Podcasts about My God

[Genesis 28:16] Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!” Just because you can't __________ God's presence doesn't mean that he __________ there! A relationship with God begins with an awareness of his __________________. God _______________ those who are aware of his presence. [Psalm 16:11] You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. We need to know __________ before we can know his __________. [1 Thessalonians 5:17] Never stop praying. God is closer that he __________. [Psalm 139:7-12] I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! [8] If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. [9] If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, [10] even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. [11] I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— [12] but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. You may __________ alone, but you are __________ alone. [Psalm 23:4 ESV] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. ________________ hinder us from experiencing God's presence. [Matthew 28:20b] And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” My God won't ________________ me.

ROI Podcast—the business show that doubles as a comedy roast—returns with Law Smith and Eric Readinger riffing on TikTok, attention spans, and why horoscopes are basically astrology's version of fantasy football. This episode tackles: TikTok's addictive algorithm vs. China's “education-only” version. Why social media feels like narco-terrorism for your brain. The trader who used TikTok comments to turn $84K into $42M. Comedy, drag shows, group dances, and why dudes just don't vibe with them. A DIY college fantasy football league idea that could flip into billions. If you like your business podcasts with more laughs than LinkedIn posts, hit subscribe and join the world's #1 comedy-business podcast.   Eric Readinger  0:02   Okey, dokey, Law Smith  0:06   Whoo, yeah, ah, I wear, I wear my DMX goggles, yeah. I mean, this is, like, the why is that? DMX, no, but it's like a guy. This is Malibu's Most Wanted. That's what this guy sounds like. Eric Readinger  0:27   Yeah, maybe I don't know. He's not real. So can to be whatever you want him to be in your mind, Law Smith  0:32   so he is. So I'm right, yes, you're right. I'm gonna do this like a chick, yeah, see, I'm right, Eric Readinger  0:36   right, because I can't be proven wrong. I'm right. Law Smith  0:40   I was telling a friend, it made me underthink, like dudes, it's much, much better Eric Readinger  0:46   life. Uh huh, yeah, not everything you think is right. Law Smith  0:52   Well before this turns into no man from Eric Readinger  0:55   your children's club. Law Smith  0:58   You know, we can only call that shit out because we empathize with that play. Welcome to ROI podcast, because this is the number one comedy business podcast in the world. Sometimes we talk about emo stuff like Eric Readinger  1:12   that. Oh yeah. Are we gonna get into it? Nah. Law Smith  1:15   Oh, come on. No, no, no, it's too fresh. Too fresh, okay, fresh wounds. But I did. Eric Readinger  1:23   I'm gonna go ahead and just point out the echo Enos. That's my bad when we rip Law Smith  1:28   it up the floor in the studio, fix it in post. We got some tools. Well, hey, man, we should tell everybody, because I like giving resources out. I'm the Suze Orman of digital resources. That's what I want to be. What? Yeah, Adobe has a podcast Audio Enhancer. It'll take out background noise. It'll take out we have a little buzz I could hear right now that we had two episodes ago or an episode ago that it took outably your headphone. No, when I listened to it later. One of the previous episodes we Eric Readinger  2:02   did. Okay, this is definitely the kind of entertainment people want to hear. Well, maybe Law Smith  2:06   I'm just saying, if you have audio you need to clean up. You can, it's for podcasts, they say. But you could probably use it. If you had audio you needed to clean up, like in a loud room or a conference or, you know, any kind of meeting or something, you can right? But I just like the easy, you know, drag and drop it in, boom, come back out. Five minutes. Eric Readinger  2:24   You're good, yeah, AI is great, loyal part. Law Smith  2:29   But like it, it AI, the LLM, you know, those language learning models of like Chad, GBT and Claude and perplexity, large Eric Readinger  2:39   language, excuse me, what did I say? Learning? Used to Law Smith  2:45   whatever rewind I got. There's too many acronyms in my head or abbreviations, but it's one of those things where it it's a whole to do, like you have to know, how do you hold to do? What happens was. And I think everybody's having this issue, I kind of try to push through it, because I know that outcomes of what you want to get out of it, like, organize this document for me. Like, instead of me having to do it, that's great. That's like, I love that part of it, right? And that's intuitive. But there's some things that aren't intuitive on how to talk to it. Yeah, nicely, you can be mean to it. I don't know if it affects it. Eric Readinger  3:29   Well, not yet. You go on their list, their robot Law Smith  3:33   list, that's fair. So you know, I would just say I like the easy things like that. Like, for this podcast I'll use, there will be a word counter that sem rush, I think, has out there that's just its own website. You can drop a whole paragraph in. It'll pull the keywords for you if you want that are most important. It'll, you know, do stuff like that. I like those kind of little tools. And if we do anything on the show, if we're if we add any value besides our guests wisdom that come on the show, we show you how to be a tool. It's some resources to be a tool. Perfect Circle, exactly. Good album, yeah. You know, I don't know if I want to get into the fantasy football stuff. Eric Readinger  4:19   I know. I mean, I thought we were gonna talk about something else, I'll tease it. Law Smith  4:23   Well, we were, you and I off air. Were bitching about tick tock and how I don't think either of us really like Eric Readinger  4:30   it. I don't ever go Law Smith  4:32   into talk well, I don't, I don't like I don't like reels, I don't like show. I don't unless I'm like, going to Eric Readinger  4:39   look for something, right, right? It's not, we weren't talking just about Tiktok what? Law Smith  4:43   But I mean, Facebook reels, when I open those apps, it's like, abrasive with the video. You know? It's like, oh, sometimes the sound is like, way high, like an old TV commercial where the audio is like, doesn't that still happens, right? And it's so. Well, it's like, when I open up those apps and it goes right to video, it's like, oh, and I'm usually already listening to something, right? I've realized that's on me a little bit as far as like, I don't, I'm not people send me videos. I'm like, I'll get to that later. And I just never, yeah, I know it a lot of the time, but that's not because I didn't want to watch it. And I do like that. People will send me stuff. They go, Oh, they're thinking of you. They go, Oh, it's Eric Readinger  5:28   nice in general, to me, the interface is just a pain in the ass. Did you see the videos I sent you? Oh, you sent more than one. Oh, my God, gotta back out, because I go back in like, Law Smith  5:38   it's just stupid, and then I might be a comedy snob at the same time, exactly. And so that Eric Readinger  5:44   isn't funny. Isn't funny. Why are you sending me out? And then Law Smith  5:47   so I was kind of thinking about it, when we talked about it, like last week, just kind of shooting the shit. And I was like, Why does Tiktok kind of annoy the shit out of me? And it part of it. Once I found out that the Chinese algorithm for their people is wildly different than the one over here. I think that was my trigger point to go. I don't want to be on that. That. And at the same time, my mom, friends that are like our age in their 40s, they were telling me they're wasting two hours a night on there every night, and they're like, I'm so addicted. Like, when it was really popping. Like, you know, 2021 I don't know 22 we're not the first movers on this, but the laggard, older people, yeah, and so, like, I was like, I want that. I don't have enough time. I feel like, but you're Eric Readinger  6:41   acting like the Tick Tock algorithm is that much worse than any other social media algorithm. They're all doing the same thing. Law Smith  6:47   Well, I think they do they I think they do it the best it seems like. Because it seems like, yeah, maybe I don't know, man, just from general chatter I hear in my life. But also, when I'm listening, I listen to a dick loader comedy podcast all day, because, you know, marketing, marketing work is like, once you know how to do it, you can kind of be on autopilot a little bit. And so it's one of those things where the chatter is like, it is they have, they got it dialed in, they got you screwed in, buddy. And that's, that's, that's really, they're the best at Eric Readinger  7:27   it that. But it's like we're on neither of us are on it. To know if it's better or worse. I'm on it enough. I Oh, here we go. Now we get the truth. Law Smith  7:36   Well, I need to know, well, marketing, we're in marketing, so it's like, I need to know enough, right? And I need to know a user perspective of it, right? I can't. I usually just try to stick to, like, outside research, well, yeah. But I'm always like, I like, put it away, like, it's like, a Ebola virus or something, okay, you know, I'm like, Oh, I don't want, that's good. That's really, yeah, but I also like timely reference. So the thing was like, Yeah, it's like, the Black Plague. And so I think, like, when? But really when it was like, okay, the algorithm for China and the Chinese people definitely got some pro China stuff going on there, right? That's, that's just good marketing within the country, right? Educational outside of that, it's only educational stuff. Eric Readinger  8:29   Now here, what is the education about, Law Smith  8:31   like, science and like things of that nature, probably revisionist history, I'm sure. But I'm sure it has a whole glaze of propaganda over it, yeah, but at the same time they're doing that, but over here, they're like, let these dummies get dumber. That's what. That's my like, Eric Readinger  8:50   yeah, I don't think that's a wild No, that's not wild at all. I agree with you, and Law Smith  8:56   I compare it to Narco terrorism of like, you know, they say there's a lot of fentanyl that gives through Mexico from other countries to go up, up to the United States to kind of hurt, yeah, oh, no. This is, and that's happened on the Russian Eric Readinger  9:12   border without better than Narco terrorism, bro. Well, it's it. This is the Idiocracy. This is Lee, yeah, it's legal, right? Law Smith  9:19   And we and another bigger if we back, really back out, like the the future where everything takes over, like, you know, all agency is lost for people, right? And at 1984 it was about like, everything coming at people to take over society. We're willingly giving it away with our time data, you know? Eric Readinger  9:45   Yeah, we just keep letting them do whatever. You know, it's man. It sucks. So older I get, the more I'm like man they are. They are probably trying to control Law Smith  9:55   us. Look, it's not all bad. But as our buddy in the. Uh, all star guest, Dean Akers, who's, come on, he's, I'm surprised when we had breakfast the other day, he didn't bring it up. But because I think he's brought it up every breakfast we've had the last, you know, two years, he goes, You know what the new cigarettes are? And I'm like, what? And he's like, it's the bone. And I'm like, I know that one. I actually can answer right? When he is a teaching, he's a he's a teaching kind of mentor, yeah? Eric Readinger  10:28   So like, when Dean comes on here, and he'll ask us questions, and then we get all nervous and try to think of the right answer, and then one of us gets it right, and the other, he does the same thing at breakfast. And we the same way in real life. He's no different, yeah. We act the same way. Law Smith  10:41   So he keeps score, but he that's like, his favorite, you know, kind of angle, and he's right, because he, he was telling me people were wasting two hours as well. And I was like, whoa. I mean, he, he looks up Eric Readinger  10:54   that stuff. Yeah, that's not even now. That's, I thought that was obvious. Law Smith  10:58   Is it all bad? No, it it provides entertainment for people, right, right? You can get information from it. I just don't know how I feel, like you, like we talk about with news outlets, we'd be doing a lot more work to figure out if, if this, this thing on my feed, is actually true. But most people don't take that extra step, including myself, and a lot of the times just go, oh yeah, that's okay, right? Just move on, Eric Readinger  11:27   right? I think they annoying, most annoying dances I even get to that the dances, they're not as annoying. I don't think the food food, try this viral. Try this viral recipe. First of all, if that's obviously throwing a word viral into all the food, right? It's viral. It's viral. Whatever chocolates you know, like you, but the way they do the thing is, like, here, let me do a quick, sharp, snap, cut all, like, of the ingredients that you gotta, like, pause your phone. Like, they don't give you any measurements on what you're doing. Like, there no, it's just like you barely kind of got to guess what they're doing. And yet, there's still people are still trying Law Smith  12:06   to do it. I went on a mom date. I had to go on a date with my mom for lunch once a month. Law loves mom. I love my mama and and she was saying, I was I was saying the same thing. I was like, I don't like any recipe online that doesn't give you the ingredients first. I know that's because that's another bunch into it. And you're like, I don't have, oh, fuck man, I don't have basil. I don't have that kind of basil here. No. But I Eric Readinger  12:34   mean, whatever happened to the websites that just give you the recipe? Well, you'll have to write a fucking Law Smith  12:39   story about it. They're all trying to game it. So, like, they know that's going to be too boring, and people don't want to see that at the beginning. But when you really, actually want to use the information for recipe, and you don't know, I don't I, admittedly, I'm not. I don't know offhand how to bake or cook really well. I can grill, okay, right? But like, I look everything up and just follow whatever the directions are Eric Readinger  13:04   exactly. And when the directions start with, I remember when I was nine years old, it's like, what are you doing, right? I don't even, I don't even see them. Where are you taking me? Yeah, bro, it's a whole thing. Everybody's got to get their SEO in. Law Smith  13:17   So 25% of the users are 18 to 2425 34 is about 30% and our swing and Dick group is about 20 Okay, I just, I wanted to pull some stats up, because I was like, I was curious how really even spread. So it started in 2016 and it's become this. It's grown quicker, more more adopted users, more daily active users than any of them in such a short amount of time. That seems suspect to me, right? Because I was like, how did it grow like that? And I can't get any of the any of the AI apps to tell me Eric Readinger  14:00   really, I know, I think there's absolutely, well, whether it's an app or a person like that, get propped up and put in the spotlight and be made to be, you know, a household thing. It's like we were talking about like a guy like Sean Ryan. Yeah, who the fuck was Sean Ryan before he started getting every top tier podcast guest, yeah? Like, yes, I understand he Law Smith  14:27   was, you know, he was a journalist. He was, he Eric Readinger  14:31   was a counter Intel guy. Law Smith  14:33   Wait, whom? I'm thinking of, the hot wings guy, the hot ones guy. What's that guy's name? Who gives a shit? Now, I'm thinking of Sean Kelly, but, all right, who's Sean? Who Sean? Eric Readinger  14:48   What? Sean Ryan? Law Smith  14:49   There Is he cute. He's a bald headed man. Well, I mean, there's so many audiences we don't know about. There's so many like popular things. Like, when people come up to you, especially like comedy, you think you have a finger on the pulse. Like, you ever heard of this guy? He has a billion people that follow on me. Like, never heard of him? Eric Readinger  15:10   No. I mean, 4.8 3 million subscribers, right? Law Smith  15:14   I don't know if I even know this guy. Well, I thought you were talking about the hot ones. Guy off air. Eric Readinger  15:19   I mean, you just see he's got, you know, Law Smith  15:23   he's is, Eric Readinger  15:25   uh, sets. Let's see if I can imagine being able Law Smith  15:30   to build up. My God, how unprofessional. Whatever you don't do premium down, um, Eric Readinger  15:36   but anyways, I think there's guys that just like, get put into the spotlight to push a narrative, you know, like, just get certain people on there. Like, we're gonna give you a bunch of money for marketing because, like, somebody like, I just don't have no problem with the guy, Sean Ryan, he killed me in the sleep. But like, I don't necessarily think he's a great interviewer, or, like, has a fantastic recall of information, or anything, you know, Law Smith  16:07   well, that doesn't mean, I mean that it's entertainment at the end of the day. So it's Eric Readinger  16:13   not easy. Like, there's just a couple of them that are puzzling to me. Law Smith  16:17   He created and show ran several. Oh, that's, I think that's a different guy. That is absolutely a different guy, former Navy SEAL in CIA, contractor. So that's pretty interesting. Right off the Eric Readinger  16:29   bat, exactly what I'm saying, bro, and then he just jumps into the spotlight like Law Smith  16:34   that. No, okay, so there are, if you're talking about, like, podcasts, where there's, like, how did uh, these podcasts land on the top 10 list? It's like they have PR for that now, it's like you pay to get on that shit. Eric Readinger  16:50   Sure, I understand that. I'm just saying there's certain ones that I hear them and then just the way they are. It's very fishy. Law Smith  16:57   He, uh, became a CIA contractor enemies, so maybe had some cash to spend from that. Yeah. And then founded vigilance elite and 20 vitamin company to teach tactical skills to civilians law enforcement. So maybe money, some money there. If you have money, you can, you can, you can get that many people, even Eric Readinger  17:20   if you suck. Well, anybody who's been in the CIA, but not Law Smith  17:25   us, we're doing it lean on purpose, right? Yeah. So you got, or even it's for this is brought to you, for viewers like you. I don't have that the end of PBS stuff Eric Readinger  17:39   when they play best, get damp. Sure that's the right sound. Law Smith  17:43   Whenever where they go. This TV show, this program, is brought to you by and they give a bunch of, oh, I got it. I got the reference. But, and then they'd say viewers like you at the end, Eric Readinger  17:54   yeah, I know. Did you get it? Yeah, I still get it. Still get it. Law Smith  17:58   I tried to get back to tick tock. I tried to get the list of words that will demonetize you or give you, oh, let's read those aloud. I've wanted to, that was what I was gonna do. I was just gonna start reading them without with no segue into it. But I can't get them. I can't get a list of them. It's like, secret. Eric Readinger  18:17   Well, I know the kids. Oh, visit. Is it one? Well, you can't talk about that. Can't talk about unaliving yourself. Law Smith  18:25   And Tiktok, I think, is the most prude out of all of them. Like you can't say sex, you say SIGs with, like, eggs with an S on right? Yeah, or the one on YouTube, and Tiktok is on alive yourself instead Eric Readinger  18:42   of, did you hear me just say Law Smith  18:44   that? Oh, no. Okay, good. Eric Readinger  18:46   You see how this podcast goes. Everybody, I kind of do my own show over here. Law does his own show over there, and then we meet in the middle at the end. I'm trying, Law Smith  18:54   yeah, yeah, yeah. It's interesting. Well, I'm trying to read some notes. I think we were talking at the same time for a full minute at one point when today, just a couple minutes ago, very possible. So what I don't like about that is, like, self censorship of stuff. But you know, it's not all bad, I guess, because there's so many kids that have accounts and they're on there the dance dances have never like, unless it's like, a bunch of people are never like, Wow, what a cool dance. I think it's interesting. I think it's I respect like a dance group that does something pretty, you know, difficult, synchronized. I feel like that is a female thing. Big time is like, I got a dance. I got, I got it hit me, Eric Readinger  19:46   right, right? Law Smith  19:48   I know I misogynist lately, so I'm just gonna lean into before, yeah, no, I'm saying like that. Okay, so group dance. Yes, moves, I'm gonna go with horoscopes. In, like, astrology, these are all things I don't know a straight man that is into any of this in drag queen shows, yeah, well, people are like, it's hilarious, and you're like, a half second, maybe at best. Okay, I'll there one straight male that enjoys any of those three things. Eric Readinger  20:27   Okay, well, hold on, on the dragon shows, there is an element that can make it fun. That is, if you have another dude in your group who's very uncomfortable with the situation, sure, yeah. And we obviously let the drag queens know this, you know, you tell them, hey, focus in on him. Yeah, it's going to be funny forever. But I give you credit Law Smith  20:47   for you having the friend, bring in that friend, or making that friend go kind of right. I'm not, I don't know. It's just like, I mean, this is obviously, it's Eric Readinger  20:55   not like, I came up with the idea. I'm saying, like, if you're forced to go, you can make the best out of it, yeah, by making your friends uncomfortable, yeah, Law Smith  21:04   at the same time, like dudes, I'm trying to, I try to be open to that those kind of things when they're brought up, I try not to just shut it down kind of right away. Eric Readinger  21:15   You know, what kind of things, Law Smith  21:17   stuff that has zero interest to me. And I extrapolated out to I'm like, do I know any men that like actual men that like this stuff? Yeah, straight guys like myself, but yeah, Comparison is the thief of joy. So try to be open to it. I don't know everything, and there might be a funny drag show out there. Eric Readinger  21:42   I'm not, yeah, but again, I'm not trying to go to drag if you're forced. Law Smith  21:46   Well, I've been, I've been to a lot of drag places because of comedy, and it's like, I've seen it. You get to open with Eliza Manali, and you're going to close the share. Eric Readinger  21:58   I don't get it. I don't get how it's so much a thing. Law Smith  22:03   So what else did I have on here? Look, we don't even have a Tiktok account for this podcast, which is pathetic. So we'll this, hopefully this will help. Here's one thing I found that was interesting. There was an entrepreneur trader that followed all the comments on Tiktok to find trends before people on Wall Street could find out about them. So he would spend four hours every night analyzing comments to find out what people were talking about. Okay, and then he would find that trend, and he he put a trade in on that company before it really popped to like older Wall Street people, and he fucking crushed it. Guy's name is Chris Camillo from from Texas, and he turned $84,000 into 42 million by just finding trends before they really pop to the general public, the older public, you know, Eric Readinger  23:06   yep, but I see that he turned $84,000 into whatever. No, I mean, that's just like, what's his face? Law Smith  23:16   Here's here's a good example. So Hollywood insider predicted Margot Robbie last the Barbie movie, right? So he sees all the Tiktok comments about the Barbie movie buzz. He puts a bunch of trade on Mattel stock because it's gonna, it's gonna go through the roof, because it's gonna be a legit movie, right? And crushes it with that kind of thing. I think ozempic was another one, or one of the weight loss drugs. When people were starting to do that and talk Eric Readinger  23:47   about it, it doesn't seem like four hours a night is necessary for that. Law Smith  23:52   Well, obviously he's obsessive about it. But it was one of those things where, what did I go? It was obviously, like obsessive and by the way, slime was the other one that that's like genius. If he was reading comments, I doubt he did it four hours a night. By the way, this is Eric Readinger  24:09   what I'm saying. I have four hours. I didn't vet I didn't vet this whole thing, mental thing. Law Smith  24:13   Maybe I didn't vet it out. And I'm sure he figured out how to get a bot to sweep and look at all this stuff. But kids obsessing over slime, and then, so he bought, he bought a bunch of Elmer, elmer's Glue stock, like shit like that. That's pretty awesome. Why is that? Because that's what makes up slime. Of a lot of that, okay, Eric Readinger  24:37   but they're using it for glue. Law Smith  24:40   No, you put you Elmer glue is one of the ingredients in slime, Eric Readinger  24:44   but they're not making the glue. They're not taking Elmers glue and making slime out of Law Smith  24:49   it. A lot of kids were making at home, yeah, including my own kids, I see. And then I had to have a no slime rule at my house, Eric Readinger  24:58   yeah. No. The parents like the slime. I'm fuck that shit. Well, it just, it gets everywhere. It never comes off. Law Smith  25:04   Yeah, it's like, Slimer from Ghostbusters. It leaves, like, residue Eric Readinger  25:07   everywhere, snail trails. Yeah, yeah, fucking Law Smith  25:11   first. Oh, but have I brought this up Ghostbusters? I got a lot of people that don't like cops, but they love Ghostbusters. And I'm like, You're you're backing, you're back in enforcement Eric Readinger  25:23   there that don't like, like cops the TV show or cops in real life, Law Smith  25:26   like police in real life. They're like, they're like, defund the police people, and then they love Ghostbusters. I find that funny, Eric Readinger  25:34   right? That's a really fun thing for you to say to them. I Law Smith  25:37   never bring it up. Oh, okay, dude, I, I don't if it's a big calorie burner, and I don't have a lot of information or a hot take other than that one sentence, yeah, I Eric Readinger  25:48   am bringing it up. Yeah. I mean, defund the Ghostbusters. Law Smith  25:53   I'm just saying, Man, you know, they deserve fair trial too. Eric Readinger  25:57   The ghosts, I feel like they've already had their trial. Did they there? I mean, that's why Law Smith  26:02   they got hurt there. There's systemic ghostism. Eric Readinger  26:06   Oh, I see. So it's a problem with communities. Law Smith  26:10   Anyway, I thought that was interesting. Not all Tiktok is bad. You can use it the way you want. Everybody wants to be an influencer now that's under the age of 18. YouTube star or Tiktok star is like the number one. I know job they want when they get older. It's crazy, yep, all right, I didn't think it Eric Readinger  26:29   was any foresight to say we can't all be influencers. Hey, Eric. I didn't think we're gonna talk that much. I thought we're gonna have a short episode, I know, but I knew we would just gab like gals. I got, Law Smith  26:39   I got one more thing, and then we'll get out of here and it, I'm going to open source it to everybody. So if you made it, I'm going to Shawshank Redemption you, if you made it this far, why you come a little bit further? What? There is a great idea I don't think I'll be able to ever capitalize on. So as if, like my Cuban coffee drive through idea. Eric Readinger  27:02   You know, that's the one joke that I thought of when you're like, I'm gonna that's not my my bits on stage. What's the name of your Cuban drive through? What's the name that you give it? Oh, that's Law Smith  27:15   the fruit the food truck joke, Eric Readinger  27:18   whatever it is, the two cups. Yeah, my point is, is that came into my mind when you're like, I don't really do a lot of dirty stuff or shock Law Smith  27:27   value stuff, yeah? Well, it's tough to shock people. Number one, you have to go so extreme. That's, that's why it felt out of place. And then this is a conversation we had off air. Eric Readinger  27:38   It was, yeah, Law Smith  27:41   about a set I did, and I was like, Yeah, not really. Part of who shit it was, yeah, Eric Readinger  27:47   yeah, who's in, who's in the zone? Now, I don't know. I mean, it doesn't change. Holy Water, all right, we have, you don't get to just say it. Law Smith  27:56   I'm getting closer. I'm getting closer. Nailing that. Holy guacamole, Eric Readinger  28:01   gronca, moly, I Law Smith  28:02   know, but I Eric Readinger  28:03   messed up. Okay, fantasy football, is that what you want to talk about? Law Smith  28:06   Well, I've tried to figure out how to capitalize this league. I do. No one's figured out. Okay, so NFL, fantasy football, billion dollar business, like, if not 10 100. We know he knows sports betting going on with the Daily Fantasy leaves too well, and the college football is getting cooler about being less kind of they're they're becoming less restrictive about players rights and their naming rights and all that stuff paying them like they should have been the whole time. So I do a very nerdy college fantasy football league, but I'm always like, when I'm preparing for it, I have my draft tonight, and when I'm preparing for it, I'm always like, I can't believe no one's figured this out how to make college football fantasy because everyone goes well, there's too many teams, ah, but we do it a different way. We have eight managers, ah, and it's a top 25 League. You stick with the AP, top 25 and your draft really matters, because you have to skew it a bit. So if it's like Boise State's 24 and they play, you know, one of those opening games where they got to play something difficult, they can lose the value of that player goes down, because once they drop out of the top 25 you lose them, yeah? And you have to do a waiver, a weekly waiver. Eric Readinger  29:26   Life is somebody doing all this by hand? Yeah? Law Smith  29:30   Holy shit. I mean, not like writing it down? No, I know, but manually, I told you, this is the one where it's me, my buddy, Brendan, and I think everybody else is black dude that. So I'm like, you stupid kind of white guy in the group. I'm I was, like, the new guy, and that I was the new guy for like, 15 years in this league. I don't know these guys that well. So it's always like, we're doing the Zoom draft. Often. I'm like, sometimes I've been a little loosey goosey, you know, yeah, battle pops, it made some jokes that fall flat, and I'm like, Okay, well, I don't know these guys anyway, so, yeah, Eric Readinger  30:10   well, but you need me there with you. Law Smith  30:14   You can hop on tonight. No, Eric Readinger  30:17   God, I try to so racist jokes and fall flat, but Law Smith  30:21   I'm open to sourcing it. I've definitely done this on the show before and put it out there. It's one of those things where it's, like, I tried one year to really try to put effort into it for a while, Eric Readinger  30:30   and like, what are you hoping sourcing the Law Smith  30:33   idea of the game? So, like, you can be even hard to pitch this to a big like Yahoo or ESPN, or any FanDuel or something. Yeah, because you you'd have to go, I gotta pitch you something, but you gotta sign the longest NDA of all time that you can, like, it's like a movie script, while people don't read movie scripts just given to them, that has to go through their agency, because they'll get sued for, like, copying the idea. It's kind of like that, an IP of this idea of some of something that already exists, statistics that are out there. Eric Readinger  31:08   Yeah, I don't think it'd be that crazy. Law Smith  31:11   What sucks is, every year you have to do the manual research. Now there's sites you can pay for, subscription wise, that kind of do it. But like, Yeah, nobody cares about college. You can't. You can't really key in firsthand, all the parameters you need. So I've tried to, like, here's my strategy this year, because, oh, my God, I didn't read Phil Steele's phone book magazine. He does a thing on every team. It's like the craziest, like, Aspergers, he, like, he has, he it's like 180 pages. It's crazy. And he predict, he's the best predictor of, like, who's gonna win the Heisman, who's gonna be good this year kind of thing. So I tried to go, here's my here's what I was like, I gotta think outside the box, because last year I tried to do, I tried to use chat GBT didn't really work. This year I gave it a whirl. Still wasn't working for me. I'm going to look up the EA college football video game ratings, yeah, filter out all the non top 25 people, and then kind of go from that, Eric Readinger  32:20   yeah, that's just that, right? Like, I was like a thing when back in my fantasy football days, like, if you ever had somebody like, you're trying to make a tough decision, start this guy or start that guy, I'd go to FanDuel, who cost support. Oh, yeah, yeah. Gamblers know, Law Smith  32:36   right? The problem with the the Daily Fantasy ones was they don't have all the teams in there a lot of the time, so it's like, you're not getting a pure one to one sometimes, you know, if you're, if you're Jocelyn between, I've tried to do that for NFL. Eric Readinger  32:53   I'm like, Oh, you're saying, like some teams play at different times and, well, yeah, they don't. Law Smith  32:58   I don't know if they do it now. I haven't, I haven't really gone on those sites because I'm scared I'll, I'll gamble my life away. But it's one of those things where they do, like, here's the seven games early Sunday kind of package, but they would never have the whole Thursday to Monday, right? So it was hard to put it against it. I don't know, you know I'm saying anyway, I Eric Readinger  33:20   guess so. But the prices are all the same. Law Smith  33:23   The Price Is Right. Thanks for listening, and Eric Readinger  33:29   it's from the prices. Law Smith  33:31   And when you make billions off of this idea, you know, you package it, you're the listener. I'm talking to you, the listener. When you package this, just throw a couple shackles for for for funzies fucking nuts. Eric Readinger  33:58   Yo, I'm dumb. I.  

