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“21:9. And when you shall hear of wars and seditions, be not terrified.These things must first come to pass: but the end is not yet presently.”“21:10. Then he said to them: Nation shall rise against nation, andkingdom against kingdom.21:11. And there shall be great earthquakes in divers places andpestilences and famines and terrors from heaven: and there shall begreat signs.21:12. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on youand persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and intoprisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for my name's sake.21:13. And it shall happen unto you for a testimony.21:14. Lay it up therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before howyou shall answer:21:15. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all youradversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay.21:16. And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren andkinsmen and friends: and some of you they will put to death.21:17. And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake.”“21:18. But a hair of your head shall not perish.21:19. In your patience you shall possess your souls.”St Cornelius, the successor of St Fabian, Pope and Martyr, was one of the greatest Popes of the third century. He was beheaded A.D. 253.St Cyprian, a barrister, and later Bishop of Carthage and Primate of Africa, wrote works which are among the most precious documents of the Catholic Church. He suffered martyrdom A.D. 258.

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium September is National Suicide Prevention Month…it's a time to remember the lives lost to suicide, acknowledge the millions more who have experienced suicidal thoughts, and the many individuals, families and communities that have been impacted by suicide. It is really important to me to provide some meditations for those who might need them, so I asked my good friend, who has been personally impacted by suicide, to write tonight's meditation.  If you or someone you know could use it, please listen and share.  If you feel you need someone to talk with right now, you are not alone. In the U.S., you can call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you're elsewhere, please look online for a local crisis number, or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). I love you… *** Lay yourself down, and let your body feel the simple gift of being held by something that will not leave you — the steady support of your breath,  the support beneath you, the softness of blankets drawn close. LONG PAUSE... Let your eyes drift closed. Let your breath find you where you are — you don't have to change a thing. PAUSE… In this space, there is no need to explain the ache you carry. Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (4) (audio) David Eells – 9/14/25 I want to back up a little from what I shared last time, when we knew we were to move to Florida and share how we got a little ahead of the Lord. Sometimes the Lord will wait before He answers because He wants to see if we are going to get out there in the flesh and that's what we did. We came over a little early and started looking around Pensacola, but we didn't see anything, and we went back home. We started crying out to the Lord, “Okay, Lord, we know this is the time; we know it's coming,” and so on. And the next time, we waited until the Lord sent us. We even had a Christian realtor in Pensacola looking around for us, and we described the house to him because we had already seen it in dreams and visions. He was looking all over Pensacola, trying to find the house, until, finally, one day, in a little frustration after having sought the Lord, I stopped the man. I said, “Look, let's get your map.” So he got his map and we stretched it out on the hood of his car, and I said, “Listen, this is where the house is, right here!” I wasn't even looking where I was pointing, but I stuck my finger down on the map and he said, “Okay, we'll go there and look.” As we were looking, I told the man just exactly how much we were going to pay for the house. I could tell he wasn't used to that, but he said, “Okay.” He drove us through the area where my finger came down and we passed by the house we had seen in our dreams and visions. The lady who owned it had just stuck a “For Sale By Owner” sign in the ground. And since this was a realtor and it was a For Sale By Owner sign, he was just driving right on by, but I had my pad and pencil out. I wrote down the phone number and called her later. So after we looked at the house, I felt led to offer her $1000 less than I knew I was going to pay because some people like to haggle. She said, “Well, I don't know.” And I said, “Well, I tell you what, leave the curtains,” which I knew she was planning on doing anyway, “and I'll give you this much,” which was the amount the Lord told me. And she said, “Okay.” Praise the Lord! I do want to tell you that the realtor was a good Christian man who had done a good job looking for the house, and we actually gave him his commission. He had worked for his due, and we figured we'd give it to him anyway. He told us, “Man, I could never have found you a deal like this!” Now this lady was a Baptist, but one of her relatives was the pastor of a large, full-Gospel church in Pensacola. He and other people had been witnessing to her. And at the time when we came to Pensacola, she was having a problem with her eyes, so we asked her, “Would you let us pray for you? Will you let us lay hands on you for those eyes, so God will heal them?” I pointed out some verses to her and so on. She said, “Well, I don't know so much of that laying on of hands stuff, but I would like you to pray for me.” I answered, “Okay, we will pray for you without the laying on of hands.” That's what we did; we prayed for her, and God healed her. She was so jubilant to come to find out that God would do this for her because her doctrine didn't permit that kind of miraculous healing. She didn't really believe in those kinds of miraculous healings, but she received a miraculous healing, and her eyes were suddenly opened to the true Gospel. Then, when the time came for us to move in, she still wasn't ready to move out for another week, so she lived with us for a week, and we were able to witness to her even more. We had our stuff all piled up on one end of the house, and we were kind of living together like that until, finally, we had the house to ourselves. You see, God did a miracle. And it was through our weakness that we got this miracle. God paid for it; we didn't pay for anything. The money He gave us was enough to buy the house and a new car because our small car was a Toyota, which was good for doing small jobs, but we had five kids. So we bought a large, brand new station wagon, and God also did many miracles on that station wagon for us over the years. But the miracle was that God paid for both of these. We didn't have any money or save any money, and we just continued to give to any need that came our way. Whenever we saw a need, we gave to it. We didn't believe in storing up our treasures on earth, so we put no money in the bank. We did what Jesus says. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. “Faileth not.” I want to remind you that no credit goes to us. Eph 2:8  for by grace (unmerited favor) have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9  not of works, that no man should glory.  When you store up your treasures in Heaven by meeting the needs of the brethren, you can always get it back because as the Lord said, it “faileth not.” For many years, I made a very good living, and I met the needs of the brethren around me. Whenever I saw a need, it wasn't a burden to me to take care of it by the grace of God, Who put it in my heart to do that. When you read the Word of God and you love the Word of God, and you love to act and live on the Word of God, the Word gets into your heart. The Word in you is Jesus in you. So we just gave where we saw to give; we didn't save up money and we didn't borrow money. Borrowing was out of the question for us because we were walking by faith, and even up to today, I haven't for 55 years. But because I give, the money is always there when I need it. As I've shared with you, the Lord taught me never to borrow, never to tell my needs, never to go into the business of buying and selling. Another was, never to take any government help. Recently the Lord had me sighn up for Social Security at 76 which didn't belong to the government but me, but I have given it away ever since. One of the things the young man said happened in his dream was that when he walked up to me, I told him, “I'm never going to work for man again,” and it was true. After I retired from Exxon, I never worked for man again. Now, everybody has to work, as the Bible says: (2Th.3:10) For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, If any will not work, neither let him eat. So I've worked diligently for the Lord and still do, but I've never been a burden on people. I made sure of that, and I never made my needs known. I haven't received any income from UBM. God put it in people's hearts to meet our needs separately. I don't believe in being a freeloader or “mooching.” It's wrong and it's evil. If you're truly walking by faith, God's going to support you. (Luk.10:7) And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (Mat.10:10) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. God supports those who work for Him. Apostle Paul is our example. At the beginning of his ministry, he worked for a living. (1Co.9:11) If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? (12) If others partake of [this] right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. But later on (2 Corinthians 9; Philippians 2), it seems very clear that Paul was receiving freewill offerings from brethren so that he could continue on with his ministering and not be distracted by any work. It was that way for the first part of my ministry, too. I worked for many years while I ministered. I learned to walk by faith and, in that weakness, God was miraculous. Most people don't get to see the miracles of God because they are not willing to be weak. They're always strong and do for themselves; it's salvation by works. Remember that the Greek word for “salvation,” which is the noun soteria or the verb sozo, is translated in many different ways to cover every kind of salvation. For instance, when Jesus healed someone, (Mat.9:22) But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole (sozo). And the woman was made whole (sozo) from that hour. When He delivered people from demons, (Luk.8:36) And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole (sozo). When the disciples were in the sinking boat, (Mat.8:25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (sozo), Lord; we perish. Salvation is very, very big! Jesus saved us from sin and its curse. (2Co.5:21) Him who knew no sin he made [to be] sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Did you know, in the Scriptures, poverty is a curse? (Deu.28:47) Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; (48) therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies that Jehovah shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. Unless it is a sacrificial self-imposed poverty for the sake of others, it's a curse. How many of you know that Jesus wasn't poverty-stricken? He had His needs met everywhere He went. Now, He didn't have riches, according to the way the world likes riches. The world likes the material kind of riches in which they can trust. Jesus didn't have that, but His needs were met wherever He went, and so were His disciples. They weren't poor, but they were poor to the world. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? People who are poor to the world are in a position of weakness, where they have to trust in God. You have to come out from under the principles of the world and the teachings of the worldly, Babylonish Church. You learn to obey the principles that Jesus gave us in the New Testament. Make sure your brother's needs are met sacrificially out of what you have, and God will make sure you don't ever have a need that isn't met by God's faith in us. Paul said, (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He said that because his needs were being met by the brethren and He made that promise to the Philippians. Well, we lost a car, had been injured, and didn't have any money, but in our weakness, God was made strong. We didn't have to sell or borrow or beg or do anything of the sort; all we did was give. I want you to walk in the same blessings, and God will do that for you if you start living according to His principles. By the way, because the second part of the money that came in from the wreck was delayed and delayed, God made an opportunity for me to give away my first station wagon that I had when I was in Baton Rouge. I gave it away to a mission in town where I had preached quite a few times because they needed transportation for the people in the mission. God blessed me with that car, and I never had any problems with it that Father didn't fix. When we prayed for a car, my youngest daughter had a vision of that car being in New Orleans. She even saw the color of the car. Sure enough, I couldn't find anything in Baton Rouge that I liked, so I went to New Orleans, and I saw the car and bought it. That was the car I gave to the mission. And I'd never put any spares in that car because I was trusting God to keep my tires, but the day I put the keys in the preacher's hand in my living room and we walked outside, it was sitting on a flat. I never had a flat as long as I had that car because I never carried a spare, but as soon as it got out of my hand and into his, it had a flat. And since I mentioned New Orleans, think about what happened there, folks. God brought a Category 5 hurricane (Hurricane Katrina: August 29, 2005) to that big sin city and, just as it was about to hit land, He sent in a wave of dry air from the northwest that suddenly knocked that hurricane down to a Category 3. That same gust of dry air pushed the hurricane to the east. A Category 5 hurricane that was about to hit that area would have driven the waters of Lake Pontchartrain over into the city and drowned 40,000 to 50,000 people because the water would have come in there so fast. Think about man's efforts to save himself with the levees and those great big monster pumps that they have in that city. They thought they could keep that city dry. Had a Category 5 hit that city head-on, or even a Category 3, it would have pushed the water in there faster than the pumps could handle. Most of New Orleans is 20 feet below sea level and some of it is more than 20 feet below sea level. What chance did man have to save himself from just one of God's judgments? As it was, He didn't let the city escape, even after moving the hurricane over a little bit. The levees gave out when they became saturated and the city started filling up with water, but it was slow enough to give people a little time to move out of the way. It was astounding how the mercy of God saved those people. The meteorologists pointed out on radar how this gust of dry air came in and moved the hurricane; they were totally amazed by it. They had never seen anything like it. That was purely an act of God that spared them when they couldn't have saved themselves, even with all of their efforts. They knew if a major hurricane hit them, the city would drown. God didn't completely spare the city, but He spared an untold number of people, including many brethren. I'm sure some people in New Orleans with faith were praying until God, at the last moment, suddenly dropped the strength of that hurricane and moved it over. Hurricane Dennis did exactly the same thing as it was coming toward Pensacola. I was praying the whole time and I was asking, “Lord, do you want me to command that hurricane to back off and go the other way?” The Lord said, “No. Just wait,” so I didn't do anything. All of a sudden, when it hit the land, I felt in my heart that the Lord wanted me to command it to be broken up, and that's exactly when it started breaking up. The strength dropped down, and it veered a little bit to the right of Pensacola. I know that there were some people over there in New Orleans doing the exact same thing and God answered the exact same way. You see, God has it all planned out. He just uses His faith in us to bring it to pass. We can put our trust in the living God. Nothing that man can do will save you from the judgments that are coming. The wilderness is where you learn to walk by faith in the Lord. You learn to put your faith in Him and you give up your efforts and your power; you give up your ability to do anything. The promises of God are past tense. He became a curse for you, He bore your curse, and He healed your body. He already did all of this, and since all of these promises are past tense, what can you do to bring it to pass? Jesus taught us, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. If you believe you have received, there's nothing for you to do to bring them to pass. Believing the promises brings us into a position of weakness where we can't save ourselves. You've probably heard the old saying, “God helps those who help themselves.” Well, that's a lie. The Bible says just the opposite: (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. The power of God is made perfect in weakness; that's what He told Paul: (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul couldn't save himself in those situations that he got into, but he said, (2Ti.4:18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. In his weakness, and faith, God's power was made perfect. Keep the Sabbath, and don't bring a burden into God's Holy City on this Sabbath. Cease from your own works or, in other words, cease from the works of man. As God told Moses and the children of Israel, (Exo.14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you to-day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. (14) The Lord will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. He said, “Stand still.” They were trying to figure out what to do. Here was Pharaoh's army coming up behind them and they would have never thought about parting the Red Sea. (Exo.14:15) And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. (16) And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. You see, God has ways far beyond our ways. (Isa.55:8) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. That's why He had to tell them, “stand still.” It's the same for us. Sometimes we're just so busy running around, trying to figure out a way out of this or a way out of that. We've been trained from our youth to solve our problems for ourselves, when God just wants us to be believers in His promises. Get your Bible and diligently read it. Underline those promises and start acting on them. (Jas.2:17) Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself. Faith without works is dead. Remember that Jesus told us, (Mar.11:24) … All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. How would you act if you believed you had received what you prayed for? You would stop trying to bring it to pass for yourself. You would cease from your own labors and, if you cease from your own labors on His Sabbath, you will find God's power is made perfect. Glory be to God! Now, I want to remind you that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart over and over before the Israelites were set free from Egypt to go into their wilderness. (Exo.7:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (2) Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. (3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. (4) But Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. (5) And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. Why did He do that? Why did the Lord harden Pharaoh's heart? (Exo.10:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, (2) and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am the Lord. The Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart because He wanted to judge Egypt and He wanted to prove His great power to deliver the Israelites. By the time the Israelites left Egypt, the land had been devastated, and the economy was in ruins. (Exo.10:7) And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? You know, He's going to do that again in our day! (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. History is going to repeat. Judgments are coming upon the United States, but God is merciful, and He sends warnings to us so His people will pray. I'm totally convinced that the prayers of the saints have delayed a time of judgment. We have been receiving many revelations of judgments, some of them with actual dates that have since come and gone, and the Lord showed me that these were true revelations, yet they didn't come to pass. You see, the Lord gives you a warning of things to come for the purpose of having you seek Him for grace. (Jas.4:2) … ye have not, because ye ask not. God's people don't pray and they don't seek Him for His grace and mercy! It takes a threat for His people to seek Him for grace and mercy. When God wants to give us grace and mercy, He almost has to tell us what's going to happen if we don't seek Him. I know what the Lord did with those revelations that never came to pass: He put those warnings out there so His people would seek Him for grace and He gave it. By the way, if you don't believe God dates prophecies, you haven't read very much of the Bible because there are many of them in there (Daniel 7; 9; Jonah 3; Revelation 12; etc.) The brethren who share these warnings sometimes wonder if God just forgot about them or if He left them, or if they were deceived. The same thing happened with Jonah. (Jon.4:1) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. Jonah had prophesied Nineveh would be overthrown in 40 days, and yet, God had mercy when the people cried out to Him. God had mercy, and Jonah was angry because now he was going to look like a false prophet. (2) And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (3) Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. Jonah didn't want to face the world. He felt as if the Lord had let him down. He had prophesied their destruction, but he also knew that God was merciful and would repent of the prophesied evil. However, God reminded Jonah there was something a lot more important than his pride. (Jon.4:11) And should not I have regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle? Can you imagine, He was even having mercy on the cattle! God was showing it wasn't important that Jonah might look like a false prophet, but it was important that God was going to have mercy on these people. That's the thing we have to keep in mind. Remember, we've been put here to be of no reputation anyway, according to the Scriptures. (Php.2:5) Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (6) who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, (7) but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; (8) and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. We're supposed to have the same mind as Christ. We're here to lose our reputation in the eyes of the world. The wilderness is a place of hopelessness for the flesh because the flesh really can't help God. Just like the wilderness was a place of weakness for Israel, a place where the world couldn't supply the needs of God's people, so it is, and will be, for us in our day. What the Church has been teaching for so long is, “God helps those who help themselves.” That's their doctrine. Well, God doesn't like that and it's a stench in His nostrils. The Bible says (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. We are saved by His works, His efforts, and His wisdom. The Lord has already accomplished everything for us at the cross. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He supplied our needs at the cross, so God doesn't appreciate that the Church is preaching salvation by works. He said, (2Co.12:9) … My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.... I'd like to share with you the difference between assurance and insurance because this is part of my wilderness. Many people have their trust in the “idol” of insurance. They think they've insulated themselves from anything bad that could come from this world, but it's going to fail. Every idol that you stand up to the Lord will fall over and be crushed like Dagon. (1Sa.5:3) And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. (4) And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. God is going to judge all the idols of Egypt; they will all fail. Even insurance companies are not going to be able to save America. As a matter of fact, insurance companies have been leaving several states, including Florida, where judgments such as hurricanes are becoming more and more frequent. They've been leaving those states to avoid going bankrupt. And they get permission to not pay up if doing so would harm them. But God's going to continue hitting big sin cities all around the United States with one form of judgment or another, and there aren't enough insurance companies in the world to save America. If you're interested in my wilderness experiences and teachings from the Bible, I ask that you get our free e-book, Sovereign God For Us And Through Us, on our website: ubm1.org. He is sovereign for us and He wants to be sovereign through us. He wants to administer His authority in this earth through His people. I want to share some excerpts with you here from Chapter 18. It's titled “Assurance Versus Insurance,” and I hope it will give you a desire to read the rest of the book. We receive testimonies every day of people who are being empowered by God and helped and delivered by this book. (The excerpts are italicized, and my commentary is in parentheses.) (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge!.... This confession of faith and the deliverance that comes of it are merely acting on what the Word says. I received a revelation years ago in Louisiana, before it was a law to have any form of auto insurance. Even now there are are laws to have the minimum PIP/PD but that covers the other guy, not you. So I have had this to obey the law and have been rewarded greatly because the other guy was a fault and paid me. The Lord began spiritually to reason with me. It occurred to me that God is sovereign over what we call “accidents.” (We're always insulating ourselves with insurance, but there is really no such thing as an accident, is there?) (Joh.3:27) A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven. That doesn't sound like there are accidents (It sounds like there is a sovereign God!); therefore, an accident could not come without God sending it. Since He said that if we prayed believing we would receive, then I could ask Him to keep my vehicles, or let the other guy be at fault and pay me, which has profited me greatly. Why would I need insurance if I believed the assurance just given in His promises? (Psa.91:9) For thou, O Lord, art my refuge! (Notice the good confession and its resulting benefit. (Jas.2:26) For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. Faith without works is dead, but the good confession brings a benefit.) Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; (10) There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (I know a lot of people don't believe or teach this nowadays, but it's the Word of the Lord. Who are we to say otherwise!) (11) For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. (12) They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Or, in other words, “lest you have an accident.”) Notice that when we abide in Christ by faith (and hold fast this good confession; that's the promise of God), angels keep us from what men call “accidents.” An exception to this can be an experience like Job's to show hidden faults (Job.32:1-2). As in his case, God strictly controls the chastening and later restores what is taken. God restored to Job twice as much as he had and without insurance. God desires to be our security. We don't need security in the world; we need our God to be our security. (Psa.119:122) Be surety (Hebrew: “to give or be security”) for thy servant for good.... (Heb.7:22) By so much also hath Jesus become the surety of a better covenant. God and His promises are the believers' assurance of provision and protection. After seeing what the Lord was saying to me, I dropped my auto insurance back before it was required. Then I called my life insurance man and he came over. I told him that I would not need insurance anymore because God would be my assurance. He was a good Lutheran man who sincerely tried to reason with this fanatic, but to no avail. The week after I did this, I drove to a Stop-N-Go mart and went in to get some food. While I was walking down an aisle, I heard a crash that shook the store windows. I looked up over the isle to see that my car had been in a wreck without me! I went out and found a heavy old Buick's front end wrapped around the back corner of my Datsun station wagon. The driver backed the car up a foot or so, and we both stood there speechless. We just couldn't really understand how this could happen. The hood, grill and bumper of his all steel car were notched back about six inches, as if it had hit a big oak tree. Here is the good part. Datsun station wagons were tin boxes and could be dented with an elbow. This tank hit my car on the left rear wrap-around, plastic tail lens! I reached out and with my thumbnail, scraped a piece of paint from his hood off the plastic tail lens, and we stood there for a moment looking at this miracle. There was not a scratch, dent or crack on my car anywhere. Awesome God! He made my wimpy car, which should have been totaled, invincible to this old tank of a car. The assurance of God saved me from any need of insurance. The man said, “I think my brakes went out,” and then he mumbled, “They sure make ‘em better than they used to.” As I was thinking about how ludicrous that statement was (and I knew he didn't believe it anyway), he got in his car and left. Suddenly, it hit me that I missed the best chance in the entire world to witness to someone. I jumped into my car and caught him at the next red light (where his brakes, obviously, had stopped him). I grabbed some tracts out of the glove box and hurried to his door. I said, “Sir, that was a miracle.” He said, “It had to be.” I said, “I didn't have any insurance on my car and I was trusting God to keep it and He did.” The light turned green and we parted company. Since then, I have never had any insurance that covers our family, vehicles or home, other than what the law demands. We now have to have liability, which covers the other guy but not you. However, when the Lord tells you that you do not need insurance He means it. That first wreck, or lack thereof, was an awesome testimony, but we did not plunder Egypt, as we did with later wrecks. Since then, God has not always protected our vehicles or bodies, but in every case, it was to our advantage, for He healed our bodies once and greatly blessed us financially. (When you trust in the Lord, He's working all things for your good, as Romans 8:28 says.) During this time, though we sued no one, the other guy's insurance blessed us with money for the following: to repair a motorcycle with money leftover in my pocket for a new one; to repair a Toyota pickup that needed painting anyway, and I ended up after fixing the pickup, painting it with a beautiful paint job with $1,500 left in my pocket; to buy two cars, one new; to buy our home; to enable us to buy and give cars to others; to enable us to give our home away; and to buy a travel trailer for a homeless woman and her son. Besides all that and more, we have not spent God's money on many years' worth of insurance. (If you obey God, you can't lose! If you obey God and walk by faith in Him and let His assurance be your insurance and not the world, then you'll see the miracles of God.) Now, I can hear someone say, “But David, what if ... ?” What if what? What if God Almighty fell off His throne? (God made these promises; we're just depending upon Him.) (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. (The devil tells you that you will be put to shame, but that's a lie.) (Jer.17:7) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is. By the grace of God, it has been many years since we have had a wreck. Praise God! (So God can keep you from wrecks, but when you do get into them, He can make them bless you.) One day, in that same Datsun station wagon, I was driving along rather frustrated because I had had three flats on relatively new tires. Most people would be complaining to the manufacturer, but I believed that God was in control, so I was complaining to the Lord. A little frustrated, I said, “Lord, can't You keep my tires?” He said to me very clearly, “Don't you believe that I can keep your tires?” I replied in my ignorance, “Yes, I believe You can keep them.” He replied, “Then why do you keep putting that spare back there?” To be honest, I put the spare in the trunk because it was traditional and I had not questioned it, but also, the underlying reason was in case God didn't keep my tires. (I'm not trying to make a new doctrine on spares, just share a lesson God gave to me.) Fear and unbelief cause us to try to insulate ourselves from any possibility of lack, loss or threat. Since we are trusting in insurance besides the Lord, we usually end up needing it. (That's what people don't understand. If you trust in something besides the Lord, you end up having to use it. Of course, some people say, “Aha! You see, I needed it!” But they have it all backwards. When you trust in any idol and not in the Lord, you're going to need it.) Jesus sent out His disciples in a way that would make them dependent on living by faith. He sent them without their own provision so that in their weakness His power would be proven. (Mat.10:9) Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; (10) no wallet for [your] journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. Later, Jesus wanted to see what they learned from this experience of depending upon God's supply. (Luk.22:35) And he said unto them, When I sent you forth without purse, and wallet, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing. (For those of you who believe that only applied to the disciples, remember Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples and teach them to observe everything that He commanded the first disciples to observe (Matthew 28:20). In other words, what He spoke to them, He spoke to us, but man came in there with religion and thwarted the whole mission that God sent us on.) In the wilderness of man's supply, God's provision was evident. (When Jesus sent out the disciples without their own supply, He basically made a wilderness wherever these men went because they didn't bring enough with them out of “Egypt” to supply their needs.) God starts His works when we finish ours. His power is made perfect in our weakness. That was my experience with those tires. I threw out my spare and I never had another flat on that car, and the neighbors who used to borrow it quit! (I would tell them, “Look, if you're going to drive this car, you have to drive it by faith because I don't have a spare back there.” Well, they quit borrowing my car, which I guess was another benefit.) The moral of that story is, if you prepare for a rainy day, it will come. With the next car, I had the same experience: no flats. When I decided after many years to give it to a mission, I put the keys and title into the hand of the pastor in my living room. We walked outside and the car was on a flat. (I was the one walking by faith and now that it was his car, now that the key was in his hand, it was sitting on a flat! Well, inside I just chuckled. I understood exactly what He was saying to me.) God made His point. As long as I owned the car, putting my trust in Him, there was never a flat. In other words, trusting in God takes away the need for insurance. (And, again, I'm not making any laws about this; I'm not condemning anybody for having spares. God was teaching me, and He'll teach you. He may use other methods, but He wants to teach you to walk in this wilderness, to walk in a lack of man's provision, but in your weakness, God will be made strong.) Men serve insurance companies, H.M.O.s, banks and store up their treasures on earth for the security they think it gives them. (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. Y2K revealed the paranoia and lack of trust in those who stored up their treasures on earth, contrary to the Lord's command. (It's fear that causes people to do such things, but God's power is made perfect in our weakness.) Quite a few I showed these principles to went home to give their store away and found it full of bugs, just as Jesus said, “thieves break through and steal.” Jesus told of a man who found peace in the insurance of storing up his goods in greater barns (Luke 12:18). He said to himself, (Luk.12:19) ...Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (That's the thinking of man: “I have all I need; this will keep me for a long time.”) His misplaced trust brought judgment. (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required (Greek: “they require thy soul”) of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Now, to be “rich toward God” is to be “rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom.” (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? Why did He choose the “poor as to the world”? He chose them because they have to trust in God, they have to put their faith in God. That's what God did with the Israelites when He brought them into the wilderness. He made them poor to the world, and He expected them to put their faith in Him.) Notice that it was his stored-up treasures that required his soul. Jesus promised the unfailing Kingdom provisions to those who would store up their treasures in Heaven by giving. (32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (not storing up), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. As long as we are on this earth, we can draw on our Heavenly bank account if we have deposited by giving to the needs of others. “Give, and it shall be given unto you.” If we have stored up on earth instead, the promise is that it will be stolen by thieves of one kind or another. Our heart will be on our treasures, falsely thinking them to be our security. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (And God cannot lie!) (I'm told that Psalm 118:8 is the center verse in the Bible and I'm sure that it is at least central to God's heart.) (Psa.118:8) It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Our trust in man is what brings the curse to pass. (Jer.17:5) Thus saith the Lord: Cursed is the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. (People are trusting in their insurance of many different kinds; they're trusting in their insurance companies, but they are all going to fail. Everything but God is going to fail in the days ahead!) As we can see, the insurances themselves bring the curse that they are thought to relieve. (The man who stored up “much goods” found that they brought the curse upon him. God is not offended with the world doing it; He's offended with His people doing these things.) God is offended with those who call themselves believers, yet trust in man's strength and insurances. This is a heart that departs from the Lord. In 2 Chronicles 16:1-6, Asa, king of Judah, put his trust in the worldly king of Syria for insurance against his enemies. This offended God, Who sent judgment. (2Ch.16:7) And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and hast not relied on the Lord thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand. (8) Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubim a huge host, with chariots and horsemen exceeding many? yet, because thou didst rely on the Lord, he delivered them into thy hand. (9) For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly; for from henceforth thou shalt have wars. God is eager to show signs and wonders to those who trust in Him with a perfect heart. (Obviously, a “perfect heart” is not one that trusts in the world.) You would think that Asa would have learned this lesson, but his trust in man cost him his life, as it does for so many. (12) And in the thirty and ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet; his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians (13) And Asa slept with his fathers.... Christians justify their misplaced trust in man's insurances, not realizing that this brings the judgment in the first place. Let me share this experience with you. M.J. and I were about to go to work on a large crude oil pump for Exxon. The process department had blocked it out of line and drained it, or so we thought. What we did not know was that the pressure gauge read “0” because it was broken and the drain valve, though open, was stopped up, so there was a little pressure still in the pump. We took the bolts out of the head plate to remove it, but it was stuck. I stood up and took about four steps away to get something to break it loose when I heard a “pop” sound and turned around to see M.J. drenched with black crude from head to foot. As he opened his eyes, he sarcastically looked at me and said, “David, you did this to me.” Well, I could not contain myself and busted out laughing. The thought of me stepping away in the nick of time so that M.J. could get plastered was too much for me. Attempting to sound serious, he said, “Dave, you're never going to do this to me again.” I said, “M.J., you had better watch those self-confident statements. You know God is listening.” Then, he repeated his statement and said, “Bring me up to the shower house. I have a spare set of clothes up there.” I said, “Oh, now I know why you got it instead of me.” He asked, “Why?” I said, “Because I don't have a spare set of clothes and God knew it.” He looked at me kind of inquisitively. I explained that planning for a catastrophe is the same as having faith for it. It also proves that you do not believe that God will protect or provide. Later that day, we were working on another pump. M.J. was next to me as we used an impact gun to take off some bolts. Suddenly, slurry squirted down one of the open bolt holes and hit M.J. in the middle of his chest, leaving me untouched. (Slurry is a crude that will stain anything; you cannot get it out. If it gets on your clothes, you can just forget it because that's the color they are now. In fact, it's that way on skin; it's just terribly staining. So this slurry squirted down the bolt hole, down the side of the thread and hit him right in the chest.) He looked at me in disbelief. I playfully said, “M.J., I told you God doesn't like those self-confident statements,” but we both knew that God was speaking in this. We could not remember when this had happened to us before, much less twice in one day. (Truly, in the wilderness that's coming, we can put our trust only in the living God; nothing else is going to save us.) Now, back to that old Datsun station wagon; I want you to know the Lord used that vehicle to teach me many other lessons. When I was about to buy a new car, I really kind of favored the Toyota because I felt it was the better car, but I always left things up to the Lord. I asked, “Lord, which one do you want me to buy, the Toyota or the Datsun?” And I was surprised when the Lord said, “I want you to get the Datsun station wagon.” Now, a person would think that when the Lord tells you to do something, everything would be just fine since, obviously, the Lord is looking out for your good. Well, He was looking out for my good, but not in the way you would think sometimes. I told you the tire story, but other things went wrong with that car. Sometimes God wants you to have victory in trials. It wasn't all that long after I bought the car that the carburetor started acting erratically. And since I was a pretty good machinist and a pretty good mechanic, I knew the carburetor was plugged. I also knew that I didn't feel like tearing down the carburetor because the most precious thing in my life is my time. I used every spare moment I had to read the Bible, to study the Word. I was literally drawn, hungering and thirsting for the Word. Anyway, I just commanded that thing to be healed and kept on driving the Datsun. It went on like that, acting kind of erratically for a couple of weeks, but I just kept on holding fast to my confession. (Heb.10:23) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised. The Lord will try you; just because you don't get the answer right away doesn't mean He hasn't heard you. After I held on like this for a couple of weeks, suddenly it started getting better and better until the problem was gone. In a few more weeks, I was faced with a different problem. The transmission started slipping and I thought it was just crazy for a relatively new car to be doing things like this, but I did all the normal things that a mechanic would do, like checking the fluid, for example, to make sure it was at the right level. And again, I knew that I didn't want to mess with that transmission by working on it myself, and I didn't want to take it to a shop. My time was valuable to me. In the wilderness, it will be a different story. You may not be able to find somebody to work on it, or you may not have the money to work on it, or the parts may not be available, etc. Even though in those days I had plenty of money, I just wouldn't spend it. I considered that what I made belonged to the Kingdom, and I wanted to use it to meet the Kingdom's needs, not spend it on vehicles and things like that. So instead, I just commanded that transmission to “Be healed in the name of Jesus,” but it still went on slipping for a while. Of course, your mind is telling you, “Hey, if you keep letting it slip like that, you're going to have to replace the clutch,” and all the other things that normally go bad when it starts slipping. I just ignored it and kept on going, and as I held fast my confession, my transmission gradually got better and better, until I never had any more problems with it. So, the Lord had me by that car so He could try me and show me He could fix anything. Some of the times when the Lord was teaching me these lessons, I got in the flesh to do things myself, and nothing worked out right. For instance, I told you how, when the insurance money came in, I bought a new Chevrolet station wagon. Well, I'd watched a lot of advertisements for a product called “Slick 50” that showed how you could put it in an engine, run it in there a while, and afterward actually dump out the oil and the engine would still run. I was impressed with that. I thought, “Wow! That will keep my engine. It will make it last a long, long time.” But, folks, I already had a God Who would keep my engine and make it last a long, long time. He's a jealous God. He really wanted me to put my trust in Him. Do you know what I did? I put that Slick 50 in there, even though they said not to use it unless you have 40,000 or 50,000 miles on the car. Well, I stuck it in there a little early and they warn you that you can break some rings doing that. At the time, I still lived in Florida, and I had to go on a teaching tour in Texas. So all of my family and I got in the car and we took off, and before I got very far down the road, the car started pouring smoke out of the tailpipe. I looked in the rear-view mirror, and it was just solid smoke back there. I said, “What in the world has happened to my new car?” I checked the PCV and things like that but couldn't find anything wrong. The only thing I determined was that I must have broken rings, as they said I might do if I put Slick 50 in an engine that didn't have extra clearance in it. I would go a few miles down the road and pour a quart of oil in it, go a few miles and pour another quart in it, so I decided I was going to pray over the engine. I said, “Lord, forgive me for getting in the flesh, and I'm going to trust You to keep this engine.” So I prayed over the engine and I commanded it to be healed in the name of Jesus. I don't know where I got into the terminology of calling it “healed.” I've prayed over vehicles, refrigerators, washing machines, and things like that, and I would always just call it “healing.” Anyway, I prayed over that engine and commanded it to “be healed in the name of Jesus,” because it's not the terminology that you use. Your theology might be a little bit wrong, but the Lord knows what you're meaning. Well, I got back into the car and we went on our way. We got a lot farther down the road, and I think I had to put one more quart in that car on the whole trip to Texas and back. God repaired those broken rings and we had no more problem with that. I didn't have much trouble with that car for many, many years, but I had the water pump stop working on it once when my wife and I were out driving. She cranked the car, and water started just pouring out on the ground. I asked her to get out of the car and come lay hands on the hood with me, which we did. We laid hands on the hood and commanded that water pump to “stop leaking in the name of Jesus.” And that water pump seal immediately sealed back up and we drove off. I've had many miracles like that, but most people never think about doing that. The first thing that comes to their mind is, “Well, I have a warranty on this car; or “I have enough money to hire a mechanic to fix it.” I wanted to stay in the wilderness because I wanted to learn those lessons that, one day, everybody is going to have to learn, so I took every opportunity to stay in the wilderness The Israelites wanted to run back to Egypt whenever they came into a place where God would try them, but God put it in my heart to want to stay out there. I wanted to learn; I wanted to see God do these miracles. Besides that, God told me, “I'm bringing you through a wilderness, so you can tell My people that I still supply there.” I treasured these experiences. Some people would call them terrible tribulation, but I treasured them and I enjoyed seeing God do these things. Let me tell you about my washing machine. One time, after we had moved to Florida, the washing machine started leaking. Mary came and told me, “The seal in the washer has gone out; the pump is leaking onto the ground.” I thought, “I'm going to go pray for it.” So I went and prayed for it and commanded it to be healed, then I sopped up the water and told her to go ahead and use it. Well, she did the rest of the laundry, and the machine didn't leak any more water. Then, just a few weeks later, she said, “That machine is leaking again,” so I went back in there and did the same thing. It went for a few more weeks, and for a third time she said to me, “David, that washer is leaking again.” I said, “No, it's not. It's not leaking; that thing is healed. It's okay, it's fine, just wash and don't worry about it.” You see, I didn't want to go back on what I had spoken. I wanted to keep my trust in the Lord and, sure enough, it sealed up. I told my wife, “If you see it leak, don't confess it, just thank God that it's not leaking and it's fixed.” And, you know, I kept that washing machine until somebody gave me another one that was a lot newer. I remember another time, back when we were in Louisiana, when my two young sons were playing in the living room and I was sitting there studying. My wife came in and she said, “That washing machine won't run. It won't even come on.” I said, “Well, Corban and Nathan, you two go back there and lay hands on that washing machine and just command it to run in the name of Jesus and it will run.” So they did that; they went back there and they laid hands on that thing and they commanded it to run and it took off. I taught all my children to lay hands on this and that, and they got to see the power of God in their simple, childlike faith. Children will always have awesome faith if you teach them about God and you show them the truths in the Bible. We had this lawnmower, and we pulled it out after the winter so we could cut the grass in the early spring. I pulled and pulled and pulled on this lawnmower, but it wouldn't start. My boys were really young at the time, and they were just standing around, looking at me. Well, I pulled the spark plug wire off, put it alongside the block, and pulled it. There was no spark. Now, by this time, I was sweating, tired and I wanted to get it over with. I called my boys to me and said to them, “Let's pray for this thing. Let's command it to run in the name of Jesus. I don't care if it has a spark or not; I just want it to run.” So my boys came over and we all laid hands on the lawnmower, and I commanded it to run in the name of Jesus. Then I cranked it up and mowed the lawn. I don't know if it ever had a spark or not. That didn't make any difference; it just had to run. (Mat.21:21) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done. (22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. The Lord told us, if you speak to a mountain and don't doubt, that what we say will come to pass, and I tell you, teach your children. They have more faith than you. When you tell a child something, the child just believes you, and that's the way we ought to be with God. (Mat.18:2) And he called to him a little child, and set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. We need to become like a child and, with childlike faith, just believe in our God, just believe that He will do it.

