as I am sure that you will, make sure that you pass the word on to them.” “Yes Hildyard.” With that, the servant scampered away almost causing Luke to laugh. Turning back to the women, Luke had to work to hide just how disgusted he really felt. These women were being forced into sex slaves because their family couldn't pay the sky-high taxes that Richard insisted on levying on them. Luke quietly looked at each one. Finally, he thought that he might have a way that he could do this. Going to one of the servants by the door: “This is going to be a hard choice for me to make. Can you show me to my chamber and then have the women report to it one at a time please?” “Yes sir. This way sir.” the servant snapped. Luke sighed to himself, this servant hadn't heard his bit to Michael. ‘Oh well' thought Luke. Once Luke had been shown his chamber, the women were sent in one at a time like he had requested. Luke had to be very careful here for one false move on his part and Richard would figure out that Luke was lying through his teeth and then it was only a matter of time. As Luke carefully questioned each of the women, he had to work at sounding like an arrogant mercenary soldier when in fact all he wanted to do was to get the woman out of there and back to their homes. Luke finally picked some young ladies who were all a bit younger than Marion and an older one that had worked in the castle while Marion had lived there. The reason that Luke had picked the younger woman was to help protect them for they were brand new to the harem and were still virgins. He had absolutely no intention of forcing himself on any of them. Of course, this first night he would be able to use being very tired as an excuse but the following nights could be difficult. Finally, it was time for bed. Luke had managed to procure a separate room for “his” woman so that no one else would have a chance to force themselves on them. Luke took the oldest one into his room for the night. Of course, he had already checked out the room twice and had found no hidden listening holes. Still, he had to be careful. The older lady was named Stella and Luke put her age about thirty or so. “So, Stella what can you tell me about yourself. I find sex to be more enjoyable when I know something about the bitch.” “Well, I am twenty-nine years old, I think. Married once but he died from an accident. I had one child with him but she died before she made it to one year old. I have been working in this castle all my life and I know exactly how to please men.” “What can you tell me about the previous owners? I have heard whispers about them but none of it makes any sense.” “Why do you want to know about the previous owners?” “Because I am curious, so humor me please.” “The owner was named Charles. He was a good man who lost his wife so after his youngest daughter, Marion, was born. After this he never remarried but used the ladies of the castle to keep him company. It was actually very good for us because he was kind and gentle with us.” “You mentioned a daughter?” “He actually had two, Cecilia and Marion. Cecilia was a two-faced wild child, but Marion was kind, loving, and very intelligent.” “Was?” “Yes, word has it that they were killed on their way back from London which is just as well. For if they had gotten back here, Richard would have had Charles tortured and imprisoned and his daughters would have become Richard's concubines.” “I see. I can see where death would be preferable. Come here Stella.” Stella came up to Luke, expecting to be ravaged, but to her surprise Luke invited her to lay with him while she still had her clothes on. “Master what is wrong? Do I not please your eyes?” “Never call me master. My name is Hildyard and that is what I expected to be called. Understand?” “Yes” squeaked Stella. “Good. Now for tonight I just want a beautiful, caring woman to curl up with; for after my travels and the excitement of this afternoon I am too tired for any fun right now.” With that Stella curled up in Luke's arms and quickly found herself feeling safer than she had felt in years. This man was very kind and considerate; a bit weird for a man but Stella could live with that. He was much better than Richard was that was for sure. When she woke up the next morning, Luke was gone. His spot was still warm though so he wasn't far away. Indeed, as she put her feet on the floor, Luke came through the door holding two bowls of stew. He gave Stella her pick of the two and he took the other one. He also gave her a piece of bread and a few veggies. Now Stella was just blown away by this man. He was far kinder than any other man she had ever met. She was also glad that he had been able to get the fresh virgins before Richard could get to them for Stella knew that Hildyard would be gentle with them; while Richard purposely was extra rough with fresh meat. After they finished eating Luke gave Stella her assignment for the day. “I want you to care for my ladies. Get them cleaned up. A couple of them smell so bad that it is hard to be in the same room with them. Also, if anyone of the bastards so much as touches any of them I want to know about it. Got it?” “Yes, Hildyard” “Good. Now I have to get going for I have a lot of things to get done today.” Chapter 13. Luke wasn't actually worried that anyone would mess with his ladies, he had scared everyone shitless yesterday, but it was always better to be ready. Luke first went to the training yard to work out with some of the other knights and other soldiers, at least that's what he told everyone. In reality he was looking for weaknesses, learning about these knight's fighting styles, and learning just how many men Richard had here. Many of the knights seemed to be second rate and the soldiers only went about their training half heartily. Luke could guess why, but the last thing he wanted to do was ask them. The problem with asking questions is that you tell the person that you're asking that the information you seek is in some way important to you so Luke spoke as little as possible. After a few hours of training, Luke had a little bit of free time, so he wondered the town. Everywhere he went he could feel the people's eyes following him. He could feel the hatred in their looks. This, of course, put him on high alert but thankfully no one attacked. He made sure to quietly pay extra for all the food that he bought. Most of it he would take back for his ladies so that they could start to regain their strength. He dropped the food off in his quarters and went to find Richard for he had an important meeting scheduled. Luke had a contract to sign with the devil. To Luke's surprise, the contract was in order and ready for signature. After signing Luke got his first assignment. He was to go toward London and look for Richard's son William. William should have reported in by now and yet nothing had been heard of him. While out Luke was to keep an eye out for the previous owners. If Luke met them, he was to kill or capture them, whichever was most convent at the time. Luke couldn't believe his ears; this was going to play right into his hands. As an added bonus, he could take his women with him and he would have a small escort. The escort part bothered Luke a bit but they were easy to get rid of. On the other hand, though…Luke requested that he be able to choose his men. He figured that three should be enough. Richard agreed but only allowed Luke two. Luke made sure to pick two of the men that had shown the most hatred toward Richard's knights during the training session. Luke told them that they would be setting out first thing in the morning so they had better get some rest. Upon returning to his chamber for the evening, he was surprised that all his ladies were in the room. When Luke entered, they all stopped talking and looked at him. Luke had to admit that they definitely cleaned up nice. Then Stella stepped forward: “Hildyard, rumor has it that you are leaving in the morning?” “That is correct. Are you speaking for the group, Stella?” “Yes I am.” “Well then get on with it or let them speak for themselves.” “We thank you kindly for the extra food. That was the best that we have ate since this Richard took over.” “Well, no thanks are necessary.” Luke said to the group with a warm smile that always seemed to melt hearts. “Now ladies listen up. I will be leaving very early in the morning on a special mission. I have been given permission for you to accompany me on my journey. We will also have a two-man escort. Now I suggest that all of you get to bed now, for I want to be going through the gate just as it is getting light. Now move and no arguments.” Tonight, Luke took the youngest of the ladies to bed with him. Her name was Gabriel and she reminded Luke a lot of Marion. “Hildyard, I have no idea how to please...” That was as far as she got before Luke cut her off with a gentle kiss. “Do not worry about that for now. Just come sleep next to me for we have to be up early in the morning.” Gabriel was starting to feel things that she had never felt before and Hildyard was causing those feelings. “But” Luke just gave her his special shut the fuck up look. It worked every time he used it, and it did here as well. Gabriel curled up next to Luke and like Stella the night before felt completely safe and quickly fell asleep. As promised, Luke was up very early the next morning. He figured that it was about three AM. He went around to all the ladies, gently woke them up, and ordered them to get ready to leave. Then he made his way to the barracks; here he wasn't gentle at all. He expected his men to follow orders and sure enough, neither of them was up yet. Luke woke them up with his boot on their asses. “Get up you miscible excuses for soldiers! Get up now! When I tell you to be ready to go at a certain time you had better be ready to go.” Luke's voice boomed through the barracks. He was being far meaner than usual on purpose. He figured that these men would probably continue to be soldiers once he helped Marion take over and Luke wanted to get a start on instilling disciple in the men. Luke had to wait almost an hour for the men to get squared away and ready to go. Of course, he had already anticipated this; after all that's why he woke everyone up so early. Finally, everything was ready and the small group set off. The two soldiers weren't happy to put it mildly. They had been dragged out of their billet before dawn, they were assigned to escort a monster and a group of his concubines, and the worst part was that this Hildyard had the complete support of that asshole Earl Richard. They were partisans for the previous landowner and they were convinced that Richard had something to do with the Charles's disappearance. “When that bastard is busy with his women, it will be the prefect chance to get rid of him, and then we can rescue those women and get them back home.” One of the escorts said quietly to the other as they were headed out of the castle. The other nodded in agreement. The trip out of the town gates went quickly for the sun was just starting to lighten up the Eastern sky. Luke made sure that they headed out the right gate so that Marion would see them. As the group was ready to head into the forest, the escort was out in front of the group; they came across a man standing in the road, wearing a long cape with the hood up. “Get out of our way!” one of the escorts, Michael yelled. He was agitated and this man had already pissed him off. “I have just as much right to be on this road as you do.” Answered the man calmly. This really pissed Michael off and he drew his sword. His companion, Tom drew his too. Luke just calmly watched but didn't draw his sword for he figured who the man was. “Why are you not drawing your weapon?” asked Stella “Why bother? The odds are already two-to-one, plus I know who that is and I have no desire to cross swords with her.” “Wait. Her?!?!” exclaimed Stella. “Just watch.” Marion waited until both men committed to their attack before making her move. She used her staff to knock both men off their mounts. Then she made sure to grab both men's mounts before they ran off. The last thing Marion wanted to do was to chase done the horses. She tied the horses to a nearby branch. By the time that Marion got the horses under control and tied up, the men were finally getting to their feet and to say that they were pissed would have been an extreme understatement. How had this peasant dismounted both of them? Marion just waited for them to get up. The men both charged at the same time and this time Marion actually had to fight back a bit. She used a leg sweep to take Tom out and she side-stepped Michael. Before Michael could turn around, Marion had him in a sleep hold and her knee was planted firmly in his back. With Tom still suffering from the wind being knocked out of him; it was just Marion and Michael so when she demanded that he yield, he did. Marion then drew her sword and held it to Tom's throat and demanded that he yield as well. Tom had no choice so he did. Marion then turned to Luke. “Well big guy, how about you? Are you going to join the party?” “I think not. I've done some dumb things in my time, but I'm not stupid.” The ladies in his group looked at him, confused. Luke didn't strike them as cowardly but here he was refusing to give battle and what was those strange words that he used. “No, you're not, Luke. You're a lot of things but you're not dumb.” Giggled Marion Now everyone in the group was confused. Who was this man? Why was Hildyard afraid of him? Who is Luke? “Now that I have everyone's attention...” said Marion. She then dramatically swept off her hood and there was a collective gasp from the group. This man that Hildyard was afraid of was a woman. Stella then recognized who it really was, leapt off her horse, ran to Marion, and fiercely embraced her. Stella whispered in Marion's ear, while embracing her: “What are you doing here? Marion, get out of here. Now! Hildyard has orders to arrest or kill you on sight. Get out of here, I will try and hold Hildyard off so you can escape.” “Stella, why would I want to escape?” Stella was alarmed for she cared deeply about Marion. Marion turned to Luke “Seriously Luke, Hildyard” Luke dropped his Scottish accent “What? I thought it was a nice touch.” With that he got off his horse walked over to Marion, picked her up, kissed her, and swung her around. Marion was laughing during this. Finally, they both turned to the group, who were now confused, afraid, and several emotions that they didn't know what they were. Marion then spoke to the group. “Everyone, I want to introduce to you Luke MacDougall, and yes he is my man. He rescued Cecilia and I when Richard's son attacked us. Luke killed William's men and killed William with his bare hands. Since then, he has been protecting us on the journey home. Cecilia has returned to Lincoln with Lucy until the crisis is over. By the way Luke, your gear is safely hidden away in camp” Luke turned to the women that he had brought with him “All of you are now safe. If you want you can return home.” One of the ladies started crying: “I cannot return home. Richard's men destroyed it.” Marion ran to comfort her while the others gave a similar story. While Marion was taking care of the women, Luke walked over to the guards. “Neither of you have anything to fear. I taught her” Luke pointed at Marion “how to fight. That is why both of you got your asses beat, and no I have no intention of supporting a bastard like Richard. I am completely loyal to Marion.” The relief on the men's faces was as obvious as it was instant. Michael also started to look a bit guilty for he remembered their plans and wasn't sure what to do or even what to think. Luke saved him from further worry. “No need to worry Michael. I figured that you and Tom were planning on killing me eventually. The reason I picked you two was the shear hatred, for Richard and his men, that I had seen in your eyes during our training season the other day.” Both of them were now red as beets and Luke had to laugh. “Part of the training that I got, when I was in the military, was how to look for traps and part of that is properly reading people. Now I am going to need your help. I want to help Marion get rid of Richard permanently. Will you two help me, help her.” “That bastard killed my wife in front of me after he and his men raped her. He took my daughters and made them his concubines, and he hung my sons from the ceiling of my house. He then forced me to be one of his soldiers and if I refused then my daughters would be killed very slowly. I only became one of “his men” to hopefully find a way to save my daughters.” Said Tom “What is your story, Michael?” asked Luke. “My family was killed several years ago. I had to come to town for a few days and when I returned home, I found out that they had all gotten sick and died while I had been gone. I became a soldier so that I would hopefully never have to return to that village again. Life was good while Charles was the lord running things, but under that devil Richard no one is safe. I was actually getting ready to leave and head to London.” “Well men, will we help me and hopefully afterwards stay soldiers but this time under Marion?” Neither man looked at the other one. They went up to Marion, drew their swords, kneeled in front of her, and held their swords up to her. Behind them, Luke smiled. He was happy that once again his instincts had been correct. Marion's embarrassment