חשבון נפש : The Arrogant Soul This 18 th cheshbon focuses on what to do when you feel a sudden onset of arrogance, or as the text calls it, gibhut v'hitgadlut hanefesh (arrogance and a grandiose sense of self). This is that feeling when you start craving more and more worldly things—luxury items, excessive comforts, things you feel entitled to. It's a normal human feeling, but it's a critical moment for self-reflection. The remedy for this feeling is to re-evaluate your place in the world. Consider your own existence in the grand scheme of things—the cosmos, the planets, the stars—and realize how insignificant you are, just a tiny dot in a vast universe. This perspective is a foundation of humility. Yet, despite our physical insignificance, God chose humanity for greatness. We were given the ability to control all living things, from taming lions to training dogs. We can cultivate the earth, grow crops, and even transform raw materials like diamonds. As it says in Tehillim, "You have made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You have put everything under his feet" (Psalms 8:7). This is a testament to the power we've been given. A Crown of Greatness For the Jewish people, this privilege is even greater. God gave us the Torah, which reveals the secrets of the world and what is truly good for us. We were given the ability to praise God, to thank our Creator, and to call out to Him in times of distress. He sent us Moses and performed miracles for us. These are just some of the endless physical and spiritual blessings He has bestowed upon us. When you recognize your immense value and how God elevated you even though He doesn't need you, you can feel truly humbled. Although a beautiful song says, "God needs every Jew," but in truth, we are the ones who need His supervision and guidance. God has crowned us with this incredible gift. The text implores, "Have pity on that great crown!" He gave you a gold crown—don't throw it in the dirt. Instead, appreciate the opportunities He's given you for the World to Come. We do this by cleaving to His service and constantly giving thanks. Don't Let Success Go to Your Head It is a grave mistake to let these gifts make you arrogant, to think that you are entitled to everything you have. Looking at your family, your home, your car, or your religious practice shouldn't breed a sense of entitlement. On the contrary, it should inspire humility. You are a simple servant who has been uplifted by a great Master and placed among ministers. King David exemplified this in his own life. As it says in Tehillim, "For the conductor, by the servant of the Lord, by David." Even after being saved from his enemies, David continued to view himself as a simple servant. His success didn't go to his head; he didn't become arrogant. The text quotes a powerful prayer that a righteous man would say at the end of his prayers: "My God, do not think that I am standing before You now because I am foolish about my level and my value...I know who You are and I know who I am. I know You are high and exalted, and I am a simple creation." He goes on to say, "There is no place for me to praise You and call out to You...You are being praised by all the angels." So where do we fit in? We are able to do this because God lifted us up and commanded us to call out to Him. It's a privilege. Ultimately, the reason we pray is she'argish b'gadel chesronay —so that we feel how lacking we are and how much we rely on God. We pray not to tell God what He forgot, but to express our dependence on Him. As King David said, "I am like a suckling child," meaning a child that has just been weaned and has no idea what it wants to eat. The child says to the mother, "You know what I want." This is the highest level of trust: wanting what God chooses for you more than what you choose for yourself. This is the essence of the 18 th cheshbon hanefesh : thinking about who you are, how you fit into the larger picture, and understanding that the greatest gifts God has given you—the ability to serve Him and speak to Him—should never get to your head.

Send us a textHave you ever felt that gnawing sense of uncertainty that makes your heart race and your mind spiral? That's what we're tackling today—the universal human challenge of dealing with fear.As I reflected on the biblical moment when Christ cried, "My God, why have you forsaken me?", I realized something profound about fear. Often, it's that sense of abandonment—of being utterly alone—that triggers our deepest anxieties. Fear, which I describe as "False Evidence Appearing Real," presents us with illusions that shape our perception and reactions.The way I've learned to handle fear is through what I call our "homeostatic quotient"—maintaining internal balance regardless of external chaos. Take a moment with pen and paper to list everything within your control. This simple exercise shifts focus from what you can't change to what you can, bringing remarkable clarity to an anxious mind. When I catch myself in that spiral of panic, I pause and redirect my thoughts to areas where I have agency.We're living through unprecedented times of disruption and change. Our finances, lifestyles, and relationships face constant pressure as systems evolve at breakneck speed. But perspective is powerful—humans have always adapted. Before our technology-saturated world, people lived fulfilled lives with much less. This reminds us that many of our "necessities" are actually preferences.What gives me the most peace is remembering that God provides in times of abundance and sustains in times of lack. Even the most powerful people on earth sleep—becoming completely vulnerable for hours each day. Who watches over them then? This thought fills me with joy, knowing there's a divine hand guiding us even when we're unaware.If you're struggling with fear today, know this: it's okay to feel afraid, but you don't have to stay there. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen—the perfect antidote to fear's false evidence. Stop comparing yourself to others and remember that He who does not change is with you, becoming your limitless limit.Ready to transform your relationship with fear? Subscribe to the World Cafe podcast for more conversations that will help you navigate life's challenges with faith and practical wisdom.Support the showYou can support this show via the link below;https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718587/supporters/new

Morning lessons: Psalms 22; 1 Kings 1; Ephesians 5:18-33.  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me, and are so far from my cry, and from the words of my complaint?

In this clip, you’ll hear: How Jesus can heal you! God’s Vision for our church and His plan for your life are incredible. Our biblically sound teaching will inspire and challenge you to discover it all. You need sincere worship and a church community that loves God and that loves you. At Passion, you will find opportunities for growth through discipleship and personal development. Your children will also have fun and learn about God. At Passion Church, we believe in creating an environment where God's presence is felt, His Word is preached, and lives are transformed. We are a happy and fun church but are also very committed to being biblically sound. We are led by the Holy Spirit and dedicated to sincere worship. Our mission is to build authentic relationships, disciple individuals, and passionately pursue God’s purpose for our lives. We also have a powerful Missions Program and commitment to soul-winning. We invite you to join us at 983 Goodman Rd W, Horn Lake, MS 38637. Our Sunday services begin at 10:30 a.m.! You’ll love our Pastor Guy Sheffield, and you’ll find us all happy to see you! All we’re missing is YOU! Let’s grow together in God’s purpose and love. Don’t forget to subscribe and stay connected with Passion Church Desoto. Like us on Facebook & Subscribe to our YouTube page @ ‘Passion Church Desoto’. #Jesus #PassionChurch #GodsPresence #Worship #Discipleship #ChurchFamily #HornLakeMS #GuySheffield #SundayService #Preaching #Bible #encouragment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Summary:This inaugural episode of the WTF (Where's the Future?) podcast features Brandt Krueger and Will Curran discussing their transition from the Event Tech Podcast, exploring early experiments with AI agentic browsers like Comet and Dia, their frustrations and hopes for AI tools, and the evolving landscape of the open web amid new AI data challenges.They also discuss the approaching potential AI bubble and industry consolidation, as well as the democratization of app and tool creation through no-code platforms. Be sure to joint the WTF community to stay in touch between episodes! https://wtf.communityDiscussions Include: • Early experiences and challenges using AI agentic browsers to automate web tasks • Current concerns around web scraping, data privacy, and the open web's future • The outlook on the AI bubble, industry hype, and the need for specialization in AI tools • The rise of no-code app development and democratizing technology creation • Highlights from the WTF community on emerging tech like Apple Watch updates and smart home devicesQuotable Quotes (Should you choose to share): • “At first I was like- this is amazing! Then, my God, this is terrible. My God, you are so dumb! Wait, no, what? No. Actually? No. This is pretty cool? Nope, you're just dumb.” - Brandt Krueger • “We can see what it could be… It's kind of like glimpsing out a window and seeing all the kids playing outside and you know that you could be that kid playing outside, but Perplexity and Comet Daddy won't let you go out because you're grounded.” - Will Curran • “I think the opportunity is if we have leveled off on these Uber GPTs, that's good because now we can focus on specialty- on unitaskers that do one thing really well.” - Brandt Krueger • “The internet's becoming more like a city with complex rules and less like free land where you could build whatever you wanted.” - Will Curran • “The AI bubble means tons of money thrown at it, lots of people hired, then a collapse where the lower level people lose their jobs, but the big players get their guaranteed payouts.” - Brandt Krueger

Order of Divine Service, p.7   The Augustana Service Book and Hymnal Hymn “God Himself Is Present” LW 206 Readings:  Isa 29:18-19, 2 Cor. 3:4-11, Mark 7:31-37 Hymn of the Day: “O Christ, Our True and Only Light” (The Augustana Service Book and Hymnal #50, LW 314, TLH 512) Sermon Offertory: "Create in Me…"         p.18 General Prayer………                    p.19-20 Hymn: “Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior” LW 237, TLH 311 Exhortation                                    p.21 Communion Service, p.144 (Lutheran Worship) Communion Hymns: “God's Word Is Our Great Heritage” LW 333 “My Soul, Now Praise Your Maker” LW 453, TLH 34 “The Lord, My God, Be Praised” LW 174 --Michael D. Henson, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church (Herrin, IL). Service Bulletin: Trinity-Twelve-Cover-09-07-2025-Online.pdf https://vimeo.com/1114670578?share=copy Picture:  Ottheinrich Bible 1430 (II:37)  “Let the Little Children Come to Me” - Mark 10:13-16

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NLT) When I was a kid, I attended Southern California Military Academy in Long Beach. We would have mandatory chapel every Sunday. Not being raised in a Christian home, I can recall it was the only time, for the most part, that I was ever in a church service. I remember one of the songs we sang in chapel was “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” At the time, I was experiencing a storm of my own because of the way my mom lived as an alcoholic. I remember singing, “When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark. At the end of the storm there’s a golden sky and the sweet silver song of the lark. Walk on through the wind. Walk on through the rain.” The problem was that there was no mention of God in those lyrics. As we sang, “Walk on with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone,” I thought, “Who is with me? The lark that we’re singing about? Who is here?” As Christians, we do walk through storms in life. But we can hold our heads high—not because of some bird singing but because the Lord is with us. He was with me as a little boy, though I hadn’t yet put my faith in Him completely. God was there as I cried out to Him. God was there when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to an idol. King Nebuchadnezzar, who ordered that the sentence be carried out, expected to see their incineration. Instead, he saw something amazing. “‘Look!’ Nebuchadnezzar shouted. ‘I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!’” (Daniel 3:25 NLT). God was there when Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den for faithfully praying to Him. When King Darius (Nebuchadnezzar’s successor) came to check on him, Daniel said, “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me” (Daniel 6:22 NLT). God was there when Jonah—who tried to get away from Him by boarding a boat—was thrown overboard in the middle of a terrible storm and swallowed by a great fish. Jonah 1:17 says, “Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah” (NLT). These stories and countless others in Scripture reinforce an important lesson. We’re safer with God in a storm than anywhere else without Him. I would rather be with Jesus in a storm than in the plushest, most luxurious place on earth without Him. The Bible tells us that “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NLT). Sometimes God will calm or even stop the storms, but He is always with us through them. Reflection question: When have you gotten the sense that you were not walking alone through a storm in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SOCA THERAPY - AUGUST 31, 2025Soca Therapy PlaylistSunday August 31st 2025Making You Wine from 6-9pm on Flow 98.7fm TorontoGet Up & Dance (Dr. Jay Plate) - Lennox PicouParty Time - Sugar AloesWe Having A Party - BaronLove Vibration - DukeMusic - ShadowDhantal Fever - Second ImijCurry Tabanca - Mighty TriniJai Ha Ji Bai (Brotherhood Of The Boat) - Brother MarvinTrini - BenjaiLove You So (Ultra Simmo Edit) - Orlando Octave Keep Up - Marlon AsherNeighbour - SedaleAllez - Teddyson JohnSocaholic - Ricardo DrueHappy Music - Ricardo DrueCan You Feel It - Dj Private Ryan x Terri LyonsPossessed - Machel Montano x Kerwin Du Bois x Ladysmith Black MambazoA Little Wine - Patrice RobertsScene (The Basics Sayeed Argument Remix) - GBM Nutron x Fay Ann LyonsTraffic Jam - KesPhysically Fit - Tionne Hernandez x Jordan English x Father PhilisBad in Bum Bum - Mighty x SubanceBack Bend (Remix) - Subance x Uncle EllisThe A List - PumpaSoca Nice - V'ghnWork It Out - V'ghnTOP 7 COUNTDOWN - Powered By The Soca SourceTop Songs Streamed Worldwide (as of August 26th) 7. Payroll - Muddy6. Bouwéy - 1t1 x Theomaa5. Good Spirits - Full Blown4. The Greatest Bend Over (Remix) - Yung Bredda x Chloe x Molly x Full Blown3. Cocoa Tea - Kes x Tano2. The Greatest Bend Over - Yung Bredda x Full Blown1. Dansa - Klassik FrescobarWanna Be - StatementFestival Again - RupeeSenorita - Troots N IceSpanish Fly - AtaklanKeep On Jammin - General GrantRing Bi Ding - Lady SpencerPowder Posse - Machel Montano x BlazerPower Drill - Burning FlamesGenie Wine - Mr VegasDance With You - Machel Montano Dancing Partner - Dj Private Ryan x GBM Nutron x Imani RayDancing Away - VoiceDance - Machel Montano x KassavHappy - Skinny FabulousTrini To The Bone - David Rudder x Carl JacobsPAN MOMENTSTrini To The Bone - TCL Group SKiffle BunchTANTY TUNE (1988) Sailing - The Mighty TriniNORTHERN PRESCRIPTIONDelilah - KashStart Wining - Fay Ann LyonsJiggle It - InchesSlow Wine - Biggie IrieSlow Wine - Patrice RobertsSlow Wine - Machel MontanoLooking For Wine - Farmer Nappy x General GrantMy God, Woman & I - BenjaiWaistline Roll - Kes The BandWuk It - Patrice RobertsI Am Soca - Kerwin Du Bois x Patrice RobertsCaribbean Girl - Nadia BatsonJamtown - Coutain x TanoMedicine - Kes x TanoHero - GBM Nutron x TanoEverybody - Kalpee x Full BlownFling It Up - Machel Montano x DavidoTiger Baby - Salty x Militant x Travis WorldFeelings - PreedyA Plus Whine - Young LyricsBob The Builder - Lady LavaToo Own Way - VoiceFollow Dr. Jay @socaprince​ and @socatherapy“Like” Dr. Jay on http://facebook.com/DrJayOnline