INTRO (00:23): Kathleen opens the show drinking an ArrowRed Lager from KC Bier Company. She reviews her Labor Day at Lake of the Ozarks, and the results of her family Fantasy Football drafts.    TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.”   COURT NEWS (15:57): Kathleen shares news announcing that Taylor Swift is engaged, and Chappell Roan is headlining Lollapalooza 2026.    TASTING MENU (1:59): Kathleen samples Lay's Cheesy Buffalo Dip Kettle Chips, Planters Buffalo Ranch Nut Duos, and Buffalo Wild Wings Spicy Beer Cheese Party Dip.    UPDATES (26:05): Kathleen shares updates on Britney Spears' latest manic episode, Cracker Barrel does another branding U-turn, a Russian man dies at Burning Man, and Bill Belichick's girlfriend files for “Gold Digger” trademark.   HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (47:20): Kathleen reveals that a rare jaguar has been spotted on a trail cam in Brazil.   FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (56:28): Kathleen shares articles on $100 caviar chicken nuggets being served at the US Open, more than 200 stolen paintings are recovered from a Nazi descendant's home in Argentina, Giorgio Armani has passed away at age 91, Vogue has a new US Editor, Vegas brings back $3 beers, Canada's 600-lb pigs are invading the US, and the world's largest cruise ship sets sail from Florida.     SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:26:01): Kathleen reads about St. Carlos Acutis, the Millennial Saint of the Internet.    WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (18:55): Kathleen recommends watching “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” on Netflix.   FEEL GOOD STORY (1:20:40): Kathleen reads highlights of a baboon named Jack who handled railway signals in South Africa. 

Esteemed Colleague David reached out with a question about donation requests at their place of employment.  How does your company engage in philanthropy?  xo Jess Join me live every week for the Monday Club inside the Leader Assistant community on Circle! Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214 Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.   #askjess #askanassistant #donations #corporategiving #philanthropy

Lay statements are letters from veterans, their families, or fellow service members that explain what they have seen about a veteran's health or daily struggles. These statements, also known as lay evidence, buddy letters, or statements of support of claim, are important. In this episode, we discuss and offer tips on how to effectively utilize lay evidence and buddy statements. Tune in to learn more!For more information, visit our website at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ cck-law.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on social media: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/CCKYTL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/CCKFBL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/CCKINL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/CCKTL