was just an added bonus. “Stand up, both of you. Luke did you tell them to do this?” Marion asked with a bit of venom in her voice. She had caught him smiling. Luke just shrugged at her. Luke and Marion then spent the next hour learning everyone's stories and telling their story. Neither Luke nor Marion mentioned that Luke was from the future. They were not ready to revile that secret, yet. Eventually, Luke and Marion stood next to each other, Luke with his arm around Marion's shoulder, “So ladies will you help us as well?” asked Marion. “But, we're women...” “And I'm not a woman?” asked Marion cutting them off. “That's…that's not what we meant Lady Marion.” Said the women all at once. Marion looked crossly at them and they all shrunk in fear. They were really thrown for a loop when Marion then smiled warmly at them. “Not to worry for once I was like you. I could not defend myself and then I met Luke. He taught me how to fight and more importantly when to fight and when to retreat and I bet that he will teach all of you too. One more thing, I am just Marion, not Lady Marion” Marion then looked at Luke and he nodded. Chapter 14. Over the next month, Luke and Marion trained everyone in the group basic self-defense tactics. The ladies were amazed at how their fortunes had changed. They had started off as simple concubines only allowed to live if they were able to please men and now, they knew how to protect themselves. Luke also taught them how to be soldiers. The guys didn't really agree with teaching the women how to fight or be soldiers, but they certainly were not going to complain. After all they now had a chance to square accounts with Richard. Part of their training was to ambush groups of Richard's soldiers as they raided the countryside. At first the women had a hard time killing, but they quickly got over it. When they would look at Marion, they would always take heart. In battle, Marion was proving to be not only extremely intelligent but also could be very cold blooded and ferocious when she had to be. She had no problems with executing prisoners that they took. Marion knew that they couldn't give prisoners a chance to escape and warn Richard. They also didn't have the extra manpower to guard them or food to feed them. In every battle, they would strip the dead of gear. When they had extra gear, they would put it in hiding so that they could come back and get it later. The better the women became the more disgruntled Michael became. He didn't believe in women in combat or even having them as soldiers, but he did admit that having them in close quarters did provide him with some unique opportunities for he was a serial rapist and murderer. There was nothing that he liked better then popping a virgin's cherry, filling her up with cum, and then forcing her to suck all the bloody cum off his cock before he strangled them. In this group he thought that he had found the pinnacle of virgins, Gabriel. She was tall, had chestnut colored hair that was full and wavy. She had warm, brown eyes, a firm pair of tits and with all the exercise that she had been getting over the last moth; she was developing a very firm ass. He wasn't worried about the fact that she had taken to Luke and Marion's training the best for he was planning on surprising her, raping, and killing her before anyone else knew what was going on. Afterwards, he would disappear and continue his raping somewhere else. Finally, it was the evening before the group was planning on returning to York. Their raiding of Richard's men had taken its toll on Richard's forces. They were afraid to leave the safety of the castle for even a short distance because just leaving the gates was proving to be very dangerous. Marion had made sure to leave some of the corpses where they could be seen from the castle walls. She had done this at Luke's urging while he explained to her the modern-day concept of Psy Ops. The more she thought about this, the more she liked it. If the enemy could be mentally defeated before battle then you would suffer fewer causalities and maybe you could even avoid a battle in the first place. Michael meanwhile had been watching everyone in the group and he finally saw his perfect opportunity to strike. The rest of the group had bedded down early so that they could get up early and get ready. Gabriel had gone down to the stream so that she could get a quick bath. She was unaware that she was being followed. Just as she had got her clothes off, Michael stuck. He came up to her quickly, put one of his powerful hand over her mouth and held his knife to her throat with the other one. Normally this would have been more than enough, but Gabriel now knew what to do. Before Michael could react, she drove her heal into his knee. While she didn't break it, he was now hurting and lost his grip on Gabriel. As soon has her mouth was free, she screamed. Michael was too busy trying to get control of his prey to care, after all they were a way away from the camp and everyone else had turned in. Michael was able to land a punch squarely in Gabriel's face. This knocked her to the ground and the force of hitting the ground stunned her. Michael untied his pants and slowly lowered them. He loved seeing the fear on his victim's faces when they realized what was about to happen to them. As Michael was getting on his knees so that he could force his way into Gabriel's virgin cunt, he felt something cold and sharp touch the back of his neck. This caused him to freeze. Slowly he turned his head and found himself looking into Marion's expressionless face. “Hey Luke, before we go to sleep, I have something to tell you.” Luke looked down at Marion. She had assumed their usual post coitus spot. Her head lying on his shoulder and one of her legs over his with her cream filled pussy leaking on him. “Oh ya what's that.” Said Luke half asleep. “I'm pretty sure that I'm pregnant. Won't know for sure for a little while but I missed my last period and I've not been feeling good in the mornings.” Luke was now fully awake. During their time together he had never given a thought to Marion getting pregnant. Mentally Luke cursed himself for being such an idiot. Yes, he loved Marion, but Luke wasn't sure why he had been transported to this universe and Marion having a child could cause serious problems if Luke ever got the opportunity to go home. This is why he never told Marion all he knew about the future. He never even told her his real fears of leaking the information that was locked away in his head. Marion misread the look on Luke's face. “Don't worry honey, it was bound to happen eventually and I'm so happy to be carrying your child.” Luke took a deep breath. He was going to have to finally tell Marion all of his fears. As he was about to start, they both heard a scream and recognized it as Gabriel. Marion grabbed her sword and raced off toward the scream as fast as she could still naked. Luke stopped to put his pants and then he was following in Marion's wake with both of his swords. When Luke caught up, he found Gabriel on the ground still stunned. Her clothes had been put on a nearby branch so Luke assumed that she had been getting a bath. Marion had her sword at someone's neck but however it was, was facing away from Luke. Then they turned their head and Luke could see that it was Michael. Luke went over and helped Gabriel to her feet and gave her back her dress. Meanwhile Marion was forcing Michael to return to camp without his clothes. Gabriel had serious problems walking so Luke decided just to carry her. He gently picked her up and cradling her in his arms, carried her back. Marion forced Michael back to camp and made him get on his knees. “You think making me get on my knees will change anything bitch then you are dumber than I thought you were. I was well within my rights as a man to demand that she service me.” Marion leaned in and whispered in his ear “It's not just me that you have to worry about. And if you think that raping that poor girl makes you a man then I have to wonder how humans have survived so long. With such sorry excuses for a man as yourself, we should have all died off thousands of years ago. I'm willing to bet that it was actually Adam that got humans kicked out of the garden and when the men writing the bible realized the truth, they switched the roles so that history wouldn't find out the truth.” By this time, Luke had returned with Gabriel and she was starting to recover. Luke tried to hand her off to Stella to care for but Gabriel wasn't having it. “I want to see what happens to him.” Her voice was one of iron and Luke knew that arguing wouldn't do him any good. “Well come on then” was all he said. Luke was actually impressed when he realized what Marion was doing. She was organizing a trial by jury. Everyone knew what had happened but Marion wanted to start establishing a precedent. She was obviously thinking long term and Luke was impressed. Once everyone in the group had gathered; the trail started. Gabriel told all what happened and what Michael said. Michael was given the opportunity to defend himself but refused. He obviously didn't realize Marion's growing power and strength. Finally, it was time for the group to vote on Michael's guilt or innocence. The entire group voted Michael guilty. Michael was stunned when Tom voted with the women. While Michael had been growing disgruntled, Tom had been changing as well. He saw the women getting stronger and he found that he was being drown to them and one in particular, Stella. They were close to the same age and had both had a hard life. Stella, for her part, was well aware of Tom's attraction to her and while she hadn't made a final decision on the matter yet, she was starting to have naughty thoughts about Tom especially while Luke and Marion were practicing their love making. With the guilty verdict, Marion passed sentence on Michael. He would be castrated, his balls would be forced down his throat, and then he would be executed. Luke was stunned by her harshness. He had never seen Marion so cold as she was now but he didn't argue. After all, this was her time era not his, and after the word got around of what she was capable of then hopefully there wouldn't be as much resistance for her. Marion ordered Michael tied to two trees. She then stood in front of him as she slowly sharpened her knife. Finally, Marion reached down and cut Michael's balls off. As he was screaming, Marion put his balls in his mouth and then covered his nose and clamped his mouth shut so that he would have to swallow his balls. After he swallowed his balls, Michael was crying. Luke and Tom cringed but didn't look away; after all nobody had forced Michael to attempt to rape Gabriel. Marion then drew her knife across Michael's throat, cutting the jugular and carotid. It took a minute or so for Michael to bled out. During that time, Stella came up next to Tom and held his hand. After all, Michael had started off being Tom's best friend. Marion then ordered that Michael's body be left where it was. It was getting late and they had to travel almost half a day tomorrow to get back to York. Chapter 15. Marion grows as a leader but only after some serious pain. It was early the next morning when Luke and Marion woke the group up. The sun was just starting to light up the Eastern sky but everyone in the group was used to getting up this early. They made sure to cook up an extra hardy breakfast for they didn't know when they would be able to eat again. Over the previous month the scared young women that had traveled out of York with Luke had been replaced with strong, young women that thought like soldiers and fought like lions. They now all carried swords and knives and knew how to use them. Every one of them also wore a leather overcoat that they could wrap around themselves to protect against swords or even long-range arrows. Under that they wore a green shirt and pants. Sown inside each shirt was light steel and leather armor that Luke had designed to deflect blows. They each also carried a helmet that was radically different than anything else currently in use. It looked a cross between a World War two German helmet and a modern U S military helmet. He had designed it this way to be able to give maximum protection with the materials available. Gabriel also carried a bow that she had gotten to be very good with. She was good enough to put an arrow into someone's eye from fifty paces. Luke was extremely proud of the ladies and of Tom. Tom had helped train everyone in sword use and had grown to love each of the ladies like sisters except Stella. No, her he loved romantically. What's more she was also falling in love with him. Tom was armed like all the women and he loved this new gear. It was lighter than his previous gear and protected him far better. It was a warm morning when they set out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. They made quite a sight the seven of them, Marion, Luke, Tom, and the four women that were “suppose” to be Luke's whores. In that group there was from oldest to youngest: Stella, Pollyanna, Alice, and Gabriel. Stella was the leader of the group being the oldest amount them. Pollyanna was showing signs of wanting to become an engineer like Luke. Alice was showing an interest in medicine, while Gabriel was the sharpshooter and Luke thought that she might make one hell of a sniper. One of the other things that Luke had started teaching them was how to read and write for soldiers needed to know how to read orders and make out reports. It took the group almost half a day to reach York. During their trip they had to hide once to avoid a large patrol that Richard had sent out. Yes, they could have taken the patrol out but it was now far more important for the group to get to York. When they got to the gates Luke had to talk fast to get through. Once through, the group was deeply disturbed by what they found. The town had gone further downhill. The people were now walking skeletons and the streets were full of filth. The soldiers walking around took whatever they pleased including having their way with anything they pleased. Marion actually vomited at the horror that was before her. Still, they had a mission to accomplish. All the ladies were well aware that every soldier had their eyes on them. Many of the soldiers whipped out their cocks and waved them at the women. Marion actually snickered at some at the tiny cocks that were being waved at her, for Luke's was far bigger. At least she was still feeling good enough to snicker. Finally, the group reached the castle. Luke told the guard who he was and they let him in. They easily remembered him. Once in the group was in for another surprise, especially Tom, for Richard was in the middle of an orgy and Tom's daughters were in it. Luke had to act fast to keep the group under control for Tom was furious and Luke's “whores” were about to gut Richard where he was. Problem was that there were too many of Richard's loyal men in the room and they wouldn't have made it out, even with their skills. They had to release the men loyal to Marion first, that is if any of them were left. First thing that Luke had to do was to make his report. Richard wasn't happy that he was being interrupted mid orgy but he did stop long enough to listen. “I am sorry Milord, but we traveled all the way to London and did not find a trace of William. We heard some rumors of him but we could not find him.” “Well, you may go now, but I shall want to talk to you more later about this matter.” “Yes Milord.” Luke turned around and got the hell out of there and made his way back to his chamber. Once there, he found Tom puking his guts out, Stella was trying to comfort him. The ladies were white as ghost, seeing the fate that so far, they had avoided. Marion was the worst one, of the group, for not only was she puking but she was crying her eyes out. She had known some of the women that she had seen in the orgy. That is even if you could call the women people anymore. Luke knew that they had to move fast for he figured that it wouldn't be long before Richard came for “his” women as well. Within an hour Luke got a message that Richard wanted to see him immediately so Luke put the rest of the group on alert and he left to meet with Richard. “Ah Hildyard, Good to see you.” “It is good to be seen, sir.” “So, you found no sign of my son or his men?” “No Milord and we traveled all the way to London. If they had been there, we found no signs of them. We came back a different route and still found no signs of them.” “Now tell me about the whores that came in with you.” “Well, traveling fast does tend to make any fat disappear and they travel faster when they are healthy.” “By my count, you left with four, but I could have sworn that I see you come back with five.” “The fifth one is my intended, sir. I also must report the loss of one of my men. We were ambushed on the road. Tom and I had to fight hard to get out. By the time we did, there was no sign of Michael. We think that the bandits took him for we searched afterwards and found only some of his gear.” “So you couldn't find my son and you lost one of my men in the process; Hildyard, if you disappoint me anymore then I will take back the whores and might even have to take your intended. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes, Milord.” “Good, now get the fuck out of my sight.” To be continued in part 4, Based on a post by somethin fishy, for Sex Stories.