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 5Share the LoveBased on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.A retired couple have an intriguing offer for her friends.Main characters.Geoff;  The narrator. A retired materials scientist. Mid-sixties. 5 foot 10 inches, ex amateur rugby player, still swims, runs and walks to keep fit. More than adequately equipped to satisfy his wife.Marie;  Geoff's wife. A retired modern languages lecturer. Same age as her husband. 5 foot 2 inches voluptuous build, with D cup tits and proportionate bum and hips. Shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin inherited from her French grandmother.Angie;  Marie's best friend. A mathematician who claims to be retired. Geoff suspects that she still consults as a cryptographer for M I 5 at GCHQ but she won't discuss it. Early sixties. 5 foot 10 inches, slender athletic build. Firm B cup tits, brown hair and famously dirty mind.Even with my science degrees, I never really sat and thought about it in much more detail. And now; well here I was, exploring my wife's inner mysteries with my cock. Her channel felt very different to a cunt and the sphincter gripping round my root felt a little intimidating; like it could grip really tight and cut off my circulation.Anyway, we were where we were, so I sought guidance. "Are you okay, love?" I was starting to feel a little guilty."If I'm being honest," she replied. "I'm feeling a little conflicted right now." She gave a little shudder. "It doesn't hurt and it feels really naughty but, at the same time it feels as though I'm terminally constipated and pooing backwards.""I can pull out if you want me to," I offered. "Or I can move in and out to see how it feels for you.""Give me a minute to get my head together," she said. "Then you can start fucking me."Some of the guidance we'd read on-line suggested that playing with the woman's clit as the man stroked, enhanced her pleasure so I reached down between her thighs and started to rub the shy little nubbin."Oh, Geoff, Yes," she moaned.I wasn't sure whether that was an instruction to commence or just recognition of my efforts to date, but I decided to use my initiative and start moving. Very slowly at first, I pulled my hips back and when I felt the pressure of her ring on my cock head I pushed back inside again. Marie gasped. Result! I did it again. Marie moaned, I did it again, faster this time and still rubbing her clit and she lifted to meet me. I could tell that, whatever we decided in the future, right now she wanted me to fuck her up the bum, so I did just that.She was still aroused from our earlier games, so I wasn't surprised when she built to another orgasm in only a few minutes, Perhaps it was a combination of the condom and the lube but it took me twice as long to climax which gave Marie the chance to hit another one just before I blew.Once she subsided I grabbed a tissue from the table and pulled the condom off, wrapped another tissue around it and dropped it by the bed. I put my hand either side of her head and bent to kiss her. "Well babe?" I whispered. "Was that; A;  Awful and disgusting? B;  An interesting one-off? Or C;  A treat for special occasions?"She turned over and snuggled up to me as she pondered. "I'm glad we did it," she said thoughtfully. "And I'm glad you wanted to share it with me the first time." She gave me a big hug. "That was sweet and makes me feel special."I hugged her back. "You are all kinds of special," I told her."I think," she began. "I'd like to do it at least once more, but bareback. Feeling you inside me and not the condom. I'm also intrigued to find out what it would be like to feel you come in my bum. But I think we should only do that after I've washed inside. I'm not convinced it's a weekly event because it seems like a lot of effort for an orgasm, when you already gave me four just getting me ready.We laid and kissed for a while until her busy little fingers had me hard again and so, courtesy of her promise to give me a proper seeing to and the effects of the ED22, she was walking very gingerly the following morning.Oh, yes. I forgot to ask her that night, until after she'd dozed off from exhaustion, who her first students were going to be. I remembered over breakfast and she got all excited again. Marie's Language School's first students were going to be Jo and Kate.After breakfast on Saturday morning I did an inspection of the garden to see what jobs needed doing before the nights drew in and the weather got too unpredictable. The lawn would need mowing a couple of times more, at least, before winter, there was a fence post that looked rather suspect and a couple of trees needed cutting back. And all that was in addition to the routine dead-heading and weeding in the borders and containers. Anyway, the lawn needed doing first, so I got on with that.I was almost done when Marie shouted from the kitchen door. "Geoff! Megan's on the phone. Charles would love to see you and, if we go after lunch, Megan and I can go and check out that new lingerie shop near their place." I gave her a thumbs-up and finished off the lawn.After I had cleaned up we sat on the patio, enjoying what could be one of the few remaining opportunities for coffee in the garden this year. Marie was watching me closely again."What?" I asked."Do you know what you're going to say to Charles yet?" She asked softly."Not really," I replied. "Actually, you might be able to help." She looked quizzically at me. "Do you know how much Megan tells him about what goes on when she's with you and the others?" I askedMarie pursed her lips. "I can't be absolutely certain, but I think she tells him most of what goes on, and possibly everything. Since he's been housebound, he sort of relies on Megan to keep him up to date on all the gossip and stuff."I went back to my thoughts and my wife let me be, picking up the empty cups and going back inside.Megan met us at the door when we arrived at their place: and what a place. Just too small to be a mansion, it was at least twice the size of our house. The décor and furnishings were understated and elegant and undoubtedly expensive. She showed us both into a small sitting room where Charles greeted us. I was glad to see that he didn't look as frail as I feared, in fact he looked good for his age, but he apologized for not standing up. Marie, bless her, went straight over to him and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek."It's lovely to see you again Charles, but Megan and I have shops to hit before they close. Is it okay if I come and chat when we get back?""I'd love that, Marie," he said with a big smile. And with lots of goodbyes the girls left.As I hesitated, still deciding how to open our conversation, Charles spoke first. "Now then, young man. What are your intentions towards my wife?" I jumped, startled. He sat back in his chair, wheezing with laughter. "Oh, you should see your face, old chap," he chortled. "It's a picture.""So," I guessed. "Megan's like Marie then? Likes to share little snippets?""I think that verbatim transcripts would be a more accurate description. For example, did you really make a sex video?" I nodded. "And did you and Marie really have a three way with Angela?""We did," I admitted. "More than once.""My God! And did you really masturbate Lucy to orgasm in front of the others?""I had to," I said firmly. "Because her husband wouldn't touch her, and blamed her for being too unattractive.""The man's an ass," he said dismissively. "Megan loathes him. I think she has a soft spot for Lucy."I decided to be honest. "I think it may even be more than that. What's the female equivalent of a 'bromance'?"He cocked his head at me. "Are you sure?"I shook my head. "No. I'm not certain but when Megan was describing Sam's divorce and even her own situation, she was matter-of-fact. But when she described Lucy's she was, let's say, much more passionate. As in, she described Eddie as an, I quote, 'overweight bladder of alcohol and lard pretending to be a man', while describing Lucy as a 'goddess'."Charles sat back and considered. "I will think more on that," he said, eventually. "Thank you old man, for being so frank. Now, do I get to see this video? It appears that everyone else has."It occurred to me that I was about to show an old friend images of my naked wife having sex, and then I realized, six other people had already seen it, with my prior approval. The only difference was that Charles was a man. Why did that matter so much to me? I glanced around the room and on the wall behind me was a decent sized, modern, flat screen TV facing Charles's chair. I looked at him for approval and switched it on. It was simple then to cast the video from my phone to the screen. We watched in silence as Marie and I copied the two gorgeous young people coupling on a porn site video.When it was over, Charles looked me in the eye. "Is that what you propose to do to my wife?""Not specifically. No." I replied. "But I have agreed with Marie that I'll do just about anything her friends ask, as long as it doesn't harm them, me or my marriage. Those are my boundaries. If Marie or the girls, individually or as a group, set others, then I'll respect those too.""And if I have boundaries?" He asked."Then discuss them with your wife; she will tell me and I'll respect them."He laughed. "I have only one condition," he said. "My wife engaging in sex with you and her friends at your home is only acceptable because my ill health prevents me from satisfying her. Meeting you for sex under any other circumstances is not.""I agree, Charles. probably for the same reason. Marie's sole concern was to let her friends enjoy sex; we won't let this arrangement descend into affairs. We have too much to lose. Inevitably, the intimacy between us all will result in some affection, but that's all. If I meet Megan in town, then I will happily take her for a coffee, but you have my word there will be no clandestine trysts.""Good man," he said. "Now, Megan said she'd left drinks in the kitchen, if you'd be so kind, and then perhaps you can tell me why the team is only mid table this season."We were still arguing about rugby when our wives arrived back, just after six. Marie came to join us while Megan went into the kitchen. My wife surprised me as much as Charles when she sat on his lap and told me to go and help Megan put some food out while they caught up. Apparently they had stopped off for a Thai takeaway. rather than have Megan start cooking when they got home.Charles was still capable of moving around the house, albeit slowly, so all four of us gathered round the small table in the kitchen and laughed and joked as we ate.As Megan tidied the table my wife turned to me. "Geoff. Would it be alright if Megan and I modelled the results of our shopping for you and Charles?" I heard Megan gasp. Marie must be winging this.I considered her request and my best guess at the thinking behind it. I decided to indulge in a little mischief of my own. "I suppose that since Charles has just watched the video of you naked and having sex, the sight of you in your underwear probably isn't crossing any lines."Charles and I both grinned at the expressions on our wives' faces. The girls recovered well though, and disappeared upstairs laden with bags. I think that was the first time that I'd ever heard the usually composed Megan actually giggle. While they were changing I helped Charles back to the sitting room, via the downstairs bathroom which was on the way. We both decided to settle on the two seater sofa opposite the door, which, once I'd moved a couple of chairs, provided a nice open space for our ladies to parade in.They came in together, holding hands for mutual support. Charles and I both gaped at the vision before us. Marie was, just, in a pale blue bustier that cupped and lifted her incredible tits from beneath, but left her deep brown nipples exposed. I could tell that she was excited by the way that her nubs pushed out from her areola like tiny studs. Below was, well, hardly anything; a matching G-string that accentuated, rather than concealed, her waxed pudenda. She was awesome, and I truly wanted to fuck my lovely little sex bomb there and then.And Megan! To coin a phrase, recently popular in the UK; Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the tiny wee donkey! She was truly fucking spectacular. She was wearing a sheer baby-doll halter-neck lace nightgown. It consisted of a flesh colored gossamer fabric looped behind her neck that dropped as two wisps to cover, but not conceal each of her C cup tits, then gathered at the waist to create a short skirt that ended barely low enough to hide her thong. I lied; it didn't hide anything, anywhere. It just made you look harder and closer to revel in the beauty beneath.The girls let go of each other and gave a three sixty turn. I was fully erect by the time they reached one eighty. Charles managed to drag his eyes away from his wife. "In forty five years Geoffrey, I have never seen her dressed in something that;” at that point words failed him. He turned back to the grinning women. "For the love of God, Geoff; please let Marie take her shopping again."Our wives turned and gave each other a long smoldering kiss. Marie smiled at us. "We're practicing for Megan's first French lesson."Megan moved to her husband and knelt in front of him. Remember, I was sat right next to him, and it turns out I was wrong. I wasn't fully erect before, but I certainly was now! I think my cock had found eleven on the dial. Megan looked at Charles and put his hand to her tit. "I didn't buy this for evenings with Geoff, darling. I bought this to wear at home for you. Marie and I thought it would be a treat modelling for both of you for being so understanding and indulging us."I felt a hand turn my face away from the vision in front of me to find Marie looking at me with a rather arousing mixture of amusement and lust. "Megan, dear," she said. "Would you think me terribly forward if I asked if I could use the bedroom we just changed in, to take my old man for a quickie?"Megan just smiled and we left them like that as Marie led me away in search of somewhere to have sex.The following morning, we were eating breakfast when I smiled at my wife and said, "I know what you're doing.""It's fairly obvious," she replied. "It's hard to eat toast covertly when you're actually watching me do it.""I meant your attempting to groom me," I continued patiently. "Your 'coming out' with Angie, kissing Ken the taxi driver, sitting on Charles's lap, showing him your tits. This is a campaign to push the envelope and test my limits.""Have I offended you?" She asked. "Because it was never my intent. I just want you to be comfortable with how our lives are now. I watched you make love to my best friend, and I reveled in it. I saw you pleasure Lucy when that was precisely what she needed, and I loved you all the more for it. I watched you looking at Megan while Charles looked at me, and I don't think any of us were jealous.""How am I doing?" I asked."Oh, darling," she replied. "That's for you to decide; not me. I'm not grooming you at all. I'm letting you see that all of these different situations haven't changed you. You haven't judged my friends, or Charles, or me for that matter. I want you to be happy, but I'm concerned that you still find this more disturbing than fun."I leaned forward and kissed her. "I'm improving, I think. I understand a little better though. None of the things I mentioned bothered me, though I feel as though they should have. Does that make sense?""Of course it does. We've been conditioned all our lives to accept that social norms should dictate how we should feel in some situations. But, logically speaking, if something isn't a threat then it makes no sense to feel threatened; it doesn't matter if your conditioning says you should. I love you to bits and I know you love me, so why should I be unhappy when you give one of my friends an orgasm?""You make a valid point," I said, finishing my tea. "And on that note I think I shall make a phone call. I have jobs to do."I grabbed my smartphone and wandered into the garden. I found Jane's number in my contact list and hit 'Call'."Hi babe. It's me; Look, Marie has lost the plot; Just you and me; let's just run off; Maybe next week?; No?; Fancy a coffee in town instead then?; Okay, it's a date; Is Ben about?; I need a hand in the garden and a big strong lad would be more use than a short ass with big boobs; About eleven would be great; Bye."I went back inside to get changed into my working gear. "Ben's coming to give me a hand," I told Marie."That's nice dear," she said absently as she tidied the kitchen. "How is Jane? Any luck?""She's fine but, no. She still won't run away with me.""Probably just as well."I was busy glaring at the dodgy fence post when I felt a presence loom over me. "Hi Ben," I said. "You're early.""I was already up when you called, so I came straight over."Ben's dad used to play in our youth team when I was coaching. He moved into the first team when he was twenty one and was one of our star players. He died suddenly about ten years ago, when Ben was only nine. Ben inherited his dad's massive build but is the quietest lad I've ever met. I showed him what needed doing and we got stuck in. Marie brought us drinks and sandwiches for lunch and told him he was staying for a cooked meal when we'd finished.With his help, the post was replaced in less than an hour and we moved onto the trees. We were done by midafternoon so I gave him a beer and tried to engage him in conversation."How's your mum?""Fine.""How are you enjoying working in the warehouse?"

Faith for the Coming Wilderness (1) (audio) David Eells – 9/3/25 Father, You say in (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. Interpretation: By unearned favor God gives us His gift of faith to be what we should be. And He tells us that we don't have anything that we didn't receive from Him so how could we be proud of anything that we are able to do? With that in mind I ask     in the name of Jesus, you would let Your anointing be in our midst and to bless us all to have eyes to see and ears to hear. Give us all discernment from Your Spirit, Lord. We thank You that everything that You have done for us through Jesus Christ has all been accomplished at the cross, and we praise You for it, Father. We thank You, Lord, for using this unworthy vessel to share with the brethren a little bit more of the Word. Amen. I want to talk to you about the First-fruits and encourage you about how you can be part of that ministry. One major question that people have concerns the difference between those who will be in the First-fruits and those who will be in the in-gathering. In Exodus 23, the Bible speaks of two harvests. (Exo.23:14) Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. (15) The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it thou camest out from Egypt); and none shall appear before me empty: (We cannot bear fruit except by the unleavened bread of the pure Word. If we have done this the proof will be in the harvest.) (16) and the feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labors, which thou sowest in the field: and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labors out of the field. The first-fruits are the first harvest and the rest are harvested at the end. The harvest is being brought into the Kingdom through the unleavened bread. We've learned that the First-fruits harvest is the Man-child ministry, and the ingathering harvest is those who are brought in later. Jesus was called the First-fruits who raised up His two witnesses who went out two by two to continue the harvest. (See Hidden Manna for the End Times, Chapter 7, “Maturity and Harvests,” which is available in PDF at ubm1. org), but what people want to know is, “How can I be in the First-fruits?” We'll find our answer if we examine the different types and shadows of the First-fruits. Two of the major types, of course, are Moses and Jesus. One thing we can see immediately from Moses and Jesus is that they went through a common experience, which prepared them to bring the people of God into the wilderness and teach them how to be overcomers. Moses went into the wilderness for 40 years (Act.7:30-34) and he overcame to lead the Israelites in the wilderness. Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days (Mat.4:1; Luk.4:2) and He overcame to teach the disciples. The number 40 represents “trial” or “tribulation,” so both Moses and Jesus overcame in their own trials. (Rev.2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations. (Rev.3:21) He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. In other words, dominion is given to the people of God who overcome in their wilderness trials. So where is this “wilderness” and what does it entail? Well, the wilderness is everywhere there is a Christian. We're not looking for a literal, physical desert somewhere to go into, so don't be thinking that! (2Co.3:6) Who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Anywhere God's people are, there is a wilderness available to them. Why do I say “available”? That's because God's people are like Israel when they were in Egypt, and they don't necessarily want to go into that wilderness. In some cases, God even has to force them into that wilderness. Israel had to be forced into that wilderness by Pharaoh's army behind them and by God parting the Red Sea before them. But both Moses and Jesus each went out into their personal wilderness first; first they overcame their own temptations and trials before God used them to bring others there. The wilderness is a place where you are tempted and tried, and if you want to be used to bring others there, you first have to pass the test. Let me share with you some things the Lord has taught me about this wilderness. Not long after I became a Christian, by the Lord's grace and mercy, I started going out into the wilderness because I began getting the revelation of what it entailed and what it meant. To put it very simply, in the New Testament, a “wilderness” is any place and any trial in which you are believing and acting upon the Word of God. For instance, there is a mark of the Beast coming, and most Christians know that they won't be able to buy or sell with the world anymore, unless they take that mark. They will be put into a wilderness experience where they can't go back to Egypt, just like the Israelites out in the wilderness. The Israelites were tested to see if they were really going to believe in the promises of God, which was the only thing that would sustain them in their wilderness. We're coming to the same situation in our day. If you want to be like Moses, or if you want to be like Jesus, or if you want to be like Joseph, if you want to be like these different types and shadows of the First-fruits, you have to go out into your wilderness now. These men didn't wait for the crowd to go; they led them where they had already gone. I want to tell you quite frankly that if you are not living in the wilderness, you are not living as a believer. You are rebelling against the Word of God. If you are satisfied to go along with whatever the other religious people around you are doing, that won't put you in the First-fruits. You have to act upon what you see in the Word. Let me explain this wilderness to you a little bit more before I share a few testimonies. The Word of God says that our salvation has been accomplished. It's done. The Lord has already healed us. He's already delivered us. He's already perfected us. (Joh.19:28) After this Jesus, knowing that all things are now finished, that the scripture might be accomplished, saith, I thirst. (29) There was set there a vessel full of vinegar: so they put a sponge full of the vinegar upon hyssop, and brought it to his mouth. (30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. Jesus said, “It is finished.” (Joh.16:33) These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. You see, the Lord has already overcome the world for us, and He did it by His sacrifice. He gave His Life for us. (1Pe.2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. Notice, these are past tense. (Heb.10:14) For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. This was all accomplished at the cross! (Joh.1:29) On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! He was the Lamb of God Who took away the sins of the world and there is a reason for that. The Bible says that God chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. (1Co.1:27) But God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; (28) and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, [yea] and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are. The “things that are not” are these promises that we don't see manifested in this physical realm. God says you are healed, you are delivered, you are perfected, and your sins are all taken away, but you say, “Well, David, I don't see that in this physical realm.” That's exactly right, but the Word of God is still true! When you hold fast to these past-tense promises, you will definitely see them come to pass because that's what faith is. Faith is believing and acting on these promises. God gave awesome promises to the Israelites when they went into their wilderness, and He was very much offended that they did not believe those promises. Let's look at what He said to them, since it was basically His whole problem with Israel in the wilderness. (Num.14:11) And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? (12) I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they. (23) Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it. (Because they did not believe in Him.) So, the Lord swore He would bring them into that land, but He changed His mind because all the promises of God are functional and based on our part of the Covenant, which is faith in the promises. We have to believe! (Mar.9:23) And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst! All things are possible to him that believeth. (24) Straightway the father of the child cried out, and said, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Jesus taught that we are supposed to believe that we have received everything that we pray for. For instance, (Mar.11:24) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever (What does “all” leave out? Nothing!) whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them (This is past tense in all the ancient manuscripts. It's just that the translators didn't understand why you should believe you have received something when you don't see it.) believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. God expects us to believe before we see; He expects us to believe we've received everything the Bible promises us. (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. If you believe you received something when you prayed for it, what are you going to do to try to bring it to pass? If you say, for instance, that you believe by the stripes of Jesus you were healed, yet you continue trying to get healed by some worldly means, what you are proving is that you don't believe the good news that Jesus already healed you at the cross. For many years, I've never missed receiving a healing. I've raised five children and they have all received healing from the Lord. They were born at home (except for my oldest) and received healing for anything they ever needed. It didn't matter if it was broken bones, diseases, or whatever. They were always healed because I acted on what I saw in the Word of God concerning healing. His Word says that you don't have to accomplish healing; you have to receive it as a free gift, just as you receive every other form of salvation as a free gift. Since “God chose … the things that are not” to bring to nothing “the things that are,” how does He do that? (Rom.4:17) … God … calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Well then, how do we do that? We just speak it as done. Every miracle that Jesus ever did, He spoke it first. Nothing was there. He spoke it first, and it came to pass. And what the Lord wants us to do is speak in agreement with the Word. (Amo.3:3) Shall two walk together, except they have agreed? We need to speak in agreement with the Word of God. If the Bible says we're healed, we need to agree with that. If we have to call for the elders to anoint us with oil so we can put our faith together to agree with that, then that's what we should do, but we need to agree with that. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. You are delivered from sin. Consider it done. Why are so many people anxious and troubled about their sins? It's because they don't believe the Gospel! Why are so many people anxious and troubled about getting a healing? It's because they don't believe the Gospel! Why are so many people trying to deliver themselves? It's because they are not believing and acting upon the Gospel. Salvation in any form is a free gift. You accept it by faith. You speak it by faith. It is yours. (Col.1:12) Giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; (13) who delivered us (past tense) out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. If you are attempting to save yourself and not accepting that you were delivered at the cross, then what you are proving is that you don't believe the Gospel. You believe in salvation by works. All of your self-efforts are hindering God from giving you what He wants to give you because He chose the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. The “things that are not” are these promises. The “things that are” is the curse. Look around you; God says He healed you and sometimes you don't look healed. He says He delivered you from sin and sometimes you don't think you are delivered from sin. He says He delivered you out of the power of darkness and sometimes you think you might have demons. Apostle Paul said, (Php.4:19) And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Every need! Wow! That's awesome! “My God shall supply every need of yours.” Think about that. You need to know and confess that all of God's promises are true anywhere you are. When you get into that wilderness, God is going to be there. God told Paul in (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. His power is true power when we are weak, when we give up our own efforts to save ourselves. In the wilderness, there was no visible means of support for the Israelites. There was no lush land or a wondrous place to raise sheep and goats and crops. It was a desert. God brought them there to prove to them that He was Jehovah-jireh; the Lord my provider. (Gen.22:14) And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh. As it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be provided. He brought them there to prove that He was their provider in all things, but they moaned, and they complained, and they wouldn't believe God, and so they fell in the wilderness because they walked by sight and not by faith. God is about to send us into a wilderness. We are coming to a place where the world will no longer cooperate with us, but will turn against us, persecute us, and separate us from their benefits. They will blame us for the judgments that are falling upon the world. There will be a brief recovery of the economy and then a collapse and wilderness.  The governments are going to look for whomever they can blame and cut off because their resources will be gone. Remember that Egypt was completely ruined by the time the Israelites went into the wilderness (Exo.10:7). But before the Israelites went into the wilderness, they had already eaten the Passover lamb. Then they came out of Egypt and passed through the Red Sea, which Paul called a “baptism.” (1Co.10:1) For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; (2) and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; (3) and did all eat the same spiritual food; (4) and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them: and the rock was Christ. So they were saved, they were baptized, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and went right into the wilderness. If you believe the Word of God, that's exactly what you do! You go immediately into the wilderness, even if you are a baby Christian. You walk into that wilderness, you walk into that place where you receive your sustenance out of Heaven from God and you no longer receive your sustenance from man by his methods, by the works of the flesh. When the Israelites went into their wilderness, they carried all of their provisions out there with them, but in only three days, they started running out (Exo.15:22). In spite of their own efforts, they found themselves still dependent on the hand of God. Many Christians today think that we're going to store up all these things and get prepared for the coming wilderness, but God said that “My power is made perfect in weakness.” God is bringing us into a wilderness to multiply the food (Mat.14:13- 21; Mar.6:30-44, etc.), to bring the manna out of Heaven (Exo.16:31,35; Num.11:7,9, etc.), to bring the water out of the rock (Exo.17:6; Num.20:8, etc.) He's going to do all these miraculous things and more to provide for His people, yet His people are still of a mind of salvation by works. They think, “We don't have to walk by faith! We are going to save ourselves!” Well, I can tell you that exactly what happened to the Israelites is going to happen to the Church. In the wilderness, they are going to run out of everything, and they are going to be back depending upon God because that's His plan! We have to learn to use those promises, we have to learn to use the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. Even though we see that the promises are not yet fulfilled in this physical realm, we have to use them to provide ourselves with the things that we need. Jesus already provided us with everything right there at the cross, and only through our weakness is God's power going to be made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). Many years ago, I was driving down the interstate and I passed over the River Jordan, except it was spelled “Jourdan” instead of “Jordan.” And when I passed over it, the thought came into my mind, “Oh, boy! Thank You, Lord! I'm going to the Promised Land!” But God immediately corrected me. He said, “No, you're not. I'm sending you through a wilderness so that you can tell My people that I still supply there.” That's what happened, and at the time, I was in a wilderness. I had been in it for many years, but the Lord helped me to explain it better. My wilderness was simply that I believed the Word of God when I was a baby Christian. I didn't have any religious background; I was raised a Catholic, but I didn't know anything about the Bible, so at home I started reading the Bible. I was just consumed with a love for the Bible! I knew that this was the truth, and so I began to act upon those awesome, precious promises that God has given us, and I began to see some wondrous miracles before I ever became mixed up with any religion. I just knew that those promises didn't pass away with the apostles. The Lord taught me in this wilderness how to receive provision from Him, and He taught me that so that I can teach it to you. It's exactly as He told me: “I'm sending you through a wilderness so that you can tell My people that I still supply there,” because we are going into a wilderness. The Tribulation period is the wilderness (Rev.12:6, 17:6). And we have to prepare for this wilderness, but not in the way that carnally-minded Christians have been teaching. I can tell you right now that how they are getting prepared is not going to last. To get prepared to walk through this wilderness, you need to walk by faith in the promises of God. You need to act on what you read in the Word, and if you will do that, you will be weak. That's because you can do nothing to bring to pass a promise that God says He's already given you. If He says that He has healed you and you go running to man for healing, then you prove you haven't believed that verse yet! And you are not in the wilderness because, when you are in the wilderness, you are in a place of weakness to the flesh. The flesh cannot save itself in the wilderness; it has to turn to God. God started teaching me these principles of just acting upon the Word, and before I knew what a wilderness was, I was going there. So you don't have to wait to go into the wilderness. In fact, if you go there and you overcome now, you will be one of those whom God will use to bring others there and teach them the ways of the Lord. (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. The ways of the Lord are not our ways. He has methods that are not our methods. You don't have to read the Gospel very far before you realize that. Jesus didn't use the methods of the world to bring about the deliverance of God's people. When did Jesus send anybody to a psychiatrist or a doctor? He spoke the Word of God! He called the things that are not as though they were. We're going to do the same thing! If you make it through that wilderness, you are going to do the same thing. Some of what God began to teach me about living in the wilderness had to do with my finances. For instance, I have been ministering for 55 years now, and I've never taken an offering. “Taking” an offering is an oxymoron! You can't “take” an offering; it's supposed to be freely given! Now, I have preached in other assemblies where people have taken up offerings for me.  And some of them, I'm sorry to say, were use to their preacher's “beatings” to make them give through condemnation. But the Lord taught me at the beginning, (Mat.10:8) … freely ye received, freely give (Deu.15:10; Psa.112:9, etc.). God wanted me to give everything that He gave to me, to just give it freely, knowing that He is Almighty God and that He will take care of me. And when I ministered, I never asked for an offering, nor do I talk about money in our local assembly. I know that in most churches, they talk about money every time they meet, but I don't talk about money because God puts it in people's hearts to meet the needs of the brethren. So I freely give and for the past 55 years, God has freely given to me. Truly, if you prove God's Word, you will be very impressed with God. I'm very impressed with God! I know He watches over me, I know that He knows my needs, I know that He provides for my needs and I know that I don't have to stand around and beg Him or beg men. I've never taken an offering and I continue to freely give of my ministry to people. We freely give away our materials and our books on our website, but God puts it in people's hearts to give back. (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. Wow! That's awesome! And I've never had to condemn people into giving to me, either. I don't even have to mention it. I have taught on giving, of course, but I've never taught on giving to me, and I've never taught on putting people under the Law to give to me. The disciples never took up an offering for themselves but for saints who were suffering elsewhere. For instance, you can't find the command to tithe in the New Testament. Jesus said that tithing was of the Law. (Mat.23:23) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done (under the Law), and not to have left the other undone. There's no place in the New Testament where God commanded Christians to be tithers. That was a law that was given in the Old Testament to the Old Covenant people. If a preacher drags it over into the New Covenant, it's because he's not obeying Jesus. He's not freely giving and freely receiving. What he's doing is condemning people into supporting him because he has no faith. When Jesus sent out the disciples, they were men of faith, or He would not have ordained them, and He would not have sent them out. And when He sent them out, He told them, “Freely ye received, freely give,” and that's what they did. They didn't take up any offerings. They didn't throw any pity parties. They didn't cry about all of their needs. They trusted in Almighty God! He can take care of us and, by the way, He is not poverty-stricken! I learned very quickly that tithing was something that churches used because they didn't trust God, so they were putting God's people under the Law, which was pronounced to be a curse. (Deu.28:15) But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. (Jas.2:10) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one [point,] he is become guilty of all. I learned that 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 are not stewards of 10% and owners of 90% anymore! Read the New Testament! We are called “stewards” of 100%!  We handle it for God. We've been bought with a price (1Co.6:19-20; 7:23). We are not our own and neither is anything that we have. We are bondservants, and everything that we have belongs to our Master. He's the One Who tells us what to do with it, how much to give, where to give and to whom. Yes, we do in type and shadow, bring our tithes into the storehouse (Mal.3:10), which in the Old Testament was in the middle of the temple, but in the New Testament, God's people are the temple. When Jesus returns to judge the nations, He's not going to say anything about the tithe. (Mat.25:34) Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (35) for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in (Notice its all about how we treat the temple.); (36) naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. (37) Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? (38) And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? (39) And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? (40) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. You see, you bring your “tithes” into the storehouse by how you treat the temple. At times, God has even called on me to give away my car and my house, but anything that I gave away, He always gave back to me and, in most cases, even better. He has never failed me! When I've been to minister as an invited speaker at other assemblies, I always appreciated it if they chose to give me an offering, but I never asked for one. I also learned that it pleased God if I didn't tell everyone my needs. I just told Him my needs. There's not one instance in the Bible where an apostle took up offerings or told anyone their own needs. The only time they took up an offering was for someone else; they took up an offering for the saints in Jerusalem who were in desperate need, because when they came to Christianity, the Jews around them were plundering them. (Heb.10:34) For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one. And so Paul had the churches take up offerings for the saints (1Co.16:3; 2Co.9:5; 12:16-18; Php.4:15-19), but he never took up an offering for himself and nobody else did, either. They were men of faith, and they walked by faith. They knew they were working for the Father and that the Father would pay them. You get to see the glory of God if you don't do things in the flesh. I'll give you one little instance. But first please remember that we have nothing to brag about. Everything comes from our awesome God by unmerited favor through faith which is His gift to us. When my children were young, I was impressed that I needed to go to Louisiana to visit some relatives. Well, this was at a time when I didn't have any money whatsoever. Even my children asked, “How are we going to Louisiana?” It was a pretty good drive, four-and-a-half hours from where we lived, and I told them, “We are going to go by faith.” I never let on to anybody in our assembly, “Well, I'm going to Louisiana and I don't have any money.” The next day, we all piled into our car, which was out of gas, and we headed out to Louisiana. Now, as I was going out of the door, I saw where a sister had left her Bible on the table, so I picked it up and I said, “We'll drop this by on our way.” You know, I was convinced that God was just going to put gas in my car because He had done it many times before. And when we stopped by this sister's house, I knocked on her door and I handed her the Bible when she answered. I said, “You left this at our house and I didn't want you to go through the weekend without having the Word.” I turned around to leave, but she said, “David, the Lord is telling me to give this to you,” and she handed me a $20 bill. Now, in those days, a $20 bill would fill up even a big station wagon, which is what I had with five kids in it. So I thanked her and I turned around and went back to town, and I took that money and filled the tank up with gas.  We were excited because the pump clicked off at $20. Folks, you never saw a tank of gas in a big gas hog car like mine go as far as that tank of gas went! And when we took off for Louisiana, we still didn't have any money because we had put it all in the gas tank. After we got to Louisiana and were visiting, an assembly over there somehow found out I was in town. They decided to invite me over to preach and, sure enough, they took up an offering and blessed me. I came back with a whole lot more money than when I left. Praise be to God! I remember taking my kids to the beach when we didn't have any gas in the car and God put gas in the car. And I remember one time a friend called me to come and pick him up because he had run his car off the road, and he was stuck. That was when my car was empty. It had been empty for days, and I had been driving it that way for days, and he was on the other side of town. I said, “Lord, Your Word says, ‘Give to him that asketh of thee' (Mat.5:42; Luk.6:30), and he's asking, so I'm going!” I got in my car that I'd been driving for several days without any gas in it, and I went over there and I picked him up where he was stuck alongside the road. I dragged him out and came back home. You know, I drove that car for a week and it never ran out of gas. There was another time I actually did have plenty of money, but the gas stations were closed. When I lived over in Baton Rouge, I once had to go to work very, very early in the morning, and I didn't realize that all those stations weren't open that early. I went to a couple of them, and they were closed, but I decided, “Well, Lord, nothing is stopping You from putting gas in my tank. I'm going.” So I jumped up on the interstate, and before I had gone anywhere, I saw that gas tank needle start climbing; I think it climbed up about a third of a tank while I was driving down the interstate, and then it stopped. I asked, “Well, Lord, why didn't You just go ahead and fill it up?” And I heard Him answer, “Well, I always give you what you need.” I said, “That's right!” It didn't matter to me if I ran out because I've seen my car run without any gas in it. It makes no difference to God. We must become as a child in trusting our Father. To such belongs the Kingdom of heaven. God bless you to believe and trust in His promises you find in the Word of His provision and care for you!