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (2) (audio) David Eells – 9/7/25 We need to understand that the natural has to bow to the spiritual; it's not the natural that runs this world. Presidents think they run this world, but the truth is God runs this world. This world bows to Him. And nothing can stop a person who believes in the living God and believes in His promises! We have an Almighty God Who loves us. He's made these promises and He's not a liar (Num.23:19). He will take care of us. He will provide for our needs. I know there is a big emphasis on getting prepared because many people realize that we are headed for trouble and lack, including some of the churches out there. Those churches are preparing their people, but they're doing it mostly in the natural, in the flesh. And, of course, those churches that teach and believe that they're going to fly away are not getting prepared for anything, but they're going to have a sudden shock. The Church is going through the wilderness, just like the Israelites did in type and shadow. (Ecc.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. There is nothing in the Bible about the Church escaping that wilderness. The best thing you can do is to be like Moses and like Jesus, and go through it first. Then, when you get out there with the Israelites, it won't be a problem. You've already been there, and you'll be calm and peaceful, since you know that God is faithful. Most of the church leaders are men who have never been through the wilderness, and they are teaching a lot of fear because they are fearful themselves. Those men whom God chose to bring His people through the wilderness had already been there themselves. Like Jesus, like Moses, they weren't afraid of anything. The church leaders in our day are like the Pharisees and the Sadducees, who have never been in the wilderness and don't know how to go there. They are teaching people to store up their treasures on the earth. What did Jesus say about storing up treasures on the earth? (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal: (20) but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: (21) for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. Jesus said, “Don't do it!” So, who are you going to obey? What happens if you don't store up provision for yourself and you go into a wilderness? I'll tell you what happens: you are suddenly being thrust into a place of weakness because of your obedience to the Word! Now you won't be able to save yourself, but God will never ever fail you. If you put your faith in Him, your weakness is a place of power to God. (2Co.12:9) … For my power is made perfect in weakness.... You see, “Man's extremity is God's opportunity” (English Clergyman John Flavel, 1627-1691). God waits until you give up trying to save yourself before His power is made manifest. Israel always seemed to be in the minority when they won a war, and if they weren't, God would make sure they were in the minority, as with Gideon's army. (Jdg.7:2) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (3) Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. I.e., Get the unbelief out of the way. (4) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. (5) So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. (6) And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. (7) And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand ... Its not numbers but faith that is needed. (16) And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers ... (19) So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. (20) And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. (21) And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight.  Now that's the weakness and faith needed. (22) And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. God said, “You have too many men. You'll brag on what you've done.” He whittled them down to 300 and sent them out with trumpets, not swords. Trumpets! The Hebrew word for “breath” is ruwach, and it is also translated “spirit,” so a trumpet represents making the Spirit's Word audible. Well, they blew those trumpets and the enemy stumbled all over each other and killed one another. Gideon probably didn't even need 300 men. God's awesome! He wants to prove to us His mighty power in our weakness, and that's why He says, “Don't store up your treasures on earth. You just go out there and I'll take care of you.” When the Israelites went into the wilderness, they took everything they could with them, including the gold and silver and precious jewels that they plundered from the Egyptians (Exo.12:31-39), but then they made a golden calf out of it, an idol (Exo.32:1-5). They thought it would save them. That's what a lot of apostates are teaching today. Do you think your gold and silver will save you in the days to come? No, the Israelites started running out of their own supply in only three days (Exo.15:22). Their golden calf was just an idol, which God proved wasn't going to save them. (Exo.32:19) And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. (20) And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. You ask me, “David, if we don't store up our treasures on earth, how do we store them up in Heaven?” Well, the Bible is very plain about that: (Luk.12:15) And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness (or “desiring more”): for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. (16) And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: (17) and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have not where to bestow my fruits? He meant upon himself. (18) And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods. (19) And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. In other words, if you have all of this supply, you are trusting in it; you are resting in it. You have peace because of what you've stored up, instead of trusting in God. God doesn't want that. He doesn't want idols. (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Now I've had some people say, “Well, David, storing up food is not treasure.” I beg your pardon? In verse 18, it reads, “and there will I bestow all my grain and my goods.” God called food “treasure.” What God wants of us is our weakness and faith. He's going to bring us to a place where there will be no visible, worldly means of support, but He's Almighty God, and believers will have no difficulty whatsoever in the place where He is bringing them. He's doing this to prove to them how great He is and how great His provision is. (22) And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for [your] life, what ye shall eat; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. We are to be anxious for nothing. Paul said, (Php.4:6) In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Don't worry about what you are going to need in the wilderness, because God is going to be there when you get there. (Luk.12:23) For the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. (24) Consider the ravens, that they sow not, neither reap (In a wilderness, you may not even have anything to sow or you may have 3 mites; if so sow it.); which have no store-chamber nor barn; and God feedeth them: of how much more value are ye than the birds! Listen, if God feeds the birds and they don't store up, won't He do it for you? Yes, He will. (25) And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit unto the measure of his life? (26) If then ye are not able to do even that which is least, why are ye anxious concerning the rest? Isn't that awesome? We really can't save ourselves and He's trying to convince us of that. He's trying to convince us to put our trust in God Almighty. (27) Consider the lilies, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. The Israelites were well-dressed in their wilderness (Deu.8:4; 29:5; Neh.9:21). (28) But if God doth so clothe the grass in the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much more [shall he clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Yes, He will take care of you. He will feed you. He will clothe you. (29) And seek not ye what ye shall eat, and what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. An unbeliever, a doubter, is somebody who's worried about these things. (30) For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: but your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. That's all you need. God knows about it, and He will take care of you. (31) Yet seek ye his kingdom, and these things shall be added unto you. He's telling us to seek first His Kingdom. (Mat.6:33) But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. If you do that, then everything you need will be given to you. That is the truth and I have proven it! Many years ago, I had a ministry and I worked. I told the Lord, “Lord, I don't have time to work anymore. I'm asking You to make a way.” He did and He's provided ever since. (Luk.12:32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms.... He didn't say to store it up for a rainy day. I learned that if you store up something for a rainy day, the rainy day always comes. But if you don't have it stored up, that rainy day never comes, or if it does, God has to do a miracle because He is contracted with you to be your supplier in all things. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He's your Jehovah-jireh, your provider. So it really doesn't make any difference whether a rainy day comes or not. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.... If you have anything extra, do what they did on the day of Pentecost and shortly thereafter: (Act.4:34) For neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, (35) and laid them at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need. (2Co.8:13) For I say not this that others may be eased and ye distressed; (14) but by equality: your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want; that there may be equality. Anything extra was used to meet the needs of the rest of the body so that there would be equality. That's what He preached in the New Testament. He said it was like the Israelites who gathered the manna. (15) As it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack. Some gathered more than they needed, some gathered less, and whoever had extra met the needs of those who didn't. It was equality. God loves that! (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (Meaning you're not storing it up or keeping it for a long time.), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. Give alms. Meet the needs of people around you. That's what He calls “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” Any treasure you store up on earth is going to fail. The world is going to plunder you, and if not the world, the devil will plunder you by the curse, but you're going to be plundered. Let me tell you how not to get plundered: Give! Meet the needs of the brethren around you. Give and then it will be coming the other way because (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. That's how it works. You can make a living by giving. It works. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Some people tell me, “It's okay to have it. Just don't set your heart on it.” That's not what Jesus said. He said, if you have it, your heart will be on it. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If you store up on this earth, you are disobeying Jesus. It's only good for spending, and then you learn to walk by faith. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? God chose those who are the poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. A person who is rich in faith will never go without. God always provides for them. How do you store up your treasures in Heaven? You do that by giving alms, by making yourselves purses that wax not old, by meeting the needs of the brethren. You give and it will be given unto you. When you get out in that wilderness, don't you want to have something stored up in the Bank of Heaven? He said, “A treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” If you pack food out there into that wilderness, it will fail you. If you pack gold out into that wilderness, the world will plunder you. But if you store it up by giving, God said He will give unto you. The way of God is to give what you have, and then God will multiply it back. It's happened to me many, many times that when I did not have enough money to take care of my needs, I would just take what I had and give it. And God has never failed me, not once. I walked by faith and raised five children, and God always met our needs. Now, one time we were forced into a fast as a trial of our faith, and that's the only time we were ever put in that position, but we got in a position many times where God literally multiplied food, multiplied money, and even multiplied gas in our tank. We got to see wondrous miracles from God, and we're still seeing them today! Now I'm not asking for anything; I'm just sharing with you how to get prepared for what's coming. And we give: nobody charges anybody for anything from our ministry. The volunteers who supply the materials on our site are people of faith. They supply those materials as their ministry, and other people bless those volunteers because the volunteers are giving. God sees to it that His Word is fulfilled. (Jer.1:12) Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. He stands behind His Word, and He will never fail you. He cannot fail. One thing I've learned about God is that He can do everything but fail. He will supply your every need according to His riches in glory. Don't fear the wilderness. God designed and ordained this wilderness. He's even ordained the Beast that's going to cause this wilderness. He's ordained Pharaoh's army to get behind God's people and force them out there into that wilderness. God is not going to fail you. Learn to walk by faith because the wilderness will be nothing for the people who walk by faith. In fact it can be joyful. But for those who are fearful and murmur and complain and walk by sight, they are not going to make it through (Num.11:1; 1Co.10:10, etc.). God is doing all this because He's raising up believers. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him. Listen, we are children of the last Adam, Jesus Christ. We are a new-creation man, meant to live above this world, meant to walk in His ways and His steps, and that includes going into the “wilderness” as He did. (Mat.4:1) Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2) And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered. (3) And the tempter came and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5) Then the devil taketh him into the holy city; and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple, (6) and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. (7) Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God. (8) Again, the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9) and he said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (11) Then the devil leaveth him; and behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Jesus went through a 40-day wilderness trial before He overcame and then He brought God's people in His day through their wilderness. In our day, those who are in the First-fruits corporate body each go through their individual wilderness first. There, they learn to walk in the principles of the Kingdom, which is the purpose of the wilderness. Moses was a First-fruits. He went through a 40-year wilderness before he overcame (Act.7:30-34) and then he went on to bring God's people through their own wilderness (Num.14:34). Many people don't understand that the wilderness is available to every Christian worldwide because the wilderness is not some physical location to which we go; it's a place in the Spirit. It's a place where we no longer depend upon the world and the principles of the world. It's a place where we are, instead, ruled by the principles of the Kingdom. We no longer trust in the world for our sustenance, our salvation, our healing, our deliverance, and so on. Scripture tells us that most of the Israelites who left Egypt never learned that lesson: (Psa.78:19) Yea, they spake against God; They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? When they could no longer depend upon the flesh-pots of Egypt, they murmured continually. They found it hard to trust in the living God. The Israelites are just a type and a shadow for us. They went into a literal wilderness, but our wilderness is spiritual. Everybody who walks by faith goes into the wilderness. Everybody who walks by faith in the commands and principles and promises of God automatically gives up salvation by works. The promises of God are for the whole man. They are meant to save us completely in spirit, soul, body, and circumstances, and they are meant to do that totally outside the principles of this world. As a matter of fact, He even gave us all-inclusive promises: (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them (The original Greek word there is past tense.), and ye shall have them. Why does Jesus tell us to believe we have already received them? It's because everything that has to do with the salvation that the Lord gave us has already been accomplished. (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins (that's past tense because it happened behind us) in his body upon the tree, that we, having died (that's past tense) unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. Again, the word there is past tense. All of the promises that have to do with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross are past tense. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved (That's what it says in the original; it's past tense.) through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; (9) not of works, that no man should glory. You have been saved! (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the son of his love. You have been delivered out of the power of darkness. (Rom.6:18) And being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness. (11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. You were made free from sin! You see, when you realize that the Lord has already done all this, there is nothing you can do of yourself to bring it to pass. You have to walk by faith in the fact that it is already accomplished. You are already healed, you are already delivered, you are already blessed, you are already provided for and so on because all these things were accomplished at the cross. We enter into the New Testament “rest,” which many Christians erroneously think is a Saturday or a Sunday, but let's take a close look at what Scripture says about this “rest.” (Heb.4:1) Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. You see, the promises cause us to enter the rest because the promises are past tense, and when you believe them you have to stop your own works to try to bring them to pass. (3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said.... When you believe these promises, you enter into the rest. For instance, you cannot do anything to get healed if you believe you were healed. The reason men run to man to get healing is because they don't believe Jesus has already healed them, but I'm telling you something that I know. For the past 55-plus years, I've been receiving healing because I realize that I don't have to do anything to bring it to pass. All I have to do is thank God for it. (Heb.13:8) Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and to-day, [yea] and for ever. He still heals everyone who comes to Him by faith (Mat.4:24; 6:19; 12:15; 14:36; Mar.3:10; Luk.4:40; etc.) If you accept that you were healed at the cross and you are not harboring unforgiveness or in any willful sin, then there's nothing that can keep you from receiving your healing. Hold fast to the confession of your hope that it waver not, for He is faithful that promised. (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. The word “sabbath” there is the Greek word sabbatismos and it doesn't mean “a day of rest.” It means “a continual keeping of rest.” This is the true Sabbath that remains for the people of God. We have to cease from our own works every day. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. God doesn't want our works; He doesn't believe in salvation by works. Whether you are talking about your spirit, your soul, your body or your circumstances, salvation is not by self-effort. As the apostle Paul taught us, (2Co.12:9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. You see, when we stop trying to save ourselves, God's very powerful to do it for us, just as He did for Paul, who went through a lot of trials because of the “thorn in the flesh” that was given to him. (7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. People like to say that the “thorn in the flesh” was a disease of the eyes or some other disability, but the Scripture plainly tells us that it was “a messenger of Satan to buffet” him. Paul lists for us these “buffetings”: (2Co.11:23) Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. (24) Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. (25) Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; (26) [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; (27) [in] labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (28) Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches. He was brought into all those situations through weakness, and in Paul's weakness God was made powerful. (29) Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not? (30) If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness. We need to do the same thing; we need to be weak to save ourselves. Many Christians today don't receive the deliverance they need because they keep trying to save themselves by their own efforts. Yet, what did Paul say? (2Ti.3:10) But thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience, (11) persecutions, sufferings. What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. God delivered Paul because he was weak to save himself. He gave himself into the hands of God because he believed the promises of God; he believed the Lord would always deliver him. (2Ti.4:17) But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me; that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. (18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] the glory forever and ever. Amen. And when Paul said the Lord would “save” him, he meant he would be saved like the Bible uses the word for “saved,” which is the Greek sozo. The word sozo is used for every manner of salvation of spirit, soul, body and circumstances. Sozo is used for deliverance from demons, for healing the body, for salvation of the soul, provision for the body, and so on. It's the same word the disciples used when they cried out to Jesus as their boat was sinking: (Mat.8:23) And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. (24) And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. (25) And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save (that's the word sozo), Lord; we perish. (26) And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. (27) And the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? They said, “Save, Lord,” and He saved them. “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work.” Do you believe that? We're supposed to be going into a wilderness now, saints. You can choose to enter into it by faith, by trusting in the promises of God, because God cannot fail you if you believe in His promises. Or you can be forced into it, along with the Church, in the coming Tribulation. If you walk by faith now, then you are walking into that spiritual wilderness, and I want to tell you that the wilderness is not as bad as you've heard. The Lord told me many years ago, “I'm sending you through a wilderness, so that you can tell My people that I still supply there,” and He has proven that to me over and over by putting me in a position of weakness. For instance, the disciples never took up offerings for themselves; they only took up offerings for other people, so the Lord wouldn't let me take up offerings. He wouldn't let me tell anybody my personal needs. He wouldn't let me store up my treasures on earth. He wouldn't let me borrow money. He wouldn't let me sell things. He wouldn't let me take any government benefits. When after many years, just recently, I received Social Security I have given it all away. And through all of that, I haven't worked for man, and I haven't taken any worldly benefits. God has faithfully sustained me; He's paid for everything all along the way. He put me in a wilderness, but it has nothing to do with a physical wilderness, and He's never failed to meet our needs. I shared with you previously how I raised five children: they didn't know doctors, they didn't know medicine, they didn't know anything but the power of God. And God always fed them, except for one time when the Lord put the trial of a fast on them. For all of these years, God has faithfully fed us, paid our bills, made sure our lights stayed on, made sure our gas stayed on and so on. He's been totally, 100% faithful. I was made capable to do this by His grace of unmerited favor. Even faith is a gift of God; ask for it. Yes, we are all going into a wilderness, but it's one that God made, and He made it for our good. You will see the world economy crash to create for God's chosen a wilderness. He is separating us from the world. He is behind the Beast kingdom and He is bringing the mark of the Beast (Rev.3:17) to force us into this coming wilderness. The whole world is going to hate us. We won't have the help of “Egypt,” just as Israel didn't have the help of Egypt. We are going to be thrust upon the mercy and grace of God, and the only thing we really need to be sustained is to repent of our sins and believe His Word. And when we do that, we also should expect that we will be tried. Even Apostle Paul talked about hungering and thirsting, but notice, he didn't starve to death. He overcame in the trial. God did the same thing with the Israelites. He brought them to one place of lack after another, to see if they were going to walk by faith or if they were going to complain. Sadly, they failed God, as the natural man always does, but we have something new in the New Testament. We have a born-again experience; we have the power of the Holy Spirit. Some people are going to go through the wilderness just like Joshua and Caleb. They are going to be walking in the steps of Jesus Christ and they are going to be victorious. When you are tried over and over, and you see each time that God is faithful, you enter into the rest. You just hold fast to your confession and hold fast to the Word. You don't even worry about your trial anymore. You just rest in Him because you become hardened to your flesh, you become hardened to the world, you become hardened to temptation. (Rom.5:3) And not only so, but we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness (“patience”). As a matter of fact, I've enjoyed the tribulation. The tribulation is a trial on the flesh, but it's so neat to see God being a personal God and loving you enough to look after everything. That's what He really wants to do. He doesn't want to share His glory with man, which He's been having to do because His people always run to the world. They run to Egypt and its methods and its ways. Well, the Lord put me and my family in the wilderness, and I'd like to share some testimonies of how the Lord has been faithful to sustain us. One time in particular, the Lord actually multiplied food for us. We had run out of everything in the house, except for some spaghetti, so my wife cooked up a pot of spaghetti and we prayed over that pot because we didn't have anything else. But I want you to know that we weren't even considering that God wasn't going to bring any more for us to eat because He had been doing this for us for quite some time. Anyway, my wife cooked up this fairly big pot of spaghetti, and it was about three-quarters full when we blessed it, and we started eating. We probably ate that pot down to lower than halfway, and when we were done, we didn't think about it; we just shoved that pot into the refrigerator. The next day, when we took it back out and my wife lifted the lid, we saw that God had refilled the pot! She said, “David, do you remember that the spaghetti was down to here?” And she made a mark on the side. I said, “Yes, I remember.” Saints, the Lord had replaced everything we had eaten. God is awesome! You can't get anywhere where He can't supply. Think about those Israelites. He brought those Israelites water out of a rock. God can bring you water in the middle of a wilderness (Exo.17:1-7; Num.20:2-13), He can pay your taxes out of a fish's mouth (Mat.17:24-27), He can bring you flesh out of the sky (Exo.16:1-13; Num.11:18-20; 31-34) and bread out of the sky (Exo.16:14-36; Num.11:7-9). Now, if our God can bring several million Israelites through a wilderness like that and feed them, just think what He can do with us, who are actually filled with His Spirit! Another experience we had, which I thought was even more awesome, made me realize that you really cannot get anywhere God can't feed you. (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. If our God will supply our every need according to His riches in glory, then it has nothing to do with the economy and nothing to do with our surroundings. Even if you're in a desert, it has nothing to do with any of that. God made the promise; He's the One Who stands behind it and He will take care of you. On one occasion, we came to another situation where we had run out of everything in the house to eat and my wife asked, “What are we going to do?” I said, “Well, the Lord sent us here,” and she agreed. She said, “Yes.” So I told her, “You set the table and we'll go sit down at the table, and we'll eat.” So she did that, and then she and I and our five children sat down around the table with these empty plates in front of us. Next, I prayed a simple prayer, really the only kind I know. I prayed, “Father, You sent us here and we're asking You to please fill these plates or fill our tummies.” That's just the way it came out of my mind and I'm sure the Lord put it in there because He wanted to show us something. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. And so the prayer had no sooner come out of my mouth when my oldest son said, “Dad, I'm full. I don't need to eat.” It wasn't long before another one said it, then another, then another one, and then I realized I was full, too. I thought, “Isn't that something!” You know, the Lord didn't have to multiply anything. If He multiplied anything, He multiplied it in our stomachs. He filled all of us while we were just sitting there at the table. Then there was one time I decided I wanted to grow tomatoes. It wasn't the Lord; I made that decision on my own. God didn't call me to grow tomatoes; He called me to study the Word of God and and share it with His people. But I just decided, “Well, I'll take on this hobby. I'll plant some tomatoes.” Now, the house we lived in at that time was under big oak trees and we had very little sunshine in my yard, except for one place, so I planted the tomatoes in five-gallon buckets. That way, I could move them to keep them in the sun as the season went on. Soon, lots of little tomatoes popped out, but they hardly got to be any size at all before the birds came and took them all away. And I asked, “Lord, why did You let that happen?” The Lord answered, “I didn't call you to plant tomatoes; that was your idea. I have other things for you to do. Now get about what I told you to do.” So, of course, I told Him, “Yes, Sir!” and I never said anything to anybody about trying to grow my own tomatoes. Well, the very next day, a lady who was acquainted with us was going to a local tomato farm to get tomatoes for her family, and while she was out there picking these monster tomatoes, the Lord spoke to her and said, “I want you to pick a bag of these for David Eells.” She said, “Okay.” And she brought me a big bag of the largest, most luscious-looking tomatoes I'd seen in a very long time. You know, the Lord was kind of rubbing my nose in it when the lady brought me those tomatoes the next day and I thought to myself, “I really couldn't have grown anything like those, Lord.” I had to come to that place of weakness before He would do this miracle. We've also often prayed for very specific things, and the Lord has always done miracles for us. One morning, we prayed for Him to send us poultry, mayonnaise, and cheese. We asked Him for those three things and we didn't tell anybody, not a soul. This is the way God gets the glory. I remember a brother many years ago, who was an elder in the Church with me. He used to be a part of the prosperity movement, where the people would brag out in public about what God was going to do. They would tell everybody, “I'm believing God for this,” or, “I'm believing God for that,” so eventually someone else in the congregation would feel like they had to have compassion on their brother in “need” and they would bring it to them. God doesn't get any glory from that. When you ask God for something, just believe Him. Then, when it comes, He gets the credit. So we didn't tell anybody about our needs, but that day and the next day, all three of those things came. We had a friend who was going out of town, and she had this large jar of mayonnaise that she didn't want to leave in her refrigerator until she came back, so she brought it over to us. And then another person brought us a turkey and the cheese. It was exactly what we asked from God. You may wonder, “Would God do that for me, David?” I guarantee you He would. God is no respecter of persons. (Act.10:34) And Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (35) but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. God is a respecter of faith, but He's no respecter of persons. He won't do anything for me that He won't do for you. I'm just trying to teach you how to be weak and to exercise faith at the same time, so that you are in this ideal position in the wilderness to see miracles from God. We've received so many over the years, I've forgotten most of them, but I can tell you that He consistently met our needs and we saw many, many miracles. Sometimes, even if we had money, we would believe God for clothes and shoes and toys for our children and they would come. I like to share this next story because it tickles me. My children all wanted to go camping one day, but when I was a kid, I did so much camping, I've had enough of it. I like my bed and I was making excuses. Well, I'd been back there before, walking through the woods where they wanted to go, and finally I told them, “There's nothing there to start a fire with and, really, we don't have any permission to cut down any of those trees back there,” but they were begging me, “Awww, Daddy, please.” So I gave in and we packed up our tents and other gear, and we took off into the woods. Now, there was a downed tree in the little opening in the woods that we picked for our campsite, and I want you to know that downed trees were hard to find in those woods. We set up our tents and I sent the kids out to gather firewood, but everything they dragged back was either rotten, or little twigs and branches, or pieces of tree bark. I told them, “That stuff just makes smoke; it doesn't really make fire.” And I sent them out again, and while I was waiting, I walked about 20 feet away from the tent but still in the clearing. I was kind of praying, asking the Lord to provide for us, and I had told them earlier that there was nothing to use for a fire, and we couldn't cut down other people's trees. Well, I had walked maybe 20 or so feet away from the tent when I came across this little lump on the ground. The floor of those woods was completely covered with leaves, and this was just a lump in the leaves, but when I kicked it as I walked through it, I hit something solid. So I backed up and raked all the leaves off, and there was a pillowcase on the ground. I pulled the pillowcase back, and there was a Poulan chainsaw on the ground. I thought, “Wow! Wouldn't it be something if this would crank?” because we had a downed tree right there by the campsite. Sure enough, it cranked. I cut up enough wood to have a really good fire the whole time we were there. I tell you, when that chainsaw cranked and I cut up that wood, I was thinking, “I'm sorry, Lord! Forgive me! I repent, because I said You couldn't supply us with wood back here.” My boys said they probably knew the kid that had that saw and that it probably was stolen so we gave it to the police who said if no one claimed it within 90 days we could have it. Well they called us to come get it. I didn't need it so I sold it to a Poulan dealer. And I ended up paying a bill with the money. Father has it all figured out. God had somebody plant a chainsaw out in the middle of the woods so it would be there waiting for us because God sees the end from the beginning. He doesn't dwell in time; He has no problem meeting your needs. He will have it there when you get there. (Isa.65:24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. See, He answers before we call, and He can have our provision already there, or He can manufacture it. It makes no difference to Him. When Jesus brought the disciples into the wilderness, He multiplied the food there. (Mat.14:15) And when even was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert (The Greek word there is eremia and it can be translated as “desert,” “wilderness” or “uninhabited place.”), and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. (16) But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. (17) And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (18) And he said, Bring them hither to me. (19) And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. (20) And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. (21) And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus was raising up disciples. He was their teacher and He was showing them, “This is how you do it.” Then they went off into their tribulation, the Book of Acts, and they repeated what they saw. The Man-child, Who was Jesus, was God's provision in the wilderness, and nothing has changed. God's going to do it again; He's just going to repeat it with a larger group of people. Since we didn't have a big worldly income, we prayed for everything and God brought it. Back before I started full-time in ministry, we decided we were going to stop using money for the things that we needed. Instead, we started praying for what we needed, and we saw God just do miracles. Things we would normally buy with money, we prayed, and God would bring them. Any money we had, we would use for His Kingdom. There are different ways you can enter into the wilderness, but all of them give you confidence. You'll find that God's going to be there and He's going to supply your needs. If you need something, pray for it. Put faith in God. It honors Him, and it builds your faith. My youngest daughter came to me one day with a Sears catalog and she said, “Daddy, I need a swimming pool.” Her small wading pool would not hold water anymore because the vinyl was cracked from the sun. She started looking in the catalog, and I said, “Well, baby, you know where we get everything like that, don't you?” She answered, “Yep! Will you pray for me for one like this?” So we looked at the one from the catalog and we prayed and agreed in faith that God was going to bring that swimming pool. Well, you know God can give you something better than what you pray for, can't He? I think it was only about a week or so later that we were all in the house when there came a knock on the door, and when my wife went and answered the door, I heard a lady's voice. She said, “I'm looking for two little boys who came down and cut my grass. I live about five blocks from here, on the other end of the golf course, and I'm looking for those boys who cut my grass.” Then she happened to look past my wife. She saw one of my boys, and she said, “Oh, I see I've found the right place.” It's actually amazing she found us because the boys didn't give her a good description of where we lived, but the Lord led her right to our door. She went on, “I'd like to make a proposition with you boys. I have this 3-1/2 foot, above-ground swimming pool that's still in the box. It has a filter, ladder and pump. Everything that goes with it is still there. I was going to set it up in my garage and exercise in it, but I've decided I'm not going to do that. So if you'll cut my grass a couple of times, I'll give that pool to you.” And they were just so happy to cut the grass for her. Then they set up the pool and had a good time in that thing for several years. Of course, Jennifer, my daughter, was just overjoyed to see God answer her prayer that quickly. Children remember that, even if they go out into the world, they remember that God is real. They remember that He keeps His Word, and one day God will use that to bring them back. We had a tremendous life like this. We didn't have a lot of money, but the very fact that we didn't have a lot of money made us depend upon God. And in depending upon God, we got to see these awesome miracles. Another thing God did to put us into a position of weakness was we never borrowed money because the Bible promises, (Deu.28:12) The Lord will open unto thee his good treasure the heavens, to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. And Paul said, (Rom.13:8) Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law. So we took God at His Word. We figured if we didn't borrow, we would be weak, but God would be strong on our behalf, and I have some tremendous miracles to share with you later concerning not borrowing and seeing God answer. The Bible teaches against “suretyship.” (Pro.11:15) He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; But he that hateth suretyship is secure. The Hebrew word there actually means “to be a guarantor of an agreement; to give or to be security”; in other words, “to mortgage.” It means guaranteeing to pay back what has been borrowed, but we can't even guarantee that we're going to be here tomorrow. And the Bible warns us against making promises, pledges or guarantees of any sort. (Mat.5:33) Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: (34) but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; (35) nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. (36) Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black. (37) But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil [one]. (Jas.5:12) But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay, nay; that ye fall not under judgment. Who do we think we are to promise or pledge anything? (Pro.17:18) A man void of understanding striketh hands (That's the way an agreement was legally sealed.), And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor. “A man void of understanding” is someone who does this; in other words, it's not a wise thing to do. I know it's a principle of the world, but the economies of the world are all going to crumble because they are not obeying God's principles. How much faith God's people would have if they were put into the position where they couldn't run to the world to borrow money. They would see miracles, but most people don't want to wait on God to see a miracle; they're too quick to run back to Egypt. You're probably wondering, “How could it be that we would not mortgage and God will answer? How would we receive homes?” Well, the home I had, God gave to me because I believed Him and I refused to borrow money. That's why I have it and it didn't cost me a thing. God is sovereign! Amen. (Pro.22:7) The rich ruleth over the poor; And the borrower is servant to the lender. When you borrow money, you're no longer a steward of what you have because what you have actually belongs to someone else. Jesus said, (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We renounce ownership; we are only stewards. But a steward who belongs to a bank is not a steward for the Lord. The borrower is a servant to the lender and the rich rule over the poor. The rich are running this world, folks, because they have everybody's money. (Pro.22:26) Be thou not one of them that strike hands, Or of them that are sureties for debts. (27) If thou hast not wherewith to pay, Why should he take away thy bed from under thee? A poor person's bed or outer clothing was commonly used as their collateral of last resort (Exo.22:27; Deu.24:13). Proverbs has a lot to say against suretyship and it's ignored by a lot of people, but I never would have seen the miracles that I have seen if I had borrowed the money instead of learning to just ask God. (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. When God gives us such awesome promises, why would we borrow money and have to pay it back with interest for years and years in bondage? The Israelites were forbidden by God to participate in usury (interest), or in suretyship (mortgaging), or in any such things, but when they went into bondage in Babylon, they were caught up back into it. We only need to ask God and wait on Him. He said, “Believe you have received.” If you think, “Well, God might not answer,” that's not faith! The Bible doesn't teach borrowing to get money; it teaches giving to get money. (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. I've proven that many, many times. When you give, God will give it back to you multiplied, just as the Scripture teaches, but notice it doesn't teach going under the Law. (2Co.9:6) But this [I say], He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. People want to reap but they don't want to sow. The Bible teaches that first you have to sow! You “give and it will be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom.” (7) [Let] each man [do] according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity (not under law): for God loveth a cheerful giver. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you (That's awesome!); that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work (Isn't that something? Just for giving bountifully, God will make sure that you will always have all sufficiency in everything and will abound in every good work.): (9) as it is written, He hath scattered abroad, he hath given to the poor; His righteousness abideth for ever. (10) And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. People who don't really believe this are stingy and they hoard, but that's not the way for God to multiply. You need to sow. Think about sowing one little seed and how it brings forth. It brings forth multiplied, and even if you are poor in the eyes of the world, you will have all of your needs met. In the eyes of the world, Jesus was poor, but according to the Kingdom, Jesus was rich because He had His needs met everywhere He went. It was the same for His disciples, too. Their needs were met wherever they went. The riches of the world were just distractions to them, but their needs were met wherever they went because they were givers. Borrowing just puts you deeper in debt; giving gets you out of debt. From my own experience, there have been many times when I saw that what I had would not meet my need, and the money that I had would not cover my bills. And I would just take the money that I did have, and I would give it, and in giving it, it would come back multiplied. People worry, “Well, if I give it, maybe it won't come back in time!” God doesn't dwell in time; He answers before we call. (Isa.65:24) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. When you ask Him to do something, He's going to do it, so don't worry about it. For instance, many times I have put what money I did have into the mailbox to send to somebody in need, and then gone to the same mailbox only to find that what I sent out had been multiplied back to me. You might think, “But, David, we don't give in order to receive.” That's a moot point. That has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. If you do give, you will receive because that's God's promise. God will see to our needs if we meet the needs of the brethren to the best of our ability, even if we don't have a lot of money. I've taught before how the Egyptians stored up under Joseph in the seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine (Genesis 41). In type, Joseph was Jesus. Both were sold out by their brethren, lied about by the harlot, and turned over to the Beast, etc,. Jesus said we should store up our riches in Heaven, and He told us how to do that. (Luk.12:33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. (34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. He said, “Give alms, meet the needs of the brethren,” and you will have “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” So, give and God will give to you. You can't out-give God, folks. You just cannot do it.

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 10Technology and Medicine.Advancements can be good and bad.Based on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.I was standing in front of another of Lucy's works, 'The Girls', trying to decide which element was Marie when I felt an arm slide around my waist. I looked to find my favorite artist alongside me. I bent down, intending to kiss her forehead but she had other ideas. Her arm snaked around my neck and pulled me into a full on passionate kiss. Marie looked on from across the gallery, amused."There," Lucy said, sounding slightly frustrated. "I suppose that will have to keep me going until Wednesday." She strode off to talk to my wife.Jen, who had been admiring the work next to me gave me an old fashioned look. "I'm definitely not going to ask, but if you ever feel the need to explain?""I'm not sure that I can," I admitted. "If you really want to know, then ask the artist," I pointed to Lucy, still chatting to my wife. "to explain the meaning behind that work." I pointed to the one I'd found so compelling. "Be sure to tell her who you and Peter are first though."I moved on. Now that I'd realized the symbolism behind the older paintings, I found the dystopian themes of an abusive marriage disturbing. Great for a goth student bedsit. Not for our living room. I loved the other stuff though, and tried to find one that was still for sale.I found my wife examining some of the other artists' works on display. Even to my untrained eyes, none were in the same league as Lucy's. I put my arm around Marie's waist and kissed her cheek. "Hi. I'm an artist's muse. Fancy a coffee? If I ever get any etchings you'll be the first to get an invitation to come up and see them.""You should be ashamed of yourself," she protested. "You're wearing a wedding ring.""It's fine. My wife is a beautiful, successful, confident woman. She knows that I'd never abandon her for an art gallery groupie.She checked her watch. Yes, we're both that old. "Well this groupie wants her caffeine fix, and you're paying. Let's round the others up and we'll go. I'll see if Lucy wants to join us too."She did, and fifteen minutes later found the five of us round a table in our favorite little café. Lucy was fascinated by pictures of First Nation art that Peter had taken in Toronto. I could see her absorbing the way the indigenous artists portrayed movement and space. I suspected that a disentangled Lucy might be open to expanding her geographical horizons shortly.Then Jen asked about 'that' picture, Friday, four thirty. Lucy looked to me and then Marie. "They know," she said quietly. "It was the day and time of my release." Marie and I both saw the double entendre, even if Lucy didn't intend it.Lucy looked at my wife, who just smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath. "My husband has changed. He drinks, gambles and lies to me. He treated me like his whore for a while but at least I got laid. Now he can't even have sex with me. He blamed me for being too old and wrinkly, you know, down there, to be sexually attractive." Jen gasped in surprise. Today Lucy was wearing heels, a mid-thigh skirt and a blouse that only just hinted at uncontained tits beneath it. In short, she was a knockout.Our son looked at her in disbelief. "Your husband says that You are the reason he can't get it up?" Lucy nodded. "Then the man's an idiot," Peter concluded."But what does that have to do with the painting?" Jen asked, still confused.Glancing at me, Lucy explained. "I told Geoff, in the pub, what Eddie had said when he rejected me: 'Who'd want to stick their cock in a wrinkly old snatch like yours?' And Geoff told me to show him and he would tell me, honestly, if it was true. So I did; I showed him. He told me that my snatch was perfect and then he touched it. And he cuddled me, and I came. All my best friends were there and they saw me have the best orgasm I can remember, just sitting on Geoff's lap as he touched me. That happened one Friday at four thirty. That's what I painted."Jen stared open mouthed for a full minute as she unpacked Lucy's story. "Jesus!" She eventually exclaimed, "I'm going to the wrong pubs.""Lucy omitted to tell you we were with a small group of friends in a private room," Marie explained."Then I need new friends," Jen decided out loud. Peter just laughed.He looked at me. "In a way, I can understand. She was hurting. You knew it wasn't her fault. You did what you needed to do to make it better. Weren't you worried that mum would;” He stopped in mid-sentence. "But she was there; wasn't she? She could have stopped you. But she didn't because;” He thought it through. "Because she doesn't care. No! That's the wrong word. She does care about you and her friends but she isn't threatened by Angie or Lucy so she just didn't mind."Jen broke in. "That explains the kiss in the gallery. You were aiming for a platonic kiss and Lucy turned it into a full-on lip-smacker. But I saw Marie had seen you and wasn't a bit bothered. I did wonder."My wife added her contribution. "I didn't want to have to tell him, but I suppose he ought to know: it's his super-power. He just likes women; not lusts after, he just genuinely likes them, and most women respond. He's so used to it that he's never really noticed. For example; when we went to any of his company's staff parties, leaving do's or awards nights, all his female colleagues would hug him. No-one else really, just him. Not 'making a point in front of his wife' hugs, just real affection. So, when Lucy was sad, he had to help. It took nothing from me and he made my friend happy. It was actually quite moving."I find, at times like this, silence is an effective strategy. Apparently, Lucy doesn't. "My husband had rejected me," she said, wistfully. "My friends were there for me, but Geoff just held me. He treated me like a person. Not damaged, but lied to. He showed me that I was still desirable, but not in a predatory way. I fell in love with him then."I admit to being a little taken aback, even though Marie had told me how much Lucy, and the others, had appreciated what I'd done. But looking at Lucy, I couldn't reject her the way that Eddie had. I reached across the table for her hand. "I love you too, Lucy," I told her, truthfully. She squeezed my hand and smiled in reply"Bloody Hell, mum." Peter laughed. "Just how many of your friends has he worked his super-power on?"Marie looked thoughtful. "Well, Angie and Lucy obviously, there's Jo and Samantha, not Kate so much, or Megan; probably Sue and Margie and of course Jane." She looked at me for confirmation. That sounded about right. "That would be seven then," she concluded.Jen and Peter shared a stunned look. Our son recovered first. "I have so many questions that I honestly don't know where to start.Jen butted in. "I've no idea who these women are, but why not Kate and Megan?"Marie looked at me for support. I just held my hands up. After all, I'm only the empath with a cock. My wife replied thus, "Well, Kate admitted that while she really enjoyed the spooning afterwards, mainly it was the sex that made her day rather than romance; and Megan's already happily married."Peter was struggling to catch up. "You mean you've actually had sex with all seven of these women?""Not exactly," I protested. "I've only touched Lucy that once and I've done nothing with Jane.""You kissed her in the sex shop," Marie pointed out, unhelpfully to my way of thinking. "And again in the car when you dropped her off at home. I think you suggested that it was to give her some motivation when she tried out the polyurethane cock you bought for her." I cringed at the look Peter gave me."Oh, yes." added Lucy as I winced in anticipation at whatever she was going to contribute next. "I've already agreed to do a cast of his thingy so that Jane can have a full size replica. We thought a signed limited edition run would be fun. I'll definitely want one too. I can make the initial mold when it's my turn on Wednesday." She squeezed my hand. "I could feel it in your pants when I sat on your lap. I can't wait to actually see it," she added, excitedly.I looked up and noticed the café was starting to fill up. So far no-one appeared to have noticed the bizarre conversation at our table but that was unlikely to continue, so I suggested that we leave before we were evicted. Of course, Pete and Jen needed to see the painting again, now that they understood its genesis, so we trooped back to the gallery, the younger couple giving me odd sideways glances when they thought I wasn't looking. I sighed. There would be more questions tonight.The questions, of course, started much earlier than that. As we walked back home Peter strolled alongside me while Marie dropped back to keep Jen company."Is this a kind of mid-life crisis?" he asked."I hope so," I replied. "That would mean that I'd survive to about a hundred and thirty or so.""But dad: eight women.""Peter. This wasn't my idea. I'd never cheat on your mum so, when she suggested that we do this, I refused. I can't deny that they are lovely women, each different in their own way, but I refused because I was convinced this insane idea could wreck our marriage."Our son didn't look convinced.I continued. "Look. There are things that I can't tell you; personal things that the girls shared with each other and then with me. It broke your mum's heart to compare their lives with hers. But the one thing that was missing for all of them was sex. They don't expect it every night; just often enough to reassure them that they're still sexual beings. But they are independent too; Megan being a special case. They didn't want to accommodate to new partners sharing their lives and their beds, so your mum came up with this idea.""And you get to have sex with them all," Peter observed. "Isn't mum going to get jealous eventually?""Do you think that never occurred to me?" I replied. "We think we've found a solution. Ask your mum if you really need to know. But." I stopped walking and turned to him. "I truly don't regret what we have done. If, at some time in the future I realize this was what ended our marriage, that will be the time for regret. But you were there; you heard Lucy's story; you saw the painting that our shared experience inspired in her. Do you want me to wish that had never happened? That she stayed with that drunken, abusive idiot? Because now I guarantee she will have moved out before this year is over. Because another man, one that actually cared about her, told her the truth. She's lovely and she deserves to be happy and I'm glad that your mum was selfless enough to make that happen." I took a deep breath. I wasn't angry at Peter, but my passionate outburst surprised even me.By now Marie and Jen had caught up with us. "Thank you darling." Marie took my hand and kissed it. "After all of your fretting, I'm glad that you finally understand how much you've helped my friends already." She addressed Peter and Jen. "We weren't sure whether to share the whole story with you, but Linda knows, and you accepted Angie so readily that it seemed only fair that you should know too."We started walking again. Jen spoke next. "I'm sorry if this sounds judgmental, Marie, but I can't imagine knowing that Peter was sleeping with one of my friends. I think it would destroy me.""Oh, I understand, dear," my wife replied gently. "I would have felt the same at your age. Geoffrey still does." She squeezed my hand affectionately. "But you have to realize; these aren't just casual acquaintances. These women, 'the girls', are my closest friends; almost family. Seeing Geoff with them doesn't threaten me. It's beautiful. Watching them respond to my man, knowing the pleasure they are feeling but never, for a second, believing that they would try to steal my husband or that he would abandon me for one of them.""But you said one of the other women was happily married?" Jen reminded us. I decided to let my wife take that one."She is," Marie replied, her eyes filling up. "To a really wonderful man too." She glanced at Jen. "He knows and approves of his wife's visits but, again, he knows she won't leave him for Geoff. But that's all I'm prepared to say; and that's probably too much."We carried on walking, closer together, as my wife continued. "Perhaps I can explain it like this." She sighed. "Imagine you are struggling to cope financially; you see family and friends in the same straits. But you can't afford to share what little you have. That's how fidelity felt when we were younger. Other women threatened my security." She lifted my hand in hers and pressed it to her tit. "But now, I feel secure. It's as though your dad represents stability rather than a potential loss. The women he's with aren't taking anything from me; it's more like they are just guests at our table. They arrive, we chat, they dine and, at the end of the evening, they leave, content. We all cherish the time together and I've lost nothing." She looked intently at Jen. "Does that make sense?""When you say that you all cherish your time together;” Jen ventured. Peter seemed reluctant to hear his mum's reply."Yes, that was our solution. Geoff, quite understandably, had no interest in sharing me with his male friends, and nor will I ever ask, but he was probably correct about one thing: I don't think that I would have been able to cope with him sleeping with my friends while I sat alone. So we share. Sometimes in the same bed, sometimes in separate rooms." She gave one of her brilliant smiles. "I'd forgotten just how good it felt to be with another woman."Peter groaned. "So it's not just Angela then, mum?""No," she replied brightly. "In fact, Angie's a special case. We've decided that, as our betrothed, either of us can have sex with her whenever we want. With the others it always has to be as part of our regular evenings when we share." She giggled. "We call them our language classes."The rest of the walk home was subdued. Peter and Jen walked together talking quietly while Marie and I cheerfully discussed taking them out for a meal that evening.We picked up some farmhouse bread and a selection of cheeses from the deli on the way home for a quick and simple lunch. As we settled around the kitchen table Peter asked if he could add one observation to the chat we'd had walking home. We agreed, of course."Jen and I discussed what you'd told us, and we're honored that you trusted us to be open. You're my parents and I love you and Jen loves you both too. What you are doing sounds insane but, dad made it obvious you haven't done this lightly, on a whim. And, more than anything, Lucy's story really touched the pair of us. So, while I have no plans to follow in your footsteps, dad, Jen and I both pray that we are as secure in our love for each other at your age as you two obviously are."Marie reached across and touched both of their hands. "Thank you, both of you, for not judging us. We love you too," she told them, sincerely. I stood and walked round the table pulling Pete up for a man hug, finding that Jen was stood waiting for her turn when we'd finished.We spent most of the afternoon chatting about Canada and how much they had enjoyed their time there. By the time I got back from collecting Colin from school, Angie had returned and was sitting on the sofa talking to Jen."Grandad. Mum knows about Aunty Angela doesn't she?" He asked as we walked through the front door."Yes. She was surprised at first, but she seems okay with it now," I told him. His face lit up with mischief."Hi Uncle Pete, Aunty Jen, grandma." He called, walking in from the hall. He gave a wicked grin. "Hi Grangie," he yelled, throwing himself onto her lap. She hugged him, stunned at first by her new title, then burst into tears."Bloody Hell," I heard Peter mutter. "Dad's super-power seems to have skipped a generation. But Colin's definitely got it.""It hasn't skipped anything," Jen whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. "You have it too. Your only problem is that I'm not the woman your mum is." I resolved to speak to Marie about that. Peter does take after me in build, and male pattern hair loss and yes, we share nerdy interests. But Jen is a wonderful woman. She is intelligent, elegant, attractive rather than classically beautiful and with a warm personality that fills the room. I love her like one of my own and I won't have her belittle herself like that.I stood and watched as Colin reassured himself that 'Grangie' was crying happy tears, thinking to myself that the little charmer was probably more likely to get an Aston Martin than I was. Good for him. He'd probably deserve it too.I packed him off to do his homework: Photosynthesis tonight. He showed me his worksheet. His task was to use the words in the box to fill the gaps in the description of the process. He went through it as we talked, noticing that Carbon Monoxide was in there as a trap for the unwary. He was back in ten minutes and straight into deep discussion with his uncle.I gestured to Marie to follow me into the kitchen and told her what Jen had said. "Silly girl," my wife said. "She's perfect for Peter. Bullying my husband into screwing my mates hardly qualifies me as a role model for women in general." Her voice softened. "She's right though about one thing; Peter is a lot like you were at his age. The lucky girl." Marie kissed me gently on the lips and went back to our guests.I couldn't be bothered to start cooking that afternoon so I sent a text to Linda to meet us at the pub at half past five and I'd treat us all to a bar meal, but she replied to say that she would come straight to ours so we would only need two cars. That's a logistics planner at work.We had just finished off our meals when two young people greeted us. It was Adrian and Emily. She noticed me glancing at her neck and shook her head, smiling. Tonight she was here as his girlfriend, not his submissive sex slave.Adrian explained that they had waited until we'd finished eating but would understand if we felt that they were still intruding on a family moment. When we explained to Peter and Jen that our two young friends were part of our wedding planning team; they were keen for them to join us.Emily sat with Marie and Peter to talk about fabricating some lightweight body armor for my wife's costume. Colin joined them; partly as a fan of the Mandalorian, partly because I think he had an instant crush on Emily.Meanwhile, Angie and Jen were in deep discussion with Adrian about their own costumes. In both groups phones were brandished, numbers exchanged and images shared. I saw Adrian examine one picture quite closely, look over at me thoughtfully and smile. Linda, who was sitting next to me, was intrigued. "What was that?""Well, love. As far as I can tell, my outfit selection has been approved. Have you and Mike discussed costumes? I did tell you it was a Star Wars themed celebration."She shrugged dismissively. "We'll pop into that fancy-dress shop in town. They'll have something that will do."Not a chance," I told her. I leant across the table to check something with Marie and then turned back to my daughter. I showed her a picture of Bo Katan, my wife's character, on my phone. "This will be your mum's outfit. She'd like you to wear something similar, as her supporter.""Where the hell will I find something like that?" She exclaimed.I pointed across the table. "Adrian's actually in his second year of a costume design course. Angie has agreed to underwrite all the materials costs for our ceremony so he's been able to persuade several of his course mates to take part because we have a range of amazing outfits for them to design and create but at no cost to them." I patted Linda's hand. "Tell Mike to pick anything he thinks looks cool, subject to some constraints; No bad guys and full face coverings and masks are probably impractical. Other than that, we'll get him measured for whatever takes his fancy.""X-Wing pilot.""What?" I didn't see that coming."Obviously, I'll ask him but I'm absolutely sure that's what he'll choose." Linda seemed very certain. "Does it meet your criteria?"I considered. Simple, colorful flight-suit and a helmet. "If that's what he wants, I'm sure it will be fine. Can Colin and Mia choose their own outfits or do you want to be involved?"