TRAITOROUS FBI Agents FIND OUT after KNEELING for Marxism! FAFO!

AP correspondent Donna Warder reports on the firing of FBI agents protesting for racial justice.

Kneeling down was to appeal for peace within my constituency and the NPP — not an apology to Ken Agyapong, nor a show of support for his presidential bid. - Kojo Frimpong, Former PC for Wenchi Constituency, clarifies.

Legends of Godiva: Part 4A mysterious stranger comes, the lovers are parted.Based on a post by LingeringAfterthought in 5 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels."Oh good, I was afraid Sir Hulgar might skip over the mutilations at Sandwich;" Godgifu whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose between her eyes."So; so sorry;" Leofric said, slowly turning a greenish color."But, God was watching!" Sir Hulgar raged, thrusting his gnarled and scarred finger in the air. "The Danish demon defiled the blessed throne of England but a few weeks, before his own horse threw him to his death, ending forever his accursed reign!" At this point, almost all the children cheered, for indeed Sir Hulgar told the tale with such verve and animation that most people would not have believed it possible from a man who spoke mostly through grunts and threatening glares."His kingdom, freed from the ravages of the invaders, the Witengamot restored King Aethelred to his throne; and there was much rejoicing," Sir Hulgar said, nodding at the divinely just outcome. Then, he frowned as he noticed a small hand raised over a head canted in deep thought."Don't do it; don't do it;" Godgifu quietly urged through clenched teeth."Yes?" Sir Hulgar barked to where Frederic sat with his question."He did it;" Godgifu sighed, her shoulders slumping."But; why did King Aethelred come back? The Witengamot agreed to make the Danish one king, so why wasn't his son the king, after that? Wasn't that the bargain?" Frederic asked, frowning at the discontinuity."The barbarian King's son was a mere youth at the time, and the Witengamot saw the chance to place God's chosen English king on the throne, once more. It came at a dear price, but one they were willing to pay," Sir Hulgar answered, his face grave."But what happened to the hostages, then? The kin that the Witengamot gave to the invader to back up their promise?" Frederic pressed."The Viking's son discarded the hostages on the beach at Sandwich, after carving off all of their noses, ears and hands," Sir Hulgar answered, gesturing to show the carving motions of the knife and making a wet ripping sound for effect, "returning the wretched victims to their families mutilated, if they even survived their terrible wounds at all. You still see some of them around; veils and gloves covering their hideous scars, forever a burden to the families that sacrificed them to free their land."At these words, the children all turned with wide eyes to where Godgifu sat, ominously gloved and veiled."Uh, I can attest that Her Ladyship has all the proper body parts, having seen;" Leofric began, before receiving a swift kick from his future spouse."Oh, for heaven's sake," Godgifu sighed, unbuttoning her long gloves and wiggling them off her hands and displaying her whole limbs for the children's benefit. Their concerns only partly relieved, the kids remained dubious and continued staring, trying to fathom the violent secrets her veil no doubt kept hidden."In for a pound?" Leofric asked Godgifu, quickly glancing to Sir Hulgar who stood at the ready and glared threateningly at the assembly in the hall.Leofric and Godiva had talked about this, about her someday shedding her veils and allowing herself to be seen as she was. Knowing he would love her and be by her side, no matter what happened, gave Godiva courage. She nodded, deciding that, if only for the sake of the children, she could do this."I;"Godgifu began, her mouth suddenly dry, then spoke to the assembly. "The veils, were for the comfort and tastes of my late husband, Lord Wilfred. God rest him," she said, carefully lifting her veils only enough to show the children that each ear was intact and whole. "They became a comfort to me after he died, but also a barrier between me and all of you. I believe every comfort has the potential to become a weakness that keeps us from being whole;" she said, steeling herself. "And so, I must ask your pardon, if my weaknesses have caused any of you injury; and ask your forgiveness, for hiding from you for so long," she said quietly, slowly raising the veil in front of her face.Godgifu's cheeks flushed and people gasped as her neck, her chin, and then her lips were revealed. She paused and swallowed, screwing up her courage to raise the veil a little more; just enough to show her nose, when her entire face was suddenly revealed when Leofric decided to be helpful and took the entire covering off her and threw it to the floor.Wide eyed and speechless, she whipped her face to him, shock clearly written upon her features. Leofric, suddenly realizing he had erred, lifted her veil from the floor and folded it clumsily before returning it to her in a haphazard bundle, but the damage had been done. Terrified, Godgifu nonetheless straightened her neck, squared her shoulders and looked out at the assembly.Face after face staring at her, seeing her; not shielded by a translucent cloth, but bare and unadorned. She loved them all; and she had lied to them. She had held herself above them out of need, claiming a false standard that she failed to uphold. She was a fraud. She deserved to be dragged through the streets and left to die. The people of Coventry deserved so much better than her.No one moved. No one spoke. Indeed, it seemed no one even breathed until Frederic rose from the group of children and came to stand before her. "It's nice to see your face, my Lady," he said, head still canted in thought, his eyes taking in every detail. "I don't think there has ever been a beauty like yours seen in Coventry;" he said, offering her a wildflower."Hear, hear!" cheered Reverend Palmer, clapping enthusiastically from the back of the room. Cheers and yells of agreement filled the hall, as applause gradually broke out amongst the assembly."Thank you, Frederic," she whispered, taking the flower from him with a shaking hand, she looked over the cheering assembly in bewilderment. How was this possible? Did they not recognize her? She hadn't been brazen in her appearances as the outlaw Godiva, but she had been known generally about the town.Blushing, she stood and nodded to the assembly in thanks, "I don't understand; don't they see?" she asked, glancing at Leofric who smiled down at her."Of course, they see you; they've always seen you," Leofric said, looking out at the assembly. "But, as is often the case, people will see what they want to see; and I think they've been waiting to see you for quite a while.""Do you; do you think they knew it was me? Godgifu and Godiva? All this time?"Leofric chuckled to himself, wondering how his future wife could be so completely self-delusional as to think her unique height and build would go completely unnoticed when perfectly duplicated by a mysterious outlaw. "I think Coventry is a small village; and that these people love you," he replied.The gathering winded down and people gradually went on about their business, taking one last look at their unmasked Lady before leaving. The boys, thrilled with their new storyteller, surrounded Sir Hulgar and pelted him with questions about Viking raids and other gory conquests, eventually pulling him from the hall to show them the proper shape and heft of a Viking battle axe.At length, only a solitary figure remained in the hall. It was a man, extremely tall and broad, and shrouded. He kept himself to the shadows, though the hall was not brightly lit. Uneasy, Leofric watched the man gradually approach the dias. Taking care not to give the appearance of doing so, Leofric maneuvered his own body to be between the stranger and the unveiled Godgifu, at all times."This 'Visiting Day,'" the man's accented voice called to them as he approached closer and closer to the dias, "Is good, I think, yes? You see the eyes, and the eyes; they see you," he said, thoughtfully.Leofric's senses sharpened, exactly as they had before going into battle, and he quickly searched the room for the others that must surely have come along with this shrouded stranger. This was not how such things were done; and the secrecy of it did not bode well.Sensing Leofric's tension, but not understanding the cause, Godgifu took his arm and petted it, peering awkwardly around his large body to the stranger. "Hello, sir," she greeted him, "Are you new to Coventry? Welcome.""I am new to many places, here, yes?" the man said, still approaching at a measured pace. "This story; to this, I am not new. This story I hear many times, but not told just so," the voice continued. "This story; it is told in whispers and not to children. But this story is not finished, yes? What happened to the son?" he asked, quietly.The hairs on her neck rose, and Godgifu looked more closely at the tall shrouded stranger and suddenly understood Leofric's tension, his hand carefully pressing her behind him, resisting her efforts to come forward. This was not how such things were done; but, regardless, she would not allow Leofric to be harmed for her offenses.With swift resolve, she darted backward until she was free of Leofric's restraining arm and quickly skirted out of reach around him and ran to the approaching figure. Kneeling in a low curtsy as she replied, "The son returned to England with a great force and took back the land he ruled by rights, and despite the violence needed to establish his rule, he showed great mercy in marrying Aethelred the Unready's widow Emma. In sparing her remaining children's lives, and in showing great patience as the people recovered from the wars and accepted him, Cnut the Great, as their ruler and King of the English, Danes and Norwegians; Your Highness," she whispered, bowing her head and closing her eyes.The hall was silent, but for the heavy beating of her heart. She wondered, briefly, if the king could hear it, as well. As she waited for her fate, other thoughts drifted unbidden through her mind. For one, Godgifu realized she never knew how drafty it was in the hall before, feeling the chill air creeping across the back of her vulnerable, unveiled neck for the first time. Would she be killed immediately? Her blood spilled across the floor, staining the stones until time washed them clean of all but the memory? Or would she be left alive but mutilated, the newly unmasked mistress of the town turned into a grotesque warning to others? Would Leofric stay with her, if she was hideous? Would he even be allowed to live?Then, she heard the rustle of a hood being pushed back. A hand took her chin and tilted her face upward to a face that was so strikingly handsome that, despite her terror, she found herself blushing. Stunning eyes examined her face and she let out a shaking breath, wondering if this was the last expression so many of her countrymen had seen before they died. Cnut the Great should have looked like a crueler man, ugly and savage, but he didn't. His face was mind-numbingly beautiful; and yet, strangely annoyed."And some of the Swedes;" he said, as if reminding her for the hundredth time. "Swedes! Stubborn! Smiling and stubborn! You tell them 'do this!' and always they say 'ja, ja' and then go do what they want! Why no one remember I win them, too? Very difficult people," he grumbled to himself, turning her face from side to side, an appraising look in his eye. Looking up to Leofric, he canted his head with a glint in his eye, "I did not know this was under the veils. If I had;" he trailed off, a hint of a smile on his face.Relaxing a little, Leofric took a knee himself, "You're better off as you are, Sire. With this one, you would be without the support of the Witengamot, have gnome-sized children, half as much money, and twice as much trouble," Leofric replied dryly. "Your choice of wife was faultless. Your choice of my wife, however;" he said, folding his arms in exasperation.Cnut returned his attention to Godgifu's recently unwrapped face. "You marry this one, yes?" he stated sternly, nodding toward Leofric, still holding her chin."Uh huh;" she said breathily, unable to think clearly beyond a few simple words. The blue of his eyes made her feel like she had fallen under the ice of a frozen mountain lake."Umm;" he said dubiously, "You be good? Let this one wear pants?" he asked, raising his eyebrows."Uh huh;" she agreed, her eyes drifting leisurely down over his large muscled frame, "Well, some of the time," she amended, swallowing and staring unthinkingly at his groin."Seriously?" Leofric complained, arms akimbo.Cnut pulled her chin upward until Godgifu was standing. He bent over until they were eye-to-eye. "And you will give me what is mine. What I use to protect you. What feeds the soldiers. What builds the ships. And for being bad and making me wait, you will submit to your; punishment," he said, his eyes glinting as Godgifu shivered involuntarily at his last drawn-out word.Swimming in a haze of terrified lust, Godgifu's mind formed the words "Yes, Your Highness," with enormous effort, but what came out of her mouth was more akin to an acquiescent moan."Good," Cnut said, releasing her chin, "Go wait in his bed. I send him soon," he ordered, straightening and turning his gaze to Leofric as Godgifu nodded and obediently wandered out of the hall.Bewildered, Leofric waited kneeling, as was only proper. One did not question the king about why he came to a town in his own kingdom, much less alone, to all appearances. The fact that Cnut came without pomp was one thing. Many men had little patience for the trimmings and splendor of royal life. But, coming without any apparent companions was another thing altogether. Sir Hulgar would have returned instantly if there had been a regiment of soldiers outside. No, the king was almost certainly alone; and cloaked to hide his identity. Something was wrong; and he needed it kept quiet.Cnut looked down at him, haltingly opened and closed his mouth several times, seeming to search for words, and eventually becoming frustrated and cursing in Danish. "Shall I search for an interpreter, Sire; or will yours be joining us?" Leofric asked."No; no interpreters. A little gold makes their tongues go bad; mine speaks with hands, now," Cnut said darkly. "Stand. We use your English. Aelfgifu of Northampton; you are kin to her, yes?" he asked.Leofric blinked in surprise, then frowned, "Well, only by marriage; I think my father's brother married her second cousin; or cousin once removed; how does that go?" Leofric fumbled, wondering how his distant kinship with a Northampton noblewoman could possibly matter to the king."You are kin," Cnut barked, as if that settled the matter. "Pack for travel and go fuck wife. After dark, we ride north.""Sire, I; I'm supposed to get married in three days. What will I tell Lady Godgifu? She'll be furious!""You not married yet?" Cnut asked, a look of piqued curiosity on his face and a small smile playing on his lips. "Tell her you go, but after you fuck. Say with handsome face. Marry after we return. This is not problem," he concluded, looking appraisingly around the hall."Can you tell me where we're going, at least, Sire? When we'll be back?""Yes. We ride north. Torskey. Tell no one. Go fuck not-wife. Everything fine," Cnut said, looking at the door through which Godgifu left.Leofric kept his face calm, despite his inner thoughts. Torskey was not the average out-of-the-way English town; it was an off-season Viking camp where the raiders' ships were pulled up on shore and the populace wintered in tents and rough huts together. Cnut was inviting him to ride along into a camp full of bored barbarians for reasons unknown. Well, Cnut was ordering him to go, more than inviting him; for no Englishman in his right mind would go there voluntarily. Everything was definitely not fine."Where are his troops? How many?" Godgifu asked, leaning out the window looking over the town trying to spy out the king's companions as Leofric entered the room."Why?" Leofric asked, going about the room collecting items to pack, "Did you want to fuck them, too?" he growled under his breath.Stunned, Godgifu turned to look at him, "What's that supposed to mean? What's going on?" she asked, from her precarious window perch.Scowling, Leofric pulled her bodily from the window by her waist and tossed her onto the bed. "He wants me to go with him. North," he snarled."But; we're getting married! Can't it wait? Why is he going north?""Oh, I have no clue! Maybe Cnut the Cuntwetter intends to subdue the English populace with his Nordic good looks! You certainly didn't put up much of a fight! I need weapons; where's the armory?" Leofric said, stalking out of the room."What are you talking about?" Godgifu yelled, running after him. "Are you seriously angry with me?""Uh huh;" Leofric cooed breathlessly, mocking her reaction to Cnut. Shocked at his demeanor, Godgifu retreated a few steps, the man before her seeming nothing like the one that had so easily won her heart.Then, anger replaced her shock and she stomped back into the forfeited space, "Well, fine! So, he's handsome! Like; really, really handsome! So what? Is it really so important to you to be the prettiest face in the room? Why the hell are you mad at me?" she asked, grabbing his arm.Leofric leaned in, blocking her against the wall with his body, "I guess I just didn't realize a pretty face was all it took to turn your head; I guess you really are all the same;" he sneered, tracing her neckline with his finger, dipping deeply into the crevice of her tits.Angry, Godgifu slapped his hand away, only to have it return with ruder ambition, "What are you talking about? Just because I thought he was handsome, doesn't mean that I;" she said, suddenly cut off by Leofric's lips crushing hers, his teeth scraping hers uncomfortably. She broke the kiss and struggled against him, trying to see his face to read it, but he grabbed a handful of her hair and bent her head back, kissing down her neck roughly, as if to prove a point.Godgifu ducked under his arm to escape, but Leofric pinned her to the wall of the stairway, reaching under her dress as she struggled and kicked against him. "Are you telling me that I won't find you dripping and ready after just a few sultry looks from a handsome face? Who cares if he cuts people's tongues out; why should that get in the way of a good time?" he growled, pushing her legs apart with his thigh and hiking up her skirt."Leofric! What's wrong with you? Stop it! Let go of me!""Oh no, little hypocrite, we're going to see how wet you are, first. I'll probably die before I get a chance at the prize, but maybe if I can get you to be honest with yourself, you won't have to work so hard to replace me. You can just hold a fucking beauty contest," he hissed, thrusting his fingers roughly inside her.Several things happened at a speed too great for Leofric to comprehend, but in the next instant he found himself on the floor wheezing for breath, cupping his genitals and feeling like his left eye might fall out. Godgifu stood over him panting and rubbing her elbow with tears of betrayal brimming in her large eyes.Angry, and still unable to see beyond being right, Leofric lifted up his hand and showed her his fingers, glistening and dripping with the honey of her arousal. Her face twisted, and she nodded her head, her lower lip trembling. "Yeah. I get excited; and when I'm excited, I want to fuck;" she choked, tears rolling down her cheeks, "but the only one I wanted to fuck was you; because I was yours. You made me feel safe," she said brokenly, before turning on her heel and disappearing in a flash of skirts.Leofric stared down the empty passage. She was gone. As the realization of what he had just done settled on him, Leofric felt ill. He had acted in such a way that made her use force to run from him. Back in the hall, he really hadn't even been angry about Godgifu's reaction to Cnut, finding it more humorous than anything else. He had never really doubted her loyalty or love for him, but in his fear and anger over his forced mission, he had jealously lashed out at her in the ugliest possible way. "I was yours; you made me feel safe" her voice coming back to him as pure torture, declaring his greatest accomplishments as things existing only in the past. Coughing, he used the wall to push himself up and wobble on toward the armory. Perhaps, she would allow him to beg her forgiveness before he left; if he could even find her.Near nightfall, after his search for Godgifu through the great house came up fruitless, Leofric returned to the hall to find King Cnut and Sir Hulgar engrossed in a game of dice. Alongside them, the betting pot consisting of some coins, a knife, a decorative pin, and what looked like a strangely large molar, awaited the winner. Sir Hulgar scowled over the dice as he shook them in his enormous hand, murmuring an incantation and closing his eyes as he released them. With a roar of triumph from Hulgar and an exaggerated howl of pain from Cnut, Sir Hulgar scraped the pot to himself, rubbed the tooth on his tunic, and wiggled it into his mouth.Standing with his winnings, Sir Hulgar clapped Cnut on the shoulder in hearty approval, despite horrifying the town with stories of his conquest not hours ago. Then Godgifu's knight protector noticed Leofric and grinned, taking in his black eye, swollen nose and ungainly walk with a degree of pride. "The fighting I could teach her, but not the speed; she was born with that. You never see it coming," he said, nodding, then turning back to Cnut, "It has been an honor to lighten your load, Your Highness," he said, bowing low and leaving the room."How is it that everybody likes you, Sire?" Leofric grudgingly wondered aloud, shaking his head as he watched Sir Hulgar leave."I am Cnut," he said simply, shrugging. Then, turning to Leofric with a look of annoyance, "I tell you 'fuck not-wife first, then tell her that you go,' you do not listen. Now, handsome face not handsome and everything more work. Stubborn! You are Swedish?""No, Sire. I made an ass of myself, left her unsatisfied, and with any luck, I'll be apologizing to her for the rest of my life. I am definitely English," Leofric sighed. "Will you please tell me why we are going to Torskey?"Cnut looked at Leofric for a long moment, then nodded as he led him out of the hall, and began walking toward the stables. "This story the Hulgar tells of my father Sweyn Forkbeard; it begins earlier. It started on the day of the St. Brice. You know this day?"

Welcome to an all new Carolina Reeper! In this episode... I'm giving money away!   Again! Who will win? Tune in to find out! Also, it's National Soft Ice Cream Day. So grab yourself a cone, a bowl, or just hold it under the machine like a ferrel kid at a Golden Corral.   In our Best Trends segment — the Cambridge Dictionary just added new words. Are they delulu?   Also trending, salmon-flavored candy. Is it candy or bait?   In Small Town News, demon bunnies. Yep, in Colorado, they've got rabbits with horns growing out of their heads.   Also! A big shoutout and thank you to Carthage, Texas and Alexandria, LA. Love y'all, thanks for coming out and supporting live comedy.   And sadly, we've got to say goodbye to a legend. Terence Stamp aka General Zod, gone at 87. He told us to “kneel before Zod.” Well tonight, we bow our heads instead. Rest easy, General.   So tune in, hang out with me in the comments, and let's do this thing together.   Don't be delulu — it's gonna be straight-up snackable comedy. All this and more on this week's Carolina Reeper!   Jon Reep Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram TikTok   Accent Imaging has your office Printers, Plotters, Printing, Graphics & Signs for your business.   Go try the Jon Un-REEP-eatable Burger at the Hickory Social House!   For gifts and more in the Hickory, NC area check out Goodwill Northwest NC!    Get you a Honda and a Hotdog at Hendrick Honda of Hickory!   Jon's pool was designed and built by True North Pools   Buy South in Ya Mouth BBQ Sauce here!    

In Psalm 138, we see a glimpse of how a perfect King leads His people.  Pastor AL Dagel brings us to the throne room on our Saturday in the Psalms episode. 

A listener named John asks Father Dave about correct postures when receiving the Eucharist. “I've seen an increase of people kneeling to receive communion. I've heard Father Dave comment on this before, but I'm wondering if he can address this.” John begins. “Every week, our priest calls out people for leaving after communion [before Mass ends]. Why not correct those who kneel to receive when that's not an option given to us by the Church, when not in a traditional Latin Mass setting?”  