Geoff and Marie's Good Life: Part 4A forty year warmup.Taking passion to a state of the art.Based on posts by Only In My Mind, in 15 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Main characters.Geoff:   The narrator. A retired materials scientist. Mid-sixties. 5 foot 10 inches, ex amateur rugby player, still swims, runs and walks to keep fit. More than adequately equipped to satisfy his wife.Marie:   Geoff's wife. A retired modern languages lecturer. Same age as her husband. 5 foot 2 inches voluptuous build, with D cup tits and proportionate bum and hips. Shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes and olive skin inherited from her French grandmother.Angie:   Marie's best friend. A mathematician who claims to be retired. Geoff suspects that she still consults as a cryptographer for M I 5 at GCHQ but she won't discuss it. Early sixties. 5 foot 10 inches, slender athletic build. Firm B cup tits, brown hair and famously dirty mind.I sat, rapt, as they explored each other's bodies with their hands as the kiss went on. Angie put her hands on my wife's full round buttocks and pulled her so that their bellies were hard against each other. Marie began to unbutton Angie's blouse to expose the small but perfect tits barely hidden by her tiny lace bra. My wife removed her friends blouse entirely and threw it to me while she slipped the bra straps from her friends shoulders. She reached behind and within seconds the bra flew my way too.They both looked briefly to gauge my response, and smiled as they saw me grinning at them as I held the discarded clothes to my nose. I wasn't being pervy. Their scent was delicious; it was Angie's scent.Seeing that I was still content to watch, it was Angie's turn to undo the tie holding Marie's wrap-around dress and as it fell open we were treated to the sight of her pale blue bra, more substantial than Angie's as it had to do more heavy lifting, and tiny matching briefs. Marie's bra followed her dress and again I buried my nose in the fabric as I let the dress hit the floor. The two women smelled so different. Angie's scent seemed fresh and outdoorsy, Marie's scent was headier and made me think of romantic evenings in bed. The pair fondled each other's tits and drew their hands down each other's bellies but then they stopped and stared at me. Oh, yes, we were testing the ED22.My two, near naked, women stalked across to me and pulled me to my feet. They each took a hand and held it to a tit. Marie pulled me down to lock her lips against mine and then eased her tongue into my mouth. "I enjoy Angie's kisses," she murmured as she broke away briefly. "But I enjoy yours more."I have to admit that the kissing was so intense that I almost neglected to knead that glorious tit. Note, I said 'almost'. Then Marie peeled my hand away from her nipple and slowly and deliberately put it between her legs. I took the opportunity to run my index finger along the gusset, feeling the puffy mounds either side of that lovely little slit. My God! She was so damp alreadyMarie let go of me and moved around behind so that Angie took center stage. Angie kissed me too, just as passionately. Only while she and I were tangling tongues, my wife was undoing my trousers from behind. Once they dropped away, Angie stood back and unbuttoned my shirt. I tried to help. That's a lie: I just kept fondling her boobs while they undressed me.At last we were all standing in the bedroom in just our underwear. Marie in pale blue briefs, Angie in white lace panties and, be honest, you don't care in the slightest what color M and S undies I had on. It didn't matter anyway as the girls had mine off in seconds. Marie knelt in front of me and took my cock in her hands. Little Geoff had started to pump up when they started on each other. By the time Marie put my hand on her tit he was already fully at attention.As Marie began to stroke me gently as a prelude to showing her teacher the progress she'd made in her oral sex homework, Angie had moved next to me and taken my hand and slipped it inside her panties. She was just as wet as my wife had been. It's odd really, how sexy it seems, groping a woman inside her knickers. I knew I was going to see, touch, lick, enter, both of these women's cunts very shortly, but just having my hand in her pants like that and feeling her up seemed just so fucking, I don't know, adolescent.Angie turned my head to hers and we resumed our passionate kisses. Actually resumed probably understates it. We resumed kissing but the passion went up several notches. On my part because my wife was going full-bore porn star on me and had her nose pressed up against my belly as she inhaled my cock; on Angie's part because I had my hand in her pants with my fingers inside her while my thumb did terrible and dirty things to her clit.I tried to be analytical, I really did, but all I could really feel was my wife's mouth engulfing me, and my fingers in her best friend's cunt. Insofar as I gave it any thought at all the ED22 didn't seem to make my cock feel any different.It wasn't too long before I managed to take a breath to warn Marie that I was close but I guessed that she could tell but didn't care much either way. Ever since I've known her she's been a swallower.Angie and I had by now rearranged ourselves a little. We were still swapping saliva but I had one hand under her bum cheeks and into her cunt from behind while the other was massaging her tits and paying particular attention to her nipples. They were like pebbles. In the end we had to break off from our kiss because neither of us could really focus on it. We were both so close. I'm sorry ladies, but this time I have to admit that, despite my best efforts to hold it back, I shot my load into my wife's mouth before I could bring Angie off.by way of atonement, as soon as I'd stopped thrusting my hips trying to push my cock impossibly far into Marie's mouth to extract the last strands of semen, we led Angie to our bed and I knelt between her legs to bring her to her orgasm with my tongue. She was so close that I had barely got into my stride at sucking her clit when I felt her go over. I had my hand on her belly at the time and I could feel abdominal muscles clench as it hit her. I still kept licking though, until she begged me to stop.Marie had been a little trooper. She had given me a great blow job and now it was my turn to pleasure her. She helped me to slip her panties off. No ripping these off, this coordinated lingerie stuff isn't cheap. But the sight that confronted me left me as enchanted as ever, even after over forty five years together. She spread her thighs for me and I spent a moment just savoring the view and her scent. I kissed my way up her thighs until I reached the promised land. I reached up with my hands for her to press them to her tits while my tongue lapped at her labia. Her clit was still a little shy so I tried to make friends with it and eventually it came out to play. We toyed with each other for a minute or two and then I went to say 'Hello' to her cunt. Gents, try it: say 'Hello' to your partners cunt; I doubt that you'll be disappointed with the response. Marie certainly seemed to appreciate my efforts.I laid between her thighs doing everything I could with hands and tongue to give her joy, up to and including using my tongue on her bum. Eventually I realized that my cock was fully hard again and ready to go. Marie was a little spaced out by now so I decided not to confuse her with having to choose from a menu of sexual positions and I decided to go with, what I choose to think of as, 'missionary plus'. That is with my wife on her back, but with her ankles on my shoulder. At our age, you make the most of positions like this, once the arthritis kicks in it might never be an option again.Anyway, Marie was deliciously wet and I was reassuringly hard so I slipped into her and we began to make love. It was a delight to look down at her as I massaged her glorious tits and saw her smiling up at me as she tried to synch her movements with mine. "Go on," I told her. "Be a dirty girl and play with your clit while I fuck you." And she did. It looked so hot. I had her legs up against my chest giving me a porn cameraman's view of my cock pumping in and out of her cunt, shining with her juice, her fingers rubbing at her clit and my hands mauling her tits. I was in my absolute, ultimate happy place.They say, 'All good things must come to an end.' And we eventually reached a point where we couldn't keep together any more. I couldn't keep to that rhythm, I needed to go faster and Marie couldn't keep in sync with me. She kept making little jerking movements that told me she was close. I stopped just massaging her boobs and started to concentrate on her nips, tweaking and pulling and getting quite rough now she was on the edge. Her breathing started to rag as she tried to push against me until she finally pushed up one last time and froze. I put my hand on her hips and pulled her to me to put that last thrust as deep as I could inside of her and held for as long as I could. I could feel her tighten around me and that took me with her like it usually does and I felt my seed burst out into her.It didn't take long for little Geoff to go down, then I lay alongside my wife and kissed her lovingly. After a few minutes I looked across to Angie sitting quietly watching us with her hand between her legs. "Can we do it like that next time Geoff?" She said, quietly. "Just the two of us?"I turned back to Marie, but before I could speak she said, "I'll leave you two alone for a while. I'm going to the bathroom now and then I'm going to go downstairs to make us some supper and something to drink. The pair of you can come down when you're finished. And Geoff," she added. "Don't let your head fuck this up for her. I know how you feel about Angie and I love her too. You won't be cheating on me if you make love to her. She deserves better than the two shits she was married to, so make it special anyway you can."Marie got up and took her friend by the hand to pull her from the chair. She kissed her and said, "He's all yours for the next half an hour or so. All I ask is that you don't break him." She walked across the bedroom, picking her dressing gown from the hook on the door, and left calling, "Have fun!" over her shoulder as she went.I was sitting on the edge of the bed watching as Marie left and I indicated to Angie that she should come and sit on my lap. I wasn't hard again yet but it was still an enjoyable sensation to have a naked woman sitting there while I was naked too."Was that a bit harsh?" I asked her. "I mean, I never really got to know your first husband well, though I never really warmed to number two at all.""No, it was fair enough, I suppose," she answered. "It was like," she struggled to explain. "It was like, we made a great couple on paper, but in reality we were more like housemates; both times. And, because neither of them really loved me, cheating on me didn't really cause them a lot of guilt." Her eyes started to fill with tears. "I've had so much fun with you and Marie these last few days, but I couldn't live with myself if she ended up feeling the way that I did.""You know that I worried about that too," I told her. "But even though I've been doubtful from the beginning, she has never once showed any jealousy towards you and I: and she actually expects all of us, and by us I mean me and your mates, to develop 'feelings' towards each other if and when we actually start to have sex." I gave Angie a big squeeze around the waist, "You know, like you have with my missus: And with me."She snuggled into me. I put one arm around her shoulder to pull her close and the other on her tit, because I'm a man and we like fondling boobs. She turned a little towards me so that we could kiss properly and we did. It was very nice so we did it some more. I wondered if taking my hand off her boob and putting it between her legs would make kissing even better, and I think it fair to say that it did. It also gave me a very clear indication that she was probably almost ready to make love."Geoff?" She asked. "Can I suck your cock? I want to taste you and Marie before you and I have sex.""How would you feel about honoring Marie's ancestry and going a bit continental?" I asked. hopefully.She grinned at me between kisses. "Are you talking about the old 'Soixante-neuf'?"I smiled back. "I like a challenge, and I'd love to see if I can actually please you with my mouth at the same time as you are sucking me."She stood up and pushed me onto my back. "Assume the position, kiddo, it's going to get rough."I moved to the center of the bed and looked down. My cock was already showing signs of interest in the immediate future and Angie hadn't really moved yet. She just stood looking at me until I started to feel a little self-conscious. Then she gave a little smile and climbed onto the bed and maneuvered herself so that I got an access-all-areas view of her lady parts. I reached behind me and grabbed one of those cushions that women insist on buying for the bedrooms; you know what I mean, the ones you chuck on the floor before you go to bed, and then have to put back on in the morning. Anyway, I'd finally found a use for the fucking things; to support my head whilst Angie and I 69ed each other.She was already wet before I started and her labia were pretty engorged. They were pretty to look at too. She tasted lovely. Because she was face down on me her clit was in the 'wrong' place, but I struggled manfully to cope and eventually we became best pals and playmates.Angie wasn't idle though: Oh, no. She had her hand wrapped around my shaft working it as she licked the tip. I couldn't see, but from the feel of it, Little Geoff was at about eighty percent erect and climbing. Angie took him all in her mouth, and when I say that I mean that a fair old bit was actually in her throat. My hips bounced up without any thoughts from my big head. Little Geoff was in charge down there so I turned my attention back to Angie's special little place.I had French kissed her labia and nuzzled her clitoris and now it was time to focus on her cunt. I had a hand free to open her tunnel to allow my tongue to tease her while my other hand tried to catch one of her nipples as she bobbed on my cock.It's difficult to describe a 69 because there's so much happening at once and half of it you can't see; it's just sensation. For my part, my view was a pair of sleek buttocks framing a cleft with a lovely little pucker just about at nose level. One hand was playing gently with Angie's clit having given up on the nipple exercise:   I kept losing my grip and couldn't concentrate enough to find it by feel;  while the other continued to toy with her lips as I kissed them. Oh, the touch of them on my tongue as I lapped between them. Oh, the velvety texture and the taste of her juices; I was in heaven.But that's what I was doing. Meanwhile, Angie had not been idle. My nuts had been comprehensively licked, sucked and damn near swallowed whole from the feel of it. My cock had been licked like an everlasting lollipop and now, Jesus! And now, her head was bobbing up and down as though her life depended on it. I wasn't too close yet but I realized that it was time to bump belly-buttons."Angie," I called her name. "Angie, I want to make love to you now." She gave one last deep bob on my cock and pulled up, sucking hard all the way. I patted the bed next to me as she straightened. "I want you to lie next to me so that we can taste each other,"She joined me and we snuggled. It was a dirty snuggle as she was holding my cock and I had a finger in her cunt, but it was a snuggle all the same. We kissed for a few minutes. I think it would be weird to say that I enjoyed the taste of my cock on her lips, but I liked and was aroused by the idea of us sharing our tastes so intimately. But it was time to move down to address those lovely little tits with the adorable pink nipples. I know they were adorable because I adored them and I showed her just how much. I squeezed them, licked them, sucked them, bit them ever so gently at first but harder when she instructed me to.I told her that I wanted her to ride me and rolled onto my back. She just climbed aboard and reached between us and then gave a teasing smile. "Is this what you had in mind?" She asked as she slid her slit back and forth against my shaft.I put my hands behind my head as I lay back to enjoy the view. "Well," I replied, "I'd rather be inside you but if that makes you happy you'll get no complaints from me."She cocked her head as if in thought for a moment and then reached between us and slid little Geoff inside her. I've actually lost count of the number of times I'd fucked Angie at that point, but every time felt new. She paused for a moment to settle and then she leaned forward with her hands on my chest as I reached up to her tits. She sighed."Angie," I said. "Hard and fast, slow and gentle. It doesn't matter to me; I just want to be inside you. You just feel so right wrapped around my cock." She closed her eyes and started to move in little circles on my groin pressing her clit hard against me as she went. I love this position, have I mentioned that? The sight, the sensation, access to her tits and, oh yes, easy access to that naughty little clit. What's not to love.Angie was in charge for now, and she seemed happy enough to set a slow leisurely pace. I contented myself with playing with her boobs and giving her clit a little tickle once in a while. Then she opened her eyes and said, "That was nice, but now I want you to take over." She slipped off me and laid on her back.I didn't want to lose the momentum she'd given us towards our next climax so I couldn't waste time thinking about different positions. I just lay on top of her and kissed her as I slipped back inside. She raised both knees either side of me and I began to slide back and forth as we kissed. After a few minutes I decided to kneel up and pull her bum onto my lap to press my cock against the top wall of her cunt as we fucked. The change of position seemed to work as her breathing got harder and her hips moved more urgently against me. Then I felt her clench my cock as she started to come. I pounded harder and harder to bring myself off while she was still climaxing. I watched her staring up at me in rapt concentration as she tried to ride her own orgasm for as long as she could, and as she started to come down I felt the sensation that I had been working for building in my balls, and in seconds I felt the pulse of heat shoot down my cock as I erupted into her.Afterwards, we lay together for a while, not even talking, just bathing in the afterglow. I was on my back and Angie on side cuddled up with my arm around her. Then she gave me a peck on the cheek. "I suppose," she said. "If I want to keep doing this, I'd better let you go back to your wife.""You know," I replied. "We keep breaking the rules." She looked puzzled. "I know Marie said it was okay, but I just don't like her being alone while you and I are together."We climbed out of bed and slipped on our dressing gowns and made our way downstairs. We found Marie in the living room, fast asleep on the sofa. We only had to look at each other to silently agree that this was not a woman wracked with jealousy. We looked in the kitchen where she had three cups of drinking chocolate ready to reheat and some posh chocolate biscuits (UK, remember?) on a plate covered with cling film.Angie had a wicked idea. We warmed our drinks up and then went to sit quietly with my sleeping wife as we drank them and dunked our biscuits. Once we were finished we crept over to Marie and untied her dressing gown. I knelt at her head and Angie at her waist and together we, ever so gently, began to kiss and caress her. Our intent was not to wake her, but to see how aroused she would be by our efforts when she did wake up.After five minutes her nipples were hard. After seven, she shifted to make herself more accessible, after ten she started to moan. Angie grinned at me. "Okey dokey lab rat. I'll go and get her supper sorted while you give her a good seeing to."I put my hand between her thighs and gently rubbed her lips with my middle finger while my thumb gently toyed with her clit. She stirred some more and then said in a sleepy voice, "Those tablets had better still be working, husband mine, 'cos if you've woken me up like this and you aren't going to deliver, then you and I are going to have a problem."I looked down to see little (still not that little) Geoff smiling up at me, he was having the time of his life. "If you don't want to do it for me, my love, then do it for science." I encouraged her. "Just lie back and think of England. The South Downs are lovely this time of year and I am just about to have a lovely time down south too."So saying, I managed to scoot her around on the sofa so that I could get between her legs from my position on the floor and I slid into her. She sighed contentedly as I moved back and forth, in and out. My position was perfect for attending to her boobs too, Just in case they were feeling neglected. A couple of minutes later Angie came back from the kitchen with a cup and plate for Marie that she set on the coffee table."Good Lord," she said in mock annoyance. "Hasn't he brought you off yet, Babe?"Marie gave a little pout, "No, but bless him; he's doing his best."That stung a little but it did encourage me to try a bit harder and Angie helped by leaning over the back of the sofa and grabbing my wife's tits and giving her little nubs a really good squeeze. Marie wasn't looking so sleepy now as her breathing was starting to go and her hips were jerking as the muscle spasms began. I was too close and shot my fourth load of the evening into her while she was still ramping up to her own climax. Fortunately I was able to keep pounding into her while I was still hard, I had a hand free to rub her clit and Angie was doing sterling service on her nipples. Between us we managed to take her over the edge.It was getting late now, so I put a silly quiz show from catch-up on the TV and we sat snuggled together watching on the sofa while Marie had her drink. As soon as it finished the girls disappeared upstairs while I put the cups and plates in the dishwasher and did my rounds. By the time I got upstairs they were in our bed but cuddled up together. I expected to be in the middle but Marie explained that I was going to sleep on the other side of Angie because, keen as she was for sausage for breakfast, she'd enjoy it better after an uninterrupted night's sleep.I lay back and let my thoughts run free. It had been a busy day. I found myself wondering about my new friend Ken and whether Mrs. Ken enjoyed their evening together when he got home. I wondered at my lack of concern when Marie gave him a very long and apparently very sincere apology for embarrassing him. I wondered about her cheerfully encouraging me to fuck her best friend. I thought about Linda and what she made of her mother's newly discovered;  as far as Linda knows;  bisexuality. Then the last thought struck me. A week today Marie would be meeting her mates for their regular night out together. What the fuck's going to happen after that?An intriguing offer for her friends.It was Friday morning, and not just any Friday. That afternoon my wife was going to meet her six best friends for their regular fortnightly catch-up at the local pub. "So what?" I hear you say. So this! I knew as I lay in bed, waiting for my turn in the bathroom, that she intended to offer my 'services' to all six of her mates if they wanted. That's right; I meant what you're thinking. She had persuaded me that none of her friends had the sex-life that they deserved and she wanted to share our newly rekindled sexuality with them. All of them. Regularly.Now, were I a virile young stud that would be one thing, but I'm not. I retired from running a research lab a couple of years ago and my wife and her friends are all in their sixties too, apart from Sam. The idea cropped up after her last Girls Night Out when she had shown them a dirty video we'd made (don't even ask) of us having sweaty sex together, before she realized that, for one reason or another, they were all effectively celibate. She was overwhelmed, by guilt at first for being so insensitive; then by anger at the universe because, as she put it, "Every one of those women is a fucking catch! Why are they alone?"To my wife, the solution was simple. They deserved sex, I liked sex, she was willing to share, so I should just have sex with them. Oddly enough, her biggest problem was convincing me that this wasn't the most ridiculous idea that I had ever heard. As far as I was concerned though, I had two serious and valid objections; The first was that Marie and I had started to drift apart and we were lucky to have realized in time. I was really reluctant to put our marriage at risk again if the sight of me fucking her friends upset her more than she seemed to believe it would; My second problem was the lack of balance in her solution. As I saw it, I would be having sex with her and six other women on a regular basis. She would just have me. Even I didn't think that was fair, so how long, I wondered, would it be before she felt that she was missing out? But I was too insecure to be comfortable with the idea of her with another man and certainly not with six other men. Perhaps that makes her a better person than me, but I was too happy in my marriage to be comfortable risking it for the sake of this flaky idea.Anyway, her best friend Angie is something of a genius and she just saw the whole affair as a mathematical problem. If the women were prepared to engage in girl on girl sex, then as long as they visited us in pairs, Marie and I could have sex with one each and then swap; and we would both be being unfaithful with exactly the same people with no additional cocks being involved. Obviously alcohol was involved in coming up with this bizarre idea, but oddly enough, the girl on girl, and boy on girl concept seemed to work when trailed by the three of us that night; and Sunday, and last Friday; And Saturday morning.