Need some evening cleaning motivation? In this episode, the host talks you through some key tasks to do either after dinner or right before bed. In this episode, you will: -Wash the dinner dishes.-Wipe down your main kitchen surfaces.-Spot sweep and mop if needed.-Spend 5 minutes picking up.-Fold and put away a load of clean laundry.-Lay out clothes for tomorrow.She also tells you where she's been and what she's been up to. Learn more about unlocking subscriber-only episodes: Clean With Me | Cleaning Podcast

Greetings we have an exclusive mix by the label owner today he has recorded a soulful tip vibe with some sing along tunes that hit the right way. Lay back and listen to some sun down vibes

1 My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you. 2 Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye. 3 Bind them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Tell wisdom, "You are my sister." Call understanding your relative, 5 that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words. 6 For at the window of my house, I looked out through my lattice. 7 I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding, 8 passing through the street near her corner, he went the way to her house, 9 in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness. 10 Behold, there a woman met him with the attire of a prostitute, and with crafty intent. 11 She is loud and defiant. Her feet don't stay in her house. 12 Now she is in the streets, now in the squares, and lurking at every corner. 13 So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him: 14 "Sacrifices of peace offerings are with me. Today I have paid my vows. 15 Therefore I came out to meet you, to diligently seek your face, and I have found you. 16 I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry, with striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 18 Come, let's take our fill of loving until the morning. Let's solace ourselves with loving. 19 For my husband isn't at home. He has gone on a long journey. 20 He has taken a bag of money with him. He will come home at the full moon." 21 With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him. 22 He followed her immediately, as an ox goes to the slaughter, as a fool stepping into a noose. 23 Until an arrow strikes through his liver, as a bird hurries to the snare, and doesn't know that it will cost his life. 24 Now therefore, sons, listen to me. Pay attention to the words of my mouth. 25 Don't let your heart turn to her ways. Don't go astray in her paths, 26 for she has thrown down many wounded. Yes, all her slain are a mighty army. 27 Her house is the way to Sheol,* going down to the rooms of death. Listen Donate Subscribe: Proverbs Daily Podcast Psalms Daily Podcast

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Close your eyes, And listen… PAUSE Do you hear them whisper?  Can you feel them rumble?  PAUSE The pieces of wisdom you've acquired so far, Lay inside of you. Innumerable grains of sand, Rolling rocks, And massive boulders.  All contributing to the magical you you are.  Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 7Quiet Little OrgyA retired couple invite some new friends home.Based on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Eventually, by nine o'clock that Saturday morning, we had all showered and made our way downstairs for breakfast. I was last into the kitchen as I'd graciously allowed the women to go first. The dressing gowns that we'd bought for our Wednesday sessions came in useful in that Sue and Margie weren't faced with wearing their dancing dresses to eat in.I think they were both surprised at how relaxed the atmosphere was, I mean they had both fucked their hostess's husband the night before. Angie broke a comfortable silence as we ate. "Geoff. You know what you promised?" She meant the anal bareback that she'd been harping on about for a while."Yes my love?""Well," It was unusual for Angie to hesitate; if anything, her life would be much simpler if she did think more before speaking. "The thing is, would you mind if Sue and Margie came shopping to the naughty store and, maybe?" She looked at me as shyly as I'd ever seen her. "Could they watch while you sort of; do me? You know? Up the bum?" Marie snorted at the look on my face.I turned back to Angie. "Are you seriously suggesting that we take two women, who we've barely known for twelve hours, take them shopping in a sex store and then bring them back her to watch you and me having anal sex without a condom?""That pretty much sums it up," she conceded."Okay. As long as we're on the same page. It's fine by me."And so it was agreed. The two 'new girls' would go home in Sue's car, grab an overnight bag each and re-join us at our house for another evening of sexual exploration, including Angie's loss of her last virginity, and then they would go home on Sunday morning.This wasn't quite the weekend I'd imagined!Anyway, the five of us set off about twelve thirty and stopped at the little bistro we'd found on the way to the adult store. Margie and Sue insisted it was their treat to repay us for our hospitality. My clam linguini in white wine and cream sauce was excellent and the women seemed content with their meals too, so it was a contented crew who breezed into the store about an hour or so later.I left the girls to browse at their leisure as there was a particular item that I was interested in. Angie, very much a woman who was happy to get 'in your face' if you pissed her off, also had a well concealed submissive side that we had found by accident. I had resolved that, as a treat, I would buy her a collar that she could wear when she, and only she, decided she wanted to be dominated. I was aware from some basic research that there was an entire sub-culture around this behavior but, in our case, my only interest was to give my lover another way to express herself sexually. When we had experimented before, Marie was happy to play along but got no actual satisfaction from being submissive. With Angie though, as long as we were careful, she could use the experience to deal with some issues from way back.I found the relevant display and, satisfied that the girls were giggling together over something obviously particularly intriguing and probably disturbing from my point of view two aisles over, I made my choice and took it to the counter. The shop assistant approved of my choice. "So sir, for one of your ladies?" He enquired. I nodded. "Not S and M?""No. Just something she can wear to signal when she wants to be more, erm, passive," I explained."Perfect choice in that case," he replied.I took the collar and the receipt and put them in my pocket. I'd decide later when to give them to Angie. There was something else bothering me too, but I needed to speak to Marie first; a proper conversation that would have to wait until this weekend was over. I had an idea, and I hoped that she'd approve, but it was too important to risk getting it wrong.We left, not quite as laden as last time we visited, each of us carrying something designed to make sex even better. Isn't it sad that we're conditioned to find that somehow shameful? Marie regards me as a work in progress to break that conditioning. Ironic really, that it was her reaction to some sexy underwear that led us to where we found ourselves that day.We arrived back home a little after three and, while Marie took Angie upstairs to prepare, I led Margie and Sue into the kitchen to help make a brew while I checked the fridge to make sure that we had something to snack on later, having already had one substantial meal that day. I took Marie and Angie a cup of tea and a plate of chocolate biscuits and left them in the bedroom. I had no wish to be part of whatever they were doing in the bathroom with the bags, tubes and whatnot they had bought that afternoon.While I chatted with our new girls I diced a red onion, prepped some chorizo and sliced some Brie and Blue Wensleydale cheeses. I took a bag of ciabatta rolls out of the freezer to defrost and put a bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge to chill. Okay, so it wasn't a fine vintage wine but it was going to pair with onion, blue cheese and spiced sausage: why the Hell would I use an expensive wine to wash that down?Our prep done we retired to the living room and chatted about, well, sex while we waited for Angie to make herself ready. I confess that I was a little concerned that she'd invested a lot of anticipation in what we were about to do. It would be her first time and only my second. What if it all went wrong? What if she hated it?I had a thought and dashed to the kitchen. When I returned a minute later both girls looked at me enquiringly."ED22," I explained, rather unhelpfully. The look on their faces made it clear that this was not only insufficient but actually demanded a more detailed explanation than if I had just said that I'd forgotten something. I reminded them of my sexual performance the previous evening and pointed out this would have been remarkable for a man in his twenties, let alone someone of my vintage.I told how I was now in a user trial of a new generation of drug for erectile dysfunction which allowed me, with no particular clinical need, not to put too fine a point on it, to fuck like a steam train for hours. We chatted about that for a while until my wife shouted downstairs. "Geoffrey, ladies, if you're ready, the ceremony is about to begin. Please join us upstairs, remove your clothing and take your seats." It seemed like an excellent idea so that's exactly what we did.Somehow, between helping Angie with her 'purges', my wife had managed to get another couple of chairs into our bedroom though admittedly one was a folding chair from IKEA that we kept for situations where the six seats that came with our dining room suite weren't sufficient. I stood in my dressing gown, waiting for Angie to emerge from the bathroom, feeling like a nervous groom at the altar. Sue and Margie sat in the seats behind me wearing only their bras and panties.Marie, acting as mistress of ceremonies also dressed for effect in a pale blue Basque and, well, that was it actually, waited for the tension to rise before she opened the bathroom door with a theatrical flourish. "Angie," she announced, in her most sultry voice. "Your lover is here to rid you of your last virginity. Do you willingly surrender to him?"Angie stepped naked into the bedroom and stood before me. She looked at her friends assembled to witness something that seemed to be really important to her and smiled. "I surrender my body totally to him. I ask that he takes my anal virginity in the knowledge that no man has had my ass before him and nor will any other man after him."If I hadn't realized before, it was out there now. Angie was making a point here, she was giving herself, pledging herself, to me! Fighting the urge to, yes, panic is probably the most appropriate word, I looked to Marie. My wife seemed not just content but actually happily engaged with this small but weird ceremony. I had really wanted to talk to Marie before I took this step but the situation seemed to have arisen before I had the chance, so I decided to take the risk.Stepping to my bedside drawer, I took out a small gift box. It was a generic necklace box I'd found in the loft but it was fine for my purposes. "Angela," she stiffened at my using her full name: that reminded her the time I had hypnotized her and left some interesting legacy imperatives in her subconscious. "Angela, I accept the honor you bestow upon me. It would please me if you would wear this collar as a sign that your body is mine to take, use and bestow at my pleasure."We all watched entranced as she swayed slightly as she comprehended what I'd said. Almost before she could react I was in front of her. "Angela, will you wear my collar?" She looked at me wide eyed and nodded fervently. I continued before she could speak. "You may wear or remove it as you wish but, when you wear it, You. Are. Mine and mine alone. Do you understand?"Angie looked beseechingly at her best friend in the world, my wife, Marie. How would she respond to her husband claiming her best friend's body? With obvious delight was the honest answer. Marie ran to Angie and gave her a massive hug. "Oh, sweetheart," Marie sobbed, tears running down her cheeks. "You'll be like my Sister-Wife. I love you so much."Then Marie turned to me. "God! I love you so fucking much too! When you've finished with Angie, me and the girls are going to fuck you so hard we're all going to be sitting on soft cushions for the rest of the week. Fuck! But you're amazing, you wonderful old softie."While Marie was kissing and hugging me, the other girls descended on Angie. They helped her to put her collar on. Oh! I suppose I ought to describe my gift; The description in the store's on-line catalogue was, 'A discreet, rose gold, slave day-collar for submissives'. It was a fetching circlet of engine-turned pinkish-gold with a small ring, presumably for a leash, at the throat.When the women all settled down, Angie finally replied. "I understand. When I wear your collar my body and mind are yours, and I give them willingly." She thought for a moment. "How shall I address you? Do I call you Sir? Are you my Master?"I'd given that question some thought, even as I was deciding whether to buy the collar in the shop. "I'm still Geoff, and you are my lover, not my slave. You will obey me, though, and I will discipline you if you don't." I looked around the room. The other women seemed content with my approach. Now for the big moment."Angela. Lay on the bed and expose yourself."She took a deep breath. "Yes Geoff."She settled on the side of our bed, sitting upright, facing our little congregation. Slowly she parted her thighs to display a tiny jewel decorating the anal plug that her little ring of muscle was already accommodating to.I looked at the new girls. "Ladies. How would you like to share my new toy?" Without waiting for them to even consider how to reply, I turned to Angie and gazed into her eyes. She knew we were connecting and quivered as her body anticipated my next words. "Angela. Your master commands you. Go to your happy place and come."Sue and Margie were stunned when, at my words, Angie clenched her thighs together and slumped back on the bed giving every sign of climaxing. Margie spoke. "I am definitely asking if I can have whatever Angie's got, for Christmas.""Go on girls," I entreated them. "Before she comes down. Get her prepared. The more aroused she is the less discomfort she'll feel."Marie crossed to stand beside me. "That was lovely what you did for her, just now," she said, hugging me.I kissed the top of her head. "I actually wanted to talk to you first but when I saw how important this was to Angie, I just decided it was too perfect a moment to miss. Did I do right?""You did very well dear," she smiled.We stood like that for a couple of minutes watching two women we'd only met practice their newly discovered lesbian skills on our best friend. "Marie?" I began."Yes dear?""What are we? I mean you, me and Angie? Are we a;” I hesitated to even say the word. "Are we a throuple?""Geoffrey, I adore you but, if you ever use that word again, you and I are going to have a problem.""I know, I felt dirty just saying it. But seemingly not as dirty as Sue." We stopped our conversation and watched, fascinated, as Sue appeared to make Margie and Angie simultaneously shriek with delight. I shook my head to clear it. "Anyway." I tried to maintain my train of thought. "I was going to ask you about Angie's status; you know? Your friend, our lover. What is she? Is she part of our relationship? Or is she just a woman we have sex with? Will you think about it anyway? In the meantime, I think it's time to claim my thrall's last virginity."At some point, Sue and Margie had got naked and I managed to grab some delectable handfuls of flesh as I gently peeled them off Angie's body. I had red somewhere that anal sex in the doggy position is less comfortable for novices than when done prone. It looked like I may be on the way to having enough experience to comment but, for now, I decided missionary would do just fine.Again, research suggested that we should have vaginal sex first to relax my partner; this time, local knowledge, that is my Dom's command to his Sub, emphasized by a post hypnotic suggestion to orgasm followed by a two pronged lesbian assault, suggested to me that she would be about as sexed up as a woman can get without actually having three cocks inside her at the same time.And so, after Angie's lovely ceremony gifting me her last virginity, the moment arrived. Marie stepped up with the dispenser of lube and delicately applied it along little Geoff's length. She stood on tiptoe and kissed me. "Try not to hurt her, Geoff. She's been looking forward to this so much." I nodded. I knew that only too well.I knelt between Angie's thighs and felt rather than saw Marie, Margie and Sue draw close behind me. Angie looked up at me pleadingly. I smiled down at her and gently pulled out the tapered stainless steel plug that she'd inserted to ready her sphincter for penetration. Marie took it from me. Before the ring of muscle could recover its usual resting state I pushed forward as firmly as I could without hurting her.Angie gasped as this new intruder made its way inside her bowels. I paused. "Are you okay, babe?" I asked."It's so; It's such a strange feeling," she murmured. "It's not like anything I've felt before. Let me just get used to it for a moment."I paused. I was about two thirds inside her and I didn't seem to be causing her actual pain. I have to admit that I was having to get used to some odd sensations myself. The ass plug made my penetration less awkward than I'd expected, but her ring was tighter around my shaft than a cunt would have been. It was odd too, knowing that the skin on my cock was directly touching her bowel walls. Like Angie said, "such a strange feeling.""Go on. A bit more. I think I'm ready." She tensed, waiting for me to push."No babe. Relax," I told her. "We're nearly all the way there. A bit more lube please." That last comment aimed at Marie.How strange is my life that I can casually ask my wife to lube the part of my cock between my balls and her best friend's backside so that I can take her friend's anal virginity? How strange is her life that she did it anyway with a smile and another kiss for me. I pressed forward again and marveled at the sensation."Oh fuck!" Angie moaned as I bottomed out (Sorry, but I couldn't resist). "Fuck me Geoff. Do it now. Do it hard and fast."So I began, slowly at first, and not my favorite long strokes as I didn't want to pull out accidentally. Another time it might not matter, today it had to be right. So, gradually speeding up, I began to thrust in and out, each time as deep as I could get. I looked wordlessly at Marie and saw that she understood. The bowel doesn't have the same nerve endings as a cunt. We'd discussed this earlier, so Marie and the others began to use their hands on Angie's cunt and clit and their tongues on her tits.I could tell that she was getting close, Hell, so was I, but she wasn't able to keep focus on anything. Her body was just searching for that position, any position that would enhance the pleasure she was striving for. Her hands clutched at the sheets, the heads of the women suckling her tits, her own hair, as if she was trying to contain the sensations in her head. And then, she reached the peak. She seemed to freeze, as if movement would break the spell, and then she cried out, "O fuck! Yes! Yes! Yes!" And then, trembling, she began to relax.It was a relief when she blew, because I was so close myself. I wasn't sure if she even realized I'd come. As we all relaxed, my cock finally softened and slipped out of her bum and I sloped off to the bathroom to clean up. A surreptitious look on the way confirmed the effectiveness of the girls' preparation. I looked clean anyway. Regardless, little Geoff was getting a good wash.When I came out of the bathroom, Angie was sitting up on the bed, excitedly comparing notes with Marie, who'd had anal sex with me once before, although with a condom, and describing the sensation to the new girls who hadn't. From their conversation their attitude could more properly be described as, 'hadn't yet'. My alternate Friday nights for the next few weeks could end up being 'bareback bottom nights', particularly as Marie still wanted to try bareback too, at least once.What about me? Let's be clear, I'm not selfless, but I get pleasure from giving pleasure. I can't understand a man who would pump and dump in a woman in five minutes and think that was fun. I'd rather spend ten minutes loving her tits and at least the same again between her legs, knowing that when I actually enter her the resulting sex will be spectacular. So did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I do it again. Yes, if one or more of the girls wants to. Would it ruin my life I didn't? No. I have a wife and her permission to screw eight mature but attractive sex partners. I'm not going to moan about a shortage of anal sex. It's fun but I sometimes wonder if it's worth the attendant preparation and fuss.Sorry, got a bit introspective there. I went and sat next to Angie. She surprised me when she slipped off the bed and knelt in front of me. "Did I please you, Geoff? " She asked. Good girl. She's remembered she was wearing her collar."You did well," I reassured her. "Even when you wear your collar, I'll keep my promises to you. I was concerned that you were too invested in doing this for the first time. Was it what you hoped for?"She looked serious. "It was amazing and it was something I'd never done and I wanted the experience. But." She looked up at me. "Just as important, I wanted to do something with you that I'd not done with another man; and I knew Marie would be part of it.""Thank you, sweetheart, that was a lovely and special gesture." I bent down to kiss her. "Love you, Angie."As I sat back up I caught Marie's eye. She smiled and inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement of our previous conversation. She'd think about it and then we'd talk.Again, Sue and Margie joined me downstairs while Marie helped Angie clean up. They were only ten or fifteen minutes and when they came down Angie had taken her collar off. Good. I only wanted her to be submissive in the bedroom, anything else might be a step too far.By the time they got downstairs our filled ciabatta were already in the oven and the wine was open and ready to be poured. We sat at the dining table, the five of us just chatting and getting to know each other. Marie explained how our sexual reawakening happened and how it spread to include her friends and then Sue and Margie.When she got to the episode where we made a dirty video they insisted on seeing it so I went into the living room and set up the TV so that I could cast from my phone onto the big screen. When the girls had finished eating, they carried their drinks in to join me and I pressed play.I sat on one sofa with Marie and Angie while Margie and Sue sat together on the other. By the time the video finished I was in the presence of four rather horny women. Marie took charge. "Geoff, you promised Angie that your cock was hers today. So you take her to our room and I'll entertain our guests in the other. See you in a couple of hours." She gave me a huge kiss and herded Sue and Margie upstairs.I turned to Angie. "I'm all yours, sweetheart. What do you want to do?"She looked shyly at me. "You'll think I'm weird.""That ship disappeared over the horizon a long time ago, babe," I replied."Then; Then can we just go to bed and cuddle? I feel, I dunno, overwhelmed? I loved what you did for me but now I think I just want someone to hold me until the world settles again. See? Weird.""Not at all. You feel how you feel. If you need comfort and affection instead of sex, that's fine. I will warn you now though that if we both doze off there's a fair chance you'll wake up with little Geoff wedged into your bum crack."