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 8 Summer Plans Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.  At dinner I checked in with Ivy first, then Vanessa when she had finished for the day and joined us. I also made a point of stopping to check in with Dani to see what she was thinking about her new co-team members, who she thought would work out fine, and Kyla. "I think she's a lot quieter than the rest of us," Dani told me as we sat side by side near Leo's RV. "Which isn't a bad thing, obviously. She isn't as used to being around girls like us though. Erica worked with strippers because of her job, along with all sorts of other crazy people, so it's whatever for her. Kyla obviously isn't used to how open we all are about sex things." I pressed my lips together and nodded, watching her as she sat in a group with Erica, Vanessa and Aria chatting. She was obviously engaged, but didn't offer much to the conversation and seemed happy to listen. "Anything else?" I asked. "Anything weird come up?" "No. Should I be watching for something?" Danielle asked. "No, no," I assured her. "I just; Erica, Ivy, Vanessa; it's working. It's crazy, but it's working. I'm worried about Kyla messing that up." "It should be fine," Dani said, patting me on the shoulder. "Erica will Mom them into shape if things get out of whack, and if she's the problem you can just spank her until she apologizes." That made me snort and shake my head with a grin. "You and her talk too much." "Or maybe we don't talk enough," Dani grinned. We folded ourselves back into the larger conversations, me joining the group with Kyla while Dani went to sit with Leo, India and Ivy. As the sun was setting we busted out the fire pit and Vanessa pointed me towards the nearest brush piles I could harvest some wood from; it seemed she'd handily directed some of her workers to pile it within easy walking distance. Then, once the fire was crackling and we all had our drinks of choice, we told the new women our story. We started with Leo and I, then how Erica had joined us for quarantine. We both teased her about hearing her masturbating, which until that moment she hadn't realized had been the case and made her blush. Then we talked about the land lease, the construction, and the introduction of Dani, Vanessa, and Ivy. Vanessa told us how fucking crazy she thought we were at first, but after that first night around the fire she'd realized something weird but special was going on so she stopped judging and started getting a little jealous. Then Ivy told her perspective, stepping into a life with Erica and me. Then we had to tell the story of Vanessa joining us, which got rushed over really quickly and then had to be retold because even Dani hadn't gotten all the details. I'd purposefully sat beside Kyla around the fire, Erica taking the spot on the other side of me. As India and Aria started ragging on Vanessa for not giving them the full story in the initial car ride when they met her, Kyla leaned over to me. "Can we talk? In private?" "Sure," I said, nodding towards our RV. I leaned back in the other direction to Erica and kissed her cheek, and she met my eye and nodded. Inside the RV Kyla had taken the Murphey seat this time so I sat on the bench opposite her. "You still feeling alright?" I asked her. "No," she laughed. Inside, in the more steady light of the RV, I could see she was flushed even with her slightly darker Filipina skin. "I feel like I've got a fever, but it's concentrated in all my erogenous zones. I don't even like women but that story about Vanessa has me..." She blew out a long breath. "I don't know how much more sex talk I can take before I snap." "I can ask them to stop if you want. Or we can have that conversation if you think you're ready." "I'm; Yeah, I'm ready to talk," she said. She took another deep breath and sat up straighter, putting her hands on her knees like she was trying to focus herself. "You can ask anything you want, and I'll try to answer," I promised her. "I don't have questions," she said. "Well, I actually have lots of questions, but they aren't important right this second. Seeing you with Erica and Ivy, and meeting Vanessa. Hearing the way Leo and Danielle talk about you. I think I know what I'd be getting into if I do this with you. And to be honest, it sounds pretty greater considering the other options that the world seems to be moving toward right now. But I never want to be someone who just takes the easy thing because it's in front of them. I know a lot about you now, but you don't know much about me. And I'll tell you, pretty much anything you want to know, but there's something I need to know if you're Okay with. More than my past, more than whatever your government is worried about." "The only way to know is to ask," I said, trying not to let my own nerves out. Kyla, who had been steady throughout the day, was showing signs of anxiety amidst her hard pressure to keep herself under control. "If I don't like it, we can try and find someone else as soon as possible." "I don't want,” She bit her tongue, cutting herself off, and took a breath. "Harrison. If I do this, if I imprint on you, this is my out. I've been doing everything my father wanted since I was a kid. The only escape I ever had was through dance, and even that he took control of to make sure I was getting the best lessons and tutors and going to the best camps and schools. And even then, he and NICA used it as well. My entire life I've been pushed and trained and taught and used because I didn't matter and my country and my service did. I want a new life, Harri. But I want that life the way I want it. I want a big family. I was an only child, and my parents tolerated each other at best in a political marriage. I want six kids at least, more if we can. Fuck, I'll pop out an even dozen and be happy. Or maybe not, maybe I'll be happy earlier than that, but I know I want a lot of kids to love on and raise in a big, supportive family. "If you can handle that, and if Erica can handle that because I know she's going to need to agree to it too, then I swear to God I'll be loyal to you and only to you. My father, NICA, my country; I can leave them all behind and in the dust if you can promise me we'll try to make my dream life happen. And I promise I'll be the best, hottest housewife I can be for as long as you can keep me barefoot and pregnant. I'll make sure I'm fit and tight and everything I can be for you in between pregnancies, but God I want this, Harri. I've never told anyone this before, but I want it so fucking bad." I didn't know what to say. She was practically sobbing in her earnest desire for what she was asking. I just slid down to my knees on the floor of the RV and wrapped my arms around her and Kyla clutched at me as she panted hard. Not crying, but desperately trying to control herself. "Kyla, I would be an extremely lucky man if I can give that all to you," I said. "And I want to tell you yes right away, but you're right. I do need to check with Erica first. Do you want me to call her in to ask her now?" She hesitated a moment, then nodded and sat back on the chair, sucking in a deep and unsteady breath. I stood up and opened the RV door, sticking my head out. All three of my women looked over to me and I made what I hoped was a reassuring smile, then locked eyes with Erica and motioned her over with a head jerk. She joined us, shutting the RV door behind her. "What's up?" she asked. "Everything Okay?" I looked at Kyla. "Do you want me to ask, or you?" "I; You," she said after hesitating. I turned to Erica and reached out, holding her hand. "So, I know we had our conversation earlier, but I didn't realize this was coming or maybe we would have talked about it more seriously. Kyla is ready to join us, but she has an ask. Because of her own family past, one thing she wants more than anything is to have kids. A whole bunch of them. So she wants to know if you and I are Okay with that and willing for that to happen, or if we should try to find her someone else who can help her get the life she wants." Erica's eyes had widened as I was speaking and her jaw worked a few times before she could find the right words. Then she turned to Kyla and looked at her for a long, long moment before putting a hand on her shoulder. "That's the most important thing for you?" she asked quietly. Kyla nodded, then looked up to meet Erica's gaze. "More than anything else. And I want to do that with Harrison; God, I haven't even known him a day but it's like I can see it right there in front of me. He'd make a great husband and an even better father. I just know he's yours more than either of the others, and I couldn't risk saying yes to him without you saying yes to this." "God, fuck," Erica sighed, and I realized she was tearing up as well. She looked to me. "Yes, obviously, if it's what she needs then yes. But I guess now I need to stop taking the pill because I'm not just gonna sit by and not be in the running for the first mother of your child." Now it was my turn to be surprised. "But we just,” She kissed me to shut me up. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I love you, you love me. If the world implodes and we're all shot off into space, I still won't regret making a kid with you." She turned to Kyla. "Are you going to love him?" "I'm going to try," she said. "And I'll work harder at it than my parents ever did." "Then yes," Erica said. "But, and I'll only ever say this once and you need to listen to me closely, if this isn't the truth and you hurt Harrison or me or anyone else here then I swear to everything in heaven and hell that I will end you. Do we understand each other?" Kyla nodded, taking her seriously. "I do, and I won't." "Okay," Erica said, and leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "You clearly need a fuck, so unless you've suddenly turned Bi then I should leave you to it." She turned to me and kissed me hard, and I hugged her to keep her close. "You're sure?" I asked her in a whisper. She nodded. "Rock her world, babe. Show her why she's one of the four luckiest women on the planet." She kissed my cheek, squeezed my fingers in hers, and then stepped away and out of the RV. Kyla looked like she was going to jump out of her seat. "So,” I started. Kyla stood up abruptly and grabbed me by the face, smashing her plush lips to mine. I naturally grabbed her by the waist as we started making out right there in the middle of the RV. She'd been wearing that bulky coverall the entire day and now she started to scramble to try and get it unzipped and off at the same time as trying to get me to get my shirt off, which just turned into an awkward mess of her hands moving back and forth between us. "Stop, stop," I murmured, pulling my lips from hers. She actually whined a little in her throat and then blinked in surprise at her own reaction. I picked her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her back towards the bed. Like this, she was taller than me and she bent down to kiss me some more, making it hard for me to navigate. Thankfully it was a straight shot, and there wasn't a lip at the door to the bedroom area that I needed to duck under or step over. I found the bed with my shin and stopped and lowered her down onto it so we lay somewhere in the middle, me on top of her as we kept making out. Once we were done I pulled away and tugged off my shirt. "Fuck," she groaned, looking at me hungrily. "Not what you're used to?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, so much better." She raised her hands to my stomach and up to my chest, letting her fingers play through my chest hair. I couldn't help myself and I reached down and unzipped the coverall down to her belly button. Underneath, all she had on was a set of black bra and panties. On the one hand, I was starting to get mesmerized by her body very quickly, but on the other, I remembered in the back of my mind that she hadn't arrived with any luggage. I lifted her from under her arms and she let me help her pull the coveralls off, then raised her ass so I could pull them from her legs as well. I crashed back down onto her, now feeling her smooth skin on mine. Her body was everything I would have expected from a dancer; smooth and sleek all over, with toned muscling and a sort of feline grace as she moved around. "Where; are; your clothes; and things?" I asked between kisses. "They said; they would bring; them up; from Cali,” she replied. Then she stopped the kissing and looked up at me. "Seriously, I've got this fucking craving for your cock right now like I can't believe, Harri. I need you to fuck me so fucking bad." "Okay," I said, and then kissed her again as I reached under her to unsnap her bra. When she realized what I wanted she didn't even bother with the snap, she just yanked the black cups off her tits and the whole thing over her head. Her tits were a perfect size for my big hands to palm, a bit bigger than Ivy's but much smaller than Erica's, and her dark brown areolas were smooth and a little puffy, with two perfect nubs for nipples. I sucked on one, feeling how hard they were, but she was stretching to try and get my shorts off of me. She needed the imprinting. We could always explore each other more in the future. I leaned away from her, one hand still on her tit and holding her down, as I shoved down my shorts and boxers. For her part, she pushed her panties down to her knees and I pulled them the rest of the way off. Her cunt was a gorgeous brown, flushed darker than the skin above and slick with her chemically-induced horniness. Even her clit hood was a little pulled back, the softer pink of her clit just visible from being swollen. She was entirely bare, and I wondered if that was a personal choice or a seduction tactic she'd been told to follow. Not that I cared at the moment. I wanted to eat her out and taste her. I wanted to make this last, to wow her like Erica had said. Fuck, let's be real, I wanted to impress the seductive honey trap spy with my sex skills. "Fuck my brains out," Kyla demanded. "Fuck me until I can only ever think of you. Take me and make me yours, you fucking massive wall of American god." I could impress her later. Her cunt accepted my cock like a perfectly tailored suit. I slid in, and even though she was tight and her muscles were firm as hell as they clenched at me she was also extremely willing. That changed when I was almost all the way in though, but not from want of trying. Kyla came, her entire body rolling and arching as her cunt clenched down enough to almost start forcing my cock out. She grabbed me around the shoulder and hugged herself up, clinging to me, and her hips roiled as she thrust hard up and down. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her lips curled in an ugly snarl for a long moment, until the orgasm passed and she let go of me, falling a couple of inches back to the bed with a 'whumph.' "H-Holy fuck," she panted, looking up at me in confusion. "What was that? That,” She blinked rapidly. "Did no one tell you about the first orgasm?" I asked her. She shook her head, still blinking like she was trying to gain her focus. "Fuck me and tell me," she said. I started to slow-thrust, enjoying the delicious warmth of her as I leaned down a bit more, pressing my full body against hers as she spread her legs wider for me. "They told Erica in the information session that she should expect a massive orgasm the first time she ingested a man's precum, and the biggest one of her life when they ingest their actual cum." "She got an information session?" Kyla panted, looking slightly alarmed. "You didn't?" I asked, equally alarmed. We'd both stopped thrusting at each other, not sure what to do. "Fuck it, fucking fuck me," she said and rolled her body to get my cock deeper inside her again. I wasn't going to argue with that. We fucked like that, mutually, for a bit and then I took some more control and went up high on my hands for better leverage and started to fuck her harder. Kyla moaned and panted beneath me, then raised her lips up and sucked on one of my nipples, which was an oddly pleasurable surprise, and then she took some of my hairy pec muscle between her teeth and bit me lightly as she came again. "Ow," I said when she dropped back to the bed again. "Sorry," she panted. "I just; you're really fucking good." Huh, maybe I can impress the spy, I thought. "I'm getting closer," I told her. I'd had... well, not the most amount of sex I'd had in a day, but a bunch, so I wasn't entirely surprised I was lasting as long as I was. "Do you want to try something else?" "I want to try everything with you," she gasped and kissed me. "But... let me..." I disengaged with her, which made her moan like a whore, and she scrambled around on the bed until she was at the bottom corner on her back. Then she spread her legs wide into a full split, and then even wider until she had one leg practically parallel with her torso and the other was way out to the other side. If she was a clock, she would have been showing 10 o'clock. "Fuck me hard. Use my hole," she said, licking her lips. "Get your cock back inside; yes! Oh, fuck, Harrison. Make my cunt fucking squirm. Make your cunt squirm. It's yours now. I'm yours. My whole body. Fuck! I've never felt it like this before. I've never felt anything like this." I was crushing down into her in big, hard strokes and I could feel her cunt squishing with her juices and my balls slapping against her ass cheeks. I was hovering over her and a bead of sweat had trailed down to the end of my nose. Kyla opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, licking it off of me. I lowered the rest of the way to her and kissed her hard, then hugged her tightly as I started pumping short and quick, barely leaving her cunt. "I can't wait to fall in love with you," I whispered to her. "I can't wait to make babies with you, and start a family." "Do it," she gasped. "Put a baby in me. Make my womb yours forever. Breed me, make me your breeding wife-whore. Love me, may-ari. Oh, fucking; that's what you are, you beautiful big bastard. You're my may-ari. My owner. I choose you. I choose; I,” I couldn't have stopped from coming in her if my life depended on it. She was pushing towards her own orgasm already, and her years of dance and other physical activity had turned her core into a vice that sucked at my cock like a hoover. I came as she lost her grip on her words, chanting about choosing me. She came as well, a scream quenched in her throat as her entire body flexed and tensed. I filled her up, releasing over and over in her, but I finished before she did and just went right back to fucking her since my cock hadn't gone soft yet and she was still coming. I only stopped when she went slack, her legs falling back to a more natural position, and her face went from that clenched teeth-gritting tension to a soft, satisfied smile. "Imprinting. Imprinting. Imprinting." I pulled away from her slowly, making sure she wasn't going to fall from the bed, and found that the entire bottom corner and the edge of the mattress were wet and sticky with juices. Along with my legs, crotch and hips. "Great, another squirter," I sighed. Not that I actually minded, but it just meant we'd be doing even more laundry in the tiny machine the RV held. I stood and, once I felt like I could be coordinated enough, I picked Kyla up in a cradle and lifted her higher on the bed and tucked her in. She was in the fetal position, still mumbling the imprinting sequence with that smile. I had to grab a new pair of shorts since mine had ended up in the splash zone, and I didn't bother putting on a shirt but did wipe myself down with some wet paper towel. Stumbling out of the RV, I was greeted by catcalls and applause. Looking around, the fire was still going and someone had stocked it higher with wood. Erica, Dani and Vanessa were all sitting in the Adirondack chairs, and Ivy was sitting curled up in Erica's lap. "Where are Leo and the girls?" I asked, trying my best not to let them show the embarrassment I knew they were going for with their teasing. "Aria and India were going to fuck, and invited Leo to watch," Dani smirked. "So I assume he's in there either jerking off, or fucking." "I don't need to picture that," Erica rolled her eyes. I stepped over and kissed Vanessa as she leaned her head back and reached up to hug me around the neck. Then I slipped around the circle to Ivy and Erica and kissed both of them. Dani opened her arms to me as well, so I hugged her and she kissed my cheek. "Congrats," she said as I pulled away. "Pops." "Oh, God," I groaned and looked at Erica. "You told them?" "Was I supposed to keep it a secret?" she countered. "I needed to talk it out with someone." Vanessa had stood from her chair and gestured for me to take her seat and went inside the RV, coming back out with some more beers. She passed them around and then sat on my lap similar to the way Ivy was with Erica. We sat that way for a while talking as the night sky played out above us. I'd always loved looking up at the sky out on the property, away from any major sources of light pollution. Now spotlights were lighting up the construction area a hundred yards away, where men and women were working through the night. The view was dimmed, and I wondered if it would ever be as clear again as it had been a month ago. Dani slipped off to bed first, and Vanessa grumbled that she had to be up in the morning for work so the rest of us went quickly. We never had discussed the sleeping arrangements, so I ended up sleeping next to Kyla, with Erica pressing her back to my side and holding my arm under her and around her stomach, with Vanessa spooning up to her and Ivy on the end on her back, snuggled partially under Vanessa. I knocked on the door and set the two big brown paper bags down on the stoop and backed away. The house wasn't 'old' per se, located in a neighborhood that had been developed almost twenty-five years ago, and hadn't been updated since it was first built. To be fair, there hadn't ever exactly been a housing boom in the area, so other than the one-off builds it was probably one of the newest places around. The inner front door opened and Mary looked out cautiously, then in surprise as she saw me. She hadn't texted me like I'd asked her to, and it had almost been a week since I'd seen her in the parking lot at the grocery store. She looked a little better, though not by much, and I wondered how far she'd been able to stretch that $70 I'd been able to give her then. "Harri?" she asked in surprise. "Hey, Mary," I said with a little wave. "How did you; Is this;?" "It wasn't that hard, Mary," I said. "I just made a couple of calls. You never texted me." "I know, I,” she hesitated, and then hung her head. "I was so embarrassed." "You don't need to be," I told her. "You're in a tough spot, and I'm not. I want to help out." "Mom? Who's at the door?" came a little voice from inside. A boy poked his head around Mary's hip, looking cute