The Lamentations of Jeremiah is not a book we “enjoy” reading.  But do we only read those things that give a positive message and we find encouraging?  Actually there are some gems hidden among this prophet's words of despair and distress.  The first 2 chapters are about how God's anger with Jerusalem finally overflows into action; his mercy toward the people of His Holy City finally comes to an end, his judgments are poured out.  Is our world today going to be a parallel to this?  His word is available in all languages – yet is largely ignored – or scoffed at?The emphasis in just about everything the churches say is that we serve a God of love, that this is the total focus of God's character. There is little or no thought that his anger could be poured out today on an increasingly godless world.  But twice it happened to God's holy city – Jerusalem; they were terrifying times.In today's chapter 3, Jeremiah suddenly expresses his own feelings, his own experience of overwhelming personal despair, “though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer” (v.8)  That reminds us of the final words of Jesus on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”Yet in his Lamentations, as with David's Psalms, what begins with despairing thoughts, gets replaced by more positive ones. See how Jeremiah lifts his mind to a higher plain, “but this I call to mind and therefore I have hope” (v.21).  Then come the words that have been made into a much loved hymn about the mercies of God “they are new every morning: great is your faithfulness” (v.23)  Next he writes, The LORD is good to those who wait for him … who seek him” (v.25)  Will the Lord have reason to be good to you?In conclusion, take special note of v. 27 … it is good for us to bear the yoke in our youth!   Bearing the yoke?  If when we are young our lives are easy, there are no problems, no challenges, nothing to make us anxious; it will be hard to develop a good character; worse still, we will have little inclination toward being yoked to Jesus Christ and to carry his cross (meditate on John 15 v.18-19). It may be the lot of those who are truly yoked to Christ to follow in the footsteps of Jeremiah to some degree.

Rawrr! Prayer is good, right? But what happens when someone makes it against the law to pray?!?! Find out in this great episode!Prayer is talking to GodDaniel would continuously talk to God through prayer. Even when he was threatened to be thrown into the lion's den, Daniel would continue to pray to God.Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.– Colossians 4:2Daniel 2, Daniel 6Daniel and the Lion's DenDaniel was a very good, faithful man, who always obeyed God. He would pray to God consistently, three times a day. Daniel had a very close relationship to God due to how often he would talk to God through prayer and because of his unshakable faith. God also gave Daniel an incredible gift—Daniel was able to interpret dreams. This gift led Daniel to successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The king then gave Daniel a high up position in the kingdom and gave him many gifts. Because Daniel was so smart, other wise men in the kingdom were very jealous. Their jealousy led them to convince King Darius to make a new law—that the people were only allowed to pray to the king. If people chose not to obey this law, they would be thrown in the lion's den. These jealous men knew that Daniel would never obey this law since he would pray to God several times a day.Daniel continued to pray in his room, even when he had heard about this new law. After the jealous men saw him do this, they told King Darius. This made King very upset because he cared for Daniel and tried to get him out of trouble, but knew there was no way around it. Before throwing him in the den, King Darius told Daniel “Your God, to whom you are so loyal, is going to get you out of this.” The next morning, King Darius went to check on Daniel and heard Daniel say “My God sent his angel to shut the lion's mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have wronged you, Your majesty.” Daniel had not been harmed! They both knew that Daniel was protected because he had completely trusted God and had faith in Him. Daniel had a great amount of love for the Lord. Daniel also had a deep and personal connection to God because he would intentionally talk to God all the time through prayer. Regardless of the situation he was facing, he would make time to pray. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in our daily routine, that we neglect to prioritize our quiet time with God. But the truth is, God wants to hear from us—He wants us to talk to Him because of His love for each and every one of us.I can talk to God. Questions to think about:1. Why did Daniel continue to pray, even when he knew his life would be threatened?2. Why did Daniel have such a close relationship with God?3. How can I remember to talk to God on a daily basis?

Lordwin Jeyakumar - August 31st 2025 - The Cross: Our Substitution The Sin-Bearing Messiah -Isaiah 53:1-12 GENESIS 22:13 Isaiah 53 Substitutionary Statements Verse 4a — “Surely our griefs He Himself bore” Verse 4b — “And our sorrows He carried” Verse 4c — “Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” Verse 5a — “But He was pierced through for our transgressions Verse 5b — “He was crushed for our iniquities Verse 5c — “The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him” Verse 5d — “By His scourging we are healed Verse 6 — “The Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” Verse 8 — “He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of My people” Verse 11a — “My servant will justify the many Verse 11b — “He will bear their iniquities Verse 12 — “He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors” THE SEVEN SAYINGS OF JESUS ON THE CROSS Luke 23: 34 - Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Luke 23:43 - Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. John 19:26–27 - Woman, behold your son." / "Behold, your mother. Matthew 27:46 - My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? John 19:28 - I am thirsty John 19:30 - It is finished Luke 23:46 - Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit. The Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross Isaiah 13: 9-11 Amos 5:18, 20 Matthew 27:46 God took all the guilt and shame from your life/my life and poured it onto Jesus. Then, in exchange, He poured His righteousness into you and me That's substitution. Revelation 4:8 - God Is Holy Romans 6:23 - Sin Is Serious 1 Peter 1:18 – 19 - Grace Is Costly John 19:28 - I Thirst John 4:13–14 John 19:30 - It Is Finished. - So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” - Luke 23:46 46. And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.' ” Having said this, He breathed His last. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY WE MUST DO TO BE SAVED? •We must admit that we are sinners •Believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and rose again. •Repent of sin •Confess Him as Lord •Receive Him by faith •Be baptized •Follow Him daily The cross changes everything. Will you follow Him?

Are financial challenges from caregiving impacting your financial stability and well-being? You are not alone. This episode addresses the significant costs involved—from medical expenses to lost income—and offers practical guidance on financial planning and maintaining faith. Learn how to explore resources such as Medicaid and VA benefits while trusting in the promise of Philippians 4:19: My God will supply all your needs. Transform financial stress into an opportunity for reassurance and provision.#CaregiverStress #FinancialPeace #GodsProvision #ChristianCaregivers #FaithAndFinance #CaregiverSupport #TrustGod #PodcastForCaregivers #StrongerTogetherPodcast"To partner or to learn more about our ministry visit https://s2c2gministry.com/.To receive a free to help you as it relates to space, click here.

To become a follower of Jesus, visit: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/MeetJesus  (NOT a Morning Mindset resource)   ⇒ Listen to our other podcasts: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:33–36 - [36] And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” [33] And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” [35] And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” (ESV) ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE MORNING MINDSET: (not tax-deductible) -- Become a monthly partner: https://mm-gfk-partners.supercast.com/ -- Underwrite one daily episode: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/daily-sponsor/ -- Give one-time: https://give.cornerstone.cc/careygreen -- Venmo: @CareyNGreen ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ FOREIGN LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF THIS PODCAST: Subscribe to the SPANISH version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Spanish Subscribe to the HINDI version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Hindi Subscribe to the CHINESE version: https://MorningMindsetMedia.com/Chinese ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ CONTACT: Carey@careygreen.com  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ THEME MUSIC: “King’s Trailer” – Creative Commons 0 | Provided by https://freepd.com/   ***All NON-ENGLISH versions of the Morning Mindset are translated using A.I. Dubbing and Translation tools from DubFormer.ai ***All NON-ENGLISH text content (descriptions and titles) are translated using the A.I. functionality of Google Translate.  

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:15–16 NLT) When hardship strikes some people, they will turn away from God. If something bad happens to them that doesn’t make sense, they conclude there can’t be a God—or that if there is a God, He doesn’t care about them. So, they turn against Him and essentially find a belief system that accommodates their feelings. It should come as no surprise that the devil does some of his most effective work during times of hardship and suffering. Given half a chance, he’ll turn our attention away from the big picture of God’s plan to strengthen, nurture, and care for us through our struggles and difficulties. Instead, the devil tries to shift our focus to the smaller picture of our immediate circumstances. He’ll appeal to our sense of privilege. “Why should I have to face any hardship or suffering? Why doesn’t God do something about it?” But God isn’t to blame for our difficulties and struggles. Trials and hardship are the byproducts of a fallen world. We suffer because we sinned. God is the One who gives us hope amid our suffering. Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT). To give us that hope, God had to suffer, too. Jesus Christ was God incarnate, and no one ever suffered like Jesus. Not only did He endure the physical pain of being whipped, beaten, and crucified, but He also bore the sins of the world on Himself as He hung on Calvary’s cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT). When you’re suffering, you need to know that you’re talking to a God who knows what you’re going through. You’ll find in Jesus a merciful High Priest and a faithful friend who feels your pain. Hebrews 4:15 says, “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (NLT). We can’t live in a pain-free world, as much as we would like to try. When trouble comes (and it will come), when crisis knocks at your door (and it will knock), you can either become angry at God or turn to Him and trust in Him. Here’s your choice in life: You can become better or bitter. It’s usually one or the other. When something bad happens, you can say, “I’m mad at God. I’m bitter with God.” Okay. That’s your choice. But you can also say, “I’m going to trust in God. I’m going to cling to God.” And you will become better as a result. It’s really up to you. Reflection question: What situation in your life right now has the potential to make you either better or bitter? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship! — The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie. Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast Become a Harvest PartnerSupport the show: https://harvest.org/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Man-Child and Bride Throne (audio) David Eells 8/27/25 Please be patient as I lay a little foundation for anyone who may be new to this. Jesus laid down His physical body, not only to take on glorified body, but also in order to take on a spiritual, corporate body through His Word abiding in the saints. The Man-child is a corporate body within the Church, which will be the firstfruits in whom the full Word is manifested. Like Mary, each believer has the seed of Jesus, the Word of God, growing in him as a baby in the womb of his heart. As in the parable of the Sower, when the seed of the Word is sown in good ground, it will bring forth the fruit of Christ, 30-, 60- and 100-fold. As the inner, spiritual man grows in the image of Jesus, the outer, carnal man is dying. (2Co.4:16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. The resurrection life of Christ is being manifested in us through death to self (Philippians 3:10-15). As we are united with Christ in His death, we, too, travail over our death to this world. Jesus tells us that this sorrow of travailing in death to self would give way to the joy of bringing forth the life of Jesus: (Joh.16:20) Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. (21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world. Jesus' disciples were likened to a woman in travail who brings forth the man-child in the image of Jesus in Revelation 12. Verse (22) And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. He will see us again first in the Revelation 12 Man-child body of reformers. Just as Christ was the firstfruits in His time, the end-time Man-child is the firstfruits of those who manifest Christ after a time of apostasy (falling away). Seeing this full manifestation of "Christ in you" as already accomplished at the cross brings power from God to manifest it in the natural, which we do by faith as it says in (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. Paul tells us that Jesus comes in our mortal flesh, not glorified bodies. (2Co.4:10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. (11) For we who live are always delivered unto death (to self) for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (Gal.4:19) My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you. Through death to self, we no longer live, but Christ lives in us and does His work through us. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. God is raising up a corporate Man-child of spiritual Davids in these days, and they will lead the Bride; they will be the head of the Bride to bring them to maturity. We know that Jerusalem is the Bride, according to Revelation. The firstfruits of Christ coming to be manifested in His people is the David Man-child ministry. We read in (Luk.1:32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 33 and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. This is of course, Jesus but it is also Jesus in the Man-child as history repeats on a larger scale. What many do not know is that David's throne was the throne of God that Jesus, and now Jesus in the Man-child, is caught up to. (2Ch.9:8) Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made he thee king over them, to do justice and righteousness. Notice that the throne of God was for the purpose of ruling over His people on earth, just as David and Jesus did and will do again. This is not a carnal king or a carnal throne. This is not going to be anybody glorifying flesh here; this is going to be the Lord, once again, coming in humble flesh in order to do His work and to be the spiritual leader over His people. He is the one in whom the Son of God lives. That spiritual David will be sitting upon God's throne on earth. He said, He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I overcame, and sat down with my Father in His throne (Rev.3:21). Jesus overcame and He sat down on the throne of God, which, once again, is an earthly but spiritual place of authority. He is coming in us; He's coming in a firstfruits to rule and to reign, to lead God's people back to the ways of righteousness, to rebuild the tabernacle of David and the kingdom of David. John wrote of this Man-child and throne long after Jesus' ministry. (Rev 4:1)...Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter. So this was not about Jesus physically but about Him in the Man-child body. (Rev.12:5) And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. (6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they (the Man-child company) may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days. The firstfruits Man-child company will be caught up to the throne of God to minister to the Church in the wilderness for 3 ½ years as Jesus did and history repeats. This throne represents Jesus exercising His authority on earth through the Man-child body filled with His Word and Spirit. He said to His disciples, "As the Father hath sent me so send I you" (Joh.20:21); and "What things soever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mat.18:18); and "He that receiveth you receiveth Me" (Mat.10:40). Of course, no one will ever sit on the throne but "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col.1:27), for it is always He who rules in the heart and head of His Body that is to be the Word made flesh. The kingdom of David will be restored, as it was in Jesus' day and in our day. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations (Gentiles) shall be gathered unto it, to the Name of the Lord, to Jerusalem (Jer.3:17). Notice that Jerusalem represents the Name of the Lord. The word for "name" means the "nature, character and authority" of the Lord. So, we see a throne within a throne. We see David's throne in Jerusalem but we see all of Jerusalem as the throne and also the Bride. God is restoring the type of the kingdom of David. He's restoring the Bride and He's restoring the Bridegroom. Yet again ... the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride (Jer.33:10-11) will be heard in spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem. Now I have a few revelations to share that relate to those who will be chosen to this position of the throne of the Man-child and the Bride.   Anointed Ministries Lead in Tribulation M.C. - 04/08/2011 (David's notes in red) The setting seemed to be dusk, but with enough lighting so I could see. (Dusk is that time between day and night, indicating here a transition into darkness.) On the road there were many troop trucks with no canopies filled with UBMers who were standing, waiting to be taken to a major event. (Having no canopies represents the Son shining in. UBM ministry with its people are getting ready, in the light of the Son, and in position for the spiritual battle with the beast, harlot, earthquakes, economic fall, tribulation, persecution, sickness, demons, etc.) I've tried very hard to remember the event, but I haven't been able to remember it yet. (You don't remember it because it will not be revealed beforehand. Nobody except God knows the specifics of what is coming, but everyone will be given specific personal direction when the time comes.) I wasn't yet, or at least I didn't feel, qualified to be in the trucks. (This is reflecting what probably most of us feel like in our present state -- not worthy and not quite ready yet to be marching on as peaceful warriors and anointed saints of God.) Everyone had been waiting for a long time. (We have been waiting for a long time because God is warning, and cleaning out the factious, and getting the elect ready as the time draws near.) All of a sudden, David said, "OK, it's time to go!" (David leading the troops represents the anointed Man-child ministry on a global level, leading the saints, including UBM, into the wilderness tribulation, like Moses and Jesus did.) So we all piled into his open-top army jeep, which was somewhere at the back of the convoy and we sped off past all the troop trucks. (The top open represents the Davids' unhindered communication with the Father. The jeep speeding past all the troops represents the David/Man-child ministries' leadership of the Church becoming stronger, as it was in Jesus' day. Those who were in the jeep but not driving could be the bride and witnesses who will receive the same anointing.) It was a very exciting moment. We roared past the first truck at the front of the convoy and headed into the dark tunnel ahead (which is the tribulation ahead). David waved his hand and called out jovially to the convoy, "The first shall be last and the last shall be first!" (We are seeing here the fulfillment of prophecies and the promises of God coming true. After having been last for so long, the David ministries shall now be first to lead the battle in tribulation). If I remember right, the tunnel was fairly short at the beginning of the trip. I suddenly realized that I was in his jeep but should have been in the last truck, if at all. (This represents all the believers who are "poor in spirit" and don't think highly of themselves and don't believe they deserve this privilege of being in the Man-child or Bride companies. Yet they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and be in the firstfruits.) I was very embarrassed and turned around in my seat, trying to face the convoy, putting my hands together in a gesture, and asking for forgiveness for getting ahead of where I should have been in the lineup and yelled, "Please forgive me!" (Their natural humility shows they did not feel they earned this position. But we are accounted worthy through our faith that it is ours by grace.) Then I turned back around in my seat and just started to cry. (This could be weeping for joy and gratitude for such grace and anointing flowing to us freely from the Lord.) I think we were all very happy to be finally headed toward the destination. The darkness of the tunnel didn't seem to matter. (The first job of the anointed David ministries is to secure Jerusalem, the Bride, from the old man of the land, as it says in 1 Chr.11:3-5 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of Jehovah by Samuel. 4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. 5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come in hither. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.)   The Bride's Throne Authority Amos Scaggs - 04/17/2010 (David's notes in red) In a dream, there was a young woman. (Representing the Bride, who will sit in the throne of authority with the King) A man looking up at her was questioning how she got to the control room (God's throne room), which was visible but not easily accessible. (The way is straight and narrow and is visible in the Word but one must be faithful and dedicated in order to access it.) She said there was really nothing to it because she worked outside of the control room and had been there many times. (The dedicated ones have been working under the authority of the throne room of God.) (And this was to permanently attain to be a pillar in the temple of the Philadelphia Bride and to go out no more as in Rev.3:12.) The young woman climbed up a tall and very dangerous set of scaffoldings where the steps and handholds had to be precise to get to the control room. The man (who represents the false, corporate leadership) was invited to follow her but the way appeared too shaky and unstable for him. (It is impossible for the apostate leadership to exercise God's true authority, for they are unstable and double-minded and without the renewed mind. They cannot walk in heavenly places any more than the Pharisees could.) The man went around to the back where he found a set of steps that wasn't as steep as the ladder the woman had climbed. (Joh.10:1 ... He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. They don't come through the door Who is Christ, the Word.) He climbed to the top but couldn't keep up with the woman and lost track of her. On the way he met friendly people working with old equipment (representing inefficient, traditional ways). All the man found were dead-end rooms and people causing him to lose direction and sight of the young woman. ("Babylon" means "confusion". Their authority rests on religious degrees and titles. Jesus, Who is the Word, is the WAY. Only "he that overcometh" will sit with Jesus in His throne.) The man never found the control room where the young woman went. (You will never find the throne room of God's authority using traditional methods. There is a Bride emerging who sees and lives more of God than the old, antiquated and apostate church.)   Death and Resurrection to the Throne Eve Brast - 12/16-17/15 (David's notes in red) Dream snippet I dreamed I was high above the ground, looking at a city neighborhood. Suddenly, everything began to shake. (These quakes are foreshadowed by the ones at Jesus' death and resurrection, which bring the same results to the Man-child reformer ministries, and will shake much of the population.) After the shaking ended, it seemed like everyone (of us) was relieved of some sort of burden. (The quakes will bring the resurrection life and anointing to the Man-child with miracles and a time of grace, safety, and reward to the Bride. Then the Church will enter the wilderness tribulation and deliverance from the burdens that the Israelites bore, slaving for the Egyptians, representing their old man. This would include deliverance from the financial burdens since the Egyptians were plundered of their wealth.) Some time passed as I watched children swinging and everything being peaceful, then I heard in my spirit, "After three days". (When Jesus died as a type of the Man-child's spiritual death, "after three days" came the resurrection and the "great earthquake" which we believe is the New Madrid quakes.) Once this was said, chaos among the people broke out everywhere and they were stealing and killing people and running around in a panic to survive. (This literally happened when the Egyptians lost their DS army at the Red Sea. After the reality of the quakes and financial shaking sets in, like "after three days", there would be great fear and panic, with survival instinct bringing out the worst in the lost. Martial law would bring bondage for those whose faith is in the Beast instead of Jesus. There was a shaking when Jesus died and then after three days, there was another great shaking when He arose. Mat.27:54 Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake (at His death), and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And in Mat.28:2 And behold, there was a great earthquake (three days later at His resurrection); for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. Then there would be an empty grave for the Man-child, as we then see in the dream. Then I saw men digging up an old grave site. They were digging in red dirt and when they reached the bottom of the grave, they were amazed that it was empty. There wasn't even a coffin. (Reminiscent of Jesus, the Man-child, not being in the grave when they went to see.) This was a huge revelation to them and they went to look for David. They had many questions about this. (The spiritual resurrection of the Man-child will be a huge revelation. Then the people would be looking for the David/Man-child ministers after their death and resurrection to the throne, anointing would have been completed. Their many questions could be answered then by Jesus manifested in the anointed Man-child ministry.) This is all I remember from this dream. Dream - 12/17/15 I dreamed that David had just raised a man from the dead. (Because the Man-child Jesus resurrected Lazarus, many were coming to the Lord, so the chief priests decided to kill Jesus and Lazarus.) Everyone at UBM was excited and we knew it was time for "the feast". (The feast shortly after Lazarus' resurrection was Passover, which represented that the Man-child was crucified and there would be a Passover of judgment on the believers.) We all gathered on the upper floor of David's house and were setting up a very long rectangular table with a white tablecloth. (This table was for the Last Supper, the Passover: Luk.22:11 And ye shall say unto the master of the house, The Teacher saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 12 And he will show you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And three days after the Passover was the resurrection of Jesus and His catching up to the throne, as a type of the beginning of the ministry of the Man-child of Revelation 12.) (Then we see this Passover beginning.) My oldest son, Noah, was nine years old again in this dream and he was demonized, so I brought him to David and he cast the demons out of Noah, who was completely restored. I was so glad to have my son restored to me! And I was just praising the Lord. (The people of God who dwell in the ark of Christ have a Passover covenant right to deliverance of every sort. When Jesus started His ministry, He began to deliver the people of God, as He said in Mat.15:24 But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.) After the Passover feast, I was walking with my sons out to the parking lot. (A place of rest from man's works for vehicles of faith, which we are.) This was outside David's house because we were all going to the ocean. (This represents evangelism, the Great Commission, to the peoples, nations and tongues of those Christians under the Harlot: Rev.17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.) There was a long RV parked illegally in David's parking lot. (This is a dual prophecy. Those resting in the flesh, as an RV or recreational vehicle, during the harvest are not in the rest of God and should not be in the parking lot that is for vehicles at rest from their own works. Also, we are expecting an RV, a revaluation, which will put us to work in the harvest and should not be resting in the flesh.) As I walked by it, I saw a fierce tiger painted on the RV's side. (I'm reminded of the term "paper tigers.") (Another dual prophecy. The faction fighting against the Man-child is a paper tiger with no authority or power with God. Whereas the Man-child driver of this RV is described like a tiger in Isa 11:4 ...shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.) As I passed by the open door of the RV, a painter who was an enemy of David's was mixing up some paint. (The factious leadership misrepresents the Man-child reformers through character assassination and would like to paint over the tiger. They disregard the authority and power of the tiger to their own undoing.) He turned to me and complained that we (UBM members) were all parking in front of his "NO PARKING" signs that he had placed all over the parking lot. (They think they have the power to bind or forbid the righteous. Like the faction against Jesus where Judas was a thief, so is the faction against the Man-child Davids of our day. They are Judas thieves claiming what is not theirs. Joh.10:10 The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly. And in Joh.12:6 Now this he said, not because he cared for the poor; but because he [Judas] was a thief, and having the bag took away what was put therein. I told him that he was the one illegally parked and that he had no right to be there. He said, "Well, there is my father over there; you need to talk to him!" Jesus told the Pharisees in Joh.8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. So I went over and started talking to his "father". He started to repeat what his son had told me. But I refuted him at every turn and he became nervous and quickly began to leave the property. (The Bride is therefore subject to God as in Jas.4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The Bride has the real authority of the Lord due to holiness. Luk.10:19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.) The next thing I remember, I was at the ocean with David and Michael and all the UBM members. We were swimming in the ocean and ministering to the people there. (Obeying the Great Commission by Evangelizing the lost sheep under the Harlot.) There was a dividing wall under the ocean water in the area that we were swimming in and David and Michael were near that underwater wall up to their necks. (The underwater wall represents the sanctification or division between the elect who will come to the Lord and the other side who will not.) I saw Lexi playing with and tossing a ball in the water with David. (Lexi means "protector of mankind.") Everyone was very joyous. (Because the revival had begun.) This is all I remember. Verse given on 12/17/15 and dreams Psa.18:3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies. Please read the whole chapter! It really goes with the dreams. :O) Verse 1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David (representing the David/Man-child company of Revelation 12) the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul (The apostate leadership that died at the hands of their old man of the land as David became king): and he said, I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength. 2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. 3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies. (The Dragon of Revelation 12 will fail to devour the Man-child and Woman, by God's grace.) 4 The cords of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 5 The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me. 6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry before him came into his ears. 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations also of the mountains quaked And were shaken (Major earthquakes are coming when the Lord visits in the Man-child company.), because he was wroth. 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it. 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down (the visitation of the Lord); And thick darkness was under his feet. 10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his hiding-place (a visitation of the Lord, hidden in the Man-child ministry), his pavilion round about him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, Hailstones and coals of fire. (A judgment through Moses the Man-child to set God's people free from the beast of that day symbolizing our day.. Exo 9:24  So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. 25  And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.)  13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them (As He has told us of the faction, like the Sennacherib scenario and Joel's northern army being scattered.); Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them. 15 Then the channels of waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare, At thy rebuke, O Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. (He is coming with the earthquakes when the evil foundations of the beast are becoming known as today.) 16 He sent from on high, he took me (David Man-child is taken to the throne); He drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me (The factions against the Man-child, as the Dragon, fails to devour him when he goes to the throne of David in Rev12:4-5. When Jesus went to the throne, He had complete dominion over the Sanhedrin faction and delivered them to the Roman Beast.); For they were too mighty for me. 18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay. 19 He brought me forth also into a large place (An hour ago I got by faith at random in 2Sa 22:18-20, which is this same Psalm text. What a confirmation! The large place here is freedom of the Man-child to do his works in the Promised Land); He delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God. (The Davids who walk righteously, even in the trials of Saul's persecution, will rule. The Son of God who dwelt in the son of David, the Man-child, said in Mat.21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes? 1Pe.2:7 For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner. Throughout the history of the Bible, the faction has rejected God's ordained leadership, who was given authority to judge them.) 22 For all his ordinances were before me, And I put not away his statutes from me. 23  I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity. 24 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. 25 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect; 26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward. 27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down. 28 For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness. (Jesus manifested in the David Man-child reformers will give him authority over all our enemies and supernatural ability, as we will see.) 29 For by thee I run upon a troop; And by my God do I leap over a wall. 30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him. 31 For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God, 32 The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect? 33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: And setteth me upon my high places. 34 He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great. 36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. 37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed. 38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet. 39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. 40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me. 41 They cried, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not. 42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets. 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; Thou hast made me the head of the nations: A people whom I have not known shall serve me. 44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me. 45 The foreigners shall fade away, And shall come trembling out of their close places. 46 Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation, 47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, And subdueth peoples under me. 48 He rescueth me from mine enemies; Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man. 49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name. 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore.   Man-child Given Throne Dominion to Minister Cathy D's Vision 1998 (David's notes in Red) Cathy came to us and she was new to our teachings on these things, and reported that she had seen in a vision that some people were being taken from the earth by beams of light that came down and gripped them by their heads and drew them up into Heaven. She said that the Lord spoke and said "that these people had the secret of planting corn, the pure seeds". She said that in her vision, she was standing in the shadow of a building when she saw this. This is about the man-child being caught up to the throne of God, as Revelation 12 says, to receive anointing and dominion to minister on earth what they know of the true seed of God's Word. These, as reformers, are going to replace the apostate ministry in the heart of the true Church like Jesus, Moses, Joseph, etc., did. The building Cathy saw was the traditional Church which she saw spiritually standing in the shadow of at the time. As Jesus was a man-child on the spiritual throne of David to feed the woman, Israel, in her wilderness for 3 ½ years before the great persecution, so the end-time Man-child company in whom Jesus lives will feed spiritual, New Testament Israel, the Church, for 3 ½ years before their persecution. Rev.12:5 And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that there they may nourish her a thousand two hundred and threescore days (3 ½ years).