Ivy Zelman is one of the most respected voices in American housing, co-founder of Zelman & Associates, and now Executive Vice President at Walker & Dunlop, which acquired her firm in 2021 as the leading institutional research, advisory, and investment banking firm dedicated exclusively to the U.S. housing industry.Over the last three decades, Ivy has built a reputation for bold, contrarian analysis—famously calling the top of the housing market in 2005 and the bottom in 2012—moments that cemented her as a rare analyst unafraid to speak truth to consensus. That conviction has earned her numerous accolades, including recognition in Barron's 100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance for four consecutive years and induction into the California Homebuilding Foundation's Hall of Fame.In our conversation, we trace Ivy's journey from falling into equity research to taking the entrepreneurial leap in 2007, founding Zelman & Associates amid the looming financial crisis. We explore her approach to research and analysis—blending proprietary surveys with a nationwide network of builders, brokers, and lenders—to consistently separate signal from noise.We reflect on her evolution as a leader and entrepreneur, the culture she has cultivated with a team that has stayed by her side for decades, her love of Cleveland, and what it means to pay it forward today through teaching and mentorship as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Case Western Reserve University, her memoir Gimme Shelter, and much more.00:00:00 - Catalytic Moments in Finance00:08:25 - Recognizing Blind Spots in Research00:11:27 - The Entrepreneurial Inclination00:11:55 - Building Conviction and Confidence00:15:54 - Vision for Success00:17:21 - Detective Work in Research00:18:45 - Cultivating a Strong Network00:22:20 - The Importance of Asking the Right Questions00:25:13 - Reconciliation with Reality00:26:35 - Navigating Market Sentiment00:28:13 - The Evolution of Zellman Associates00:30:38 - Personal Growth as an Entrepreneur00:34:06 - Leadership and Team Development00:36:01 - Maintaining Intellectual Honesty Post-Acquisition00:37:39 - Understanding the Value of Research00:39:15 - Cleveland's Unique Perspective00:42:10 - Paying It Forward and Mentorship00:45:38 - Lessons for the Next Generation00:47:23 - Contrarian Views on Market Trends00:49:17 - Balancing Work and Family Life00:51:20 - Hidden Gem-----LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivy-zelman-64304616b/https://www.zelmanassociates.com/https://www.amazon.com/Gimme-Shelter-Skills-Street-Trailblazer/dp/1737709929-----SPONSOR:Roundstone InsuranceRoundstone Insurance is proud to sponsor Lay of The Land. Founder and CEO, Michael Schroeder, has committed full-year support for the podcast, recognizing its alignment with the company's passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership.Headquartered in Rocky River, Ohio, Roundstone was founded in 2005 with a vision to deliver better healthcare outcomes at a more affordable cost. To bring that vision to life, the company pioneered the group medical captive model — a self-funded health insurance solution that provides small and mid-sized businesses with greater control and significant savings.Over the past two decades, Roundstone has grown rapidly, creating nearly 200 jobs in Northeast Ohio. The company works closely with employers and benefits advisors to navigate the complexities of commercial health insurance and build custom plans that prioritize employee well-being over shareholder returns. By focusing on aligned incentives and better health outcomes, Roundstone is helping businesses save thousands in Per Employee Per Year healthcare costs.Roundstone Insurance — Built for entrepreneurs. Backed by innovation. Committed to Cleveland.-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/

Fully Compatible.In 3 parts, by Member389. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories. The next morning he had the hood up on Ellie's car and had tried turning it over a couple times, and the starter took, but it didn't want to fire. He looked into the possible problems and everything looked in good shape, so he figured he'd look up the symptoms online and most pointed to the fuel filter, so he made a quick rundown the parts store and picked up a new one. That seemed to do the trick, once it was installed he was able to start her car several times without any problem.Ellie came trotting down the stairs with a plate and mug. She walked up to Luke and leaned in fast and gave him a kiss. "Thank you! What was wrong?""Fuel filter, I replaced it and now it's turning over first try.""Hungry? I got up earlier than I thought so I baked banana bread."He smiled. "Absolutely, let me go wash the gas off my hands.""Here, this will make sure you come back." She broke off a piece and fed it to him. As he hummed his appreciation."You think that's all that will have me coming back? Remind me to fix the mirror in your bathroom." He leaned in and kissed her again. "That is awesome banana bread though." He grinned as he jogged into the house. He came back out to find her sitting on the hood of her car, half the slice she'd brought out was gone."Do you drink coffee?" She asked, and he nodded. "Guess I should refill this then, huh?" She chuckled. "If you hadn't taken so long to wash up you might have gotten this cup. Come on up, and I'll slice some more of this awesome bread.""Isn't this how the spider lures the fly into its web?" He chuckled."Can spiders even make banana bread? I can assure you that I'll never trap you, but as my dad used to say, 'If you want the honey, you gotta deal with the bees.' I think he meant that you have to take a chance on the bad stuff to get to the really good stuff.""Sounds like a good philosophy. I'm kind of scared though. What's the bad stuff?" He paused for a moment."Have you always been such a deep thinker?" She asked."I used to get called out by my mom for being introverted and quiet. She was always trying to get me out of my shell." He shrugged and smiled. "But quiet doesn't mean stupid.""I never thought it did." She refilled the mug with coffee and added sugar and milk, and sliced off a fresh slice for him and brought it to him."What about you Luke? Are you willing to brave the bees to get the honey?" She asked."I've only been called a coward once, by you.""I called you a chicken, not the same thing." She grinned."So; what are we doing today?" Luke just smiled and drank his coffee."Jeans, comfortable shoes for walking, and a sweatshirt. That's all you get for now. We should head out early, maybe 2:30 or 3. Is that okay with you?""Are we; becoming a 'thing'?" He asked her. The genuine innocence was so sweet."Well we've only been hanging out a few weeks, but so far so good." She smiled, and noted that she'd been smiling a lot around him. That was a good sign too.She was excited and curious. She'd gladly go where ever he wanted right now. She had a quick realization, that her little seduction of Luke was backfiring and without him even trying she was being seduced by him as well. "Do I need to bring anything? Water, snacks?" She asked pushing for a hint."No we'll stop at the store on the way." He smirked popping the last bit of bread into his mouth, washing it down with the rest of the coffee. "Oh, I have something of yours too. I'll bring it up when I come to pick you up." She gave him a questioning look. "Don't look so innocent. I turned redder than your satin top when my dad pulled your panties out of my back pocket last night."Ellie bust out laughing. "I was wondering where they'd gone to. I thought you'd pocketed them you pervert.""Oh no! I know now that when you grabbed my ass last night you stuffed them in my pocket! You were hoping I'd get caught weren't you?"Ellie had tears in her eyes she was laughing so hard. She didn't have a clue but Luke was hooked now. He had never seen her look more beautiful."No, oh my god no. I did sneak them in there, but not for that reason. I figured they'd be a nice little memento of our first date.""I thought tonight was going to be our first date?" He asked curiously."Well I couldn't wait. I invited you to dinner last night, as far as I'm concerned that was our first date." She leaned on her fist smiling at him. "How was it?"He looked at her wide-eyed, slack jawed. She leaned forward and slipped her tongue between his parted lips and they kissed deeply. "It was fun wasn't it?" She asked hoping for a little reassurance."It was fantastic." He whispered urgently and kissed her again. "I'll see you in a couple hours." He gave her another kiss then stood and left looking over his shoulder at her beaming back at him. He smiled as he headed down into the house to spend a little time knocking off schoolwork before going out for the night.He knocked on her door at 2:30 sharp. She called out for him to come in. He heard close the closet door, and she popped out of the bedroom in jeans and a black turtleneck. She held her arms out. "Is this okay?" She asked."Perfect." He smiled. They headed down to his car and once again he opened the door for her letting her settle in before he closed it. He hopped into the driver's seat and they were on their way. He drove out to the shopping center and pulled into a space at the grocery store."When you were a kid, what were the things you remember most about holiday meals. What was that one thing you couldn't wait for?" He asked, he tilted his head indicating they were going inside."This is a first, a date at the supermarket." She chuckled."Seriously. Was there something special that you only had at that time of the year but not usually any other.""Mashed potatoes with a lot of butter and pepper. Oh and my mom only used to make that string bean casserole at holidays. I love that too. Pie is a given, pumpkin and pecan, I'd have both." She smiled."Good, good to know. He grabbed a basket and they started wandering around the store and he picked up the makings of the casserole. A couple boxes of instant mashed potatoes, and some canned gravy. He found canned pumpkin and put some of that in the basket. "What else?" Ellie gave him a curious look trying to figure out what he was doing."Well, she used to make glazed carrots too. If we were lucky, relatives from up north would send her a bottle of real maple syrup, otherwise she would make it from butter and brown sugar. That was awesome." He found carrots and put several cans in the basket as well."Anything else?""Scrabble, well that's what we called it. The rest of the world knows it as party mix with the cereal and pretzels baked with seasoned salt and our secret weapon, Worcestershire sauce." Luke found the cereal aisle and grabbed the ingredients, and made his way to the chip aisle and found pretzels to go with it stating that they always had pretzels and mixed nuts in theirs. He looked down and seemed to be counting."Okay, first thing that comes to your mind when I say, comfort food.""Mac and cheese." She said, and he grinned."Good choice." He stocked up on the blue boxes."Are we stocking a fallout shelter?" She said nervously. He chuckled."You didn't see the big hole we've dug in the back yard?" Ellie just rolled her eyes and grinned, she knew this had to be going somewhere and she was getting more curious. They made their way to the front and got in line at the check-out filling a couple of the re-usable shopping bags with their groceries. He stowed all the groceries in the trunk and held the door open for Ellie once again. They were on the road again heading out of town."Okay, you've got me. I haven't got a clue what we're doing." She giggled. Nearly twenty minutes later Luke turned down a side road following a sign pointing out a fairground entrance. A few miles down the tree lined road the area opened up to fields filled with cars and signs for the county fall harvest festival. He made his way carefully up the dirt path and finding someone directing the parking."But why the store?" She smiled as he handed her the lightest of the grocery bags. They walked towards the gate and she saw the truck and tables. A sign indicating donations for the holiday food pantry in lieu of admission to the park could be made there. Ellie grinned at Luke, finally realizing his plan. They brought the bags up to one of the tables and the older couple behind thanked them and asked how many items they had brought. Luke told them twenty-seven, ten per ticket had been requested. "We went a little crazy remembering what we loved about holiday dinners and lost count." The lady fawned over them while her husband took the bags back to a sorting area near the truck, and thanked them. They took their tickets and went into the fair.They wandered through the attractions. Luke showed off his prowess for carnival games and won Ellie a stuffed tiger. They wandered through the exhibits, marveling at the giant pumpkins and petting the cute animals. They found the food vendors and ate everything that was bad for them, but you only go to the fair once a year, so they indulged. There was even a concert that night and they sat in the grandstand listening to the band. Ellie was glad he told her to bring a sweatshirt because it had turned cooler as the sun went down. She hardly noticed as they sat there with their arms around one another. He rubbed her back as she held him tight."Why didn't you just tell me about the food drive?" She asked."I didn't want you to think I was trying to impress you." He paused. "My folks were pretty lucky. They both had good jobs and made a good living. We've never wanted for anything. Well there was this one time I wanted a dirt bike and they said no, but that wasn't because of the money. I think they just wanted me to live to be twelve at the very least. They never let me get jaded, you know, they always wanted me to know there were people who didn't have. They were much more subtle than the usual, 'Eat your broccoli, kids are starving in Africa' parents. Hell, I never realized that some of those less fortunate families were kids I went to school with until years later. Giving back is just something they taught me to do. Besides it seemed more fun that way." Luke smiled down at her. "I got to tease you for a change.""Well, it didn't work.""Huh?""I'm impressed anyway." She smiled. "You spent almost twice the cost of those tickets filling those bags."After the last song finished a loud whistle screamed out followed by a loud boom. Fireworks had started behind the stage and they sat and watched them arm in arm. Ellie laid her head on his shoulder as they watched, both occasionally jumping at the explosions.Ellie had taken hold of Luke's hand as they made their way home down the dark winding roads. She massaged it with her thumb rubbing in slow circles."Thanks, I had a great time." She said softly. She could make out his grin by the dash lights."Me too." He gave her hand a squeeze."Luke? When I asked the other night if you've ever made out before, you said you hadn't. Have you ever had a girlfriend? I mean, have you ever had sex?" Her voice was soft but with an inquisitive edge to it. His hand flexed a few times in hers."No." He replied with a nearly silent sigh."Any reason?" She pressed. "It can't be that you've never had a chance. You must have had to beat the girls away with a stick in high school." A soft giggle followed the comment."I was pretty quiet, I didn't have a lot of friends." He shrugged. Neither spoke the rest of the way home. Ellie had laid his hand on her lap and continued to rub it gently, and he rubbed her leg through her jeans. They pulled into the drive and parked. With all the lights off in the car Ellie slid his hand further up her thigh, and leaned over to kiss him. She was eager and let it be known in her kiss and he responded in kind gripping her thigh tightly."Would you walk me up?" She asked pulling away from his lips reluctantly. He got out and walked around to her door opening it. She stood, looked into his eyes and took his hand and led him up the stairs. "Would you like to come in?" She wasn't sure if she needed to coax him but he was already in the doorway closing it behind him. A faint smile came to her lips and she tried to hide it. He returned the little smirk in kind. "There's a bottle of wine in the fridge. Why don't you open it up, and I'll be right back." She bit her lip and smiled backing her way to the bedroom. She was giddy because she knew she would have him tonight. She undressed and replaced her every day underthings with the yellow lingerie she bought the day they went shopping together, and dressed again. She wanted to see his face as he peeled her out of her clothes.She entered the room and Luke stood up. "Who taught him this stuff?" Ellie wondered. She turned off the overhead light and put on a small table lamp. They sat down on the sofa, Ellie leaned into him pulling her legs up beneath her."Did you really you have a good time tonight?" He asked. Ellie chuckled and looked him in the eyes. Her smile slipped away as she leaned in to kiss him deeply."The night's not over yet." She whispered.Luke's nervousness was slipping away as he and Ellie began kissing in earnest. He leaned back pulling her on top of him as their hands began to roam over each other. His hand slid up her back slowly lifting the hem of her shirt, he sent shivers up her spine as he caressed her skin. She joined in and reached between them and unbuttoned his shirt pulling it free of his jeans and ran her hand up his t-shirt playing with his nipple.Ellie broke free of his warm lips and came up to a kneel between his legs, and looked down at him as she crossed her arms lifting her turtleneck up and over her head. She shook her hair out as she tossed the shirt onto a side chair and smiled down at him. She grinned showing off the little yellow lace bra, which made him smile. Luke reached up and grasped the front of her jeans pulling her off balance and back onto his chest in a flurry of giggles. His hands not only roamed her back, but now slid between them as he ran his palm up her bra eliciting a soft moan as he massage her breasts through the fabric."The clasp is in back." She said in a clear invitation. Using his other hand he reached down between her legs and dragged her higher up his body, placing her breast within easy reach of him. Rather than unsnap the band he slipped the strap off her shoulder and pulled the cup down revealing smooth white skin and puckered pink nipple to his hungry mouth. He kissed it gently, causing Ellie to gasp as his tongue ran lazy circles around the tip causing it to get even harder. Her breathing was short and quick. She pulled away from his agonizing teasing, placing her forehead against his, and closed her eyes."I don't know if you want this, but I do. Would you take me to bed and make love to me Luke?"He looked her in the eyes for a moment thinking it would be his pleasure. Her eyes closed for a moment, when she opened them, he felt himself fall into their depths, and he was gone. He kissed her deeply.She stood shakily, Luke reached for her steadying her. She smiled as she took his hand and pulled him up too. He wrapped his arms around her taking her mouth with his again. He fumbled a few times with the hook of her bra. She smiled."Don't worry, practice makes perfect.""I hope I get a lot of practice then."She walked backwards pulling him with her into the bedroom. She reached down and unbuttoned her jeans turning and giving her ass a little wiggle as she pushed them off showing her yellow lace panties, which thanks to the heavy petting on the couch were now quite damp. She kicked them aside and turned back to Luke who just stood there staring, his mouth hanging open. She smiled and pushed his unbuttoned shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. He reached to take off the tee, and she stopped him."Allow me."She lifted the hem of the shirt and ran her hands up his chest and sides lifting the shirt with it."You don't know how much I wanted to do this yesterday morning when you answered the door." She smiled as she stroked his nipples with her thumbs. "I want you to know how good this feels." She said leaning forward and taking one into her mouth swirling her tongue and flicking it.Luke's breathing got shallow a fast. She took it between her teeth, giving just a light tug before letting it free.Luke gasped at the sensation. She pushed the shirt up and he raised his arms letting her pull it off completely."Damn do you look good without a shirt on." She said."You look pretty fantastic without one too." He replied smiling. They kissed again, their bare chests touching for the first time sent shocks through them both. The heat they were building was intense and made the room feel cool in comparison. He felt hands on his belt fiddling with it to get it loose, soon his jeans were unbuttoned and the zipper slid down. Her hand slid down inside massaging the length of him through his boxers."Hmm , that feels nice." She mumbled into his kiss."It's not very;” She halted him with a firmly planted kiss."Enough of that, you've been watching too much porn." She giggled. "Remember, the pyramids were built with hand tools, it's not the size of your tool, it's how you use it." That made Luke chuckle. She began kissing her way down his chest and stomach and eventually knelt in front of him. She reached up and tugged the jeans down to his knees seeing his boxers strain to contain his hardness. She peered up at Luke from under a fallen lock of hair as she reached slowly for the waistband. She pulled down slowly, revealing it finally. Slowly a grin crept across her face as she looked up again."It's perfect." She said biting her lip. She looked down at it, he wasn't huge, but he was above average. She couldn't wait to have him inside her. She peeked up again. "Mind if I take the edge off for you?" Luke just tilted his head wondering what she meant just as she leaned forward and took him into her mouth.Luke let out a gasp as her lips engulfed him. It's a wonder his knees didn't buckle and land him on the floor. She started slowly taking a little more in with each stroke. She let him free and licked the length of him. He was gasping for air, she knew he wouldn't last, & decided to bring him some relief. She began bobbing her head while stroking him bringing him to the brink."Ellie! I'm.." He didn't get the words out by the time she felt the rush hit the back of her throat. She swallowed quickly hoping she could keep up."I'm sorry! Oh, shit." Luke said looking down at her. As she continued to lick and suck him."Well I'm not. Now that the edge is off we can take our time." She gave him a last lick to clean the tip. "I'm torn between wanting to instruct you and letting you discover on your own. Is there anything you've seen that you've wanted to try?"Luke's expression changed from horror to astonishment. Was this beautiful girl kneeling in front of him. Giving free reign to his sexual fantasies? He reached down taking her elbow and lifted her up so she was standing again, and quickly kicked the rest of his clothing free. Ellie turned and went to the bed pulled back the covers and laid down and looked at him expectantly."Why am I naked and you've still got those on?" He said nodding at her lacy yellow panties.She grinned. "It's because you haven't taken them off yet." She snickered. "Though maybe I should do that myself before you pilfer all of my panties."Luke grinned and walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed, and reached for the waistband, he gave a quick peek up at her, she just straightened out and lifted her hips off the mattress giving him the go ahead to slip them off. They released from her hips and as he pulled them from between her thighs the moisture held them in place for a moment as he pulled them free, sliding them down her legs."They're soaking." He said surprised.Ellie rolled her eyes a bit and smirked. "You have a, uh, certain effect on me. What can I say?" She sat up leaning into his kiss. "Have you thought about it, or shall I take the lead?""I want to taste you." He said in a whisper. She kissed him deeply."Well you know what I taste like up here. Why not explore a little." She said in a deep voice he'd never heard her use before.He did just that, working his way down her neck leaving a trail of kisses that caused her to sigh deeply. Then laid a trail to her breasts taking an excruciatingly long time to take her nipple into his mouth.She moaned a little deeper and ran a hand through his hair while her other found his still hard cock and massaged it slowly not wanting him to go off in her hand.He lavished attention on her breasts for a while, and Ellie began to wonder if he'd go any further so she gently pulled herself up causing his mouth to land on her rib cage, hoping that would be incentive to continue south. It worked, he made his way down her stomach giving her belly button a little lick causing her to giggle. She gave his hair a tug to get him to stop.He hesitated as he made his way down over her smooth skin kissing his way around, dragging his tongue slowly nearly torturing her. He slipped around pushing her legs apart and lay between her raised knees. He leaned forward and kissed her, his tongue teasing its way up her swollen pink lips causing Ellie to gasp and grip his hair a little tighter. It took all of her reserve to not pull him down into her, as she relaxed her grip he began to explore and he took the cues she gave him very well, as she leaned in and lifted. He was very attentive and gentle, almost too gentle as her climax neared she moaned a little louder, a little quicker.Luke surprised her by slipping a finger into her molten core and taking her clit between his lips causing her to cry out and arch up as she peaked quickly. After a couple minutes of panting she lifted Luke's head by his hair from the task of cleaning up the mess he'd made of her."You've never done that before?" She asked, an edge in her voice.He just looked at her in wide-eyed innocence and shook his head back and forth."Did I do something wrong?" He asked, suddenly worried. She just fell back and laughed."No, you did everything right, that's why I wondered."Luke crawled up beside her and she looked over at his sweet face lacquered in her own honey.She leaned over and kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue. "Listen. I'm on the pill, but I want you to wear a condom anyway. A girl can never be too safe." Luke's eyes went wide."Shit, I don't have any. I mean; I never."Ellie giggled and reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a little foil packet. "It's a good thing I was hoping this would happen and prepared for it."Luke's eyes went wide."Oh seriously. Guys can be as thick as bricks sometimes. I've been practically throwing myself at you since I moved in, Luke. Hasn't it been obvious?""Well I just thought you were being friendly, and well a bit of a flirt. I didn't think any more of it until last night." He shrugged."You surprised me with the stakes of that Jenga game." She smiled. "I'm glad I lost.""I'm glad you did too." He grinned."Lay back." She put the packet to her teeth and tore it open. "See how it's rolled. Place it at the tip, and unroll it like this, and voila. Mr. Happy is now properly dressed for the ball." Ellie looked down at it, and her smile faded into a look of need as she looked up at Luke. "Let me." She placed a hand on his chest as she rose up and threw a leg over his body and straddled his hips. She took his length and ran it against her before settling gently down on it. She let out a gasp as he entered her slowly.Luke lay back taking short quick breaths wanting badly to raise his hips and drive himself into her.Ellie was in control of the moment, a hand firmly on his chest as she lowered herself further, as she took him in she sped up burying him into her completely causing them both to cry out."Oh that feels nice!" She said as she clenched down on him causing him to gasp again. She rose up slowly causing her own deep moan. She rode him for several strokes as he took hold of her hips getting into the rhythm of her body. She pressed herself down on him and leaned forward and kissed him. "Luke?""Hmm?""Roll me onto my back and fuck me good and hard." She said biting his lip.He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her and rolled over taking her with him.She adjusted quickly and her legs went around him rocking her hips to get him to start.He was a quick study, and he began thrusting into her in long deep strokes as he attacked her mouth and neck."Harder!" She urged. "Don't stop!"He had no intention of stopping if anything he was scared he was hurting her as the sound of their flesh meeting, repeatedly rang throughout the room."Yes!" Ellie cried repeatedly. He felt his climax approaching again. Ellie began to shudder under him as she let out a series of high pitched moans, he knew then he couldn't hold out any longer and pushed hard into her releasing as she gripped down on him. He collapsed unable to hold himself up any longer.They lay there gasping for breath for a long while when Ellie leaned over and whispered into Luke's ear, in a little sing-song way. "Guess who's not a virgin now?" She kissed his cheek as she heard him laughing into her shoulder."What now?" He asked."Well, first thing you may want to do is go and tie off your little goody bag and trash it." She said. She looked deeply into his eyes. "Will you stay with me tonight?" She asked.He didn't know why but Luke's throat tightened. He looked into her dark eyes, a feeling of falling into them washed over him."Yes." He whispered. "I hope you don't snore though, I'm a light sleeper." He grinned.They both busted out laughing as he rose to go clean up. When he came back the bed had been remade, Ellie lay there wearing his t-shirt which was enticingly short, her long supple legs leading up to the hem, it was obvious that she hadn't bothered with putting her panties back on. He turned off the light and crawled in beside her, they kissed, and explored as they fell asleep.Deep in the night they stirred, this time Luke took her slowly. She looked up, the faint light of a streetlight limned his body. Soft moans and whispers broke the peace as they concluded their lovemaking. The quiet enveloped them as they drifted off again.The rumble of the door opener in the garage woke Luke. His head popped up realizing he wasn't in his room. He looked down quickly and found shining brown eyes smiling up at him."Good morning."The blanket had pulled down and Ellie's breasts were in full view."Pardon the morning breath." He said as he kissed her. "You lost your shirt."She giggled. "More like you peeled it off in the middle of the night.""Oh shit!" He grimaced, looking at her neck."What?""I'm sorry. I had no idea." A panicked look settled on his face."What?!" She started to panic, and she noticed he was looking at her neck. She bolted out of bed and ran to the bathroom. A moment later she busted out laughing. "I look like I was attacked by a gang of vampires." She came back out smiling. "Good thing I like turtlenecks."Luke was somewhat relieved but still worried. "I'm sorry!" He said again concerned that she'd be mad at him for looking like she'd been beaten."You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about." She leaned forward kissing him quickly. "Except maybe waking me up with this a couple times over the last few hours." She said reaching under the blanket and grasping his hard cock. "Let me check I may have a spare toothbrush, unless you want to run down and grab yours." She grinned. "Sounds like your dad just left.""Yea I'm guessing he went to breakfast without me." He smirked. "We like this place in town, it has a large glassed in dining room like a greenhouse. On Sundays they do a jazz brunch." He looked over at the clock noting it was much later than he usually woke.Ellie smirked. "Well we did have quite a workout last night. It's to be expected.""Let me text him. If we hurry we can join him." Luke said. "If you'd like to, I mean.""I'm torn between having my way with you yet again, but we'll have plenty of time later. I'd love breakfast. Let me go clean up and find a way to hide the damage. You brute!""I should probably grab a clean shirt, & clean up myself. Jeans are fine." Luke grabbed his jeans pulling them on and pulling on his shirt and made a beeline for the door. He paused at the bottom of the steps to text his dad then made his way into the house to wash up and change. He bolted out of the house to find Ellie leaning against the garage."Guys, always taking forever to get ready." She shook her head. She looked absolutely radiant in the morning sunshine."What can I say. I don't just roll out of bed looking this good, it takes work you know."Ellie chuckled as she said. "Seeing first hand evidence to the contrary, I'm calling bullshit.""He said he'd just have coffee and wait for us."They walked into the restaurant and were directed to the table where he sat. Derek stood as they approached."Now I see where he gets it. Hi Mr. Page.""Please, call me Derek. What do you mean?"Ellie grinned as she sat down. "I've never seen a guy stand when I walk in the room, or hold the door for me like Luke does. It's nice.""Well chivalry never goes out of style." He smiled. "I ordered us the sticky buns, they should be out soon. They make their own here, and they're endless. Thankfully, after seeing how many of them Luke can eat." They all got a chuckle at that. Luke rolled his eyes."Did you kids have fun at the fair?""We had a blast." Ellie said beaming. "Hercules here won me a stuffed tiger, and everything."They chatted amiably about school, work and the jazz band group playing at the other end of the dining room."What are you doing for the holiday next week?" Derek asked her."I'm going back home for the weekend. My mother and my aunt own a bed & breakfast up on a lake. It's a huge old house which makes it perfect for everybody." Ellie said. "What about you boys?""Not much, we'll probably have dinner out and catch some football." Derek replied."No way! You don't have any family around here?""None nearby." Derek confirmed.Ellie gave them a shrewd look. "Do you work Friday?"Derek shook his head. She already knew Luke was free. She paused for a moment and excused herself to go find the ladies room."Those are some pretty nice shiners." Derek commented. "When she moves, a few of them peek up above the turtleneck." He grinned.Luke turned red. "Uh, yea. Well we went up to her place after we got home."Derek grinned held up his hand, and gave a little shake to his head. "No need to explain, you're both adults."They both stopped speaking and stood as Ellie walked back to the table putting her cellphone in her pocket. She smiled at both of them as she sat down again."You are both now busy for the Thanksgiving holiday. It would be my pleasure if you would join me next week at the Bed & Breakfast. They have satellite so you won't miss any football." She grinned."Thank you, but we couldn't impose." Derek said."It's no imposition, there will be guests there as well. I just called my aunt and asked if there was room and she said there are still plenty of rooms available for you to stay over. It's about an hour away, up near the state park on the west side." She smiled at him then looked at Luke. "Besides, I was going to try and drag him away with me. It doesn't seem fair to leave you all alone. I've already told her you would accept. No backing out now.""You're a regular fireball aren't you?" Derek grinned. "I guess I have no leave but to accept on my behalf. What about you, Luke. Think you can be persuaded to spend an entire weekend in country with a lovely lady?"Luke looked at Ellie grinning. "It'll be tough, but I think I'll manage." She raised an eyebrow slightly and nudged him in the shin with her toe. "Ow!"Derek chuckled deeply. Yes, Ellie was definitely the right choice, there was no doubt in his mind now. By Member389 for Literotica.