and curious. "It's an old friend of Mommies," Mary said. "He's just here to say hello." "Hey there buddy," I said, smiling as I pulled my mask down and waved, then let the mask snap back up and played like it had rocked me. The kid giggled. "My name is Harrison, but everyone calls me Harri on account of my big beard and hair." "That's a funny name," the kid said. "If you got rid of your beard, what would they call you?" "Hmm, that's a good question!" I said. "I don't know. Maybe you should ask your Mom, she knew me when I didn't have a beard." "We still called him Harri, baby," Mary said, smiling down at the boy and running her fingers through his hair. The kid had keen eyes and noticed the bags on the stoop and the food inside. "Is that for us?" "It is, kiddo," I said. "Could you help your Mom get it inside?" "Sure!" he said. Mary sighed and opened the screen door for him, and the kid came out in his socks and hefted up one of the bags and started carrying it in. "Harri, you don't need to,” "I made sure there are some snacks for the kids in there," I said, pretending like she hadn't been talking. "I know they aren't nutritious, but I figured you can bribe some good behavior for some Oreos and stuff every once in a while. There's also a bottle of merlot in that other one there, so you may not want the kiddo to lift it. He's a cute kid, by the way. I've got an order in down at the butcher's that I'm supposed to pick up tomorrow, so I'll be by sometime tomorrow afternoon with some meat for you guys too. Maybe I can meet your little girl then? Charlie, right?" Mary looked like she was about to cry, and I didn't want to push her over the edge so I tried to make it all like it wasn't a big deal. "Alright, Mary. See you tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything specific and I'll see what I can do, alright? Tell the kiddo not to eat all the gummy worms at once." I was halfway down the driveway to my truck when the screen door opened again. "Harri," Mary called. I looked back and she was standing on the porch, looking at me with tears brimming in her eyes and a happy frown on her face. From this distance, without a mask, I could still see her as the little button-nosed cheerleader I'd known. "Thank you." I just winked and waved, heading back to my truck. "That was really kind of you," Kyla said as I got in. "It's nothing," I said. "I knew her in high school and her husband's been missing for a while." Kyla took one of my hands from the steering wheel and wrapped her fingers in mine, looking at it. The casual intimacy was still new; the first couple days after her imprinting had been us feeling each other out, and her getting comfortable with the general openness to sex that was our new life. I'd made it a point to spend time with her, both sexually and non-sexually, each day and we were slowly starting to find a soft groove. "That's still kindness, Harri," she said. "You're sure she needs it? I don't want to see you getting taken advantage of." "I'm sure," I said. "Okay," Kyla nodded. "Then we'll help her. Now, let's continue this tour. I want to know everything I can about this little podunk, backwoods town I've been shipped off to." "Well, the first thing you should know is that I'm pretty sure it isn't big enough to be considered a town. Maybe a village?" "Oh, God," she laughed. "Not if you consider all the construction workers moving in." "True. I bet we're close to half-againing the local population at this point. Vanessa said we'll hit a thousand by the end of the week." "With that many," Kyla said. "We should have our house in, what, a few months?" "No idea," I said. "No fucking idea." "Fuck, it's already June," I groaned. It was hot as balls and I was regretting putting on my 'go out into the world' getup. "How did you miss the 1st?" Erica asked, also done up in her gear. "How did we miss Memorial Day?" I countered. "Oh, shit," Leo said, standing up from where he'd been sitting over near his RV. "You're right, we did miss Memorial Day. Should we do something?" "Like what?" I asked. "We could throw a party," Ivy suggested. "We could all dress up fancy and have a dance?" The surveyors had been needing Leo and me less and less lately and I was starting to get a little twitchy with how little I had to do. Quarantine before all of this really kicked off had been one thing, but now we didn't even have our big wide backyard to ourselves. When Erica had mentioned that she wanted to take a drive into Portland to pick up some things from the tattoo parlor and check her apartment I'd jumped on the chance and we'd made the plan. The girls were already starting to excitedly talk about planning our late Memorial Day celebration as I stretched and sighed, checking my watch. We'd been planning to leave right after lunch and it was already 3pm. Vanessa had taken an extended break since she'd worked late the night before and we'd had some one-on-one fun in the RV, which had been sorely needed for her. Where the rest of us were struggling to find things to keep busy and motivated, the last week had seen more and more responsibility and work landing in Vanessa's lap as the construction crews started to show up and move into the barracks. It meant there was an entirely new crew of cleaners, maintenance workers and delivery people under her supervision along with her 'gorillas.' Not to mention her wrangling of the other foremen and administrators on-site as her father handled the top-end details of the job. Every day it seemed like new equipment and supplies were being delivered and a third barracks was quickly being erected as even more hands were around. But an hour with Vanessa had delayed us, and when I was finally ready to go Dani was busy with Leo over at their place, and since she was coming with us Erica and I had to wait. Then Erica and Kyla were ensconced in a private conversation in our RV when Dani emerged ready to go, so we lost another half hour before the three of us were all finally dressed and prepped to leave. "Okay," I said loudly, trying to cut through the multiple party-related conversations. "We're all agreed we'll do a Memorial Day thing, but we're burning daylight. Erica and Dani, let's go." We took my truck, only needing one vehicle since we weren't hauling a ton of stuff like the last time. As we pulled around the site offices I spotted Vanessa walking with one of the other foremen in conversation and gave her a little double honk. She smiled and waved. Driving down the old driveway path there were now a half dozen wide offshoots winding off into the trees and closer to the highway there were big swathes of ground that had been cleared and were starting to get flattened by scrapers and excavators. Vanessa had mentioned that we'd end up with a couple of strip malls worth of stores to help provide for the eventual community; a convenience store, a clinic, a dentist, that sort of thing. Right at the end of the driveway a guard hut had been erected, little more than a fancy roadside fruit stall that could barely fit two people inside. I pulled up next to it and Erica rolled down the window. "Hey Patrick," I said, waving to the construction worker manning the booth and tracking the ins and outs. "Hey folks," the older guy said with a grin. He was supposed to be on the road crews but had arrived earlier than needed. I'd asked him once if standing in the guard booth all day working a clipboard was boring and he assured me that after three decades manning a 'Slow/Stop' sign in the middle of roads through sun, rain and sleet, the booth and the clipboard were welcome. "We'll be out for a few hours," I said. "Sounds good," he replied and made a note on his clipboard. Then he wiped at his eyes and cleared his throat, blinking. "Y'all didn't say anything about how bad the pollen got up here. I think my allergies are kicking up and I didn't bring any of my meds, I thought the North West was supposed to be wet." "It usually is. We'll pick you something up," Erica offered. "We need to stop at a pharmacy anyways." "We do?" I asked. "We do," Erica said, patting me on the knee. "Hah," Patrick laughed. "And here I thought you was some sort of Big Dog, Harri. But you're as whipped by your women as the rest of us." "See you in a bit, Patrick," I said. He waved us off, then covered his mouth to cough a little. "Poor guy," Dani said. "I'd hate if I had allergies like that." "We'll get him fixed up," I said as I pulled onto the highway and started heading in the direction of Portland. "It's been weirdly dry and hot so I'm betting the dust from the brush cutting is doing it to him." And I didn't think anything more of it. Erica unlocked the metal grate that pulled down over the front of the tattoo parlor and lifted it up on the rollers enough to uncover the door. The good news was that the whole thing with the 'Autonomous Zone' seemed to have burned itself out and Portland was no longer hosting big protests at the moment. The bad news was that only happened after a week of riots and several news-worthy moments of violence and vandalism. Thankfully the parlor wasn't on one of the major routes the riots had travelled down and there didn't seem to be any damage other than sprayed graffiti on the grate and some of the glass windows behind it. I'd pulled my truck right up over the curb and parked us as close as possible. The streets were as empty of people moving around as the last time we'd come into the city, except there was more trash. I'd seen old newsreels of when there had been major strikes in New York City back in the early 80s and it wasn't exactly that bad, but another couple of weeks and it might get there. Someone must have been doing collections, they were just overburdened or understaffed or something. I had to nudge a pile out of the way with the front of my truck to wedge into the open space, but it almost immediately proved worth it as a trio of ambulances came burning down the street with their lights running. If I'd parked on the street one of them would have needed to swerve out of the way and who knew if those extra seconds would be the difference between life or death for someone; not to mention the potential of the ambulance not swerving fast enough and clipping my truck. Inside the tattoo parlor Erica went straight to her bay and started unhooking and gathering her equipment. Dani was looking around at the place, grinning as she examined the wild decor. She would call out questions to Erica, who would tell her who had done what mural, or the brief story behind the broken surfboard hanging from the ceiling and the skateboard deck covered in almost a hundred different signatures. I spotted a photo on the wall and realized it was of Erica and all of her staff at the most recent DragonCon where they had put up a booth and done live tattooing. Erica had said beforehand she thought it might be a waste of time, but the owner of the parlor was a huge nerd and wanted to do it so it was her job to organize. I never had found out how it went, but she looked happy in the photo. I grabbed the frame from the wall and brought it over to her. "Do you want to bring this, too?" I asked. She glanced at it and paused her work, then smiled and hugged me. "That's sweet, Harri. Yes, absolutely." She took the frame and put it in one of the boxes we'd brought for her to carry stuff, then turned to me. "Hey, could you just empty all those drawers there into the boxes? Don't just dump them, but there isn't anything particularly fragile. It's mostly inks and cleaner solutions and stuff." "Sure," I said. "Thanks, babe," she said and kissed my cheek. "Dani and I are just going to slip through to next door." "Oh, God," I groaned. I hadn't realized that was her plan. "Don't worry," she grinned. "It'll all be fun for you, I promise." The owner of the tattoo parlor also owned the sex shop next door and had installed a door between the two since the clientele crossed over fairly consistently. Erica led Dani through the door, opening it with her key, and I could hear them laughing and giggling. By the time I was done with the drawers Erica had pointed out, placing what seemed like hundreds of little vials and bottles of inks and other liquids into the boxes along with some other art supplies, they hadn't come back. I went to the door and opened it, looking in. Erica glanced over, grinning as she held another box and Dani was placing something inside. "You want any porn, babe?" "What do I need porn for?" I asked. "I dunno," she said. "Variety?" "Ooh, this one is called 'Big Black Booties 15,'" Dani said, grabbing a DVD from a nearby shelf and waving it at me. "You don't have that kind of variety yet, Harri." I snorted and shook my head. "I'm perfectly happy with the booties at my disposal, thank you." Dani shrugged and put the DVD in the box. "I'll see if Leo wants it." "Gag!" Erica laughed, making them both start giggling. I had a feeling that was a running joke between them. "How are we paying for this stuff?" I asked. "Everything is turned off and we don't have any cash." "Artie told me I could Venmo him at a 75% discount," Erica said. "Plus anything with an expiry date I could have for free. So we've got a lot of lube now, along with a bunch of penis-shaped candy and some candy underwear." I sighed and shook my head. "Oh my God, we should take her with us," Dani said, pointing up on a high shelf where a creepily lifelike sex doll was sitting. "I think you mean rescue her," Erica said. "Harri, help me get her down." "Really?" I asked. "Yes," they both demanded. When we packed up the truck we had two boxes of Erica's tattoo gear and other possessions from the shop, another full box of Sex Shop stuff, and Dani was sitting in the back next to 'Sexy Susan' who had also happened to get dressed in a sexy nurse costume. They thought it was fucking hilarious, I just thought 'Sexy Susan' was a little creepy. Dani stayed down in the truck, taking the front seat as I pointed out that the 1911 was in its case under the passenger seat if she needed it, while Erica and I headed up to her apartment. The elevator had an 'out of order' sign on it, and Erica had to use her key to the building to get into the stairwell which she said she'd never had to do before. That was an immediate red flag to me, but I kept my cool to try and not worry her. "You know," Erica said as we climbed the stairs. All our sex cardio seemed to be paying off because we weren't puffing from the exertion yet. "You haven't officially asked me to move in yet." "What?' I asked. "Leo and I,” "That wasn't asking me to move in permanently," Erica cut me off. "That was just for quarantine." I rolled my eyes, knowing where she was going with this. At the next floor I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me, pulling down my mask and hers and kissing her hard and deep. "Erica Lacosta, will you move in with me forever and ever?" I asked her. "Yes," she grinned. "Yes, I will." She kissed me lightly to seal it, then sighed and we raised our masks and started climbing more stairs. "With that out of the way, I should really try and find a way out of my lease. Just because you have money doesn't mean I should be wasting mine on a place I'm not ever planning on moving back into." "I'll help with some research," I said. "I know there's all the clamor about halting eviction notices, but maybe there's something that will help. I could text Miriam, see if Captain Bloomberg knows anything offhand." "Hmm, maybe,” Erica started, but stopped as we reached her floor and found that door locked as well. "What the fuck?" she sighed and unlocked it. "Let me go first," I said. "Why? It's just..." As we entered the corridor Erica trailed off, seeing the tracks of dirty footprints in the hall and the spray paint on the walls. She immediately started to move forward, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait," I said. "Look." I pointed at the big circles on the walls next to each door, but she clearly didn't understand what I was pointing out. "Those are FEMA search and rescue marks." Erica blinked once and was obviously unsure of what to say. "Let's just take it slow," I said. We walked down the hallway. Some of the doors were shut, but others looked like they'd been kicked in. "What do they mean?" Erica asked me, looking at the circles and the scribbles of letters and numbers on the walls. Each circle had an X dividing it into four parts, and each quadrant was marked. "The top part is the date the location was searched," I said. "5-24 means it happened May 24th, so a little over a week and a half ago. The left side is who did the search, the numbers are probably a military code for a National Guard unit. If it said PPD that would be the Portland police, or CDC or DEA or whoever. The right side is if there are any hazards." I pointed to one of the doors that were kicked in. "NE means 'No Entry.'" Then I pointed to another. "F/W means there's contaminated food and water." I pointed at another door, this one wasn't kicked in. "A 0 means no hazards. "What are the bottom parts?" Erica asked. I frowned and swallowed. "The crossed 0 means no one found. DB or DOA means dead bodies. LB means live people are, or were, inside." Erica looked at the carnage of the corridor, her eyes scanning the doors of her neighbors as she weighed the number of DBs. There weren't many 0s, but about half of the apartments were labelled LB and hadn't been kicked open. Half. We got to Erica's place around the hall corner, passing the old lady Diane's door. It was kicked in and labelled NE, DB. Erica poked the door with her boot and it swung in. Inside, other than the dirty boot prints, it looked generally neat and tidy... other than the pool of dark something that had dried on the kitchen linoleum. I grabbed Erica and held her as she gasped and her knees went weak. I pulled her away from the door and she saw that her own apartment had also been kicked in, but was labelled 0 hazards and 0 bodies. We went in and she sat down on the couch, burying her head in her hands. Kneeling in front of her, I cradled her head on my shoulder and hugged her tightly as the reality of the world settled on her. She cried, though not as long as she probably needed, as I talked her through what had probably happened. Enough people had gotten sick and called emergency services that they came to do a sweep of the building. They knocked on every door, and anywhere someone didn't answer they kicked it in. Then I assumed they had extracted the bodies. "I need to get out of here," Erica breathed. "Okay," I said. "Do you need me to grab anything? Did we forget anything last time?" "No, nothing," she shook her head. "Just get me out of here." I picked her up and carried her out. Erica wasn't Ivy or Vanessa, or even Kyla. She was a full-figured woman. But I carried her every fucking step, down every stair. She stopped me right at the doors to the building and had me let her down. "I don't want Dani to see me like this," she said. "Why?" I asked. "She would understand." "I know," she said, blinking under her ski goggles. "But if she sees me like this, she'll start thinking about what might be happening back home for her, and she doesn't need that." I held Erica's hand at the door for another minute as she breathed deeply and got control of herself, and finally she smiled at me and it actually travelled up to her eyes. "Thanks, babe," she said. "Love you," I said. "You too," she said and touched her forehead to mine since we were both masked and goggled. "Hey, Charlie," I grinned, waving to the little four-year-old as she sprawled in Mary's arms and waved back with her little grin. "Hi," she chirped. "Okay," Mary said, setting her daughter down. "Scoot, you. Let Mommy talk with Harri for a second. Go see what your brother is doing." "Okay," Charlie said and pounded off in the way only a four-year-old could. "You're looking more like yourself, Mary," I said. I was standing off the porch and we kept the screen door closed, but I had my mask lowered so she could see my face. She smiled softly and shrugged. "I don't feel like it, but thanks." "How are the kids doing?" I asked. "Well, I regret letting them eat sugar again," she smirked a little. "But they're good. Better than me, anyways, though Thomas misses his friends from school and keeps asking when he can go back to class." She laughed and wiped under one eye. "He used to hate going to school every morning, now it's all he wants to do." "We'll get there eventually," I assured her. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Travel transforms us in ways we rarely anticipate. When we step outside our comfort zones, something remarkable happens – not just philosophically, but neurologically. The brain forms new pathways, rewiring itself in real-time as we navigate unfamiliar territory.My journey with travel's healing power began unexpectedly in 1996 when I traveled to Jamaica just eight weeks after losing my mother to breast cancer. We had been extraordinarily close – best friends, creative confidants – and her two-year battle had consumed my life. Though the timing seemed questionable, this trip provided precisely what my grieving process needed most: space.Back home, I was surrounded by familiar places and people that held countless memories of my mother. These comforts, while necessary, made it nearly impossible to process my grief fully or envision life without her. Jamaica's unfamiliar environment – driving on the opposite side of the road, witnessing different living conditions, experiencing vibrant local culture – forced my brain into new patterns. During an evening service at the dance conference where I was teaching, everything broke open. Kneeling on a hard linoleum floor thousands of miles from home, I finally released the anger and disappointment I'd been harboring. I emptied myself completely and felt a divine reassurance that joy would return to my life.The science explains why: new experiences activate the brain's reward system, boosting dopamine – the motivation chemical depleted during depression. The Jamaican sunshine certainly helped! Additionally, navigating new challenges activated my prefrontal cortex, helping me consider future possibilities I'd previously been unable to envision. When I returned home, though grief didn't disappear, something had fundamentally shifted. I had a renewed sense of purpose and clarity about moving forward while carrying my mother's memory.This experience shaped my understanding of travel's healing potential – something I now help others discover through intentional travel coaching. Whether you're navigating grief, transition, or seeking transformation, travel offers unique tools for healing unavailable in familiar environments. Ready to discover how travel can transform your life during challenging seasons? Visit my website and book a free consultation to begin your journey.Support the showhttps://www.cherylbeckesch.com Instagram @solotraveladventures50Facebook community: Solo Travel for Women Over 50 https://www.facebook.com/groups/860865768609200