Order of Service: - Prelude - The Confession of Sin (p. 120) - Hymn 71 - The Lord Hath Helped Me Hitherto - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - The Gloria Patri (p. 121) - Psalm 122: I was glad when they said to me We will go to the house of God, O Jerusalem, we are standing, standing within thy walls, O Jerusalem! O pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee, Peace be within thy walls, Prosperity within thy palaces. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and forever. Amen. (setting by Fernand de la Tombelle) - Luke 19:41-48: Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.” Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.' ” And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. - Homily - The Versicle (p. 122) - The Magnificat (p. 123) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 565 - All Praise To Thee, My God, This Night - Postlude Service Participants: Chaplain Don Moldstad (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Allison Rygh (Singer), Natalie Henning (Singer)

Psa 18:1  For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said, "I love You, O LORD, my strength."Psa 18:2  The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.Psa 18:3  I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

In this clip, you’ll hear: How much God cares for His Sheep. God’s Vision for our church and His plan for your life are incredible. Our biblically sound teaching will inspire and challenge you to discover it all. You need sincere worship and a church community that loves God and that loves you. At Passion, you will find opportunities for growth through discipleship and personal development. Your children will also have fun and learn about God. At Passion Church, we believe in creating an environment where God's presence is felt, His Word is preached, and lives are transformed. We are a happy and fun church but are also very committed to being biblically sound. We are led by the Holy Spirit and dedicated to sincere worship. Our mission is to build authentic relationships, disciple individuals, and passionately pursue God’s purpose for our lives. We also have a powerful Missions Program and commitment to soul-winning. We invite you to join us at 983 Goodman Rd W, Horn Lake, MS 38637. Our Sunday services begin at 10:30 a.m.! You’ll love our Pastor Guy Sheffield, and you’ll find us all happy to see you! All we’re missing is YOU! Let’s grow together in God’s purpose and love. Don’t forget to subscribe and stay connected with Passion Church Desoto. Like us on Facebook & Subscribe to our YouTube page @ ‘Passion Church Desoto’. #Jesus #PassionChurch #GodsPresence #Worship #Discipleship #ChurchFamily #HornLakeMS #GuySheffield #SundayService #Preaching #Bible #encouragmentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this powerful exploration of guilt and grace, we dive deep into Psalm 51, where King David pours out his heart after committing adultery with Bathsheba. We learn that true guilt stems from violating God's laws, not just society's norms. The message reveals three key symptoms of unresolved guilt: loss of inner joy, physical heaviness, and broken fellowship with God. But there's hope! We're reminded that repentance isn't just feeling sorry; it's a complete change of mind, heart, and will. The beautiful truth is that God's grace is greater than our sin. Just as Jesus cried out on the cross, 'My God, why have you forsaken me?', He took our punishment so we could be forgiven. This profound realization can transform our lives, freeing us from the cycle of guilt and empowering us to live for Him who died for us.

Mark 15:33-39When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o'clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sebacthani!" Which means, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" When some bystanders heard it, they said, "Listen, he is calling for Elijah." And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see if Elijah will come and take him down." Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now, when the centurion who stood facing him saw that in this way he had breathed his last he said, "Truly this man was God's son." When I was a kid, we had a giant pit of sand and dirt in our back yard – about the size of our fire pit, over there next to the labyrinth. We cleverly called it the "Sand Pile" and it was a cheap, tasteless, makeshift version of what more sophisticated people would call a sand box, and we used it for sand castles, mud pies, dirt-track races for Matchbox cars, and whatever else kids who play in the sand, do in the dirt. (I think the Sand Pile started out as some sort of home improvement project at the church parsonage where we lived, but never amounted to anything, so my brother and I, along with our friends next door, co-opted it as a great place for little kids to play.)What made the Sand Pile cooler than your average sandbox, though, was that it wasn't self-contained. There were no sides, no cover, and no barrier underneath. One day, our neighbor friend had the brilliant idea that we should dig and just keep digging until we couldn't dig anymore. We knew this was going to take some time and I think the four of us decided to make it a summer project. Sometime after we started, I remember my dad coming home from work and noticing that we were up to something more ambitious than usual. When he asked what we were doing, we told him our plans and my friend declared that we were going to dig "all the way to Kingdom Come." We weren't very sophisticated, but we were ambitious.And so we dug a little bit each day, for days. We found worms and bugs and rocks of all kinds. We hit water one day, which meant we were really getting somewhere, so that was cool. And then one of us had the realization that if we kept digging long enough, we'd dig our way right into Hell and we wondered if maybe that wasn't such a great idea. We did keep digging, but the expedition ended shortly after that, either because we were scared or skeptical or just plain tired of shoveling. But that was the first time I ever remember considering something like the question someone offered up for this morning:"Do we have to believe in Hell in order to believe in Heaven?”When I was older, in High School, and learned about World War II and the Holocaust, I wondered if that might be Hell: the injustice and horror of concentration camps; the gas chambers, the torture, the attempted genocide. Elie Wiesel, likely the most famous survivor of the Holocaust asked once, "How [do you] explain or even describe the agony, the terror, the prayers, the tears, the tenderness, the sadness of the scientifically prepared death of six million human beings? … Six million human beings sentenced to death by an evil dictatorship not because of their faith or their circumstances but because of their very being." It sounded – and sounds, still – like Hell to me, even if it wasn't someplace you could dig your way into.When I visited all kinds of jails and prisons in college, I wondered if the smell and the heat and the sounds and the danger and the circumstances that led and keep a person there might be Hell.When I worked as a hospital chaplain for a summer during seminary, I remember a guy who had been burned on over 80% of his body. That looked like Hell, and I wondered if Hell was the sickness, disease, and disasters that consume and kill men, women, and children every minute of every hour of every day in the world. When I traveled with my family and then with our high school kids a couple of summers ago to the Whitney Plantation, in Edgard, Louisiana, where enslaved human beings were used and abused and tortured and killed, like worthless animals, for generations – Hell seemed very nearby.Is Hell the war in Ukraine? Is it the famine, starvation, and destruction in Gaza? Is Hell a cancer diagnosis or is the rigors of chemotherapy or radiation – even if they work, but especially when they don't? Is Hell a broken or breaking marriage; the death of a child; any kind of unbearable physical pain or emotional suffering? Is it paralyzing fear; hopeless loneliness; utter despair?With all of my questions, I guess you can tell that I don't think about Hell in the same way I did when I was digging around in the dirt as a child. But, from what I can tell, too many people – preachers, theologians, artists, and politicians – haven't moved beyond the sandbox. We hear too often, in my opinion, detailed images of Hell. You know them as well as I do: pictures of fire, deep dark places, chains and shackles perhaps, weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, for sure, and the little guy in the red suit with a pointy tail and a pitch fork with the capacity to inflict pain and suffering on his victims for all of eternity.And these same people will tell you how to get there faster than any shovel can dig. Instructions usually include breaking the rules or not having enough of the right kind of faith or 'doing faith' differently than what's expected or accepted or, generally, behaving in ways that make God angry enough to send you ‘there' instead of calling you home to the right side of eternity.But I don't think any of this is what Hell is like or where it's at. Which is why I picked the readings I did for this morning. There are plenty of references in the Bible to Sheol and the Pit, to Hades and the Abyss. There's lots of talk about fire and punishment and the outer darkness – much of it from the very lips of Jesus himself.But nowadays, when I think of Hell, I think about the crucifixion and death of Jesus on that Good Friday afternoon. And it's not because of the abuse or the spitting or the whips or the thorns. It's not because of the darkness or the nails or the cross itself, even. It's because of the way all of these things added up to leave him hanging there alone, crying at the top of his voice, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" (Theologians call it Jesus' “cry of dereliction,” and it's why we say, as we do in our Apostles' Creed, that Jesus indeed “descended into Hell.”)It's at that moment when Hell becomes more real and more scary than any pitchfork or fire pit, if you ask me. It's at that moment when Jesus experiences what many of us have known – or what we fear – more than anything else: being utterly alone, utterly afraid, utterly out of control, cosmically lost, and entirely without hope or faith or comfort – even from God.It's at that moment when Jesus himself knows fully the hell of every concentration camp victim, every prisoner, every enslaved person, every frightened soldier, every starving stomach, every struggling addict, every dying patient, grieving spouse, scared child, broken heart, and sin-sick soul that ever was or ever will be. "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?"So back to the question at hand. I was asked pointedly, if “we” believe in Hell, which seems to include the questioner, myself, and other leaders and pastors and theologians of the ELCA. I won't speak for others, because I can't – that's part of the beauty of what it means to be an ELCA-flavored Lutheran, in my opinion. But I will tell you that, I don't very much think about Hell anymore these days.If it does exist, it's not a concern of mine, because I believe it's been conquered and undone, dismissed and destroyed by the work of God's love in Jesus Christ – for me, and for you, and for all of creation. You can cite for me every Scripture and verse there is about Hades and Sheol, about the outer darkness and The Pit. But I believe there is a Hell the way I believe there are K Pop concerts, hot dog eating contests, and white pride parades. They may very well exist, but I don't – and won't – ever have to show my face there, thanks be to God.We can find plenty of pictures in the Bible and elsewhere to scare each other into believing that Hell is as likely an option as Heaven or that damnation is as likely as grace. And there are lots of pastors and churches who will fan that fire with gusto and glee, but that's not what the Gospel promises. To suggest that we can faithfully choose Heaven… To suggest that we can faith-LESS-ly opt for Hell… To suggest that we can reject God's willingness to love us all the way through Hell and back and remain in our sin and death, despite God's clear desire to win us back… is to suggest that God is powerless over evil, that God is powerless over death, that God is powerless over Sin, that God isn't all God is cracked up to be and that the very death and resurrection of Jesus was a cosmic waste of God's time. And I don't buy it.I don't buy it because when Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me,” he was quoting the first line of Psalm 22, which he knew well. So he must have known how Psalm 22 ends, just the same – with the hope of God's promised dominion, deliverance, power and provision. Verse 24 promises, “He did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.” By invoking Psalm 22, what if Jesus wasn't just announcing his despair and descent into Hell's separation? What if he was declaring his hope for the Heaven that was to come, just the same?My adventure in the Sand Pile as a kid that summer didn't end just because we were scared of what we might find. I think it ended because, even as kids, we realized our digging wasn't leading us anywhere but down – and that's exhausting. It didn't take us long to learn that there was more life and fun and good news in the other direction – and that's where we chose to spend our days.Which is why and how and what we believe about Hell matters for our lives in this world.When our faith is motivated more by fear than it is by hope, we're heading in the wrong direction. When it comes to our journey of faith, I hope we'll remember and share as often as we can that the Gospel is about life conquering death. The story of Jesus is about God conquering Satan. The promise of our faith is that Heaven conquers Hell – whether we like it, would choose it, or not. And the call of our faith is to live and to love our way into Heaven, not to run away from a Hell that isn't ours to fear any longer, thanks to the God we know in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for the sake of the world.Amen

Send us a textTitle: Psalm 22: From Forsakenness to Praise in ChristPsalm 22 moves from raw cries of abandonment to triumphant praise, offering hope to those who feel overwhelmed, rejected, or forgotten. In this episode, discover how Christ's suffering fulfills this psalm and learn how God transforms lament into lasting worship for His people today.Episode HighlightsThe psalm opens with the cry of forsakenness—“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—echoed by Jesus on the cross.Honest lament is not faithlessness but clinging to God in the midst of pain.Remembering God's past faithfulness strengthens present trust in seasons of silence.David's suffering foreshadows Christ's crucifixion, showing us a Savior who fully enters into our pain.The turning point comes with deliverance: lament gives way to praise and testimony.Personal rescue becomes a public witness, pointing to God's global mission of salvation.Suffering and worship can coexist—lament is transformed into praise through God's redeeming work.Resources and Next StepsJoin the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/communityExplore full membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnowDownload devotionals, attend live meetups, and access biblical life training to grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life's challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God's solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ. Resources and Next Steps Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community Explore full membership and coaching options: https://jameslongjr.org/signupnow Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts Connect Instagram: https://jameslongjr.org/instagram Facebook: https://jameslongjr.org/facebook YouTube: https://jameslongjr.org/youtube

Psalm 22 takes us straight to the cross, echoing the very words Jesus cried out in His suffering—'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?' It's a prophecy that unveils both the agony and the ultimate victory of the Messiah. Then, in Isaiah 33, we shift from the suffering Savior to the victorious King who reigns in righteousness, bringing stability, salvation, and peace to His people. Together, these chapters remind us that the story of redemption is not just about the pain of the cross but also the glory of God's eternal reign.As always be blessed and enjoy.Please follow, like, and share our podcast with a friend or family member!