Recorded live in Thomasville, this special episode features a collection of panel discussions from the 2025 Lay of the Land® Georgia Conference. This annual event focuses on empowering landowners, investors, and industry professionals with clear, data-backed insight into the state's evolving land market. This year's Georgia land conference hosted a lineup of experts discussing timber pricing trends, recreational and transitional land activity, agricultural challenges, conservation strategies, and tax policy updates. In this episode, you'll hear key takeaways from each panel, including verified land sales data drawn from the Lay of the Land® Market Report and firsthand insights from the very advisors tracking deals and trends across the state. From estate planning strategies to seedling selection in forestry, this episode offers a comprehensive, boots-on-the-ground view of the forces shaping land values and investment potential across Georgia. Request an invite for next year's conference at LayOfTheLandConference.com.Chapters(00:02:26) Managing Timber for Recreational Value & A Changing Pulpwood Market(00:53:53) Tax Reform & Estate Planning • Opportunities & Strategies(01:28:09) Georgia Agriculture • Trends, Challenges, and the Road Ahead(02:17:18) Lay of the Land Market Update

Esteemed Colleague Roy reached out with a question about my job title.  What's your title, and how do you feel about it?  xo Jess Beginning September 8th, join me for the ongoing Monday Club inside the Leader Assistant community on Circle! AAA6 on Time Split Talk: click here AAA65 on AI, Yay or Nay: click here Jake Ruzi helped me design new business cards!  He was so easy to work with, and I love the finished result. Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214 Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.   #askjess #askanassistant #deeppocketmonster

Oh man the AI slop shownotes this week are awful but I have a puppy and law school to do so this is getting low effort. Enjoy!DETAILED SHOWNOTESSummary:The Two Jacks break down the week's true news rollercoaster: Victoria's police tragedy, sovereign citizen threats, major legal tussles, global politics, social developments, and the surging finals in AFL, NRL, and rugby. Distilled analysis, with signature banter.TIMESTAMPED SEGMENTS00:00:00 Introduction, Weather in Hong KongJoel welcomes listeners, heat in HK, setting the stage.00:00:34 Victoria Police Manhunt, Sovereign CitizensDramatic manhunt after two police officers are killed, suspect's ties to sovereign citizen movement, parallels to Wyambilla tragedy.00:04:11 Police Tactics & RisksComments on why police risk assessments and tactical resources are crucial.00:08:25 Outlaw Gangs, ExtremismWhy definitions are tricky, group amorphousness, risk to police and society, and danger parallels with outlaw motorcycle clubs and extremist factions.00:18:51 Linda Reynolds v Brittany Higgins: Defamation CaseReynolds wins $340k; litigation toll on both parties, settlement issues, the public interest defense, and legal costs impact.00:27:15 Essential Poll Deep DivePM Albanese's approval, data on Lay, Allen, Batten, support for the four-day week, AI copyright law, public mood on recognising Palestine.00:31:26 Australia Expels Iranian AmbassadorFirst such move since WWII, IRGC-linked arson plot at Melbourne synagogue, ASIO's case, diplomatic fallout, social media reactions.00:33:39 NDIS Reforms, Autism DebateButler targets spending cuts, idea of restricting low-level autistic support from the NDIS, personal stories, system sustainability.00:37:56 Sydney Housing Density, NIMBYism, PlanningWallara station plan, high-density in well-off suburbs, nimbys, Auckland experiment, regulatory cost pressures, building quality concerns.00:55:11 Oasis at Wembley, Beer Stats, Generational FandomConcert spectacle, 250k pints of beer, generational audience, band's new healthy habits.00:59:19 Trump's Health, Biden, and US WoesTrump's visible health issues, flag burning crusade, slump in US tourism, Vegas emptiness, security hassles, global perception trouble.01:14:29 UK Politics: Farage Rises, Labour PlummetsFarage's surge, Starmer's poor ratings, immigration fights, sovereignty of UK Parliament, political fluidity.01:18:39 AFL & NRL Finals, Wallabies RugbyAFL top four discussed, surprise departures, Swans season, NRL ladder, Wallabies revival under Joe Schmidt, broader rugby hopes.SOCIAL MEDIA POSTSTwitter:Vic police manhunt: 2 officers killed, ties to sovereign citizen movement. | Reynolds wins defamation vs. Higgins. | #auspol #twjpodEssential Poll deep dive: Albanese steady, Lay, Allen, Batten ratings. Public split on Palestine, 50% support 4-day week, strong opposition to AI copyright reform. #auspol #twjpodIranian ambassador expelled after synagogue arson plot linked to IRGC. | NDIS/Autism reforms stir debate. | Oasis packs Wembley & breaks beer records. #ausnews #music #twjpodFacebook:Episode 125 of The Two Jacks – Hosted by Jack the Insider (Joel Hill) and Hong Kong Jack.– This week: Victoria's police manhunt and the sovereign citizen threat, Linda Reynolds v Brittany Higgins, Essential Poll shakeups (Albanese, statehood for Palestine, the four-day week, copyright & AI), expulsion of Iran's ambassador over a Melbourne arson plot, NDIS reforms, Sydney housing density, Oasis at Wembley, Trump v Biden health, UK and EU politics, and the finals race in AFL & NRL plus Wallabies rugby.Listen in for analysis, banter, and more!

September Housekeeping!  Let's talk about the end of year holidays and birthdays more generally.  xo Jess AAA34 on birthdays in the office: click here AAA33 on holiday party planning: click here AAA35 on gift lists: click here Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214 Beginning September 8th, join me for the ongoing Monday Club inside the Leader Assistant community on Circle! Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.   #askjess #askanassistant      

**When God Turns Disgrace into Glory — Matthew 4 Explained** In Matthew 4, Jesus relocates His headquarters to **Capernaum** in **Galilee**—a region many considered disgraced and unlikely for the Messiah. Yet this is exactly where the Light dawns. In this message we unpack why Jesus chose Galilee, what “**Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand**” truly means, and why pastors must serve as **watchmen** who speak to the moral and political realities of their day. ### What You'll Learn - **Why Galilee?** How a land once marked by shame became the launchpad of Messiah's ministry (Isa 9:1–2; Matt 4:12–17). - **Prophets & Pastors as Watchmen:** John the Baptist confronted corrupt power (Herod/Herodias) and suffered for it—modeling the church's duty to apply Scripture to culture (Ezek 33; Acts 20). - **“Kingdom at Hand” Clarified:** Understanding God's kingdom program—universal, theocratic (past), spiritual (present), mystery (church age), and **messianic** (future millennial reign). - **Strategic Wisdom of Jesus:** Why Jesus avoided premature conflict and set up in a high-traffic hub where news would spread quickly. - **From Guilt to Grace:** How the Lord transforms the “Galilee” of our lives—our failure and shame—into places of light, freedom, and calling (Rom 8:1; 1 Jn 1:9). - **The Rejected Stone:** The world's “discarded” stones become God's cornerstones in Christ (Ps 118:22; 2 Cor 5:17; Col 2:14). ### Key Scriptures Matthew 4:12–25; Isaiah 9:1–2; Ezekiel 33; Acts 20:26–27; Luke 4:16–30; John 4:43–45; Psalm 118:22; John 5:24; Romans 8:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:14. --- ### Apply It - **Reset your mindset:** Repent = “change your mind.” Lay down false assurances and self-condemnation; receive Christ's finished work. - **Stand as a watchman:** Measure cultural issues by Scripture and warn in love. - **Choose wise battles:** Like Jesus, engage with discernment—truth with timing. --- ### If this blessed you: 1) **Like • Subscribe • Bell** to push past the algorithm.   2) **Pray** for boldness, protection, and fruit.   3) **Support the work** so we can keep producing and traveling for biblical content.   Give here: YOUR-DONATION-LINK

In this follow-up teaching, Minister Catherine shows why prayer and praise are inseparable—and how they move us from tears to testimony. With relatable stories and biblical insight, she teaches that prayer isn't a “gift” some have; it's a Spirit-formed discipline we all develop (Luke 11:1; Col. 4:2). Praise then accelerates prayer, shifting our focus from the problem to God's answer (Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:17–18).You'll learn to:Depend on God in humility (Prov. 3:5–6; 2 Chron. 7:14)Pray for spiritual growth and transformation (Jude 20; Col. 1:9–10)Lay hold of God's promises and inheritance (Matt. 6:11; Heb. 4:16)Engage in warfare and intercession (Eph. 6:12,18; Ezek. 22:30)Praise as an act of faith and part of our purpose (Ps. 42:11; Isa. 43:21)Center stage is Hannah (1 Sam. 1): after years of pain, she aligns her desire with God's will, prays fervently, worships before seeing results—and “the Lord remembered her.” Her story calls us to move from crying to praying, praising, and partnering with God's purposes.Listen and declare: “Not my will but Yours—teach me to pray, and I will praise as I wait.”Key Scriptures: Phil. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:17–18; Luke 11:1; Col. 4:2; 1 Sam. 1.

Enjoy this “throwback” episode from the Woman at the Well Ministries radio program, When is enough really enough?  Sometimes in our lives we feel that circumstances and trials are going to overtake us.  Sometimes it seems that we are going under but as a child of God we realize that we are never going under because we have Jesus and He is always enough.  Perhaps you are going through something right now that is frustrating you and overwhelming you.  I have good news.  Luke 22:38b says, "It is Enough."  Join us as we take an in depth look at what it means to know that God is enough.  He is all you need to overcome all things, defeat satan and to live a joyous, fulfilled life. Do you want to connect with Kim and Erika? Visit us on our website, on Facebook, or on Instagram.  Mentioned in this Episode Luke 22:38 – "It is enough" www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A38&version=KJV  Philippians 4:6-7 – "Be anxious for nothing..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A6-7&version=KJV  1 Kings 17:8-16 – Story of Elijah and the widow (paraphrased) www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+17%3A8-16&version=KJV  Mark 12:41-44 – The widow's mite www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A41-44&version=KJV  Genesis 22:1-14 – Abraham and Isaac (paraphrased) www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+22%3A1-14&version=KJV  Daniel 6 – Daniel in the lion's den www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+6&version=KJV  Jeremiah 29:11 – "Plans to prosper you..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29%3A11&version=KJV  Romans 8:28 – "All things work together for good..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A28&version=KJV  1 Peter 4:12-13 – "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+4%3A12-13&version=KJV  2 Timothy 3:12 – "All that will live godly... shall suffer persecution" www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A12&version=KJV  Matthew 6:8 – "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A8&version=KJV  Matthew 6:31-33 – "Seek ye first the kingdom of God..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A31-33&version=KJV  Psalm 91:4 – "He shall cover thee with his feathers..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+91%3A4&version=KJV  2 Corinthians 12:9 – "My grace is sufficient for thee..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+12%3A9&version=KJV  1 Samuel 17:47 – "The battle is the Lord's..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+17%3A47&version=KJV  1 Peter 5:8 – "Your adversary the devil... seeking whom he may devour" www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A8&version=KJV  1 Peter 5:6 – "Humble yourselves... he may exalt you in due time" (paraphrased) www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A6&version=KJV  Hebrews 12:1-2 – "Lay aside every weight... looking unto Jesus" (paraphrased) www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A1-2&version=KJV  Matthew 14:28-31 – Peter walking on water www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+14%3A28-31&version=KJV  1 John 4:4 – "Greater is he that is in you..." www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A4&version=KJV  Did you enjoy this podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can listen to us on all major podcasting platforms like Apple Podcasts,  Spotify,  Google Podcasts,  YouTube, and Podbean. Check out Kim's latest Bible Bit book on Amazon! Do you want to bring Kim Miller to your church, upcoming retreat, or conference? Contact us! This podcast is brought to you by Woman at the Well Ministries and is supported by our faithful listeners. To support this podcast, please visit our support page. 

Jessica Randhawa from The Forked Spoon teaches us how to turn life's hardest moments into fuel for growth, and what it takes to build a food blog that truly lasts. Jessica is the head photographer and recipe developer behind The Forked Spoon, where she has shared over 1,200 approachable, family-friendly recipes over the past 14 years. With a background in molecular biology and a passion for travel-inspired cooking, she helps everyday cooks build confidence and creativity in the kitchen. Jessica's story is proof that resilience and adaptability are the real secret ingredients behind a successful blog. She shares how a health crisis changed her perspective, why consistency matters more than flashy trends, and how to keep moving forward even when the industry feels uncertain. Key points discussed include: - Adapt when things shift: Staying flexible keeps your blog alive through big changes. - Lay a strong foundation: Choosing the right platform opens the door to growth. - Be consistent: Showing up regularly builds trust and traffic over time. - Keep recipes approachable: Simple, family-friendly food connects with more readers. - Let challenges teach you: Hard moments can spark clarity and drive. - Keep learning: Curiosity helps you stay ahead of changes in the blogging world. - Focus on the long game: Build a blog that supports your life, not just today's trends. Connect with Jessica Randhawa Website | Instagram

Ryan Kelly is a filmmaker, entrepreneur, and partner of Substance, a film and television production company based in Cleveland.What if Northeast Ohio had the infrastructure to support large-scale film productions? That question first took root when Ryan found himself on the set of Cherry—a feature film shot in Cleveland by the Russo Brothers, the acclaimed Cleveland-born directors behind Avengers and Captain America—soaking in the experience of working alongside Hollywood heavyweights in his hometown.What followed was Ryan's relentless pursuit of that vision and his work to build up Northeast Ohio's film industry.Before founding Substance, Ryan co-founded TRG Sound & Vision alongside industry veterans Adam Wilde and Geoff Yaw. TRG boasts one of the largest sound stages in the Midwest: 160,000 square feet of studio space, a Virtual Production Wall, a 40' by 60' cyclorama wall, and 40 semi-permanent sets staffed by skilled industry professionals to meet the demands of large productions.As a filmmaker, Ryan is the director and producer of the docuseries WrestleHer, which tells the story behind sanctioning high school girls' wrestling in Ohio and the generation of athletes growing the sport.Ryan's journey is a powerful blend of artistic conviction and entrepreneurial grit. In our conversation, we explore how he carved a path into the film industry from scratch as a touring musician and drummer, what he learned from working alongside others in the industry—like Transition Studios, whose story was shared by Shawn Rech in Episode 85 of Lay of The Land—and how he approaches creative risk, storytelling, and making Cleveland a true contender on the national production map.00:00:00 - From Punk Rock to Filmmaking: A Journey of Artistry00:08:08 - Navigating the Filmmaking Landscape: Players and Perspectives00:13:16 - The Evolution of TRG: A Hub for Creative Production00:21:11 - The Artist-Entrepreneur Duality: Balancing Creativity and Business00:28:19 - Cleveland's Potential: A Production Hub in the Making00:33:35 - The Birth of Substance: A New Identity00:40:51 - The Multifaceted Role of a Filmmaker00:47:36 - Inspiring Projects and Personal Connections00:55:00 - Hidden Gem-----LINKS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjk216/https://www.thisissubstance.com/https://trgmultimedia.com/-----SPONSOR:Roundstone InsuranceRoundstone Insurance is proud to sponsor Lay of The Land. Founder and CEO, Michael Schroeder, has committed full-year support for the podcast, recognizing its alignment with the company's passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership.Headquartered in Rocky River, Ohio, Roundstone was founded in 2005 with a vision to deliver better healthcare outcomes at a more affordable cost. To bring that vision to life, the company pioneered the group medical captive model — a self-funded health insurance solution that provides small and mid-sized businesses with greater control and significant savings.Over the past two decades, Roundstone has grown rapidly, creating nearly 200 jobs in Northeast Ohio. The company works closely with employers and benefits advisors to navigate the complexities of commercial health insurance and build custom plans that prioritize employee well-being over shareholder returns. By focusing on aligned incentives and better health outcomes, Roundstone is helping businesses save thousands in Per Employee Per Year healthcare costs.Roundstone Insurance — Built for entrepreneurs. Backed by innovation. Committed to Cleveland.-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/

Take care of yourselves, Esteemed Colleagues.  xo Jess Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214 Beginning September 8th, join me for the ongoing Monday Club inside the Leader Assistant community on Circle! Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.   #askjess #askanassistant

INTRO (00:24): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Tennessee Vol Lager from Yee-Haw Brewing Company.    TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.”   COURT NEWS (12:55): Kathleen shares news announcing that Snoop Dogg is continuing his youth football camps, Colorado State University is starting a class called “Spanish for Swifties,” and Dolly's musical is being considered for another extension in Nashville.    TASTING MENU (4:05): Kathleen samples Terrapin Ridge Farms Dill Pickle Aioli, Lay's Frank's Red Hot Potato Chips, and Pringles Ghost Pepper Ranch chips.    UPDATES (30:23): Kathleen shares updates on Red Lobster's official exit from bankruptcy, Anna Delvey is selling Bunnygate t-shirts, Vegas has announced a new Blake Shelton residency, and Burning Man had an apocalyptic start.   HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (39:25): Kathleen reveals that a 6 ½ foot long orange nurse shark was caught off the coast of Costa Rica, and first edition copy of The Hobbit has been found while cleaning out a home in Britain.    FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (44:35): Kathleen shares articles on Cracker Barrel's recent logo change, AppleTV is raising their rates, Southwest Airlines has a new policy for excessively overweight people, Disneyland is changing their early entry policy, Chick-Fil-A is implementing a Teen Chaperone policy, Bed Bath & Beyond is boycotting California, Burning Man opens to apocalyptic weather, and Walmart pulls radioactive shrimp from its freezers.    SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:26:22): Kathleen reads about St. Agatha, patron saint of jewelers, breast cancer patients, bellfounders and fire.    WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (34:25): Kathleen recommends watching “America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” on Netflix, “Hostage” on Netflix, and “One Night In Idaho: The College Murders” on Prime Video.    FEEL GOOD STORY (1:22:44): Kathleen reads highlights of Nike's Phil Knight donating $2B to cancer research, and the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson receives a gift from #BillsMafia.   

Hardee's is quenching the thirst, the Space Needle sucks, IHOP is comiong for Waffle House's crown and Lay's has football season covered. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son., King James VersionIn this episode, we are seeking the Lord on behalf of several right now issues that we are facing on this earth. We are praying for our children, our parents, our loved ones that are suffering with sicknesses, and we are lifting up our leaders. Thank you for being a supporter of this podcast as I grow and learn things will become more like previous episodes, but I do not want to delay the podcast while I learn how to use the new format. Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for your shares. Thank you for joining your faith with my faith so that we can see God move upon the face of the earth if you have a prayer request, you can text 843-790-4229 or submit it by email to seeingwithoutseeing2020@gmail.com. Please put prayer request in the subject line. That email address can be used on Zelle and PayPal. If you desire to sow a seed, you can do that also on cash app at $seeingwithoutseeing. Thank you once again for your support please share this and believe God with us as we seek God.

S5E21 Volsung Poems: The Last Sons of Gudrun (Part 7)The conclusion of this meant to be short series, deep diving into the poems that underlie the Saga of the Volsungs. It has been quite a journey. If you have been following along, we have seen how the original sources are flawed. Some missing pages and stanzas. Some seem to be early poems, sometimes rearranged or reconstructed. Some are entirely new constructions at the time of their recording in the 13th century.It feels very fitting, this part of the poetic edda ends on what seems to be one of the oldest poems. The Lay of Hamdir. When I first read these poems, it was hard to see why this story has anything to do with Sigurd and the Norse Gods. It connects the Volsung clan to another historical legendary king, Ermanaric (Iormurekk), the 6th Century Gothic King in Scythia, before the Hun invasion.It seems to be a simple tale, connecting kings and legendary heroes to the gods. It contains a story of gruesome torture. Reflects the pain inflicted on the victims of marriages for political alliances. The fateful families formed by these agreements of men.Metaphorically it reflects why the hero has to die. Why does the hero have to die? Why can't he just have a nice retirement for once? I connect the meaning to the totality of Carl Jung's theory of the hero, the heroic ego. Overcoming the unconscious, separating the great mother from the anima. Learning to accept fate and connecting to The Self.It is the meaning of this entire journey from the origin of the gods. The destiny and fate of the hero.If you want to read more about the meaning I find in this poem and saga, this episode inspired me to write a new cryptic blog post: https://tworavenpodcast.wordpress.com/2025/08/15/the-death-of-the-hero/Ways to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn and David a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David's writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement

DOWNLOAD SLIDES DOWNLOAD AFFIRMATION OF GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH   Pastor Bryan Hudson's message "The Spirit of Faith, Part Two: The Good Fight of Faith" emphasizes that faith in God is not only for crises but a consistent lifestyle of belief and action rooted in God's Word.  Faith in God is an active, results-producing conviction that connects us to God's promises and must be developed like a muscle through discipline, consistency, and endurance.  A “good fight” of faith is assured victory because God fights our battles, while a “bad fight” comes from unpreparedness and inconsistency. Believers must look to Jesus, lay aside distractions and sins, exercise patience, and run with endurance to avoid spiritual fainting.  Regardless of the situations we face, a lifestyle of faith, and "fighting the good fight of faith" enables us to remain undefeated and triumphant because God's treasure lives within us. Summary of Message (Generated by OpenAI: The Spirit of Faith, Part Two: The Good Fight of Faith     1. Foundation of the Message Key Texts: 2 Corinthians 4:13 – And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak 1 Timothy 6:11–12, But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” Review from Part One: Faith is more than a tool for crises—it is a lifestyle. God has placed His treasure in “earthen vessels,” showing both His confidence in us and our responsibility to live faithfully. 2. What is the Spirit of Faith? A disposition or attitude aligned with the Word of God. The human spirit infused by the Holy Spirit producing bold, enduring faith. Not only belief, but a lifestyle that reflects faith in thought, conduct, and endurance. 3. Faith Defined Faith in God is an active, results-producing belief, that involves applying God's Word, taking action based on His promises. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Weymouth's translation: “Now faith is a well grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see.Analogy: Faith as a key fob—even when the car is not seen, possession of the fob guarantees its reality. The Amplified Bible, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality - faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.” 4. The Good Fight of Faith A good fight: one where the outcome is already assured because God fights for us. A bad fight: when unprepared, careless, or inconsistent (e.g., cramming for a test, showing talent without discipline). Consistency—not just talent—earns trust. Faith is inseparable from faithfulness.   5. Lifestyle of Faith Faith must be developed like a muscle—strengthened through use, testing, and endurance. A lifestyle of faith is evidenced through: Consistent good works. Excellence in daily living. Spiritual disciplines (prayer, Bible reading, fasting, agreement in community). Without faith as a lifestyle, believers risk “fainting”—losing heart due to lack of spiritual nutrition. 6. How to Fight the Good Fight Look to Jesus – the Author and Finisher of faith (Hebrews 12:1–2). Lay aside weights and sins – not only obvious sins but unnecessary burdens. Run with endurance – not just soaring or sprinting, but faithfully walking without fainting. Exercise patience – faith and patience work together; they are “power twins.” Avoid weariness – consider the perseverance of Jesus, family, and others who endured. 7. Dangers of Fainting Physical fainting comes from lack of oxygen/nutrition. Spiritual fainting comes from lack of connection to Christ, lack of Word intake, and lack of consistency. Remedy: Re-focus on Jesus, nourish faith through obedience, and draw strength from faithful examples. 8. Marks of a Good Fight 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 – We may be hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, but never crushed, in despair, forsaken, or destroyed. 1 John 4:4 – Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. The difference lies between external pressures and internal strength through Christ. 9. Affirmation of Faith (Confession) DOWNLOAD The sermon concluded with a powerful declaration: I have the spirit of faith and a lifestyle that supports it. I fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life. My faith grows daily through God's grace in both good and bad times. I endure with patience, will not faint, and triumph in Christ. 10. Core Takeaways Faith is not situational but a lifestyle of faithfulness. A “good fight” is already won because Christ secures the victory. Preparation, discipline, and patience make faith durable. Believers must avoid fainting by staying spiritually nourished and focused on Jesus. The spirit of faith ensures we triumph—even under pressure—because God's treasure lives within us.

Rick Eastwick, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given August 17, 2025 Prayer by Rick Eastwick, Lay Worship Leader https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Lay leader Rick Eastwick will tell the story of his life changing conversion to Hinduism starting when he was a college junior at Tufts University in 1970. During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Rick Eastwick grew up in New England and graduated from Tufts University in 1971 with a degree in Applied Physics. He worked in industry for 42 years mostly in technical staffing for high tech companies in the Boston area. He was married twice, the second time to Marie Raduazzo, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in October of 2020. He has a son from his first marriage, who lives in California. He was raised Congregationalist but converted to Unitarian-Universalism in college partially because of its tolerance for Eastern religious ideas. He and Marie began attending First Parish in 1983. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles. The program began in November 2009, and First Parish has donated over $200,000 to more than 70 organizations. For June, July, and August 2025, The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) will share half of the plate. For nearly 50 years, BAGLY has been a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization, committed to social justice and creating, sustaining, and advocating for programs, policies, and services for the LGBTQ+ youth community in Massachusetts. After serving over 200,000+ youth since 1980, BAGLY is recognized nationally for its pioneering role in creating, sustaining, and advocating for social support, leadership development, and health promotion programs for LGBTQ+ youth. The remaining half of your offering supports the life and work of this Parish. To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive.

In this podcast episode, David Hill is joined by fellow land advisor Chance Creighton for a timely discussion on the approaching deer hunting season and agricultural harvest cycle in Arkansas. Together, they explore how hunters and farmers are preparing for a season shaped by heat, early activity, and shifting conditions in the field.The conversation expands into implications for dove hunting as well as the resurgence of the state's black bear population. They later shift gears to discuss farming in Central Arkansas, offering timely insights on early harvest trends, corn and soybean yields, and how this year's weather is affecting rice and cotton crops. In closing, David also spotlights the upcoming Lay of the Land® Arkansas Conference and what attendees can expect from the event. The Arkansas land conference will be held on October 17 in Fayetteville. Register today at: SaundersLand.com/Arkansas-Conference. Learn more at SaundersRealEstate.com. 

It's #roughlyquarterly time! I'm [perpetually] working on unsubscribing from email newsletters that are no longer relevant...or that I never signed up for. Designate some time on your calendar, dust off that project list, and let me know what you're working on this quarter. SPI 115: listen here Back to School wishlist: jesslindgren.com/school Venmo: @galfriday612 Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214 On August 25th, 2025, join me and Jeremy Burrows for the inaugural edition of the Monday Club inside the Leader Assistant community on Circle! Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.  Have an awesome week!  xo Jess #askjess #askanassistant

God isn't interested in offering you just a bandage. Bandages are for small cuts, temporary fixes. God wants to do surgery on your life. Many of us come to God, and we say, I'm in pain, will you help me? And God says, yes, of course, I'll help you. Give it all to me. Jesus offers us so much more than a quick fix! He says: "I came so that they (that's you) can have real and eternal life, more and better life than you ever dreamed of." Jesus says: Come. Come to me. Lay it all down—everything you love, everything you depend on, everything you think you are or you want to be. And I will give you life. Always remember, there is hope with God. radio.hopewithgod.com

This Deep Sleep Story about the Sleepy Cat, complete with Autumn / Fall Ambience really is a cozy way to get ready for the season.

Today we continue our study of the book of Mark with the sermon "Jesus is Mighty to Save."  Pastor Matt will touch on the many areas of our lives that Jesus can save us from...if we TRUST in him. Lay your burdens on him for he is mighty to save. 