The service was led by Alana Hathaway-Rokotakala with the reflection from Iain Lothian.

Friendship With God “Kneeling Love” John 13:1-17   Download the Sermon and Conversation Guide | https://bit.ly/44CkJjC    -- REACH Resources Visit the REACH webpage | https://www.fcchudson.com/reach    -- GET CONNECTED! https://www.fcchudson.com and click Next Steps!   --- Stay connected! Website: https://www.fcchudson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fcchudson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fcchudson YouTube: https://bit.ly/3twyuMN Podcast: https://apple.co/4gmb4C0    #fcchudson #churchonline Take your next step with us! https://bit.ly/3IJv7f1

You can start late as long as you start! It was aliens man... aliens.  Join us every other Friday for another exhilarating episode of Late Starters! The Late Starters have launched a Patreon to help with the journey in front of them! If you would like to be a supporter head here to help out! Catch ya later! Get merch, subscribe to Youtube and follow us on twitter to stay up to date with every thing Late Starters! You can find everything we do at linktr.ee/LateStarters! #pokemon #ttrpg #roleplay #improv  Cast GM - Austin (@SeezyDrop) Calynn - Alex (@Alexandbirds) Ford - Tim (@Remobware) Victor - Kaycie (@Kayciedoom) Pokedex - Jenna (@JennaChil)   Music Some of the music used in this production belongs to ©2022 Pokémon. ©1995-2022 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc. The following music was used for this media project: Embrace The Wind by WinnieTheMoog Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/6685-embrace-the-wind License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  Artist website: https://linktr.ee/taigasoundprod Open Those Bright Eyes by Kevin MacLeod Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/4171-open-those-bright-eyes  License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license  Artist website: https://incompetech.com Scheming Weasel [Metal Version] (feat. Kevin MacLeod) by Alexander Nakarada  Free download: https://filmmusic.io/song/8163-scheming-weasel-metal-version-feat-kevin-macleod  License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Arcane Anthems Patreon Ivan Duch and Pokemon "Moonstone" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ "Mining by Moonlight" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Sound Effects Car Crash (with Glass) by magnuswaker -- https://freesound.org/s/592388/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 Dog Sniff.mp3 by binxa -- https://freesound.org/s/595826/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 groan.mp3 by Kneeling -- https://freesound.org/s/473525/ -- License: Creative Commons 0 CREAMnstr_Forest Giant.Walk Through The Forest.With Growls And Swishes_EM.wav by newlocknew -- https://freesound.org/s/628248/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 Flash and a Bang by mondofred -- https://freesound.org/s/416385/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Today's story is found in Mark 2:1–12 "Jesus heals a paralysed man"                               ________________________________________________ Picking his way carefully across the roof, Caleb stopped where he thought the middle of the house would be. Kneeling down, he began to pull at the tiles of the roof, trying to lift them off. Dirt caked under his fingernails as he dug, and the midday sun was hot against his back. His arm was getting really sore, but he forced himself to keep going, knowing Asher was down below, just waiting for his chance to see…  POP!  A tile lifted up, and Caleb was so surprised it took him a moment to register his thoughts. It worked! He thought to himself gleefully, as he pulled the rest of the tile off the roof. Once the tile had been taken off, through the small square, he could see into the house.  Walking quickly but carefully back to the edge of the roof, Caleb waved his arms to get Levi and Hannah's attention..... What happened next? To find out, find a comfortable spot and listen to the episode. _________________________________________________________________________________ Story by: Maritza Brunt READ STORY ON THE BLOG VISIT OUR WEBSITE SHOP OUR BOOKS   Shop our audiobooks Special effect editing: James Wagner  music credit: http://www.purple-planet.com/  Email us: stories4gigi@gmail.com Write to us: GIGI KIDS STORIES PO BOX 6505 Upper Mt Gravatt Queensland Australia 4122

 Weekend Samplers: Part 1.Jack and Angie explore with friends at the campground.Based on posts by lckscknfck7, in 4 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Four-day weekends are always fun, but I rarely have the chance to take advantage of them. Fortunately, on one such weekend a few years ago, an older friend asked my 18 year old girlfriend and me to join him and his wife on a camping trip. It ended up being one of the wildest weekends of my life.My girlfriend, Angela (Angie, for short), had a reputation of being a bit of a slut before I met her, but I soon found out the reputation was undeserved. She didn't mind watching porn tapes, but when it came to acting out some of those scenes (anal, threesomes, toys), she said she wasn't interested. She preferred giving hand to giving head, and preferred giving head to fucking. I wasn't sure if that was because her previous boyfriends didn't know how to use the equipment they were given, or if she was just uptight about getting pregnant even though she was on the pill. When it came to sex, her options for positions could be counted on one hand.Although she lacked imagination during sex, she had a well-toned body that she managed to keep tan year-round. Angie looked a little bit like Jennifer Aniston in the face, but a little thinner in the body. She was blessed with long legs, small-but-perky tits, a beautiful ass, and a tight, attractive cunt. She could have been a runway model if she didn't have her heart set on being a veterinarian. Mine wasn't the only cock in her life. We both knew she'd had better looking boyfriends, but none of them bothered to get her off as well or as often. When it came to her receiving oral pleasure, though, she would find a way to let me get her off, no matter where we were. She may have been high maintenance, but I had the satisfaction of knowing I could get her off anytime, anywhere.My camping trip friends were a little different. I had just turned 18 when I first met them. At the time of this camping trip, I was a few months from my 21st birthday. They were both in their mid-thirties, but maintained a very youthful lifestyle.Ken was short, beefy, and masculine but a nice guy and usually funny. He reminded me of Ron Jeremy but with short hair and a much shorter pecker. His wife, Sarah, was a little shorter than Ken, natural, and pleasant to be around. As far as nice people to hang out with, I don't think I could have done better at the time.Sarah was a reasonably attractive woman. She looked a little bit like Dina Meyer with just a touch of baby fat and bigger tits. She had strawberry-blond hair, green eyes, and freckles across her nose and cheeks. She had a natural ‘playmate of the year' body. She also had a seductive and sultry nature that served her well when dealing with men, in general.Motherhood had been good to her, and she retained her full, round tits. Her waist was small, but widened to shapely hips, a beautiful ass and well-shaped legs. I teased her about how small her feet were, but I think she knew I thought they were pretty.She was shorter and had more curves than my Angie, but I thought she was still cute for her age. She wasn't a New York model, but she had what it took to turn heads in a good way. Sarah had had two teen kids (staying with their grandparents on this particular weekend), but her body bounced right back into shape. She worked out regularly, and rewarded herself (and the rest of us) by buying the skimpiest bikinis to wear while sunbathing. These were the days before Malibu Strings, but what she wore came pretty close. I asked Angie to buy similar "bathing suits" as all she had ever worn in the past were the standard bikinis. Sarah jokingly told me she'd see if she could help Angie (and me) out in that area.So we headed out of Savannah, to the Lake for a long Easter weekend. We'd been here last month with their kids.Their lot on the campground was very secluded, surrounded by trees, and only a quarter-mile from the lake where they kept their boat docked. It was still early in the season, and there were no other campers in our area. This was our 2nd time camping as a foursome.A normal weekend in the summer would have us take Ken's boat out on the lake, water ski all day with the kids, and have a nightly campfire. It wasn't unusual for Angie and Sarah to stay back at the campsite, where they could take their bikini tops off while tanning their back sides, but Sarah somehow managed to take it all off for that "all over tan" when she thought nobody else was around. Angie preferred the creamy white triangles of her tits, cunt, and above the crack of her ass.At the end of the evening, my girlfriend-at-the-time and I would go back to our tent for some quiet outdoor sex, and an envious Sarah and Ken would go back to their camper with their kids. Even though our tent was at least 40 feet from Ken's bedroom window, Ken would kid me the next morning, saying he could beat off 2 or 3 times for every orgasm I either had or gave to my girlfriend. If she were willing, I'd sometimes stand and have her blow me just outside the tent, knowing Ken was probably watching. What I didn't know was that sometimes Sarah was watching, too.Angie and I left Thursday afternoon and arrived at the campground just before sunset. Ken had already set up the campfire, and Sarah seemed to be enjoying the peace and quiet without the kids, as we pulled up. After the usual hugs and handshakes, Sarah and Angie quickly unpacked the car while I worked on setting up the tent. Something was a little different about Sarah, though. I don't know if it was the fact that her hair was a little longer, she looked a little thinner, or if she was wearing her clothing in a more revealing manner, but something about her kept catching my eye.The girls went in the camper to start preparing a late dinner. Ken handed me a beer and directed me to the campfire. When he thought we were far enough away from the camper, Ken decided it was time to get something off his chest. We've had personal conversations before, but it was usually me doing most of the talking, especially after a few beers. Ken knew about almost every girl I had ever been with; every position, good lays and bad. I figured I was in for a shock when it was going to be him doing most of the talking, and I was right.He told me his sex life was lacking, recently, and felt like he couldn't make Sarah happy anymore. I asked him if he talked to her about it, and he said she could only get off if she fantasized about someone else. I told him that was Okay, and that he shouldn't let that bother him. As long as they were still having sex, he should be happy and let things take their course.Then he said that a few weeks ago he overheard Angie telling his wife about how well I could get her off, and how since then, Sarah moaned ‘Jack' more than once in her sleep. I could feel my cock throb just at the thought of his wife dreaming about me. It was a strange feeling. At first I thought he was jealous, suspecting that I had been screwing his wife behind his back. (I hadn't). I was surprised to hear that Angie had even had a conversation about sex with Sarah. Maybe Angie still had a naughty side, after all.I felt a little awkward, but I told him to go on. The more Ken talked, the more I realized that this weekend was all part of his desperate plan to show his wife a good time. “Jack, I really want you to sleep with my wife! Maybe Angie, too!” I listened as he went into detail of everything he fantasized about; thinking it was the same that Sarah fantasized about. He didn't want me and/or Angie to fuck her just once, either.Ken finally pleaded; “I'm afraid that the only way for Sarah and I to be happy again was to have someone else join us.” I had told Ken about many of my raucous sexual adventures, and now he wanted Sarah to have the same experiences. Thinking he was probably just a little drunk, I told him; “We have all weekend and I'd like to sleep on it. We are good friends, and I don't want to ruin anything between you and Sarah. Angie is just a recent girlfriend that loves sex a lot, but Sarah is your wife.”The girls came out with the food, as if on cue. We grilled some of Ken's freshly caught Amber Jack,  and had a few more beers, and talked about the following day's options. All night, I found myself undressing busty Sarah with my eyes.We decided the weather looked good for taking the boat out for some early morning water skiing. We'd probably drop the girls off at our secluded campground to relax and enjoy the sun the rest of the afternoon. Us guys could then go around the lake to ‘fish', which was cover for checking out the other sunbathers, stop at the marina for more beer or food, and then head back to the campground. Sounded like a good plan.It had been a long day, followed by an interesting evening, and it was time to turn in. The water hook-up to the camper provided a never-ending supply of water. Unfortunately, it would be a few hours before it was warm enough for a shower. Ken and Sarah said they didn't mind the cold shower, but Angie and I agreed we would have to wait a few hours, or even until morning. We waived goodnight to Ken and Sarah as they closed the door to the camper.As soon as we got in our tent, I started to get a clue that Angie was on the prowl. She took off her clothes and pulled my face onto her cunt. Something had gotten her hot earlier, and she apparently needed relief. She had trimmed her pubic hair as short as it could be, and at first glance, her cunt looked practically shaved. It didn't look like that the last time I fucked her, so this must have been something special for the weekend. As I licked her to orgasm, I worked three fingers into her cunt, paying close attention to her G-spot. I was working on giving her another orgasm when she pulled my fingers out of her cunt and guided one of my fingers to her asshole. Our eyes were locked onto each other as I slid two fingers back in her cunt and the third carefully into her ass. She knew that I always wanted to try ass-play with her, but this was the first time she actually let me, no, provoked me; to put anything in her ass besides my tongue. I barely slid the first joint of my finger past her sphincter when she let out a yelp signaling another wave of orgasm. She slapped my dripping wet hand away from her crotch and rolled me onto my back. I still had most of my clothes on, but I'm sure she could feel the bulge in my shorts as she ground her ass onto my crotch. She leaned over and kissed me as deeply as I could be kissed. For a while I wasn't sure if this was the end of the evening's events or just the beginning.She pulled off my shorts and began what I thought was going to be the usual tug-job. She could see my disappointment, and quickly turned to inhale my growing cock. Her blowjobs in the past were rarely subtle, but she never sucked with as much enthusiasm as she was demonstrating now. She straddled my chest, facing toward my turgid pole, then bent down to impale her throat with my full shaft.I could feel her nose touching my balls as she deep-throated my cock for the first time. Obviously, she had been holding back. I tapped her on the shoulder to let her know I was about to cum (as she had asked me to do so many times before), but this time she ignored the tap and kept on sucking until my balls tightened up and I shot off in her mouth.I expected her to spit, complain, and spit again, but was surprised to feel her swallow my cum, then hold my softening head in her mouth, slowly swallowing the seeping jizz.  As my intense nerves relaxed, she increased her oral stimulations and begin coaxing another erection.Within seconds of attaining reasonable firmness, she turned around, impaling her beautiful cunt with my cock. She leaned over to kiss me as her ass bounced up and down behind her. The taste of my cum was still fresh on her lips.She was on the pill, so I wasn't completely concerned about coming inside her. Apparently, she wasn't either, which was also a first. It was only a matter of about five minutes of rhythmic riding before I realized I was ready to cum again, which was probably a good thing with all the noise Angie had been making. I expected her to hop off of me at the first sign of my orgasm, but instead she ground her pubic bone harder against mine, flattening her swollen clit against me. Within seconds of feeling the warm gush of cum inside her, her cunt tightened around my shaft, loosened for a second, and then tightened again. I could feel my cum drip from her cunt down to my balls and ass.We remained motionless for a few minutes, and then, in her formerly typical prudish fashion, she hopped off, got dressed, and ran into the camper for a quick shower, cold water or not. About fifteen minutes later, she was back in the tent wearing pajamas, and kissing me goodnight. She was asleep within seconds of her head touching the pillow.I put a towel around my waist and threw on a T-shirt. As I walked out of the tent, I could see Ken sitting by what was left of the campfire. He told me to have a seat, and handed me a beer.Ken's Proposal."I thought you went to bed." I asked."I did, but Sarah woke up while Angie was getting her rocks off for the third time,” Ken answered with a grin. "She started fingering her cunt so fast and so hard that by the time I realized what was happening, she was finished. She was nice enough to give me a hand job before falling asleep, though.""Well, that's good, right?" I asked.He shrugged his shoulders. He looked desperate. Ken knew that Sarah was hard-up, and he felt horrible that he couldn't rock her world as well as he did years ago. I figured it was just a phase they were going through, but it was affecting Ken's enjoyment, too. He almost felt guilty about Sarah not being satisfied by his efforts. Ken was hurting, maybe worse than his wife. He was being told he's not enough of a man to sexually satisfy his woman. It had to be crushing. Ken as desperate and sacrificing the last vestiges of his ego for the sake of his marriage.Ken pushed his idea again."You should fuck her tonight, Jack.” he said. "Fuck her face. Fuck her cunt. Hell, fuck her feet. I know you like them. She knows you like them.""And where are you going to be?" I asked."I'll wait right here, if you want. When you're done, take a shower and I'll know it's safe to go inside. I don't care. Just get in there!" he said. “If I have to share her with anyone, I need it to be you, my friend.”"What about Angie? What if she wakes up?" I asked."Fuck her, too. Or I'll fuck her; I don't care. She'll probably sleep right through it, after your fuck-session earlier,” he answered.My cock was almost erect and no longer concealed by the towel around my waist. Ken couldn't help but stare, and I thought he was a little concerned about me pushing too far into his wife's cunt. Little did I know? The thought of Ken offering his wife made my cock swell even larger. I couldn't hide it anymore. That busty woman was enough to make a priest leave his collar.I had no idea how this would work. I didn't even know if Sarah would go for it. What if she didn't?How would we act the rest of the weekend?What would I say to Angie if she found out?Did Ken want to fuck Angie?That would be interesting. Ken wasn't well endowed in length, but he had most guys beat in girth; including me. The thought of young Angie being fucked silly by a short stocky guy with a short fat cock amused me enough to make my cock spring up.I threw the towel over my shoulder, exposing my erect cock and shaved balls. Ken gave me a big grin and subconsciously put his hand down the front of his shorts. I walked toward the camper wearing nothing but a T-shirt, flip-flops, and a worried smile. I carefully opened the door so it wouldn't make any noise. The lights were all out except for the bathroom/shower light. This was an older camper, but it was a huge one. It had a master bedroom on one end, and two bunk beds on the other. In the middle, there was a kitchen/eating area and a small bathroom that housed a commode and shower. Ken had made a few modifications to the camper, and I was impressed every time I stepped into it.Sarah was asleep in the master bedroom. I decided to take a quick shower to wash the cum off my balls and ass crack and calm myself down. I hoped Ken would understand that this wasn't the "after I fucked Sarah" shower, and would stay outside. I didn't waste any time, and still had half an erection as I toweled myself dry.I came out of the little bathroom and turned out the light. I quietly stepped into the master bedroom and found Sarah asleep on her stomach, naked, and with one armed tucked under her. Her hand was between her legs and it looked like she had been fingering herself in her sleep.Jack and Sarah's not-so-private Tryst.I carefully got into bed with her, and slowly slid into position beside her, but a little lower. I put my hand on her leg and gently ran my fingers up and down, giving her goose bumps on her ass. At first she thought I was her husband and just moved over, and reached over to my hip.When she felt my pre-cum covered cock pressing against her, she was startled. Ken had a short, fat cock that curved up sharply making it look shorter than it probably really was. (I made that discovery when his shorts came off while waterskiing with a hard-on.) My cock was seven inches in length, thick as a cucumber, and stood straight out when erect. This definitely wasn't her husband's cock.She asked me; “ What do you think you are doing?” and drew the sheets up around her as she rolled on her back away from me. I thought I had ruined everything."Do you want me to leave?" I asked. I knelt up on the bed, making my cock bounce in front of me in the moonlight. She couldn't take her eyes off it."I don't know what I want, Jack.” she said. There was a long, uncomfortable pause. "But now that you're here, and you've crossed the line, I definitely don't want you to leave."She asked; “Did Ken put you up to this?”I said that Ken just wanted her to be happy; that he thought this might help.She asked; “What do you think would happen when I tell Angie that you fucked the shit out of me all night?” I knew she was playing with me and I told her; “You won't tell Angie anything with my cock in your mouth.”Sarah thought about it for a minute, and sat up, letting the sheets fall off her naturally large tits. My eyes were finally able to see in the darkness, and the moon was shining just enough to give me a great view of her incredible body. I leaned over to lightly kiss her, but she grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me hard on the mouth. Our tongues wound around each other like we were high school lovers. She reached down and grabbed the shaft of my cock while continuing to kiss my face, neck, and ears. She pushed me back down and kissed my chest, stomach, and legs. When she got to my feet, she put one toe at a time in her mouth and sucked and swirled her tongue around them. Then she rolled me onto my stomach and began kissing the back of my legs. She worked up my legs to my back, intentionally passing my ass, and then kissed me around my neck again. She lay on my back and worked her body between my legs, spreading them as she slid down my back with kisses along my spine.Clearly, she was living out her deeply held fantasy tryst with a man of her considerable desires.When she got to the crack of my ass, she spread my cheeks and began licking my crack lightly. I could feel her saliva dripping from her mouth as she began to concentrate on my asshole. She spread my cheeks further and pulled my ass up into the air, so that I was now kneeling, with my face still on the mattress, as her tongue found my sphincter again and again. Her fingers rubbed under my scrotum, working my prostate into high alert."Now, it's my turn" she said.I was seconds away from an incredible orgasm, but did as she asked. I kissed every inch of her body, in the exact order that she kissed mine, ending with her asshole. Her ass came up and her fingers found her clit while I tongued her anus. Within seconds, she was shuddering. She collapsed on her stomach, and then turned to give me a kiss goodnight."I'm not finished with you, yet, Sarah." I said. "Unless you really want to call it a night?" I asked."What else do you want to do? Aren't you exhausted, Jack?" she asked, almost whimpering. “I heard you rabbits fucking in the tent for nearly an hour.”"I know you've been talking to Angie, so you know I can fuck again and again." I said, kneeling again, straddles just over her waist with my bouncing cock tapping the cleavage of her tits. The tip was inches from her face.  "A friend asked me to fuck the shit out of his wife tonight, and that's what I'm going to do. We haven't fucked yet. Please tell me you aren't just a cock tease?”"Sarah looked like a girl on her birthday with a dozen presents left to open. She was glowing. She was now alive and wasn't sure where to begin. I helped her decide by holding the back of her head and gently pushing my cock in her mouth. She hadn't had to deal with a cock this long since her college days, and was a little out of practice. I let her gag a few times, then decided to give her a break and French-kissed her for a few minutes. While we kissed, I moved  down between her legs and pushed them apart and up so her feet were near her face. She guided my cock to her cunt and I easily slid inside her. I kissed her feet as she pulled me closer to her. Within minutes, she was clawing my thighs and muttering my name under her breath.I pulled out of her cunt and guided her legs back down. Kneeling, I got on top of her, and slid my cock between her tits. I knew I was only going to last a few more seconds, so I decided to give her tits a little attention before I came. As I moved forward, my knees pinned her arms down.“Drink it all, my buxom love bunny!” I said as I held her head back as I shot my full load in her mouth. Neither of us expected the amount of cum that I produced, but she winced and swallowed every drop like a college girl doing her first shot of tequila. Then she leaned in and captured the head of my cock in her lips. Her tongue went to work, polishing all the jizz off my glans.I carefully moved back down her body, kissing her forehead, nose, cheeks, and cum-covered lips. She ran her fingers through my hair as I kissed and sucked her nipples. I kissed her belly and worked my way down to her hairless cunt. I wasn't sure when she started waxing, but there were no bumps or razor burn.Just as I did to Angie