In this week's episode, Dennis Jernigan shares the story behind his song,  “I Will Trust In You” from the recording, Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1." That mp3 is available at https://www.dennisjernigan.com/store/product.php?c=24&p=2353 The lyrics can be found below. You can join Dennis and the people of All In All Church for live-stream worship on the first Wednesday evening of each month. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/therealdennisjernigan at 7 PM CST. Mark it in your calendar. Worship with All in All Church - First Wednesday of each month. Daily Devotions for Kingdom Seekers, Vol. 3 is available at https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Devotions-Kingdom-Seekers-Vol-ebook/dp/B081K8TZLX Check out my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/DennisJernigan and read through the various tiers of support and discover the myriad of benefits you will receive based on the level of support you choose. If you're willing, go ahead and sign up! You will find the show notes and lyrics below: Hello and welcome to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast. I'll be honest with you. I sometimes find it hard to believe God has blessed my life the way He has blessed it through music. I honestly have no idea how many songs I have written through the years, but they number in the thousands…most of which you will never hear on this earth. I do not share that as a boast, but I share it to show you how God has led me through my life. I have gone through much blood, sweat, and tears to receive and write down each of those songs. I have endured so much pain during certain periods of my life that put so much pressure on me that songs like Wounded Soldier or Atom Bomb or If I Could Just Sit With You Awhile were literally like lifelines sent from God's heart to mine. Even as I record this podcast I am in a great deal of physical pain and suffering due to Parkinson's. My attitude is one I have learned simply by living my life in relationship with Jesus. I believe God can and will use Parkinson's for my good and for His glory. That's honestly what I believe. I learned how to put off the old way of thinking and to put on the new way of thinking by simply meditating on Romans 8:28 NIV, which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” There are still naysayers in my life who try to negate this attitude by putting down my faith in Jesus. I have heard people say things like ‘If God is so loving, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people' or ‘How could you trust a God who allows such horrible things in your life?'. The answer to that is actually quite simple. As of the release of this podcast episode, I have been on this planet for over 66 years and have been walking intimately with Jesus through my faith in Him…and He has never given me one reason to not trust Him. He is trustworthy and He is Faithful and He is True…especially when bad things happen to me or someone I love. Mankind allowed sin into the world and sin is the source of all suffering and pain. I don't know how else to say it. This week I am sharing the story behind a song of mine called I Will Trust In You. This particular song came on May 9, 2010, which happened to be day seven of a 40 Day Fast I was doing as a means of cleansing my soul, mind, and body in order to draw closer to Jesus. As another means of helping me keep my eyes and mind focused on Jesus, I was meditating daily on Psalm 40 and on Isaiah 40. This song came as I meditated on Psalm 40 verse four part ‘A' in the NIV Bible. which says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD…” For far too many years I had placed my trust in all the wrong places and in all the wrong people, in my own performing to help make people like me; basically trying to save myself. In the process, I went through many times of betrayal and many times of emotional wounding and discovered, ultimately, that I could not even trust myself. I especially could not trust myself. To make a long story short, after all was said and done, I found myself at the rock bottom of my life having nowhere to look but up, and in that moment of utter pain and unending shame, I recognized the love of God; that God himself had been pursuing me my entire life. All those I had put my trust in for all those years, had let me down in one way or another. But the only one left standing with me and for me and beside me when I hit the bottom was the God of the universe. Jesus met me right in the depths of my depravity, loving me enough to reach as far as I could fall but also loving me enough to not leave me there in that dark and dreadful place. They say trust is earned and if that is the case, Jesus has earned it and then some! Think about it: Jesus endured pain and sorrow and suffering and torment and had the entire weight of my sin, plus the sin of the entirety of all mankind, all because He wanted to know us…and to make way for us to know Him. When I was left high and dry by others or by my own selfish thinking, He was there for me. Always has been. Always will. SONG Proverbs 3:5-6 in the New International Version of the Bible says it this way:  5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. I trusted in the Lord as a young man over 40 years ago and I find myself approaching the age of 67 and I can look back and honestly say the Lord has been more than trustworthy. Knowing him has been worth all the heartache and suffering and pain. He is worth our trust. He is worth our life. Let's trust him this next coming days.  Before I say goodbye for this week, I would humbly ask you to consider getting a copy of my brand new book titled Parkinson's & Recreation 2 - No Walk in the Parkinson's. I bare my soul in this book as to how I am dealing with Parkinson's and I believe it will encourage you whether you have Parkinson's or not. I really do. It's available in paperback, e-book, and audiobook. And if you wouldn't mind doing this for me: once you have read the book, would you consider going back to the place you purchased it online and leaving me a five star review? I have to share a couple of quick reviews from those it has already received reviews from on Amazon.com. GT writes: loved this book! It was a great mix of humorous stories and anecdotes, history, reality checks, and just an overall good reminder of how crazy life can be. We all struggle and deal with difficulties, but it is how we face those and choose our attitude that makes the difference. A meaningful quote from the book “My God wastes absolutely nothing. Not even my failures. That should speak volumes to us all.” And my favorite review so far - I will only share the first sentence - because it's a bit longer. I actually found myself wanting to read the book again after reading just the opening sentence. PC writes: I laughed, I cried, I think I peed once or twice! That just made my day and then some! Please consider reading the book,Parkinson's & Recreation 2 - No Walk in the Parkinson's, and please consider telling others about it, if you don't mind. That would help me out tremendously. Thank you for tuning in to The Dennis Jernigan Podcast! For more about my journey, music, and updates, visit dennisjernigan.com. Stay connected by following me on Facebook, Instagram, and enjoy my music on various streaming platforms. If you'd like to support this podcast's creation or the many various ways I still seek to minister the life and love of Jesus to others, consider joining my team at www.patreon.com/dennisjernigan. If you're looking for the mp3 of the song “I Will Trust In You" from the album "Forty Days and Forty Nights - Songs of Contemplation and Intimacy Vol. 1," head over to the store at dennisjernigan.com or find it on your favorite streaming service. Remember this from today's episode: we can trust the One Who has always been there with us…the One who took our sin and shame to the cross on our behalf…the One Who fills us with resurrection power…the One Who never leaves us and never forsakes us. We can trust Him…even with something like Parkinson's thrown into the mix. My plan? To minister to the needs of others in spite of Parkinson's by continuing to trust in the Lord. Now, go forth and embrace the truth of who your heavenly Father says you are. I Will Trust In You Words & Music by Dennis Jernigan Received on May 9, 2010 Psalm 40:4a Verse I have made it this far by no help of my own There is only one, there is one help alone And I will trust in You I have put to much trust in the things that I see Sending my hope crashing down around me So I will trust in You Chorus I will say of the Lord, He is the rock where I stand Every other hope is merely sinking sand So I will trust in You For I know blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust Any other hope just blows away like dust So I will trust in You Verse I once promised myself, in myself I can trust But my broken promises left me in shame and disgust So I will trust in You There is only one name that I know I can trust And whatever it takes to find I know that I must So I will trust in You Chorus I will say of the Lord, He is the rock where I stand Every other hope is merely sinking sand So I will trust in You For I know blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust Any other hope just blows away like dust So I will trust in You I will trust in You I will trust in You Chorus I will say of the Lord, He is the rock where I stand Every other hope is merely sinking sand So I will trust in You For I know blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust Any other hope just blows away like dust So I will trust in You I will trust in You I will trust in You I will trust in You I will trust in You I will trust in You Chorus I will say of the Lord, He is the rock where I stand Every other hope is merely sinking sand So I will trust in You For I know blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust Any other hope just blows away like dust So I will trust in You Yes, Chorus I will say of the Lord, He is the rock where I stand Every other hope is merely sinking sand So I will trust in You For I know blessed is the man who makes the lord his trust Any other hope just blows away like dust So I will trust in You Yes, I will trust in You ©2010 Shepherd's Heart Music, Inc./Dennis Jernigan

In this message, we look at the final three things Christ said before he died on that cross. “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?”, “It is finished”, and “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Today's shout-out goes to Randy Niemeyer from Burnsville, MN. Thank you for your generosity and partnership in Project 23. This one's for you. Our text today is Mark 15:33-41: And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. — Mark 15:33-41 At midday, an ominous darkness falls—three hours of suffocating blackness, a death-shroud over the land. Then, at the climax, Jesus raises his voice in the ancient Psalm:  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  In that moment, all sin's penalty crushes him. He bears your guilt, your shame, your exile from God. Yet this is not defeat. It is not the cry of the weak. It's the call of the prelude to the greatest dawn. When he breathes his last, the temple curtain rips—God's presence is unleashed. And a hardened centurion, face-to-face with divine love poured out, confesses:  “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  Darkness gives way to revelation. Death leads to faith. Your darkest seasons may feel like a time of God's absence. You may cry, “Why, Lord?”—and that's okay. Jesus did, too. But remember: your forsaken moment can become the gateway to deeper faith. When you hit your blackest pit, God's curtain tears. His presence rushes in. So when darkness comes—spiritual, emotional, relational—don't turn away. Stand at the foot of the cross. Remember his words. Watch for the tearing of the veil. And like the centurion, let your trial become the moment you say:  “Truly, Jesus is the Son of God.” #DarknessBeforeDawn, #Mark15, #SonOfGod ASK THIS: Why did darkness cover the land at midday? What does the tearing of the temple curtain signify for you today? When have you felt forsaken—and how did God meet you there? How can your darkest trial deepen your worship? DO THIS: In your next dark moment, sit quietly and whisper, “My God, my God.” Ask Him to reveal Himself through the shadows. PRAY THIS: Jesus, in my darkest hour, help me cling to your presence. Remind me that you bore my forsaken cry so I can know your nearness forever. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Tear The Veil."

In this episode, we get real about what happens when ambition is led by purpose—not pressure—and how trusting God with your finances, goals, and career can lead to outcomes that defy logic. From tithing through pay cuts to setting boundaries in grind culture, Dewan Clayborn, President & CEO of the Central Maryland Chamber, shares his testimony of what happens when you follow God's call—even when it doesn't make sense on paper.If you've ever wrestled with the tension between ambition and obedience, or wondered whether your goals are rooted in faith or ego, this episode is your reminder that God doesn't just tolerate your ambition—He designed it.Here's what you'll walk away with:How to tell the difference between godly ambition and worldly hustle.Real talk on tithing, trusting God with money, and spiritual stewardship.Why obedience sometimes looks like a pay cut—but leads to overflow.The spiritual significance of speaking in tongues, prayer as a couple, and building legacy.How to align business, career, and personal goals with your faith.Featured Scripture:Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…”Philippians 4:19 – “My God shall supply all your needs…”Romans 10:9-10 – Salvation through confession and belief.James 4:7 – “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”Ephesians 6 – The Armor of God (spiritual warfare)Action Step:Spend 10 minutes this week in quiet prayer. Ask: Are my goals led by God—or by pressure? Choose one goal to revise with faith, purpose, and alignment in mind.Final Word:Ambition isn't the enemy of faith—disobedience is. When you surrender your hustle to God, He'll take what took years and restore it in one season. Your grind doesn't have to be exhausting. It can be anointed.Connect with Dewan here:LinkedIn: Dewan Clayborn, IOM | LinkedInThe Next Generation of Nonprofit Leadership by Dewan ClaybornSend us a text

   Philip 4 19What is the supply we can rely on?Listen to what the Bible says, from Philippians.(click for podcast)neHghachmey lInobtaH joH'a'wI', mIpDuajvo' qu' Hoch HIjtaH jeSuS. My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.Listen to the Word, it helps us navigate the stars and beyond.

Mark 15:16-41The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS . They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him. At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ). When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he's calling Elijah.” Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17). My God!

Today's episode is about social etiquette in Slovakia. In the Slovak lesson, you will learn a few new words from today's topic. You will also learn how to say “Thank you for the meal“ in Slovak. At the end of this episode, you can find some dos and don'ts when dining in Slovakia. Episode notesIn today's episode, I'm talking about social etiquette in Slovakia. In the Slovak lesson, you will learn a few new words from today's topic. You will also learn how to say “Thank you for the meal“ in Slovak. At the end of this episode, you can find some dos and don'ts when dining in Slovakia.Slovak lesson1.    návod (instructions)2.    stolovanie (dining)3.    jedlo (food)4.    prípitok (toast)5.    hostiteľ / -ka (host)6.    zostať (to stay)7.    vyskúšať (to try)8.    odmietnuť (to refuse)9.    uraziť (to offend)10. pochváliť (to compliment, praise)11. preháňať / nepreháňať (exaggerate / not exaggerate)12. používať (to use)13. Ďakujem za jedlo. (Thank you for the food.)Návod čo robiť a nerobiť pri stolovaní na Slovensku: (Dos and don'ts when dining in Slovakia.1.    Počkajte, kým vám hostiteľ povie, kam si máte sadnúť a kedy začať jesť. (Wait until your host tells you where to sit and when to start eating.)2.    Ruky môžu zostať na stole, ale lakte preč. Myslite - slušné držanie tela. (Hands can stay on the table, but elbows are out. Think - decent posture.)3.    Vyskúšajte všetko. Aj keď si nie ste istí, čo to je. Odmietnutie jedla je ako uraziť babičkino varenie. (Try everything. Even if you're not sure what it is. Refusing food is like insulting your grandmother's cooking.)4.    Jedlo pochváľte, ale nepreháňajte to. Slováci sú skromní ľudia. „Vynikajúce“ je skvelé; ale „Bože môj, nikdy v živote som neochutnal nič také nebeské!“ vám môže vyslúžiť gúľanie očami. (Compliment the food, but don't overdo it. Slovaks are modest people. "Excellent" is great; but "My God, I've never tasted anything so heavenly in my life!" may earn you an eye roll.)5.    Pri prípitkoch sa pozrite ľuďom do očí, jemne cinknite a povedzte „Na zdravie!“. Žiadne lenivé "Cheers!" (When toasting, look people in the eye, clink gently and say "To your health!". No lazy "Cheers!")6.    Používajte nôž a vidličku kontinentálnym spôsobom - vidličku v ľavej ruke, nôž v pravej. Takže pozor vy, čo striedate vidličku! (Use your knife and fork continentally - fork in your left hand, knife in your right. So watch out, you switch-hitters!)7.    A vždy povedzte „Ďakujem za jedlo“. Zahreje to pri srdci a možno vám aj zabalia niečo chutné na cestu domov. (And always say "Thank you for the food." It will warm the heart and maybe they will even pack you something delicious for the trip home.)Timestamps00:35 Introduction to the episode02:28 A guide to navigating Slovak social life13:13 Slovak lesson17:37 Dos and don'ts when dining in Slovakia in Slovak19:20 Dos and don'ts when dining in Slovakia with English translation22:21 Final thoughtsIf you have any questions, send it to my email hello@bozenasslovak.com. Check my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bozenasslovak/ where I am posting the pictures of what I am talking about on my podcast. Also, check my website https://www.bozenasslovak.com © All copywrites reserved to Bozena Ondova Hilko LLC

Do you feel forsaken by God? Forgotten, abandoned? You're not. In fact, Jesus knows what it feels like to be forsaken. On the cross, when He died, Jesus cried out in His pain and His suffering, “My God! Why have you forsaken me?” Yet, Jesus stayed, and He died. And because of this act of sacrifice, you will never be forsaken. I will never be forsaken. That word forsaken means: to leave, abandon. Jesus will never leave us. This is the truth. And I pray today that the truth will be stronger than the lies that can ravage our minds—that the fear that creeps in will be silenced by this truth. Always remember there is hope with God. "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." Deuteronomy 31:6 radio.hopewithgod.com

Is God Your First Choice or Last Resort?Matthew 8:23-27 “And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A wind storm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”This is an interesting story.  Jesus was in the boat with all of his disciples, and there was a windstorm.  The boat was being swamped by waves, and everyone on it was afraid.  Everyone except Jesus was asleep.  When I hear this story, I wonder why Jesus was asleep.  I mean, I am sure He was tired as He was teaching so much.  Everywhere He went, He was swarmed by people who wanted to hear Him teach and wanted Him to heal themselves and their loved ones.  I guess it makes sense that He would be asleep.  I guess I am more wondering how He could sleep through all the craziness of the storm.  I am sure it was probably loud on the boat with the disciples doing all they could to save the boat.  As I wrote that, I felt as though the Holy Spirit said, “And there in lies the problem.”  I was questioning when I first read this verse why Jesus said, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?”  I didn't understand why Jesus would have said they had little faith.  And then, when I just said, the disciples were doing all they could to save the boat it hit me.  They were relying on themselves to fix their problem.  They weren't praying to God and asking Him to help them get out of the situation.  And actually, in their case, it wouldn't even be just praying to God.  They had God right there on the boat with them.  They could have, at the first sign of trouble, asked Jesus to fix the situation.  Why didn't they?This is something we all know a lot about.  We do this all the time.  Or, at least I know I and many people I know do.  We know we have a problem, and instead of turning to the one solution guaranteed to fix it, we try a million solutions on our own.  We try to rely on ourselves to get ourselves out of the situation.  This is a message that God has been trying to get me to see for a long time now.  I have had my fair share of storms over the years.  I have prayed about these storms, and I have asked God to help, but I didn't turn to Him to fix the situation as soon as the storm came.  First, I read a million books on the subject matter, I asked everyone who knew anything about anything what they thought I should do, and I came up with plan after plan to fix the situation on my own.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Have you ever had a storm in your life and instead of turning to God, you tried to solve it or fix it on your own?  I know I can't be the only one who has ever done this.  This is probably what the disciples were doing on that boat.  They were probably looking to the fisherman they had with them, or anyone else who knew anything about boats.  They were probably all putting their heads together to come up with a plan to save the boat.  They were relying on their own knowledge and their own abilities.  Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”  I wasn't there, and I am only guessing, but I don't think that they would have thought what they were doing was a demonstration of little faith.  They could have had the best intentions.  Maybe they didn't go to Jesus first because they knew He was tired and they didn't want to bother Him.  I get that.  Jesus worked hard, and I can see wanting to let Him rest and not bother Him unless you had to.  It makes sense in our minds. Maybe this is why God tells us not to rely on our own understanding.  As I write this, I am gaining a new understanding, which I assume is coming from the Holy Spirit.  Even though we may not go to God first because we have good intentions, it still shows Him a lack of faith.  Maybe not a lack of faith that we don't think He can help us, but a lack of faith that He would want to help us.  Perhaps a lack of faith that we are important enough for Him to help.  Also, it shows that we think God can't do all things at the same time.  Our actions are telling God that we think He is too busy to help us.  I was at a conference once, and there was a priest speaking at the conference who was assigned to a college or university.  He mentioned he always said a rosary at the football games, praying that his team would win.  He said they captured a photo of him one week, saying the rosary, and he got a lot of negative comments from people who saw the photo.  They said comments like, “a Catholic priest spending time praying about a football game when there are people dying of cancer.”  I remember he told us that they were upset that he was wasting God's time over a silly football game when there were bigger, more important things that God should be spending His time on.  I remember he said, “My God is bigger than that.”  He explained that we shouldn't feel bad about asking God for all of the things that we need because other people might be worse off than we are.  This priest said that our God can do all the things we are asking for, as well as the things that others need too.  He is not limited by the same things that we are limited by.  Actually, He is not limited by anything.  I remember coming home and writing a sticky note on my fridge that said, “My god is bigger than that.”  It reminds me that God should be the first place I turn to in times of trouble.  It reminds me that I don't have to feel bad asking God to help me out of a problem because He may have other, more important things to do.  This is not true.  God thinks I, and my problems are just as important as anyone else's.  He can help us all.  He has no limitations.  He is the almighty one, creator of all things.  The next time we are in a storm, we should go straight to God.  We don't have to waste time trying to rely on our understanding or our own abilities.  He is there for us.  When the disciples woke Jesus up, He rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm.  If Jesus can do this to the winds and the sea, what do you think He can do to the storms in your life? I know it is hard, and I am right there with you, trying to solve my problems on my own.  Let's join together and make a decision to turn to God to calm the storms.  Let's not save God for a last resort; let's make him our first line of defense.  When we get in the habit of doing that, I bet we will see the storms calm down a lot quicker.Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  Lord, help us to trust in you more.  Help us to turn to you first instead of waiting until you are our last resort.  Lord, help us to believe that you can help everyone and that when we come to you, we are not taking your time away from others.  Help us to see that you have infinite amounts of time for each and every one of us.  Help us not to rely on our own understanding.  Help us to see the bigger picture, Lord.  We are so thankful for all that you do for us.  We are thankful that you are merciful and loving.  We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen. www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Title: The Surprisingly Good News of The Fear of The LordSpeaker: Preston LienScripture: Psalm 22Episode Overview:In this powerful sermon from Psalm 22, we explore the haunting cry of Jesus from the cross—“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—and uncover how this ancient psalm paints a vivid picture of Christ's suffering a thousand years before the crucifixion. Far from being a moment of despair alone, Psalm 22 leads us from anguish to hope, from isolation to restoration. Through David's words, fulfilled in Jesus, we are reminded that we are not abandoned—because Jesus was. He suffered not only to relate to our pain, but to bring us home.Key Highlights:• How Psalm 22 mirrors the crucifixion in startling detail• Why Jesus quoted this psalm from the cross• The meaning behind the Hebrew word “tola” and its scarlet symbolism• How God the Father also suffered in giving His Son• A call to trust and worship the One who was forsaken so we never have to beCall to Action:Come home. Whether you're burdened by suffering, weighed down by questions, or just longing to belong—this message reminds us that Jesus paid the ultimate price to bring us into His Kingdom and His family. Commit your life to Him, share this good news with others, and live each day in anticipation of your true home.Redeemer Church211 Northshore Dr. Bellingham, WA 98226www.redeemernw.org

“Nothing so conclusively proves one's ability to lead others as what he does fromday to day to lead himself.” – Thomas J. Watson Sr.HEALTHY HABITS serve as pulleys to lighten your load and INCREASEyour leadership capacity.1. EXCEPTIONAL leaders continually model HUMILITY.Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comeswisdom."People would rather follow a leader who is always real rather than alwaysright.”—Craig Groeschel2 Corinthians 12:9-10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for mypower is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladlyabout my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, forChrist's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, indifficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.2. Exceptional leaders learn how to HANDLE CRITICISM.Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.Mark 15:1-5 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, theteachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they boundJesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. “Are you the king of theJews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied.   The chief priests accusedhim of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren't you going to answer? Seehow many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, andPilate was amazed.Sometimes as a leader you RESPOND to criticism, and other times you justABSORB IT.Psalm 18:1-2 GNTD How I love you, LORD! You are my defender. The LORD ismy protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him Iam safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.3. Exceptional leaders allow GOD to LEAD THEM.The leader who ADVANCES in the future is the one who RETREATS toGod's word.Psalm 119:11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will giveyou rest.

Psalm 22 which has been called by many as “The Psalmof the Cross”. There are two passages I really want to encourage you to taketime over the next few days to look at, and that's Psalm 22 and also Isaiah 53.Both of these are Messianic passages that prophecy and tell us about thesufferings of Christ. Psalm 22 was written by David 1,000 years before thecrucifixion of Christ. The Bible calls him both a king and a prophet (Acts2:30). And here he looked ahead one-thousand years and clearly saw the LordJesus Christ dying on the cross. Davidbegins the psalm with these words, "My God, My God, why have Youforsaken Me?" Jesus quoted these very words on the cross (Matthew27:46; Mark 15:34). As you read through this psalm, you find that many versesare directly related to the cross of Jesus Christ. In verses 6 through 8, Jesuson the cross experienced this: "But I am a worm and no man, a reproachof men and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me. They shootout the lip. They shake the head, saying He trusted in the Lord. Let Him rescueHim. Let Him deliver Him since He delights in Him." This is fulfilled inMatthew 27:39-44 and what we just studied in Luke 23. Psalm22:16, "They pierced My hands and My feet." This was fulfilledin Matthew 27:35 when they nailed Him to the cross and pierced both His handsand His feet. Remember later in John 20:20-27, Jesus would say to Thomas, "Touchand see the scars in My hand and My side”. John 19:23 records the fulfilmentof Psalm 22:17, "They divided My garments among them and for Myclothing they cast lots." Ibelieve Psalm 22:12-18, describes the mental and spiritual sufferings of Christduring the three hours of darkness as the devil and the demons of hellattempted to destroy Him and God turned His back on His Son. David wrote, "Manybulls have surrounded Me. The strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. Theygape upon Me with their mouths like a raging and a roaring lion. I'm poured outlike water. All My bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is meltedwithin Me." When you understand what took place in the crucifixion,literally the bones of Christ, when they put that cross into the ground with athud and He's hanging there, it's like it put all His bones out of joint. Hisheart is poured out like wax as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. AndHe says in verse 16, "For dogs have surrounded Me. The congregation ofthe wicked has enclosed Me. They pierce My hands and My feet. I can count allMy bones. They look and stare at Me." Jesus was flogged before thecross. And literally His bones actually could be seen as He was hanging on thecross. In verse 18 we read: "They divided My garments among them andfor My clothing they cast lots."  Jesus hung naked on the cross in shame andsuffering. Oh,my friend, some believe that Jesus possibly quoted this entire psalm on thecross at some time when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have Youforsaken Me?" Yes, we see both the darkness of the cross and the glory ofthe cross, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. I alsoencourage you to read Hebrews 2:9-18. It begins with: "But we see Jesuswho is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death."Psalm 22 is quoted in Hebrews 2:12.  Hebrews2:14-15 describes the purpose of Christ death and suffering: “Inasmuch thenas the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared inthe same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death,that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all theirlifetime subject to bondage.” Todaywe should be so thankful for a Savior who suffered so much for you and I thatwe could be set free from the guilt and the penalty of our sins. Please meditateon these things. Godbless!