Rewards of Giving and Receiving (audio) David Eells – 8/17/25 Father, we thank you so much for being in our midst. We are so privileged, Lord. The overwhelming majority of the world doesn't know You and we'd certainly like to be Your vessels through whom You reveal Yourself to them, and we pray toward that end earnestly. Lord, forgive us of our sins and our foolishness. Give us Your grace. Please rise up in us and do Your wonderful work in these days. Please anoint us and give us wisdom. Lord, we want to return to what You gave the early church and even go beyond that. We want You to teach us, Lord; show us how to walk in Your steps. We just ask for Your mercy and grace today. We see old world crumbling around us and we need Your wisdom now. We want to come out of this world and totally into Your kingdom. We want to know the difference and know Your principles. Lord, we've been reading them and studying them, and we ask You to help us put them into effect in our lives and in our midst. We just need You, Lord. We need You now more than ever. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen. So we're hidden in Christ. Most people never think to pray about those kinds of things, to be hidden from the Beast and take our name out of their system. There is a new Beast in town that is much more favorable to Christians. I believe the Lord is getting ready to prepare us to separate somewhat from this new system soon because it's rising only to fall again as history repeats. There's no use in us continuing to hemorrhage Kingdom supplies to the Beast. As I've said, we're headed back to the Book of Acts. We know we're going there, and you need to be prepared. Failure doesn't have to happen for us because we live in a different Kingdom, and we need to be living according to that Kingdom and according to the Word of God. We have a precedent in the scriptures to follow, and we know from the scriptures that it's important for us to work. I had a lady ask me years ago, “Was I supposed to be working in a secular job?” I said, “Well, why don't you go ask the Lord that?” And so she did. And she came back and said, “No, the Lord told me you were doing exactly what He told you to do”. And I said, “Well, that's right”. But it wasn't always that way with me. I worked for a long time, enjoyed it, and I had a very fruitful ministry when I was doing what the world calls a part-time ministry. But it really wasn't part-time ministry because I got to minister to a lot of people I never would have touched otherwise. Toward the end of that kind of a ministry, I was working for Exxon, and we had gatherings every day of men and women from across the plant. It was a very large plant, which took up a good portion of downtown Baton Rouge on the river. When Christians around the place heard that we were having Bible studies, they would flock from every corner of that plant and join in. We started having two meetings like that -- one in the field and one in the central mechanical building, and we had a large church assembled out there, and lots of miracles were happening. Multitudes of religious people were finding out that God was bigger than they originally thought. They were coming out of their structured churches and fellowshipping with other Christians and learning that there was more to Christianity than what they thought in their little sheltered clique that they were in. I believe the same thing is going to happen soon. I really believe that there are many people for us to reach, and that's going to happen. I think one way it's going to happen is that we will have something in common with them, with other Christians, and that is, we're coming into tribulation soon. Even before The Tribulation, we're coming into tribulation, and that kind of draws people together. It causes them to drop their sectarianism for the sake of survival. I'm not worried about survival. I don't know about you, but I'm not doing this because of survival; I'm doing it because it's scriptural. I believe that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these other things will be added unto us. We won't have to worry about a thing. But if we're seeking God and His righteousness, let's face it, we're going to be doing some things that those first disciples did. If we get what they got, we'll do what they did, as I've said so often. And if we do what they did, we'll get what they got. And so we have a precedent here in the scriptures. The apostle Paul worked for many years in a fruitful ministry, tent making, which led him from city to city with other people in the same business. He didn't like relying on people; he didn't like being a burden on people; he said so. And I felt the same way. I mean, I didn't get out of my ministry at Exxon, and having Bible studies. I didn't get out of that and start into what they call the full-time ministry because I wanted to wait on the Lord and this was bearing fruit. I just told the Lord, 'Hey, Lord, I need more time to study; I'd like to have more time to share,' but I waited. And I waited for a few years until the Lord told me, Okay, it's time. I didn't choose that for myself; the Lord is the one Who has to open the doors. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. We have to be led of the Lord. We shouldn't be making steps on our own. Now we know from Paul's testimony that he did this, and we know it's scriptural. We'd all like to just live by our faith and sit out there and meditate on God and let Him drop manna out of heaven, and there's no doubt we'll get into situations where He's going to do just exactly that. But the Lord has multiplied food for me and even put it in my stomach when it wasn't there, so I know God's a mighty God. And Jesus multiplied the fishes and the loaves, and we're going to do the exact same thing. But where did the fishes and the loaves come from? Have you ever thought about that? Well, somebody had those fishes and loaves before Jesus multiplied them. So, I believe that it's scriptural for us to be effectively working, according to the scriptures. I'll just share a few with you. (1Th.4:11) And that you study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your hands even as we charged you... You think there's any difference today? I don't think so. Now, we know that we're in the process of easing ourselves out of this worldly business and into the King's business all the time, and that's good. Ultimately, that's all we're going to be doing because soon the world is not going to accept us doing any business with them anymore, and so God's going to use that to put us totally in the wilderness. But there's no reason not to be walking out a little into that wilderness right now because we're going to need to prepare for what's coming. I believe it's good and right and proper for people who have good-paying jobs to continue to work because, if we're successful in doing what they did, a lot more of our finances are going to stay with us and a lot less of it is going to go out into the world. And for people who have jobs, there is still a need for money to pay monthly bills, etc.. I mean, be useful where you are until God moves you. I found a very useful, very fruitful ministry while working at Exxon and I was enjoying that, and when I went into what they call the full-time ministry and God moved me to Florida. I was there a little while when I said, 'Lord, I think I was bearing more fruit there doing that than I am now.' But I was studying the Word and digging in the Word, and I asked, “Lord, do You want me to go out and knock on doors?” He said, “No, I want you to do just what you're doing now, except a lot more of it”. I said, Okay. There is a very fruitful ministry out there among the people who won't come into a church; they won't listen to a preacher. You know, you can talk to them where you are. So I'm not talking about departing from that yet, but I am saying this: Some of us have some time on our hands that we could fulfill some other things that we see in the scriptures. (1Th.4:12) ... that you may walk becomingly towards them that are without and may have need of nothing. So he says to work with your hands so you won't have any needs. Well, we can pray it all down out of heaven, can't we? Yes, but it's scriptural. You still have to obey these principles. And certainly, when we get into a spot, and we will get into spots where we need a miracle, a creative miracle, praise the Lord, these creative miracles are going to convert a lot of people. I received many of them in my wilderness before the Lord moved us to TN. I believed we could have good association with the people around this area too. There are a lot of Christians here and there are some innocent people here. Some of them might be ignorant, but that doesn't make them evil because, if you're walking where you know to walk and you're walking as close to the Lord as you understand, you are innocent and the Lord looks upon them that way and we should look upon them that way, too. We're supposed to be making friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness so that they can receive us into eternal tabernacles, right? (Luk.16:9) So we're supposed to use everything around us, to have associations with these people, not to go into the corrupt lifestyles that some Christians are in or into the apostasy that they're in, but we still have to love them, and we still have to share with them graciously. We're going to be close together in the end times and I believe that when we start living the way we see in the scriptures, we'll be able to associate with them and they will see some things in us and they will want some things we have.  We'll be able to share, not just how to bake bread with them or how to raise chickens with them, but more about the Gospel. You'll have something in common. We all have a need, right? So I think what he says right here is very plain: “So we can walk becomingly towards them that are without and have need of nothing.” (Eph.4:27) Neither give place to the devil. But let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. So, one reason we work is not just for ourselves, but to give to people who have needs, which I did for many years. There are a lot of people who won't know where we're going right now, and they're going to have needs because they haven't been prepared, and that's going to put them at the mercy of God and, in some cases, at our mercy. So we work in order to be prepared to give to those who have need. There will be many Christians and many neighbors who have needs. We are about to have great abundance and we can give. This world is going to persecute Christians and do what they have done in the past; they're going to separate them, and they're going to plunder them. The further we separate from the dependency upon this system, the better. We don't need to be dependent upon this system; we need to be dependent upon God. That's what the wilderness was about. Now, we've been studying faith and that is good; you'll need that all the way through the Tribulation, but there are some things I believe we can do to be more like the early church and less dependent upon this world. You know how often you need to go to the grocery store, right? You know how often you need what they have. Well, I believe we ought to come to the place where we need a whole lot less of what they have and not be dependent upon them because the powers that be are using that dependency to bring you under their thumb. There are a lot of ignorant people out there who are walking with God where they are, who are going to take the mark of the Beast because they don't know God supplies. They don't know that they don't have to because they haven't been taught the Truth of the Gospel. They don't know that God supplies. They don't know how a Christian community works because they go to church, as a spectator, they get up, and they go home. They don't know that God still does these things because they've been lied to. So, when we rub elbows with them, we share with them the Good News that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. So, he says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.” (2Th.3:6) Now we commend you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly... I might say, there are some people who judge saying, “they just have to have faith”; I've run into them. It's not an evil in them, necessarily. Many don't see examples of people who live by faith in their churches. They want to serve Jesus, and all true Christians want to serve Jesus. But they're imbalanced. They need some help; they need some wisdom from those who are older in the Lord, because we can serve Jesus anywhere. Anywhere we are, we ought to be serving Jesus. We work as unto the Lord. As the Bible says, we are to work like we work for the Lord. We're not here to be men pleasers, right? We're here to work for the Lord, in whatever ways we can serve His Kingdom. We either work in ministry or at a secular job while we minister. (6) ...Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly and not after the tradition which they received of us. (7) For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; (8) neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you. (9) Not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an example unto you that you should imitate us. (10) For even when we were with you this we commanded you: If any will not work, neither let him eat. Some tough love there, isn't it? And, of course, sometimes people don't have jobs and they don't think they can work, but I really believe that can change. And I think some ideas are going to come from each of us that are going to show us a way to do this. (11) For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busy-bodies. (12) Now, them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. (13) But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. (14) And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. You know, there is something almost anybody can do to serve in the Kingdom and to be able to meet the needs of other people. I believe we're about to see a lot of needs presented before us very soon. The dollar is dying very fast. It's going to crumble. The whole system they have is going to crumble. They know it, they're forcing it, they're doing it on purpose. They want a New World Order. They have set up the NESARA and QFS plan, and soon there will be the new world currency and then total digital. All will have to work who can work to receive their income. They know that if we are totally dependent upon them, we'll be at their mercy. But we're not totally dependent upon them and we need to get prepared to live in the Kingdom like a body would. We know that the world doesn't know anything about this. But a body meets its own needs. We are all built for some service in God. Praise be to God! Our ministry is even now supporting missionaries on other continents and we are about to be able to do much more. I can see  that God's going to bring all we need into this ministry in order to meet people's needs so the Gospel can be sent to the World. He showed us that very plainly. We're waiting for that to come and it's on the way now; but at the same time, we still have to obey the scriptures and every one of us ought to be giving and receiving. You know, there is no reward in the scriptures for buying and selling whatsoever. The reward in the scriptures is for giving and we can be doing that weekly or daily. Some will work at secular jobs and others will have their hands free to bring the Gospel to the world and some will do both. He's promised a great reward multiplied many times over in the Kingdom forever, so He wants us to do it. Let's do it. Giving brings an eternal reward. Some people could supply milk, some could raise beef. We will inherit cows for meat and milk and fields. We will have Tesla free energy. Some could supply feed, some could supply corn and some other vegetables. Some could supply chickens and eggs. Some could be butchers and some could be mechanics. Some could be cooks. Some would say, “Thank you for your milk.”  Another would say, “I have something to give you.” Or “I'll meet your needs in some other way.”  We're going to get equipment to plow those fields. We're going to get equipment to plant and harvest those fields. I think all of this is coming, but again, we are learning how to live differently. We're learning how to fellowship with one another about this work and to have more in common with one another than we do just coming to what people call ‘church'. Some people know how to make bread; they're very good at it. They can teach others. There are some people who have poultry, eggs, turkeys, chickens, rabbits and so on and so forth. Just some ideas here. If anyone feels led to go in any direction, that's what I'm asking. What do you feel led to do? Everything you do, you need to be led of the Lord. I'm just putting these ideas out there to share so you can think about it, because the Lord spoke it to me a few nights ago in the middle of the night, and I don't want Him to talk to me again about this in the middle of the night, so I'm going to share it with you. I like talking to the Lord in the middle of the night, but not having to repeat the same things. Some people are good at vegetable growing. I was telling somebody the other day that the house I moved into several weeks before my family moved here, I found one tomato plant on my property that somebody had forgotten about. It was behind a wood pile, and nobody had ever staked up the plant; it was just lying up on the ground, growing this way and that way. And I got to walking around behind this wood pile, and I saw there were tomatoes all over the place down there, so I had been eating tomatoes every day ever since then. That's just one tomato vine. Then the frost got them one night. I decided that I had better go out and gather what tomatoes were still there. So I got them; however, the frost had gotten a few of them, but I was able to gather a few tomatoes from it. I just placed them on the windowsill. But I sure enjoyed being able to eat plenty of tomatoes from one vine that somebody forgot about. The landlord was telling me, “Hey, you can eat the fruit off that tree over there”, and I said, “Hey, I've been eating your tomatoes ever since you left here”. I was watching some brethren make some soap the other day. That was pretty neat. I said, “Hey, you need a machine to grind that”. They were hand-grinding. I believe some people can make soap in order to have soap for their neighbors. You've been paying way too much for soap, and it doesn't work nearly as well as these folks' soap would. And some people would be good at distributing the products to the people. There are people good at doing taxes; there are people good at law. They can offer their services to the brethren and vice versa. Carpentry, mechanics and electricians, handymen, techies, etc. You can think of a lot of things, all kinds of services you can give to others, and they can give to you. And this giving and sharing is just part of being a Christian. In some cases we will hire the world to be laborers while we will be priests and ministers of the Lord. Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. 6  But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.  These are all part time jobs. No one is going to have to slave to stay alive for God has given abundantly and the ministry will make sure all needs are met as it was in Acts. Our main job will be to put the word and gifts of the Spirit in our hearts so we can give this to others. The world is buying and selling. God kept complaining about the buying and selling and the marrying and giving in marriage, and we see that that's the way of the world. Suretyship is the way of the world. Borrowing and mortgaging and guaranteeing to pay back -- that's the way of the world. The Bible teaches against “suretyship.” (Pro.11:15) He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; But he that hateth suretyship is secure. The Hebrew word there actually means “to be a guarantor of an agreement; to give or to be security”; in other words, “to mortgage.” It's making a guarantee to pay back what has been borrowed, but we can't even guarantee that we'll be here tomorrow. The Bible also warns us against making promises, pledges, or guarantees of any sort. I think the Amish have something to teach us there. They all gathered together and built the house. Okay, we'll build you the house, and you won't be going into debt either. We can gather together and build a few chicken coops and rabbit coops, and whatever. We can do these things. The ministry can help some of you get started in what some people have called a cottage industry. We can give you something that will, for example, get you a grinder that will grind soap all by itself. Just some ideas. We already have Telsa free energy here waiting to be turned on. we've received several prophecies about a virus that's going to shut down the Internet and the grid but that may be out in the world. The worldly church has no way to know this is going to happen because they're not led by the Spirit, and they're not aware of these warnings in dreams and prophesies. We don't have to stop; we've been warned. We can listen to God and ask, “Hey, God, what do you want me to do about this?” Well, He's giving us some ideas. But we know the Lord is going to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. That's what He said, right? But we just need to believe and obey Him to receive all needs. We also know there's small earthquakes coming through here to separate the land from the mainland. The Lord showed us that. That's going to run people off and make this a peninsula. But we know it's going to happen and we just need to be ready. Even bartering is taxable, so giving freely and receiving freely is the best policy and has heavenly rewards. We're headed toward the mark. Some people are going to take the mark because they don't know that they have a choice. And we can show them not only some supernatural choices, but we can also show them some natural choices because we live the way we're supposed to live toward one another scripturally by meeting one another's needs and working to make sure everybody's needs are met, making sure that there is equality. And the Lord spoke in 2 Corinthians about equality. He wants equality in His church. He wants all of His people to have their needs met. And the way of the world is, I'm in a race with my neighbor: I gotta have the biggest car, the biggest house, swimming pool, etc.; but that's not us. We're here to serve and to lift up our neighbors and to be a community, a body, in order to make sure that everybody's needs are met through giving and receiving, right? The idea of gaining from your neighbor is less important to us than making sure our neighbors' needs are met and our needs are met. It's a control thing with the DS. They think that if they bring down the economy, we will be under their control. And it's true; for an awful lot of Christians, it's true. We can give them a choice here. I believe that if we do a little bit of specializing and less duplicating, we can get this thing up and going pretty fast. Everybody does not need a lawnmower. Some are already set up to do this. Our trips to the store will be for almost no staples and pay their exorbitant prices, and that money will go to feed the Beast; we don't care about that. Whatever we make, we would like it to totally serve the Kingdom. That's the way. I'm not talking about names and storefronts and things like that. These are things we have to avoid. We want to have a low profile where we're going. We want to avoid open rebellion against the system because they'll come to get you. They'll figure out a way to do it. We know we're protected by God and hidden in Christ, but we don't want to dare them, right? And we can do a lot of things just the way we normally do them, just naturally. The way of the world, of opening a big storefront, saying, 'We're not buying and selling, we're bartering'; they'll tax you and figure a way to shut you down. They want control and they don't want anybody to be independent. We can be very independent if we give and receive individually, and we can bring in a lot of Christians who don't know what's coming. We'll enjoy fellowshipping with them too, and not just around these things, but around the Word of God. So we can share with others this way. In Acts 6:1-4, there were some people complaining about their system not working very well, so they chose and ordained some deacons to make sure that the widows weren't missing out. We have lots of deacons in our ministry. “Deacon” just means “servant” in the Word of God. We have servants who do all kinds of things in our ministry. People have many different gifts and talents with backgrounds and training in several areas. This is one we need to move toward, too: People whose whole concern is to make sure that everybody's needs are met, that the system is working, it's not breaking down somewhere. So we'll be thinking about this, and you be thinking about this, too, because it's definitely going to be needed. As the apostle said, they did it at that time so that they could continue in prayer, be able to study in the Word of God and teaching, and these ordained brothers can handle this. Many Man-child families are coming here. Man-child reformers will teach and minister in our bible schools that the Lord has given us. Other specialty teachers will be here too. Let me also say this: Because you're a deacon does not negate you from being an elder or being one of the two-witnesses or being in the Man-child. It doesn't negate that at all. Remember, Jesus was called a deacon, too. In the scriptures, in every way people served others, the word diakonos was used; it just wasn't always translated that way. So, if we translated it the same way every time, we would find out that Jesus was a deacon, all of His disciples were deacons, and everybody was a servant in one form or another. But deacons do not have to be elders. And our ministry has lots of servants. Many people are coming together here to serve the Word of God to people and to make sure it's prepared properly. I'm not bringing this up for any other reason than I feel like the Lord brought it up to me, and I'm not bringing it up in desperation because I'm worried about what's coming. I'm not in the slightest bit worried about what's coming. I am eager to get the Gospel out to the world and we shall. We can be giving and receiving. We can receive the benefits of the eternal kingdom. God's already taken care of all of this. I'm doing this because we can offer blessings to the people by just learning to give to them and making sure their spiritual and physical needs are met. And as we read in the Scriptures, they worked for more than just me, my, and mine; it was for the purpose of giving to other people who were in need. We're going to see multitudes in need. God's giving us property, schools, meeting places and houses here. There are going to be many people, refugees from all over this country and from other countries coming here, and we want to be hospitable. We want to be able to take care of them and help them to move into something that, even if they don't have a secular job, the ministry can meet their needs and meet the needs of people around them. Now, we're not trying to build what the world would call a commune here. You won't see anybody in our ministry running around giving orders. It's a little different than a lot of ministries you've been involved in, or heard about, I'm sure. Most of the people in this ministry who are deacons in this ministry, they have that because it was in their heart to do it, and they came to us and said, 'Hey, I'd like to do this', or ‘I can do this', and so praise God. We want people to be free to do these things from the heart. If you give from your heart, that's a good sacrifice before the Lord, according to 2 Corinthians. From the very beginning of our ministry, we've never charged for anything; we just give it. If people want to give back, that's fine; if they don't, they still receive what they ask for, so we can't really call it bartering when you're not demanding anything in return. We're not talking about hoarding either; we're just talking about meeting needs. Well, we can do some workshops here, people showing other people how to do things, and people gathering together to get these things started in a really good way. And, as I said, I felt the Lord told me that the ministry could also contribute money toward things that people need to get started in this way. Everyone does not belong here for God has not called them to a refuge but tribulation. We can take a lesson from the Amish. They gather together and do something in a group that they could never do individually, or at least, it would take a lot longer time. We don't have a long time. We are not needing to build houses or many buildings that are already provided. I know that we have people to fill every specialty and we can get up and going quickly. And of course, this is all voluntary, whatever a person feels their gift is or the Lord is guiding them to do. The funny thing is, I'm visiting people's houses, and the house I'm living in now, and they are all electric and we have free electricity. One of the Bible colleges has natural gas. There is a rich deposit of gas right here, and that's free energy. We had a brother whose family came down and visited us, who was just north of us, and he has a gas well in his backyard, and I'm thinking, why aren't more people punching holes in the ground around here? That's free heat; that's energy. Well, if you have a community of people who aren't far apart, or if you want to, use it to pressurize it and run vehicles. When I was young, we used gas tractors, gas trucks, and we had the old International Harvester trucks that were converted to run on gas because it was readily available, so you can do the same thing today. People are talking about all different kinds of ways to keep your car running when gasoline becomes hard to find, which it will. Not necessarily here, but it will. But certainly, if you have the availability of a gas well you can buy the converter kits for tractors. We will have electric cars. Birds are hand-to-mouth, aren't they? They don't worry about storing it up; they just eat it. Well, I think you got the idea, so really just pray and ask the Lord if He wants you to do something and, if so, what, and just be ready and willing for Him to use you. You can train people in what you know, and you can be trained by others, and we can all come together with what we each know the Lord is leading us to do. And the ministry would be glad to contribute to anybody who wants to get a start, so you all think about it and pray about it, and we'll see where it takes us. But only consider coming if God says so. Lord, we just ask you, Father, in the name of Jesus, to give us all wisdom. You know what's coming down the road. You see the end from the beginning. We see nothing, Lord; we just trust in You. We want to be led by Your Spirit. We are the sons of God by faith, and we're asking You to lead us and guide us into something that will be very useful, not only to us, but to the people around us and to get the Gospel out. Lord, we thank You for Your mercy toward us, and we know that we have nothing to worry about; we just put all of our faith in You. We know that You are an absolute miracle-working God and You will multiply the fishes and the loaves. And You will bring us manna out of heaven, and You'll do everything that's necessary to provide for Your people. So we just trust in You and we just want to be useful to serve. And we thank You for it, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.   Greed and the Tithe (by David Eells) Paul gave Timothy a revelation of the false prophets and those who follow them in the “last days”. (2Ti.3:1) But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; (5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. These men, who are identified by their egotistical appetite for money, prestige, pleasure, and position, love their religious “form of godliness”. Among these are the false prophets who lead captive the like-minded apostate religious sects. (6) For of these are they that creep into houses (of worship), and take captive silly women (sects of God's people - Isa.4:1, 32:9) laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, (7) ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Those who love to justify their own sinful ways respect these “impostors” and their “form of godliness”. (13) But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. These false prophets are identified as “lovers of money”. These are the merchants of religious Babylon (Rev.18). They make “Father's house a house of merchandise” (Joh.2:16). Since God will not support their personal kingdom-building, they peddle books, tapes, trinkets, chicken dinners, tours, etc. This is the way of the world, and for those who have an impoverished God. Why would anyone who was sent by God and believed the promises of our provision through Christ do this? Our examples in the early leadership of the Church certainly did not. (Joh.2:13) ...Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (14) And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: (15) and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; (16) and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. They peddle the promises of God's provision to those who give to their ministry. They make “merchandise of the word of God” (2Co.2:17 [in Greek]). They peddle the Word for salaries like hirelings. When a person is not sent by God, he does not have faith that “God shall supply every need” (Php.4:19). Where God sends, He supplies. Without God's supernatural supply, people have to resort to other tactics to support “their” ministry. The Lord has not changed His mind, “the righteous shall live by faith”, not salaries. He commanded His ministers, “Freely ye received, Freely give. Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses”. A man who lives by faith has to walk with God because “if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight” (1Jn.3:21,22). God's command that His leaders walk by faith ensures righteous leadership. The early Church leadership was not in the habit of taking up collections, but when they did, it was not for themselves but for the saints in persecution and had needs, as it was with Jerusalem. (1Co.16:1) Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. (2) Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. (3) And when I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters to carry your bounty unto Jerusalem. Notice that Paul didn't handle the money, but approved brethren did. He preferred to not even be present when the collection for the saints was received, so that there would be no extortion involved, as it was with the Macedonian collection. He also didn't use the Macedonians' presence to shame and extort the Corinthians. (2Co.9:3) But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared: (4) lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence. (5) I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion. Ministers received free will offerings and did not demand their rights through condemnation or legalism. (1Co.9:11) If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? (12) If others partake of [this] right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. (13) Know ye not that they that minister about sacred things eat [of] the things of the temple, [and] they that wait upon the altar have their portion with the altar? (14) Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel. (15) But I have used none of these things: and I write not these things that it may be so done in my case; for [it were] good for me rather to die, than that any man should make my glorifying void. Paul said, “we did not use this right...that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel”. Even the world sees through the “gimmee gospel” and its con men, and they disrespect the true Gospel because of it. In obeying the command “freely ye received, freely give” we leave no room for suspicion. (2Pe.2:1) But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies.... (3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. One way they “make merchandise of you” is to put God's people under the Law to support them when the Scripture clearly states that our giving is “not of necessity” (2Co.9:7). “[Let] each man [do] according as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly, or of necessity (this is not according to the law of tithing): for God loveth a cheerful giver”. In the New Covenant, God wants an offering from the heart from those born of His Spirit. God made the Old Covenant with natural Israel and refused the Gentiles. (Psa.147:19) He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. (20) He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Now the New Covenant is made only with the Church and is refused to those under the Law. If a doctrine like tithing is not in the New Covenant, then it was never made with you! It will only separate you from Christ and grace. (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Jesus rebuked the false prophets of His day saying, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin (even their seasoning), and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these you ought to have done (this is past tense in all ancient manuscripts, Numerics, and the Received Text), and not to have left the other undone” (Mat 23:23). Jesus clearly said here that tithing was both in the past and under the Law. Some say tithing was before the Law. Yes, circumcision and animal sacrifice were before the Law, too, but they were included in the law and we are not under Law to do them anymore either. Paul also said tithing was of the Law in Hebrews 7:5-11. There is no New Covenant command or request to tithe because we are no longer stewards of ten percent. Jesus taught that we have to renounce ownership of the other ninety percent, or we cannot be His disciples. (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. “All” here means all possessions, rights, and will. Those who claim possession of the other ninety percent are thieves. The Holy Spirit and the New Covenant commands were given to establish where, how much, and to whom we give. We are merely stewards of what He has put in our hands. The church's system of tithing is extortion and graft. It is not even righteous when compared to the Old Covenant tithe. Under the type and shadow of the tithe, ten percent was taken from eleven tribes and given to one tribe, the Levites ([ministers] Num.18:24). Then the Levites gave one ten percent (tithe) to the high priest (25-28). This left the Levites with ten percent from ten tribes. That is an average of what the other eleven tribes had to live on. Even when Israel's economy grew, they still lived on an average income. Today, with a larger percentage of the people doing the supporting, coupled with the fact that the pastors have usurped the authority of the rest of the five-fold ministry (Eph.4:11), ministers have become fat and filthy rich. This is a great stumbling block to both the world that sees through this and to the ministers. This also makes the people of God bad stewards. We have made God's house a “den of robbers” (Mat.21:13). (Eze.34:2) Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, even to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord: Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the sheep? (3) Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep. These men make it plain that we are not under the Law except when there is a profit involved and then we are told to “bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse”, which is a command of the Old Covenant. Of course, they falsely claim to be the storehouse. In Old Covenant type and shadow, tithes were cast into the treasury, which was in the midst of the temple (1Ki.7:51; Mar.12:41). In the New Covenant, the temple is God's people, and Jesus said that we would be judged by whether we meet the needs of His people (Mat.25:31-46; 1Jn.3:16,17). This is how we store up treasure in heaven (Luk.12:33,34). We are taught to not store up our treasures on earth (Mat.6:19-21) but to meet the needs of the brethren so “that there may be equality” (2Co.8:14). Those who will not renounce ownership and become stewards of one hundred percent are not being disciples for “we were bought with a price”. We are now bondservants of Christ. The Holy Spirit now tells the disciples of Christ how much, to whom, where, and when to give. Amen. Now, the Bible specifically says you get a reward for giving, and the interest is much better. The interest is “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” I've tried God on this and it works. He is faithful — consistently faithful. He is our surety. I learned that you just give and meet the needs of the brethren around you, and not worry about what you have left because God is never going to fail you. Never. From the time the Lord showed me about faith and how He forbade debt to His people, I haven't stored up or borrowed any money, and the Lord has never failed to make sure we had a good car, a good house, and all our needs met. The world says that you have to store up the money until you have enough, or even more commonly, borrow it from the bank, which is debt. But you don't need to go the way of the world, because God can bring it in a lump sum. He did it for us many times. Men serve insurance companies, H.M.O.s, banks and store up their treasures on earth for the security they think it gives them. But we are told in (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. Y2K revealed the paranoia and lack of trust in those who stored up their treasures on earth contrary to our Lord's command. Quite a few people that I showed these principles to went home to give their store away and found it full of bugs, just as Jesus said, “thieves break through and steal.” Jesus told of a man who found peace in the insurance of storing up his goods in greater barns (Luk.12:18). He said to himself, (Luk.12:19)… Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (His misplaced trust brought judgment.) (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required (Greek: “they require thy soul”) of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Notice that it was his stored-up treasures that required his soul. Jesus promised the unfailing kingdom provisions to those who would store up their treasures in heaven by giving. (32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (That means you're not storing it up or keeping it for a long time.), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. Give alms. Meet the needs of people around you. That's what He calls “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” Any treasure you store up on earth is going to fail. The world is going to plunder you, folks, and, if not the world, the devil is going to plunder you by the curse, but you're going to be plundered. Let me tell you how not to get plundered: Give! Meet the needs of the brethren around you. Give and then it will be coming the other way because it says in (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. That's how it works. You can make a living by giving. It works. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Some people tell me, “It's okay to have it. Just don't set your heart on it.” That's not what Jesus said. He said, “If you have it, your heart will be on it.” “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If you're thinking, “Well, David, doesn't it say that Joseph stored up for the years of plenty so that he could give it back in the years of famine?” Yes, but let me point out to you who Joseph very clearly represents in type and shadow. Joseph was among the elders of Israel, but his own brethren sold him into bondage to the Gentiles for silver, just like Jesus. Joseph was lied about by the harlot, Potiphar's wife, just like Jesus. Joseph was persecuted by them and he was cast into prison, just like Jesus. Jesus went and preached to the souls in prison after He was crucified and what did Jesus do to the souls in prison? He decided who went to Abraham's Bosom and who went to Hades; in other words, He judged between the good souls and bad souls. The same thing happened to Joseph when he was cast into prison. He decided between the butler, who came out of prison and went up to serve Pharaoh, and the baker, who lost his head. When Joseph came out of prison, he was ruler over all of the earth, second only to Pharaoh, who was worshipped as a god. And when Jesus came out of prison, He was ruler over all of creation, second only to God. The types and shadows are all there to show that Joseph represented Jesus. If you store up on this earth, you are disobeying Jesus. It's only good for spending, and then you learn to walk by faith. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? God chose those who are poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. A person who is rich in faith will never go without. God always provides for them. So how do you store up under the hand of “Joseph”? How do you store up your treasures in Heaven under Jesus? You do that by giving alms, by making yourselves purses that wax not old, by meeting the needs of the brethren. You give and it will be given unto you. When you get out in that wilderness, don't you want to have something stored up in the Bank of Heaven? He said, “A treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” If you pack food out there into that wilderness, it will fail you. If you pack gold out into that wilderness, the world will plunder you. But if you store it up by giving, God said He will give unto you. Now I'm not asking for anything; I'm just telling you how to get prepared for what's coming because a lot of you have been hearing a bunch of baloney from apostate preachers. That is not how you get prepared for the wilderness. If you want to be prepared, you store up your treasures under the hand of Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, and then you can get it back when you need it. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom.” The way to make money in the world is not to store up, it's not to bring people under the Law, it's not to tell everybody your needs. Those are the methods of Egypt, but God wants you to stay in the wilderness. The Israelites cried out to go back to Egypt. They didn't like the trials of their faith and they wanted to go back to the ways of the world. The way of God is to give what you have and then God will multiply it back. It's happened to me many, many times that when I did not have enough money to take care of my needs, I would just go and give it. And you know what? God has never failed me, not once. I walked by faith and raised five children, and God always met our needs. Now, one time we were forced into a fast as a trial of our faith, and that's the only time we were ever put in that position, but we got in a position many times where God literally multiplied food, multiplied money and even multiplied gas in our tank. We got to see wondrous miracles from God and we're still seeing them! God sees to it that His Word is fulfilled. (Jer.1:12) Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. He stands behind His Word, and He will never fail you. He cannot fail. One thing I've learned about God is that He can do everything but fail. He will supply your every need according to His riches in glory. Our brother, Curt Bryan, had always given sacrificially to our ministry. He had given testimony several times where he had written checks to pay his own bills without the money in the bank to cover them, believing God to have the money there in time. In his business, many of his customers were walk-ins, so income was hard to predict. Whenever he had stepped out by faith in this way, God would always come through. A sudden rush of customers would come in, or a generous tip would be given to him. (2Co.9:6)… He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. An opportunity to give can also be an opportunity to sit on, or eat the seed. We can only reap to the extent we sow. God multiplies it back, not to make us rich but to make us channels of His blessing to the needy. He multiplies our seed for sowing, not hoarding. (10) And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. God's promise to those who are faithful in giving is here. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work. This is one of the most powerful, all-encompassing promises of provision in all of the Scriptures. Here are a few other testimonies from our site of how the Lord miraculously provided financially when people acted in faith.   Give and It Will Be Given Gideon Smith - 03/08/2012 My wife and I had a medical bill we couldn't afford to pay, so we told them we couldn't afford it. We then gave some money to a ministry that helps our brothers and sisters who are persecuted. The next day, my wife was contacted by the medical people and was told that the bill was cleared, and we owed them nothing. God blessed us five times the amount that we gave by taking care of that debt. When my wife told me this, I was amazed and said, “Wow! Since we had some of that money set aside to pay the bill from our income tax, we should give again.” So right at the table tonight, l prayed, “Lord, if You want us to give again, You will send someone to us in need. Well, I went to the grocery store and had to get some stuff, but I forgot to get everything, so I had to go back. When I went back, I first began to murmur, but instead I praised God. When I left the store, a man approached me with an empty gas container, asking if I could help him. I said, “Sorry, I don't have any cash.” But then I remembered the prayer I prayed. At this point, I said, “Give me the tank. I will fill it up for you. I filled the container up and went to the ATM to get him some cash. When I got back to him, I told him about my prayer and let him know that it was Christ Who just showed him and me this miracle. I am so in awe of God's direction and all His works. Praise the Lord, in Jesus name! You want proof of Christ, there you go. Hallelujah!   Trusting God for Finances Anna Higareda - 04/28/2010 Hello, Brother Eells. This is the first time I have written you. The Lord has put it on my heart to send you a great THANK YOU, as I am sitting here listening to your teaching, Wilderness Living Now. My husband, Jon, has written an email to you once before regarding a dream he had, and you actually spoke about it in one of your teachings. My husband and I have been listening and learning from your teachings and reading your books now for about two years, and we have recently been brought to a point of weakness and have been forced to live in the “wilderness”, as you speak of in your teachings. I wanted to send you a great THANK YOU; it is because of the good Lord and your teachings that we have learned to live by pure faith, and we have also been able to teach our kids to look to God and thank HIM every day. Your stories of faith and your life experiences have really inspired us and given us all the more faith to trust in the Lord for everything we need. As a matter of fact, besides your ministry, my husband received word to be faithful to one other ministry here in Campbell, CA. He was helping at that ministry last Thursday evening (he helps set up and take down all the technical stuff) and when they were taking down and putting things away, one of the elders told him, “I just had a vision, out of nowhere, that you were putting on your coat and it was made of money”. So my husband said, “Hmm, wow, that's pretty neat!” Then he continued on with putting things away, and the elder said to him, “Jon, well ...?!” So my husband looked dumbfounded, and the elder motioned for him to feel his pockets. So he put his hands back in his coat, and he felt paper; it was a $100 bill in his coat pocket! My husband was shocked and in disbelief because it wasn't too long before that, he had had his hands in his pockets and his pockets were empty. My brother-in-law was also there that night, and my husband asked him, “Did you do this?” He said, “No way. I couldn't have done that. I only brought $4 with me tonight”. Then my husband asked the elder the same question, and the response was, “I didn't do that; I guarantee!” This was truly amazing, Brother Eells, because no one knew we had been going through any type of financial struggle. We kept it all to ourselves and that morning I got my paycheck, and my entire check went towards the bills. What was left over after paying bills was $266 and I thought to myself, “That's funny. I thought we would have $366 left over yesterday after bills. There is no way we could make it with this amount until the next time I get paid”. I ended up with $100 less than I thought I would have after bills. Then I talked to God at my work desk and told him, “Lord, I know you have provided many times before and I have faith you will provide again for my family, so I am not going to worry; it's in your hands!” I thanked God and moved forward with my day, and then that night, the Lord put that extra $100 in my husband's pocket at the ministry. I saw my brother-in-law two days later, and he asked, “Did Jon tell you about what happened at the ministry with his jacket?!” I replied, “Yes, isn't that amazing!” Then he said, “I know! Jon asked if one of us had put it in his pocket, but I am telling you, Anna, there is no possible way that anyone put that money in his pocket that night”. I then told him and his wife about the rest of the testimony, and they said, “Thank you, Jesus!” :) God is amazing! So I want to say thank you so very much for all the hard work you do for HIS kingdom; it is truly inspiring! My family and I have been abundantly blessed to have come across your ministry two years ago! Thank you and I wish you and your family all the best! So, Saints, don't fear the wilderness. God designed this wilderness. He's ordained this wilderness. He's even ordained the Beast that's going to cause this wilderness. He's ordained Pharaoh's army to get behind God's people and force them out there into that wilderness. God is not going to fail you. Learn to walk by faith because the wilderness will be nothing for the people who walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). But for those who are fearful and murmur and complain and walk by sight (Numbers 11:1; 1 Corinthians 10:10; Jude 16; Revelation 21:8; etc.), they are not going to make it through. Why is God doing this? He's doing this because He's raising up believers. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.