The missing ingredient for a strong center of spiritual resistance (against evil) is often awe/wonder. Jesus taught us how to live as children born again with fresh eyes of awe and wonder, but we often allow ourselves to "grow" out of this heart posture for the purposes of living in "reality." However, what we find is that this "reality" we create for ourselves, devoid of awe and wonder, leads to all manner of evil. What can we do to cultivate this heart posture in a world that seems bent on stripping us of it? Learn to stand and kneel at the same time. Join us today as we expolore what this looks like in a world obsessed with violence and survival. 

Sunday Morning Main Message June 29,2025.

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Matching Day: Part 2The struggle for honesty, and the grace to accept..Based on a post by SmallTownPrincess, in 2 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Connected."So, tell me about your family, Mason," Livia said, tracing the lines of his palm with one finger. How long had they been out there? Although it felt like she'd been with Mason for only a few minutes, at most, she was deathly afraid that dawn would break soon, and they would have to part ways, sneaking back into their respective beds."Oh, they're nothing special," he said with a shrug. "My father's done pretty well for us with inter-community trade, and my mother's a self-proclaimed busybody. I have two little sisters who must hate me, for all the grief they cause me, and a cat that only eats because I ask him to every day."Livia sympathized with the cat; she would follow Mason to the ends of the earth, if he asked her to and really meant it. She wouldn't tell him that, though. He still believed that the answer to all their problems was to run off into the wilderness and never look back."They must love you a lot, to plan a big wedding for you - and build you a house! My father expected my match to do that with his own two hands.""Nah, they mostly just like being a spectacle in town, and a big wedding's the best way to ensure that everyone's talking about you. As for the house, I'd rather build it myself, honestly. I feel like a child with them paving the way for me like this.""I'll bet Salvia's bragging to everyone who'll listen about her fairy-tale wedding and big stone house - at eighteen!"Mason shrugged, looking stormy. "She keeps asking me when we can have our first baby boy. A baby? I'm not ready for a baby. I could go another decade before I would even think about having kids. I'll be nineteen when we get married, for gods' sake.""Nineteen?""I barely missed the cutoff for the last age group, so I think I'm probably the oldest in ours."A chill wind snuck down Livia's collar, and she shuddered, enjoying Mason's immediate response of wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back up against his chest. She could get used to being held that way. She lay her head back against his shoulder, and he sighed happily."Mason?""Hmm?""Do you still intend to marry her?"He shook his head, tousling her hair where his chin rested on it. "That big house will be ours - yours and mine - or they can give it to one of my sisters, for all I care. All I want is you."The chuckling scream of an owl broke the silence of the night, foreboding as the lustrous moon lay silver-lined shadows over the pair. "What are we going to do, Mason?""What do you mean?""What are you we going to do? I mean, you're supposed to get married in a month, to Salvia, and I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life unhappy and alone. People are going to notice if either of those things don't happen.""We could tell them that I prefer you to Salvia, " Mason said doubtfully, and Livia didn't even bother to reply. That was clearly not an option. "Or we could run, like I said originally.""There's nowhere to run," Livia murmured."Then, I suppose, this is our only option.""What is?""This. Meetings, like this.""What, you mean you want to keep meeting me in secret like this?""Sure, why not?""Won't someone in Salvia's house notice that you sneak out every night?" Mason was living with Salvia's family until his own house was built in Micrague, but, to Salvia's dismay, he was not taking advantage of sleeping just down the hall from her."Probably not, and even if they do, I told them the very first day I went home with her that sometimes I preferred to sleep outside, under the stars." He chuckled. "They probably think I'm quite odd, but it really is nice, sometimes, to just lay out here and look up at them."Livia snuggled closer to him and followed his eyes up to the dancing points of light in the rich blue-violet night. "But then, what happens next month, when your family send word for you to come home with her?""Hmm, the guys from Micrague probably don't remember what my match looked like, and you could answer to Salvia for the rest of your life, ""But the girls who matched those boys would know I didn't match you. They'll definitely remember that I was the one who ended up with no one to love but a dead boy I never met.""Gods, Livia, I don't know," he said, sounding frustrated. "What do you want me to say? That this can only go on until I'm called home?""Can't it?""Maybe it'll have to stop when I'm called home," he said, then shook his head fiercely. "No. No, one way or another, I'm going to marry you someday, Livia Russing."Hearing her last name from his lips sent a jolt of reality through her system. "I don't know your last name, Mason," she said, eyes still fixed on the glittering treasure of the heavens."It's Griersley. Don't let that be the deciding point against me when you're deciding whether or not you want to marry me," he said with a grin."It's not bad.""Is bad enough.""But I still don't know you well enough to say that I love you, Mr. Griersley," she said, grinning a little herself. "For all I know, you could be an axe murderer.""Well, you've been alone with me for hours now. Have you seen any signs that I'm going to be a danger to you?"She giggled, then settled into seriousness. "No, I don't think you would hurt me."He was still in a silly mood, grabbing her lightly around the neck and cackling evilly. "Now I've got you, princess!" he said in a nasal, grating voice. "You only thought I asked you here because I'm falling for you. In fact, I'm a hideous villain, bent on killing the loveliest and most brilliant girls in every community. You're my next victim!"Livia laughed, twisting to kiss him again. It felt more natural every time their lips met; after hours of it, she felt like she'd been born to kiss him.Dawn bleached the horizon and made the trees stand like motionless skeletons. Livia savored the taste of Mason's lips on hers as she clambered back into bed, wishing her quilt-shrouded mattress was half as comfortable as his arms.With the promise of seeing him again that night, having him all to herself for hours and hours, she could make it through another day. She just wished night would come a little sooner.There were moments, in the next few weeks, that made Livia wonder if the gods were making up for tormenting her with Bracken's death by saturating every moment with exhilarating euphoria.Mason, his face glowing with the radiance of the simple joy her presence brought him, danced with her in the moon's spotlight, humming a song he made up on the spot, her twirling feet sending leaves spinning all around them and making the breeze whirl and seethe with jealousy.His teeth stood like pearly bits of star against his tan skin as he laughed, dipping her low enough that her hair brushed the dirt forest floor, then bringing her lightly back to her feet with an easy, undemanding kiss.Combing his fingers through her hair, he poured nonsense pieces of poetry into the night, laughing occasionally at a particularly horrible rhyme, calling for her to contribute as well. But she wouldn't interrupt the uninhibited rhythm of his deep, pleasant voice; she let his words roll pleasantly over her soul while his fingers did the same to her scalp.Electricity lanced the night as their lips mimicked each other's shape, and each of them drew life from the other's wholehearted ardor.Livia whispered, "I do, after all.""Do what?""Love you."Mason wrapped around her, keeping her warm as her discarded clothes could not. His lips were drawing a lazy line of kisses from her forehead down her nose, over her lips and onto her neck. He sucked gently at the spot where her neck ended and shoulder began, then dusted kisses across her collarbones.His hands ran lightly along her sides, fingers brushing her skin from tits to hips and back again. She brushed her fingers through his hair, tugged on it in a mute request for him to make his way back to her mouth and kiss her as he had been for weeks, but his mouth was quite busy venturing to previously unexplored territory.Mason's lips pressed against her sternum, and the softness just above her belly button, and then the softness just below. He shifted back onto his heels so he could more easily massage his way down her thighs and to her knees. Hungrily, he eyed her body."Mason?" She could barely manage the breath to whisper his name. Something was making her chest tight, making it hard to bring in air; she realized after a moment that it was fear. That was the thing with Mason ,  he frightened her. Not because he would ever hurt her, but because he looked at life and asked for more than he was given. He pushed boundaries.His fingers were testing her boundaries now, working their way back up the inside of her legs and finding the intersection of her legs. He bent low, kissing her thigh just south of where his fingers rested, and his breath was both hot and cold on her body. It made her suddenly aware of a dampness there she did not recognize."Mason," she said again, more forcefully this time, and his eyes met hers."Yes?"She licked her lips, trembling as he continued to breathe on her slick folds. "Are you planning to do what I think you're planning to do?""Only if you want it," Mason replied. He stared up at her for at least a minute before she realized she was meant to respond positively or negatively, but she had no answer. How could she think with his mouth practically pressed to her lips there? "Livia? Do you want to?""I, " She observed the tenderness with which he was stroking her thigh, and melted a bit. "Yes. Please."Mason grinned. He leaned in just a bit closer and touched his lips to her, then slid his tongue between her folds, trailing it up to the nub of her clitoris ,  she gasped and tried to keep from shuddering, not wanting to break the contact ,  and then down until he circled her slit. His eyes sought hers, looking for approval; he must have seen it in her face, because he began to move his tongue in earnest, sliding it up and down, then delving into her opening as deeply as he could.Livia squeezed her eyes shut to concentrate on the feelings, but the intensity gave her a sense of vertigo so intense she almost felt herself sliding along the forest floor, as though the world had tipped off its axis. She clutched at Mason's shoulders to steady herself, digging her nails in harder than she realized.As Mason's warm mouth moved against her most sensitive places, she began to feel something completely new. It was a need she had never experienced before, an urgent and desperate desire so foreign that she could hardly guess how to fulfill it. She would have thought that Mason's current activity would relieve it somehow, but it was only sharpening the edge on her hunger."Mason, I need;” she started. She wasn't sure how to finish. Mason stopped immediately, sensing her distress, sitting up and wiping his mouth."What? What do you need?""I don't, know." She spoke quietly, distractedly. When Mason sat up, he revealed the entirety of his nude form, and Livia found her attention drawn to his sizable manhood, standing at attention. She stared, beginning to get an idea of what it was she needed.Picking up on her thoughts as though she was speaking them aloud, Mason abandoned his eager, if inexperienced, efforts to please her with his mouth and bent to press his body against hers again. He held himself just far enough off her that his weight would not oppress her, but the full length of his feverishly warm body covered hers, and the full length of his member pressed against her mound, pulsing slightly with each heartbeat.Slowly, painfully slowly, Mason slid his hips down, pulling his cock down her body until the head rested just where her lower lips parted, and then gravity and her own moisture pulled it the rest of the way. It came to rest just where it belonged, against her opening."Is this what you want?" Mason asked. With his mouth on her throat as it was, she felt more than heard his words.She nodded, eyes closed. "Yes."There was really no pain. Livia was surprised; she had heard from other girls that it was quite unpleasant the first time, sometimes even traumatic, but perhaps they had not had such tender first lovers, or perhaps they had not been so achingly, drenchedly eager to have their lover inside them. Livia hadn't even been aware of how badly she wanted Mason within her until he was, and all her tension drained out of her with a long sigh."It's perfect," she said, marveling at the fit of him in her. They were made for each other.For many long minutes they were motionless, sharing each other ,  they were no longer two people, but a single entity, joined intimately."I'm yours, Livia." Mason's voice was husky, and Livia saw that it was costing him something to remain still, not to just claim her from the inside out; she saw also in the way he wrapped his arms tightly around her and squeezed as if he would never let go that he was happy to remain frozen in place and share the moment, happy even as he strained for more."And I'm yours. Take me, Mason."And he did.Eventually they fell asleep, still connected, and didn't wake until larks' songs began to break the stillness of the air with the dawn.Just when she thought nothing could be more perfect, more beautiful, the gods realized their carelessness in letting too much rapture concentrate in just two small hearts, and they began to set things back to rights.Livia picked her way through the now-familiar path from her house to their meeting place in the trees, stepping lightly over fallen branches and dodging snags and thorns with ease. She'd sat at her window all afternoon, watching the sun in its path, wishing it haste as it progressed toward the horizon. Her mother wondered what had gotten into her, but didn't mourn the change. It had been painful to see her daughter in such misery after Matching Day.Just a little ways now, she thought cheerfully, wanting to whistle but deciding that would be imprudent. The fear of what they were doing didn't eat at her anymore, and she could almost forget, in the flawless moments with Mason, that there was anything wrong in what they did. When she saw Salvia, her face did not burn with blood, as it did at the beginning, and she did not hunch her shoulders against imagined accusations as she crossed the town now.At the very moment it always seemed she had been walking too far, that she must have passed the clearing completely and needed to turn around, she saw Mason.He was standing much as he had been the first night they'd met here, his hands balled into fists in his pockets, his eyes on the sky, standing in what she now recognized was his tensest stance, directly in the center of the clearing. He was wholly illuminated by a moon that approached full, and she could see the glistening tracks of tears on both cheeks, the slightest quiver to his bottom lip. Pain spiked just beneath her breastbone as she wondered distressedly what had upset him."Mason?" she called, tumbling out of the trees and into his arms. He barely caught her as she tripped over the undergrowth, landing ungracefully against his chest, and when she looked up into his face, she had never seen such despair."You came," he said brokenly. "I hoped you wouldn't.""What?"Rustling footsteps all around them told of the presence of others, and Mason's hands tightened on her upper arms as if he could somehow squeeze her out of sight.Livia's head swiveled frantically from side to side as she tried to see each face as they appeared, grimacing, out of the shadows; at the front of them all, she saw Salvia's triumphant countenance.And Mason's eyes never l