Life has a way of loading us down with stress, disappointment, and unforgiveness. Each moment feels like another rock tossed into the rucksack we carry. Before long, the weight slows us down and keeps us from running the race God set before us. In this episode of Walking in Command, Pastor Anthony unpacks 1 John 4:20–5:3, Hebrews 12:1, and Matthew 5 to show us how to: Lay down bitterness and anger Walk in obedience and discipline to Christ Forgive those who've wounded us Trade the heavy rucksack of life for the light burden of Jesus The true test of sonship isn't in what we say but in how we treat those who've hurt us. Get the rocks out of your rucksack—and discover the freedom of walking in command.

S5E20 Volsung Poems: Two Poems of Atli (Part 5)David continues his series of not so short solo episodes, deep diving into the Poems of the Poetic Edda which inspired the Saga of the Volsungs.In this episode:The Lay of AtliThe Greenlandic Lay of AtliThese poems connect the legends of Atli the Hun, to his wife Gudrun and the poems of Sigurd and his decent from the Norse Gods. Atli kills Gudrun's brothers. Some would say to avenge Sigurd and Brunhilde. Others would say to obtain Fafnir's Hoard of Gold. Either way, it is the curse of Andvari's gold, leading to the deaths of generations of fathers and sons.We see in these poems the author favors the Giukung family, Gudrun, Hogni and Gunnar. Where previous poems placed them as the betrayers of Sigurd, Sigurd has been mostly forgotten here. Gudrun does grieve the loss of her great love, but she also hangs on to the love of her brothers and the bonds of kinship.The Giukung family are Goths, a Germanic Tribe. Sigurd joined their clan. But he betrayed the love of Brunhilde, of the family of Atli and the Huns. Gunnar is too smart to allow the hoard of Fafnir to fall into the hands of the Huns. It is returned to the bottom of the Rhine River. But the curse lives through Gudrun and she sees to the death of her two sons by Atli. In the next and final short, she will be remarried to a third king, and see to the deaths of two more sons.The Greenlandic Lay of Atli seems to be a fan fiction. Another take on the same story. The Greenlanders wished to see Gunnar and Hogni as Greenlanders, falling into the same trap of Atli. Blindly trusting fate and the bonds of kindship.Ways to support us:If you have been enjoying our show, please write a 5 star review on itunes to help spread our podcast to a wider audience:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/between-two-ravens-a-norse-mythology-podcast/id1604263830Buy Shawn and David a Beer or Coffee: https://ko-fi.com/tworavenpodcastFollow us for updates or send us a message on Instagram:Instagram: (@TwoRavensPodcast): https://www.instagram.com/tworavenspodcast/Check out David's writing: Walled Garden (https://thewalledgarden.com/davidalexander)Our podcast is part of The Walled Garden Podcast Network. The Walled Garden is committed to the pursuit of Truth, Wisdom, Virtue, and the Divine, wherever it might be found. Visit thewalledgarden.com to learn more.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5910787/advertisement

Andrew Hurst is the founder and CEO of Delivered, a fast-scaling logistics platform revolutionizing parcel shipping with faster, more reliable deliveries at lower costs.He also serves as CEO of Ark Transportation, where he led a fivefold revenue increase in just five years, and is the founder of Veroot, a compliance platform now trusted by thousands of logistics teams nationwide.Under his leadership, and across all three companies, Andrew is bringing an entrepreneurial lens to the freight industry he grew up in—challenging the status quo, disrupting legacy giants, and redefining how parcel shippers move goods across the country.This was a ton of fun. First off, we set up shop right on the warehouse floor where Andrew has built all three of these companies. The industrial-scale freight equipment and thousands of parcels and packages provided an incredible backdrop for the conversation—one that reflects Andrew's life's work, calling, and ambition to transform an entire industry. For those who'd prefer to see it, I encourage you to watch our conversation on YouTube.We talk about the advantages and pride of building in Cleveland, how he's raising a family of 11 children while scaling all three companies, what it's like competing against Goliaths like FedEx and UPS, and what he believes the future of logistics will look like. Andrew's clarity of thought, humility, and commitment to creating enduring impact are inspiring—it's not surprising he's been recognized with the Vistage Excellence in Leadership Award and named a Smart Business Dealmaker of the Year in 2023.-----LINKS:https://shipdelivered.com/en/https://www.linkedin.com/in/hurstandrew/-----SPONSOR:Roundstone InsuranceRoundstone Insurance is proud to sponsor Lay of The Land. Founder and CEO, Michael Schroeder, has committed full-year support for the podcast, recognizing its alignment with the company's passion for entrepreneurship, innovation, and community leadership.Headquartered in Rocky River, Ohio, Roundstone was founded in 2005 with a vision to deliver better healthcare outcomes at a more affordable cost. To bring that vision to life, the company pioneered the group medical captive model — a self-funded health insurance solution that provides small and mid-sized businesses with greater control and significant savings.Over the past two decades, Roundstone has grown rapidly, creating nearly 200 jobs in Northeast Ohio. The company works closely with employers and benefits advisors to navigate the complexities of commercial health insurance and build custom plans that prioritize employee well-being over shareholder returns. By focusing on aligned incentives and better health outcomes, Roundstone is helping businesses save thousands in Per Employee Per Year healthcare costs.Roundstone Insurance — Built for entrepreneurs. Backed by innovation. Committed to Cleveland.-----Stay up to date by signing up for Lay of The Land's weekly newsletter — sign up here.Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and over 200 other Cleveland Entrepreneurs.Connect with Jeffrey Stern on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreypstern/Follow Lay of The Land on X @podlayofthelandhttps://www.jeffreys.page/

Tryouts don't have to be overwhelming or nerve-wracking. Whether you're months out or walking in tomorrow, having a plan makes all the difference. In this episode, we break down exactly how to get ready, both physically and mentally, so you can show up confident, calm, and ready to shine.Here's what we cover:✅ The real purpose of tryouts (and why that should ease the pressure).✅ How to lay the groundwork weeks, or months, in advance.✅ Why visualization actually works (and how to do it right).✅ What to prep the night before and morning of tryouts.✅ Simple ways to stand out without needing to be “the best”.✅ What to do after tryouts so you don't spiral.✅ How to handle disappointment with confidence and clarity.

Hoo, dang, this week's episode is a DOOZY.  So much so that I'm breaking it down into four parts.  Today is part one of four: Colleagues are not saying hi when they walk past my desk, and I'm feeling disrespected in the office.   Back to School wishlist: jesslindgren.com/school Venmo: @galfriday612   Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214   Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.  Have an awesome week!  xo Jess

Join Premium! Ready for an ad-free meditation experience? Join Premium now and get every episode from ALL of our podcasts completely ad-free now! Just a few clicks makes it easy for you to listen on your favorite podcast player.  Become a PREMIUM member today by going to --> https://WomensMeditationNetwork.com/premium Breathe in deeply, And prepare yourself to receive.  Everything you want is here for you, So surrender yourself into the gentle arms of the night, And call in what you desire. Lay your head back gently now, Ready to release the day. Let your eyelids go heavy. Let your cheeks soften. Let your shoulders melt. PAUSE… Open your heart, Petal by petal like the lotus flower, Believing, Dreaming, Seeing. LONG PAUSE… Whatever you desire is yours, So let yourself melt deeply into your bed, And allow all the thoughts to flow, All the dreams to play, And all the feelings to dance.  Awaken all of those desires, As you surrender to the night. Join our Premium Sleep for Women Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Sleep podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here --> https://bit.ly/sleepforwomen  Join our Premium Meditation for Kids Channel on Apple Podcasts and get ALL 5 of our Kids podcasts completely ad-free! Join Premium now on Apple here → https://bit.ly/meditationforkidsapple Hey, I'm so glad you're taking the time to be with us today. My team and I are dedicated to making sure you have all the meditations you need throughout all the seasons of your life.  If there's a meditation you desire, but can't find, email us at Katie Krimitsos to make a request. We'd love to create what you want!  Namaste, Beautiful,

===== MDJ Script/ Top Stories for August 8th Publish Date:  August 8th    Commercial: From the BG AD Group Studio, Welcome to the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast.    Today is Friday, August 8th and Happy Birthday to Roger Federer I’m Keith Ippolito and here are the stories Cobb is talking about, presented by Times Journal Charges dropped against man accused in Cobb Walmart kidnapping case Cobb hosts annual night of unity between residents and public safety officials Traffic stop in Austell leads to meth trafficking charges Plus, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on peaches All of this and more is coming up on the Marietta Daily Journal Podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe!  BREAK: Ingles Markets 10 STORY 1: Charges dropped against man accused in Cobb Walmart kidnapping case After months of stress, accusations, and uncertainty, Mahendra Patel is finally free. On Wednesday, prosecutors dropped all charges against the Cobb County man, who had been accused of attempting to kidnap a toddler at a north Cobb Walmart back in March. Patel, who spent 45 days in jail and lost 17 pounds surviving on bread and peanut butter, called the ordeal “a punishment in itself.” His mugshot? Still everywhere. His reputation? Shattered. But now, at least, he can breathe. Surveillance footage, which Patel’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant said was key to clearing his name, showed Patel briefly interacting with the child’s mother, Caroline Miller, while searching for Tylenol. What prosecutors initially called an attempted kidnapping was, in Patel’s words, “a misunderstanding blown out of proportion.” A Change.org petition supporting Patel gathered over 92,000 signatures, and even inmates who once threatened him apologized after reading about his case. STORY 2: Cobb hosts annual night of unity between residents and public safety officials Badges, block parties, and a whole lot of community spirit filled Jim Miller Park for Cobb County’s National Night Out. Since 1984, this nationwide event has been all about building bridges between public safety officers and the people they serve. And on Tuesday night? It was all smiles, dunk tanks, and even axe throwing. Families wandered through booths from the Cobb Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department, 911 dispatchers, and more. Kids laughed, parents asked questions, and stuffed K-9 toys were sold to support the real-life furry officers. For Zanetia Henry, the night was personal. After losing her son Dre to gun violence in 2019, she’s dedicated herself to uniting communities through her nonprofit, Operation Recovery. “Unity takes everyone,” she said, presenting awards to officers who’ve gone above and beyond. Cobb Police Capt. Jason Best, reflecting on his 28 years of service, said it best: “We usually see people at their worst. Tonight, we get to just talk—no tickets, no arrests. Just people connecting.” STORY 3: Traffic stop in Austell leads to meth trafficking charges  Jack Randall Roberts, 68, and Justin Daniell Roberts, 30, both from Gay, Georgia, were arrested on July 31 after police allegedly found them with about a kilogram of methamphetamine. It all went down around 4 p.m. at the intersection of Garrett Road and C.H. James Parkway in Austell. Jack, driving a 2008 Ford Focus, reportedly stopped too far past the stop line—an innocent enough mistake, right? Except during the traffic stop, officers discovered the drugs, according to the warrant. Both men were booked into the Cobb County jail that evening. No bond. No release. Just a whole lot of trouble. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.799.6810 for more info.  We’ll be right back. Break: COBB INT. FESITVAL STORY 4: Expect lane closures as Atlanta Gas Light begins major pipeline work Atlanta Gas Light is gearing up to kick off the Wade Green Road Phase II Pressure Improvement Project this month—a big deal for Cobb and Cherokee counties. The plan? Lay down 5.5 miles of new natural gas pipeline. Construction crews will be working near Moon Station Road, Baker Road, Woodstock Road, and Highway 92, Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Heads up: expect lane closures and some traffic headaches through late 2025, with cleanup stretching into spring 2026. The city says the project will boost system reliability during high demand and create jobs. Got questions? Check out atlantagaslight.com or email wadegreen@southernco.com. STORY 5: Community Colleges of Appalachia sign transfer agreement with WGU Leaders from Community Colleges of Appalachia (CCA) and Western Governors University (WGU) just inked a deal that could be a game-changer for Appalachian students. The agreement lets residents earn WGU’s accredited online degrees and certificates without leaving their hometowns—no uprooting, no long commutes. CCA, with 85 member colleges from Mississippi to New York (including five in Georgia), is all about serving local communities. This partnership? It’s about making higher education more accessible. Graduates and employees of CCA schools can transfer credits to WGU, skip redundant coursework, and even apply for $3,000 Learn Where You Live Scholarships. WGU’s flexible, competency-based programs—spanning business, tech, healthcare, and education—are designed for busy lives. Tuition? About $4,000 per six-month term, and students can tackle as many courses as they’re ready for. For details, check out ccofapp.org or wgu.edu. And now here is Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on peaches We’ll have closing comments after this. Break: Ingles Markets 10 Signoff-   Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Marietta Daily Journal Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at mdjonline.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com #NewsPodcast #CurrentEvents #TopHeadlines #BreakingNews #PodcastDiscussion #PodcastNews #InDepthAnalysis #NewsAnalysis #PodcastTrending #WorldNews #LocalNews #GlobalNews #PodcastInsights #NewsBrief #PodcastUpdate #NewsRoundup #WeeklyNews #DailyNews #PodcastInterviews #HotTopics #PodcastOpinions #InvestigativeJournalism #BehindTheHeadlines #PodcastMedia #NewsStories #PodcastReports #JournalismMatters #PodcastPerspectives #NewsCommentary #PodcastListeners #NewsPodcastCommunity #NewsSource #PodcastCuration #WorldAffairs #PodcastUpdates #AudioNews #PodcastJournalism #EmergingStories #NewsFlash #PodcastConversations See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch The X22 Report On Video No videos found (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:17532056201798502,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-9437-3289"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs");pt> Click On Picture To See Larger Picture Trump is in the process of shutting down solar and wind green new scam programs. The latest is a wind farm. Trump has cancelled EV subsidies, EV companies have been losing money.There are two economic systems running at the same time. The people feel the pain from the [CB], the feel relief from Trump new system. The fake news only reports on the [CB] failing economy. The [DS] criminal syndicate is coming to an end, the people are being educated on who the real enemy is. More crimes are going to be released to build upon the Russia hoax, this will allow people to understand that this was not just a one off occurrence. When a republic is corrupted there is only one path, it must be destroyed.A corrupt system can not be remedied, a band-aid fix will not work. Trump is in the process of bringing down the entire corrupt system down on the [DS] players.   Economy https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1953096256063947004   crusade against wind power. https://twitter.com/DC_Draino/status/1952901098559197522   https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/1953055955219832941   https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1952819368854774265   comes as Trump is reportedly planning an EXECUTIVE ORDER going after banks for this conduct. Lay down the hammer, 47. It has to stop. https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1952869476455616938  outpaced inflation. Since 2000, hospital services, college tuition, and housing prices have surged by 271%, 194%, and 108%, respectively. By comparison, overall inflation has risen 90%. Essential expenses are eating up more income than ever. https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1953068614250004927   +$27 billion, to $1.21 trillion, just shy of an all-time high. Student and auto loans climbed +$7 billion and +$13 billion, to $1.64 trillion and $1.66 trillion, respectively, both hitting records. Americans are piling on debt. https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1953114624468930903 (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:18510697282300316,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-8599-9832"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="https://cdn2.decide.dev/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); Trump Warns Europe 35% Tariff Looms If They Fail to Keep Their Word on Investments U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning that Europe would be subjected to a punitive trade tariff if it attempted to welch on its promise to invest in the American economy. The European Union will “pay tariffs of 35 per cent” if it breaks the conditions of the massive Europe-U.S. trade deal agreed last month, President Trump said. The warning, which was solicited by a question about what safeguards are built into his trade deal with the European Union from CNBC in their interview with the President on Tuesday morning, also saw Trump lay out some of the basics of the agreement Source: breitbart.com https://twitter.com/KobeissiLetter/status/1952836839964065873 The two Kevins Trump referred to in his CNBC interview are Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor, and Kevin Hassett, who currently serves as director of the National Economic Council. Based on reporting about his shortlist of four finalists, the other two contenders are Christopher Waller, a current Fed governor, and Judy Shelton, a former Trump economic advisor. Trump confirmed that Treasury Secretary Scott Be...

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.  #mtchbae   Back to School wishlist: jesslindgren.com/school Venmo: @galfriday612   Jess Lindgren 4465 E Genesee Street STE 114 Syracuse, NY 13214   Join the newsletter if you're feeling fancy: askanassistant.substack.com Patreon is another fancy option: https://www.patreon.com/jesslindgren I always love to hear from you: askanassistant.com Book a 1:1 with me: jesslindgren.com/coaching Lay your comments, questions, thoughts, and concerns on me.  Have an awesome week!  xo Jess

Jim's guest this week on The CMO Podcast is Jonnie Cahill, the newly appointed SVP and Chief Marketing Officer of International Foods at PepsiCo. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Jonnie stepped into this role in April 2025 after more than 12 years at Heineken, where he most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for the U.S.PepsiCo is a global food and beverage powerhouse with nearly $95 billion in sales and an iconic portfolio of brands — including Pepsi, Gatorade, Quaker, Lay's, Cheetos, Mountain Dew, and Tostitos, to name just a few.This marks Jonnie's third CMO role. Prior to PepsiCo and Heineken, he served as CMO of Telefónica in Dublin, and earlier spent six years at Diageo, where he had the opportunity to work on one of Ireland's most beloved brands: Guinness.Jonnie and Jim sat down over coffee at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity to talk about his journey, leadership lessons, and the challenges of building global brands. ---This week's episode is brought to you by Deloitte and StrawberryFrog.Learn more: https://strawberryfrog.com/jimSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sacrifice isn't something we grow out of as Christians—it's the foundation of our faith.

INTRO (00:23): Kathleen opens the show drinking a Busch Light for the Farmers.    TOUR NEWS: See Kathleen live on her “Day Drinking Tour.”   COURT NEWS (13:01): Kathleen shares news announcing that Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are teasing a reunion, Dolly Parton attended opening night of her musical previews in Nashville, and Post Malone's “Posty's” bar is now open in Nashville.    TASTING MENU (1:45): Kathleen samples Old Bay Seasoned Goldfish and Messi's Lay's Argentinian-Style Steak chips.    UPDATES (18:29): Kathleen shares updates on the sale of the Fyre Festival brand on Ebay, Barry Manilow has renewed his Vegas residency through 2026, the Maine paddleboard killer has been arrested, Meghan Markle's Netflix show “With Love” never broke the top 200 most-watched, Bonnaroo will return for the same weekend in 2026, and Ozzy Osbourne's final show is the highest-grossing charity concert oof all time.    HOLY SHIT THEY FOUND IT (41:14): Kathleen reveals that the first-ever dog/fox hybrid has been discovered in Brazil.    FRONT PAGE PUB NEWS (45:00 ) : Kathleen shares articles on CBS cancelling The Late Show, “Chimp Crazy” handler Tonia Haddix is evading court orders, the Cleveland Browns owners score $600M in taxpayer funds for a new stadium, Astronomer's Kristin Cabot is related to a Boston Brahmin family, Raggedy Ann doll Annabelle proves claims that she is haunted, fire ants in Texas form “body rafts” to survive the recent flooding conditions, the Savannah Bananas sell out Busch Stadium, TSA unveils the “Families On The Fly” program, and McDonald's in Ireland rolls out an adult Guinness Happy Meal.    SAINT OF THE WEEK (1:22:04): Kathleen reads about St. Apollinaris, the patron saint of gout and venereal disease.    WHAT ARE WE WATCHING (7:44): Kathleen recommends watching Billy Bob Thorton in “Goliath” on Amazon.    FEEL GOOD STORY (1:16:19): Kathleen reads highlights of Japan's new service OK Obaachan where people rent a “grandma” for comfort and emotional support.