Read OnlineLifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”  John 17:20–21Over the past couple of weeks, we have been continually reading from Chapter 14–17 of John's Gospel. These chapters contain Jesus' Last Supper Discourses and provide us with Jesus' last sermon, so to speak. Chapter 17, which we have been reading this past week, presents us with Jesus' final prayer for His disciples and for all of us “who will believe” in Him through the preaching of the disciples. Each time we read from Chapter 17, the Lectionary begins the reading with the phrase “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying…” That line is an adaptation of Chapter 17:1 but is used to introduce the various parts of the prayer of Jesus each time it is read at Mass.It's interesting that Jesus would look up to Heaven when He prayed. Of course, Heaven is not physically in the sky, because Heaven is a spiritual reality. The Father is not located in some place in the sky but is omnipresent, meaning, present all places and all times. And yet, Jesus raises His eyes upward when He prays to the Father. There is a great lesson in this.Our physical disposition is important, at times. For example, when someone we owe respect to enters a room, we usually rise and greet them. It would be disrespectful to remain lounging on a bed or sofa in that case. And at Mass, we do not sit back with legs crossed during the Consecration; rather, we kneel in adoration. And when we greet someone for the first time, we do not look at the floor; rather, we look them in the eyes.Jesus' act of “Lifting his eyes to heaven” was not done because He thought He might see the Father in the sky; rather, it was done out of respect and love and as a way of acknowledging the dignity of the Father. This should teach us about our own bodily disposition and the message we communicate to others, especially to God in prayer.When you pray, what do you do? Though you can pray at any time and while in any disposition, it is an excellent practice to speak to God not only by your words but also by the disposition you take. Kneeling, raising hands in prayer, falling prostrate before your Lord, sitting upright with attentiveness, etc., are all ways in which you communicate to God your love.Reflect, today, upon this image of Jesus praying. Gaze at how attentive He would have been as He lifted His sacred eyes upward as a physical gesture honoring the glorious, all-powerful Father in Heaven. Try to imagine Jesus' devotion, intensity, respect and burning love. Imitate this holy gesture of prayer and attentiveness to the Father and remind yourself of the importance of expressing your love in bodily form.My most holy Father in Heaven, I do join Your Son, Jesus, in lifting my eyes, my heart and my whole life to You in honor, love and respect. May I always be attentive to You and always show You the devotion due Your greatness. My dear Jesus, thank You for Your love of the Father in Heaven. Give me the grace I need to imitate You and Your perfect love in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.  El Greco, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsSource of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

In this episode of the Unresolved Life podcast, titled "The Beauty of Daily Conversations with God," host Teresa Blaes welcomes guest Valarie Rocha, the author of "Kneeling at the Throne." The episode focuses on the topic of prayer, exploring its significance and how it can enhance the relationship between individuals and God. Teresa begins the episode by introducing the theme of prayer, mentioning that it is often done casually or by rote, and invites Valarie to share her insights. Valarie explains that praying is essential because it connects people with God and emphasizes that everyone is encouraged to pray in the scriptures. The conversation shifts to discussing the importance of individual prayers. Valarie explains that prayer is an invitation to communicate with God, similar to conversing with a natural parent. She shares her personal journey with prayer, revealing her early passion for it and the calling she received to be an intercessor—a deeper form of prayer. Valarie recounts how she initially resisted the idea of being an intercessor but later realized that such a role would allow her to connect with God's heart. She highlights that prayer is not an extravagant or complicated practice; instead, it is an everyday conversation that strengthens one's relationship with God. Teresa then asks Valarie about hindrances that keep people away from praying. Valarie identifies common misconceptions, such as the feeling that God is distant or that certain topics are too sensitive to bring up in prayer. She reassures listeners that there are no topics off-limits with God and emphasizes His desire for intimacy and connection. The discussion moves toward the Lord's Prayer, with Valarie explaining how it provides a framework for approaching God with reverence, gratitude, and requests for guidance. She underscores the significance of respecting God's place and recognizing the importance of connecting with Him through prayer. As the conversation continues, Valarie discusses her favorite subject from her devotional, which frames God as the architect of our lives, constantly planning and designing our paths, and encourages believers to seek Him in prayer. She notes that building a relationship with God is about taking the time to engage in conversation with Him. The episode concludes with Valarie addressing listeners who may not know God or understand why they should pray. She urges them to take a step of faith, invite God into their hearts, and begin a relationship with Him, emphasizing that God welcomes everyone, regardless of their past. Teresa encourages listeners to spend time talking to God, assuring them that He can handle any situation they face. Valarie shares information about her online presence, where listeners can find more of her work. Teresa closes the episode by reiterating the importance of daily conversations with God, thanking Valarie for her insights, and reminding everyone that God is always there for them. Teresa's book: https://protectedbook.com Valarie's book: https://divine515.com

In this episode, I interview special guest, Valarie Rocha, a referral from Kadosh Media Productions. She is an author, prayer intercessor, and enjoys gardening, painting acrylics and cooking Mexican cuisine for her family. Her passion and pursuit in prayer has been her lifeline for decades. In our heartfelt conversation, Valarie shares her “Kneeling at the Throne” God story about her remarkable journey as a prayer intercessor that inspired her to write her life-changing newly released Prayer Devotional book! She also shares about her victorious spiritual warfare battles. In closing, she prays for those listening and watching the episode and Altered Stories Ministry. This episode includes a mental health tip from ministry partner and licensed mental health counselor, Sherrie Pucket.

On today's 5.6.25 show we talked about the best hangover cures, Graham tells us about how his event turned out yesterday, the thing that people in Sweden are putting on their tacos, Met Gala looks and controversies, CHP is cracking down on sideshow activities, the number one thing moms want for Mother's Day, women are having less children, lab-grown T. rex leather is a thing, people think Sydney Sweeney's Met Gala look was not on theme, robot tries to attack a human and more!

Sunday Service Daniel 6:1-28 Lead Pastor Tim Davis @ Christ The King Church. A non-denominational Christian Church located in Canby, OR. (www.ctkcanby.com)

Tonight's rundown: Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Thursday, May 1, 2025. Stand Up for Your Country.  Talking Points Memo: Bill breaks down Wednesday night's Cuomo Town Hall on NewsNation. What is Kamala Harris talking about in her first speech since leaving office? Poll shows most 2024 voters would choose the same candidate again. The FBI has reassigned several agents who were photographed kneeling during Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.  After being dropped from the White House Correspondents' Dinner, anti-Trump comedian says she now feels "less welcome" in America. Final Thought: Don't miss Bill O'Reilly's special report 100 Days of Trump: Are You Better Off?, airing Friday, May 2 at 9/8c on NewsNation. Read Bill's latest column, Malaysia is Mad at Me Stand out from the crowd with our Not Woke baseball cap for just $28.95! Pre-order Bill's next book in the new Confronting Series, ‘Confronting Evil' NOW! Now's the time to get a Premium or Concierge Membership to BillOReilly.com, the only place for honest news analysis. In Case You Missed It: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that using a birth ball is one of the easiest ways to help relieve common pregnancy pains? In today's episode of the To Birth and Beyond podcast, Anita is going to provide practical tips for incorporating a pregnancy ball into your daily routine to alleviate common pregnancy pains and improve pelvic mobility. The episode emphasizes the importance of starting early and using the birth ball as a supportive tool throughout pregnancy and postpartum recovery. You will be so surprised when you can mitigate back pain, hip pain, pelvic pain and so much more with a birth ball! - - - - - - - - -If you liked this episode of To Birth and Beyond, tell your friends! Find us on iTunes and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.Want more? Visit www.ToBirthAndBeyond.com, join our Facebook group (To Birth and Beyond Podcast), and follow us on Instagram @tobirthandbeyondpodcast! Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!Resources and References Bump to Birth Method - self-paced online program from Anita Lamberthttps://www.instagram.com/holistichealthphysioShow Notes 0:55 - Bump to Birth Method - self-paced online program from Anita Lambert2:47 - Anita shares what today's episode is all about3:10 - Anita lists the different pregnancy pains that a birth ball can help relieve4:13 - Anita explains why the term “birth ball” is a tad incorrect5:41 - Anita explains how to choose the correct size of birth ball for your needs7:18 - Anita runs through some irth ball positions and exercises for each7:22 - Birth ball position #1: Sitting on the ball9:39 - Birth ball position #2: Kneeling on floor and leaning upper body on the ball11:56 - Birth ball position #3: Child's pose, ball close, lean forward and place hands, head, and neck on the ball15:05 - Birth ball position #4: Lunge17:01 - Anita describes how long to do each of the exercises outlined in this episode18:30 - It's never too early to start using a birth ball!19:17 - Anita shares about her bonus Birth Ball Training inside of Bump to Birth!19:37 - Anita brings the episode to a close!

Kneeling before God certainly helps us gain the right perspective when standing before kings.

In this edition of the Forest City Church podcast, Gabe Zammit gives four steps to move from admiration to adoration in his message titled Where Are You Kneeling? 

kneeling in the moonlight to make her gentle vows - #4126 (80R96 410 ) by chair house 250401.mp3kneeling in the moonlight to make her gentle vows■AI活用して創るAI映画の第二弾の冒頭部分が完成しました。まあ３分程度の冒頭部分のみですが、ちょっと疲れました。時間もかかりすぎて、何か楽しくない。なのでちょっとAI映画創作はお休みして、..

#4126(90.96% 410 left): Apr. 1, 2025: Kneeling in the moonlight to make her gentle vows (E.H.Coleridge from Sep. 2, 2024) Today's pure primal piano music here. Happy if this music makes you feel peaceful.. : ) Looking for absolute natural beauty every day for Piano Ten Thousand Leaves. Target number is 4536: This piece may might have good 1/f fluctuation characteristic although I stopped investigating it each piece. ######## Latest Album: 29th SELECTION ALBUM JUST RELEASED ######## "shin Clair De Lune" - the 29th selection album of piano ten thousand leaves The best song in the last few years, Shin Clair De Lune, was born, so I named the album after it. The opening song is that song. youtube: FULL VIDEO with 20 full songs in very high quality sounds https://youtu.be/_KoD3Urfn38?si=WP2OCvwwVeLYyfnU Album Download: iTune https://music.apple.com/jp/album/shin-clair-de-lune/1796986397 spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/0IesFKVy7eEyvrfn90AW8b?si=_-BDNh2JQ3yUSQyOpSUSFQ appleMusic https://music.apple.com/jp/album/shin-clair-de-lune/1796986397 amazonMusic https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DXKJ5655?marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US&ref=dm_sh_Af4hYEidL5bbME7ncUiUORjxE all music streaming services: https://linkco.re/mF4G0R43?lang=en

A mother and grandmother, newly relocated to Georgia, is found dead in a bush just outside a quiet suburban home. The man accused of murdering her had allegedly been stalking her, and left behind chilling video evidence. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” react to NFL teams calling Shadeur arrogant and brash, Jimmy Johnson retiring after 31 years and the NYSAC reviewing the Tank vs Roach kneel down. A high schooler also pulls a Draymond & much more!05:30 - NFL team calls Shedeur Sanders brash 19:55 - Quinn Ewers23:45 - Sammy Sosa viral picture 28:49 - High schooler pulls Draymond move 30:51 - Kneeling review from Tank vs. Roach36:00 - Q&Ayyyy(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)#Volume #ClubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Janine Moon's near death experience (NDE) was the result of a sever case of Addison's Disease. She had been bedridden for months and finally became so dehydrated and weak that she slipped away. During Janine's NDE she had the unusual and amazing experience of seeing herself kneeling before Jesus. There was no tunnel, no light, but instead a large room with marble floors and marble columns. She saw scenes of her life, both in the past and the future. She saw her daughter a few years in the future dressed in a beautiful wedding gown. At that point she found herself begging and pleading to go back so that she could be with her children. In this episode, we discuss Janine's NDE (near death experience), and the principles of faith, repentance, and forgiveness. We can all learn something from Janine's 74 years on this planet. ______________________Video versions of this podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@roundtripdeathRoundTripDeath.comDonate to this podcast: https://www.roundtripdeath.com/support/

Kneeling on uncooked rice seems like torture! What was your peculiar punishment while growing up?

Fr. Friedley VS Cupich: Kneeling for Christ!Support the show

Today's Topics: 1) In the New Order of the Mass, there are two times at Mass where there is confusion amongst the laity as to when we should kneel down. At the "Orate Fratres" (Pray Brethren) and the "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God). What are we suppose to do? 2) Pentecostals and Charismatics teachers say that any lay person can lay hands on any  other lay person's head and drive out a demon, quoting Mark 16:17-18 3) John Lennon song "Imagine" is pure psyops, promoting themes of peace, unity, and the idea of a world without divisions such as religion, countries, or possessions, but actually promoting globalism and communism 4) John Lennon's pact with Satan https://www.traditioninaction.org/bkreviews/A_026br_LennonProphecy.htm

On today's episode we talked about the top kinks that Gen Zers have.

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - Mark 1:29-39 - On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told Him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to Him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and He drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew Him. Rising very early before dawn, He left and went off to a deserted place, where He prayed. Simon and those who were with Him pursued him and on finding Him said, “Everyone is looking for You.” He told them, “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come.” So He went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons  throughout the whole of Galilee. Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) First, they lost their house insurance, then L.A. fires consumed their houses https://www.yahoo.com/news/lost-home-insurance-policies-then-110040841.html 3, 4) Kneeling and the selective “listening” of synodality https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/12/16/kneeling-and-the-selective-listening-of-synodality/

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Send us a textTrump wins Time's Person of the Year – is this a compliment or an insult? We talk Zucking up and Chris Wray getting out. Cupich said without saying not to kneel at communion? Finally, the drones in New Jersey: Iran, China, USA, or something from galaxy far far away…?  All this and more on the LOOPcast! EMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.org  SUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.org  LINKS YOU'LL LOVE Cupich's full statementChurch Document on Kneeling at MassAliens in New Jersey??? All opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote. 00:00 - Happy feast of St. Lucy!04:33 – Trump Time Person of the Year14:00 – Charity Mobile15:35 – Refine16:39 – Zucking up19:26 – Chris Wray is OUT32:36 – Church Corner46:45 – taglines!48:40 – Aliens in NJ and is Santa Real?1:00:00 – Twilight Zone!

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