EZ off till Monday, 7/28/25. Enjoy three Patreon encore "Who Are These Zanes?" showsNotes from ep 04: The Cow with Two MouthsRadio station: WEEG "Eagle 97.3" Saginaw, MichiganI did mornings at this station for just a few months in the the Winter/ Spring of 1999. This show was all sorts of fucked up, which leads to all sorts of hilarity 23 years later! My partner, Brian Bailey and I worked hard at sounding like fuck. I hope you enjoy as we begin our search for "The Cow with Two Mouths."Notes from ep 05: Stop Calling Me MikeRadio station: WEEG "Eagle 97.3" Saginaw, MichiganHours after the Columbine massacre, only one radio show was stupid enough to carry on with wacky games and various awkward interactions...you guessed it; enjoy part two of the "day after Columbine" episode with Eric and Brian on the Eagle.Notes from ep 06: Hockey Player HarassmentRadio station: WEEG "Eagle 97.3" Saginaw, MichiganPart 3 of the "Day After the Columbine Massacre Nut Hut Laugh Fest." Looking back on these last three shows has made me nearly throw up with how tone deaf I was. My God. While families and all of the world try to cope with the sudden, tragic loss of innocence, one radio idiot soldiered on with wacky bits like "Karnak the Magnificent" and "Hockey Player Harassment." What the fuck? God, this is bad.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-eric-zane-show-podcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today's Topics: 1) Gospel - John 20:1-2, 11-18 - On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put Him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid Him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to Him, "Sir, if You carried Him away, tell me where you laid Him, and I will take Him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to My brothers and tell them, 'I am going to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what He told her. Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene Saint Mary, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day 2) Is Israel still the promised land? https://frjosephfessiosj566892.substack.com/p/is-israel-still-the-promised-land 3) Pope Leo condemns Gaza barbarity as 93 reportedly killed by Israeli fire while waiting for food https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/20/pope-condemns-barbarity-of-israel-war-gaza 4) Mike Huckabee rebukes attackers of Christian church and village: “Crime against humanity and God” https://www.christianpost.com/news/mike-huckabee-condemns-attack-on-christian-church-in-west-bank.html

Daily Dose of Hope July 22, 2025   Scripture - Matthew 27:32-56   Prayer:  Holy and Perfect God, Thank you for your divine plan.  Thank you for not giving up on your people and sending Jesus.  Your love and care for us is hard to comprehend.  Help us be a better reflection of your love in all we do.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, a deep dive into the Gospels and Acts.  Today, we are diving into part two of Matthew 27, which includes the crucifixion and the death of Jesus.   Let's start with the crucifixion.  Matthew has a lot of detail.  We meet Simon of Cyrene who was forced to carry Jesus' cross.  While Simon certainly had no choice in the matter, I'm guessing his life was never the same after that.  He had carried the cross for the Savior of the world.  Jesus is offered wine with gall (which was very bitter and possibly offered to dull pain) but he tastes it and then refuses it.  His clothes are divided among the soldiers.  A sign is placed above him that says, “King of the Jews.”  And then there are all the insults hurled at him, from passers-by but also from those crucified next to him.  So much humiliation.   However, for those who witness Jesus' actual death, it is life-changing.  The sky gets dark and Jesus cries out the first line of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At the time, people would reference a psalm by stating the first line and the rest of the psalm would be assumed.  Psalm 22 was written by David, and it's a psalm that expresses abandonment and despair in the face of sorrow.    But this leads to some questions.  Did Jesus really feel abandoned by God at that moment on the cross?  I mentioned this in when we discussed Mark 15 and I think it's important to emphasize again. By quoting Psalm 22, Jesus is actually expressing confidence in the face of suffering.  He is trusting that God will ultimately deliver him. We gain confidence in this interpretation because it is faithful to our understanding of the Trinity as inseparable - one part of the Godhead can't abandon another part of the Godhead.  There is also a distinct union of Jesus' divine and human natures.  All of this comes together on the cross.  Let's read Psalm 22, verses 1-8...   My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me,    so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,    by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;    you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust;    they trusted and you delivered them.5 To you they cried out and were saved;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me;    they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,    “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him,    since he delights in him.” And as the psalm continues (it is a bit long to real in full here), we see how the psalmist begins to express trust in the Lord and praise his name.  He knows that God will deliver him.  The bottom line seems to be that on the cross, Jesus bore the weight of our sin as the Son of God, but the Father did not literally abandon him, as that would divide the Trinity and undermine Christ's saving work.  Jesus knew that God would deliver him but also provide a way to deliver the whole world.  Right before Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, the curtain in the Temple was torn down the middle. This is the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holiest of Holies) where the ark of the covenant was kept and the presence of God remained. When the curtain tore, it was a sign that the New Covenant was instituted. Because of Jesus' sacrifice (the final sacrifice for sin), those who believe in him can now go directly to the throne of God's grace. When holy God looks at us, he doesn't see our sinfulness but the blood of Christ. Thus, there are no more barriers that can separate us from God.  Hebrews 10 refers to this incredible phenomena...   Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22   Matthew also adds that when Jesus died, the earth also shook and that some who were already dead were brought back to life. The centurion who was guarding the tomb declared that this man, Jesus, must have been the Son of God.   There are two questions that are important to answer when discussing today's topic: Why was Jesus killed? and then, Why did Jesus die? They are both critical questions and the answers are different. I'm going to keep this brief but I want to at least address this.    Why was Jesus killed?  Well, a number of groups colluded to kill him.  First, Jesus was killed because the Jewish leaders felt threatened by him.  They feared him.  He threatened all they thought was right and they were unwilling to open their minds to God doing something differently.  They refused to believe that he was the Messiah, or we could say he wasn't the kind of Messiah that they were expecting.  And they didn't like the way he had the support of the common people.  But let's be clear, Jesus was also killed because his crucifixion was a political act by the Romans.  They didn't want anyone out there claiming to be king of the Jews.  They wanted to ensure that the only one with authority was the Roman government.   Now, why did Jesus die?  That's a whole different question.  Jesus died so that we could be cleansed of sin and walk intimately with a holy God.  Jesus, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy, became the final sacrifice for all sin for all time.  Ever since the fall, God had been on a mission to redeem the world.  The Law was part of that but the people could not keep the Law.  What the Law did was demonstrate how broken, flawed, and sinful us humans really are.  Something much more drastic was needed.  So, God sent Jesus.    Jesus was God with flesh on.  When we say that Jesus is the Son of God, that means that he was the second person of the Trinity, God himself.  He came to earth to live among us and demonstrate to us a new way of doing life, one in which God reigns as King.  Everything Jesus did – his whole life as well as his death and resurrection, was intended to demonstrate the fundamental values of God's Kingdom.  Of course, one of those values was love.  Jesus was and is love.  We see this on the cross.  We've read about all the human actions that led to the cross but this was God's divine plan.  Jesus knew it had to happen.  Jesus knew this was the only way.  So he went voluntarily to the cross.  He was God and he could have called a legion of angels down to save him.  But he didn't.  He went through with all the humiliation and torture.  For us.  For all of us.  He died for us.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Suffering, in its raw and earthly form, often feels like loss—of control, of comfort, of certainty. Yet in the mystery of the Cross, suffering is transformed into something beautiful and redemptive. For the Christian, pain is never wasted. When united to Jesus crucified, suffering becomes a hidden seed of joy—a deep, burning joy that springs not from relief or resolution, but from love.Nowhere is this paradox more vividly lived than in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The Poverello, the little poor man of God, did not seek comfort but embraced poverty, rejection, and pain with startling eagerness. He called suffering his “sister” and welcomed the cross as a kiss from Christ. To most, this is madness. To the eyes of faith, it is radiant sanity.St. Francis understood that the Cross is not merely an object of devotion but a doorway to deeper union. When we suffer in communion with Jesus, we are drawn into His redeeming love. The pierced hands and feet of the Savior become not just symbols of sacrifice but invitations to intimacy. In bearing wounds, we share in His mission; in being broken, we become like Him.It was in his own suffering that Francis found his deepest joy. When he received the stigmata—the wounds of Christ—in his body, it was not with fear but with trembling awe and gratefulness. His pain was not merely endured; it was loved. Why? Because it drew him closer to the Beloved. Suffering, then, was no longer a curse, but a triumphant crown.This does not glorify pain for its own sake. It is not a call to masochism or despair. Rather, it is a call to see with the eyes of eternity. To suffer with Christ is to love with Him, to redeem with Him, to hope beyond reason with Him. It is to whisper in the darkness, “My God, I trust You,” even when everything hurts.In this light, suffering becomes a sacred gift. It humbles, purifies, and opens the soul wide to grace. The world may never understand this joy but saints like Francis remind us that the Cross is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of resurrection.And so, when we suffer—whether in body, heart, or spirit—may we not flee too quickly. May we pause, breathe, and gently unite our wounds to His. For in His wounds, we find healing. And in our suffering, united with His, we find joy—deep, lasting, and eternal. --- Help Spread the Good News --- Father Brian's homilies are shared freely thanks to generous listeners like you. If his words have blessed you, consider supporting this volunteer effort. Every gift helps us continue recording and sharing the hope of Jesus—one homily at a time. Give Here: https://frbriansoliven.org/give

What happens when the very word "Father" triggers pain instead of comfort? For many, reconciling the image of God as Father with traumatic experiences of earthly fathers creates a profound spiritual struggle.This episode navigates the delicate terrain of father wounds with both gentleness and honesty. We acknowledge that many listeners bring experiences of neglect, absence, abuse, or abandonment to their understanding of God. These wounds can make it nearly impossible to trust that God as Father is fundamentally different from the human fathers who caused harm.Scripture doesn't shy away from questioning God. Job rants for thirteen chapters. David's laments fill the Psalms. Even Jesus cried out, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" The biblical invitation to "reason together" with God (Isaiah 1:18) actually means "argue it out"—God welcomes your wrestling, your questions, and even your anger. If you're limping through life with father wounds, we pray you'll encounter the God who binds up bruises and heals wounds, not with pat answers, but with His loving presence.

Hi, everyone. Here's an audio version of yesterday's post…MWThe big-beautiful-actually-big-ugly bill that passed through Congress and hit the President's desk on July 4th will cause untold damage to our country. Ironically, the pain will be felt most acutely by those who have supported the President most. Many legislators who voted for the 940-page bill have admitted they didn't actually read it, but rather took other people's (namely Trump's) word for it that it didn't, for instance, cut Medicaid - which it decidedly did, and to the tune of a trillion dollars.As if depriving almost 12 million people of their healthcare isn't enough, that's not even the most dastardly thing about this bill. The most dangerous piece of the legislation, one that cuts into the very heart of our Constitutional system, is its expansion of ICE. The 2024 ICE budget was $9.7 Billion; it now will be increased to an annual expenditure of $48 Billion. Over the next four years ICE will receive $170 Billion, making it bigger than most of the militaries of the world. The ICE budget will now be more than the FBI, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm), the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), US Marshalls, and the Bureau of Prisons combined. The bill orders 10,000 new ICE agents, adding to the 20,000 agents already on the streets. The annual budget for detentions now rise from $3.4 billion to $45 billion a year, constituting a 365% increase. While ICE is currently holding around 59,000 detainees - nearly half of whom have no criminal records - the new bill calls for adding 100,000 more. And the power of ICE lies not only in its size. It operates outside of due process and the judicial system, meaning the administration has effectively hired its own private police force to do whatever it is they want it to do. Just as Trump forces have managed to effectively neuter the U.S. Congress and our Supreme Court, with the latest changes to ICE they have effectively neutered the regulatory statutes that protect us from police overreach as well. This is not normal.The President campaigned on getting violent criminals off our streets - a goal no one would argue with - but what's happening now is much bigger than that. The administration is not going after criminals; if that were the case, it wouldn't be pardoning some of the biggest while collar criminals in America. They're not just going for criminals; they're going for numbers. Stephen Miller is demanding 3,000 arrests be made per day, even suggesting ICE agents stand outside Home Depots and see who they can round up. They might target one person, then just pick up whoever is standing near them whether they're on a target list or not. This is not about helping America, it's about reshaping it. E Pluribus Unum - the “Out of many, One” First Principle of the United States - provides for a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society united by common principles of liberty and justice for all. Yet those principles are considered anathema to the White Nationalists, Christian Nationalists, and techno fascists who are behind all this. Their goal is to shred the Constitution and demolish our democracy; Victor Orban didn't hang out at Mar-a-Lago just for the scones. Between Project 2025, this Big Bad Ugly bill, and a militarized ICE, they're following a specific blueprint for war on our basic institutions.Paul Dans, former director of the Heritage Foundation and one of the authors of Project 2025 , has said it's succeeding “beyond our wildest dreams.”Millions are asking, “My God, how did all this happen?” There are complicated answers to that question, but what should not be underestimated is the role of Trump's propaganda machine. As with Hitler's Nuremberg Rallies, he has mesmerized millions with the performative power of his lies. In both my campaigns for President, I stated often: “Trump has ushered in an age of political theatre, and we will not be going back.”Using the biggest megaphone in the world, Donald Trump gained the power to do the hateful things he is doing by propagating hateful ideas. He then injected them like poison into the veins of our body politic.Remember when he rode down his elevator and announced about Mexico, ‘They're not sending us their best people?” That was the first shot not in a war against Mexico, but in a war against the United States. Now he's gone all the way to suggesting that immigrants have “criminal genes.” This is more than fear-mongering; it's strategy. The biggest mistake we can make is to laugh at anything he says.Without the President's strategy of demonizing our immigrant community, none of this could have occurred. Those who so often said, “Take him seriously, but do not take him literally,” were seriously wrong. He's not just trolling. He says he hates you today, and he comes after you tomorrow.And he's not done. He now calls liberals and progressives “left wing lunatics” and he says Senators who disagree with him are people who “hate their country.” He went so far in fact as to say he hates Democrats. “Don't you?” he asked his audience. He actually said that he “can't stand” us. When a reporter asked a reasonable question about the the Camp Mystic tragedy, the President said that only an “evil person” would ask such a question.What is being perpetrated here is grand plan to transform the United States from a flawed democracy to an authoritarian dictatorship. It's unwise to assume that the forces behind all this have any intention of stopping with immigrants.Yesterday the President said he's “giving serious consideration” to taking away Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship because she's “a Threat to Humanity.” This is something the Constitution does not give the President the authority to do, of course. But Donald Trump has obvious disdain for anything the Constitution says that might limit his power. Already he has called for ICE to go after American citizens, and both Trump and Pam Bondi have called for a plan to denaturalize some who have become American citizens. The fact that an idea is deranged doesn't make it less dangerous. DOGE has worked with ICE to create the federal government's first “national citizenship data bank.”If all of this feels to you profoundly Un-American, it's because it is. If it bothers you, rankles you, and infuriates you, that means you're a patriot. And you are not alone.The good news is that the American people do not like what's going on. In a new Gallup poll, only 35% of Americans approve Trump's immigration policies now, which means that 27% more people disapprove of them. 79% of Americans now say they believe that immigration is good for the country. Even Joe Rogan is now going after the President about this, unhappy at all the innocent people who have been arrested in the ICE raids. But none of this should surprise him; it's not like all of a sudden the President became a pathological liar. None of it is new. The only thing new is that he doesn't even try any more to cover his tracks. From crypto deals to taking bribes from Middle East power brokers to suing media companies to selling his own brand of unisex fragrance, the President's corruption knows no end. He has increased his personal fortune by billions since he was inaugurated in November. At this point, the question isn't “What will he do next?” The most important question is, “What will we do next?”The only thing that can save us now is for the American people to wake up. A spiritual awakening, mocked and derided by America's pseudo-sophisticated political class (you know, the guys who lost to Trump twice) is the most powerful antidote to the forces of hate. If we allow them to, those forces will kidnap more than our bodies; they will kidnap our spirits. But if we're truly dedicated to love, the purveyors of hatred cannot snatch our soul. From there it follows that they cannot snatch our mind, and then they cannot snatch our country.Love does not make us weaker, it makes us stronger. It makes us stronger because it makes us smarter. It restores reason and not the other way around. Evil is the mental energy of love when inverted and turned into something else. Recognizing the existence of evil, the loving mind understands how to prevent it (start by not allowing tens of millions of people to live for years in chronic economic anxiety, lacking health care, economic or educational opportunity) and knows what it takes to override it (provide those things now). It recognizes the anger and despair which people lacking such things feel, making them vulnerable to all manner of societal dysfunction. Disease doesn't start on the level of symptoms; it starts on the level of feeling and thought.And that's where we must counter it. We must meet the forces of hate with the force of our love. Today's “arsenal of democracy” begins in the mind. No one can take away your conscience unless you are willing to surrender it. Do not allow anyone to limit your willingness to love your fellow man.That is not woo woo; it is the salvation of the human race. Totalitarianism is an extreme and perverse consequence of a world in which we've been taught to think that the needs and interests of others should be seen as secondary to our own. It is the opposite of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Let's not forget Elon Musk told Joe Rogan that “empathy is the biggest weakness in Western civilization.” And damn right that was a Nazi salute. He didn't even deny it; I don't know why anyone else would.Hannah Arendt, premier political philosopher of the 20th Century, said “the death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” She said that a lack of empathy, as well as a lack of critical thought, could lead people otherwise not inherently evil to acquiesce to atrocities.Arendt said the modern mind's obsession with itself led to what she called the “loss of the world.” We become so self-referential that we stop caring about one another, seeing the notion of a “common good” as some quaint relic of former times. This has disunited the United States, endangering us as a country and weakening the gates to the city. It became inevitable then that barbarians would come in.Hitler himself said this: "They refer to me as an uneducated barbarian. Yes we are barbarians. We want to be barbarians; it is an honored title to us. We shall rejuvenate the world.”So much for “It could never happen here.” In our arrogance, our complacency, our distractedness, and our social and political immaturity we made it way too easy for the barbarians to enter. Now that they are here, they are sacking the city. Latino immigrants are just first on their list.So what do we do now? There are some who are seriously focused on the political externalities of the 2026 and 2028 elections, and well they should be. This will include countering all efforts on the part of the administration to rig or even suppress all upcoming elections. TrumpWorld's forces have already begun with plans to further gerrymander Texas, criminalize the behavior of election officials who don't “safeguard” our elections, and so forth.Traditional political and legal efforts are needed, and they are needed badly. But they alone will not be enough to compensate for the lack of moral clarity that made us vulnerable to all this to begin with. That is what we lost, and what we must regain if we are to defeat fascism in our time.Reclaiming that power is up to each of us. No matter what happens, do not allow yourself to lose your own commitment to the humane treatment of other human beings. Do not let them take from you your own moral compass. Do not pass up any opportunity to speak your truth. Do not compromise and do not surrender to the administration's excuses, much less glorification, of sadism and human cruelty. No, “Alligator Alcatraz” is not funny. It is sick and it is inhumane. It is not hyperbole to call it a modern internment camp, and the savage conditions described by those who have been inside the facility are merciless. What is happening in America today is barbaric.To those who say “Well, this is what we voted for,” I do not believe that. I know good people who voted for Trump, and I don't believe that in their hearts they thought they were voting for human cruelty, or masked goons disappearing people, or any of the trauma or terror that our government is now inflicting on innocent men, women and children.I think many of those who voted for Trump do not know what is actually happening, because many of his voters who I've spoken to, when I show them evidence of certain things, make comments like, “Well that wouldn't be right.” And I've realized that our opponent here is algorithms. Their algorithms are so different than ours - we're not just seeing different content, we're being shown different universes. Greedy, sociopathic elements in our society have fostered those differences. Media and social media giants who could care less about providing an honest, objective presentation of facts, and care only about their already multibillion dollar profits, will one day be looked back on as some of the biggest villians in this story. At the end of all this we will have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and it will be a doozy.Others who voted for Trump were simply reacting in anger to a system that had failed them, and had the Democratic party responded to their despair in more fundamental ways - universal health care, a guaranteed living wage, repealing the 2017 tax cut when we had the chance, increasing access to higher education and tech school - the rise of a political strongman would have been far less likely. As it is, the political elite in America chose to ignore every lesson in history and allow this scourge to fester. The Republican party lost its mind over the last few years, but it didn't help that Democrats lost their spine.The institutions we have lived our entire lives thinking would protect us from any enemies of democracy have either fallen, or been deeply compromised. The message of history is now this: “American people: over to you.” I know in my heart we have what it takes to rise to the occasion, to handle this moment, and to save our dying democracy. In the words of Winston Churchill, "Never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”That's our charge today. This isn't an easy time, in fact it's heartbreaking and infuriating. But dark chapters challenged our ancestors too, and they responded with strength and courage. Now so must we. We are called to be deep and serious and mature and wise, and all those things we were born to be. I have no doubt in my mind that we have it in us. The choice whether to become the people we need to be, in order to do the things we need to do, is up to each of us.It's an inside job. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Jennie Garth is best known to Gen-Xers for her iconic role playing Kelly Taylor on the megahit television series Beverly Hills 90210.  Fans of the show may remember Kelly's pivotal “I Choose Me” episode (airing thirty years ago this past May) when she stood between dreamboats Brandon and Dylan and declared that she was choosing herself.  Jennie shaped an entire era of pop culture, and now, at fifty-two, she is embracing an incredible new chapter of life—one filled with bold conversations about aging, empowerment, self-love, and the beautiful messiness of midlife. Through her thought-provoking “I Choose Me” podcast and a forthcoming memoir of the same name, Jennie is using her platform to champion other women over fifty by challenging outdated narratives around aging and sparking empowering conversations. Today, Jennie, Jen and Amy talk about what choosing yourself looks like on a normal day, and what it means to be graduate beyond our growing family years into a more independent space where a new age of self-discovery is possible because, as Jennie reminds us, choosing “you” isn't selfish—it's the most powerful act of self-respect. Thought-provoking Quotes: “It was through my conversations with fans, whether it was on social media. or at autograph events that I kept hearing, ‘I didn't know I could choose me until Kelly Taylor told me it was an option.'” – Jennie Garth “If I had gone to college and lived a normal life, then I would have learned things that I didn't actually end up learning until I was in my forties and fifties. So now I'm just searching like, ‘What did I miss and how can I be better? How can I learn more about myself?'” – Jennie Garth “You look around on social media and you see other people's lives and think, ‘My God, they have it all figured out.' And I just never felt like that personally.” – Jennie Garth “Loving yourself is a journey and it's imperative to your wellbeing.” – Jennie Garth “I don't want to please people by being what they want me to be or fitting into this character's shoes. I love acting and I'll never not love acting. But I had to take the bull by the horns and take control of my life.” – Jennie Garth “Competition amongst women was real. It was just part of the  world I grew up in. I had to be better than the next girl. What a waste of so much precious time and energy. I used to be intimidated by other women's success or knowledge or position. I kick myself for all the years of lost opportunity of that kind of camaraderie and connection with other women. I feel it so strongly now. It's something that can never be quieted again,” – Jennie Garth Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098749/ Tori Spelling - https://www.instagram.com/p/DKAANczu145/?hl=en I Choose Me Women's Summit 2025 - https://jenniegarth.com/pages/i-choose-me-movement I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose & Embracing Reinvention by Jennie Garth - https://amzn.to/44d8eMM Me by Jennie Garth QVC Collection - https://jenniegarth.com/pages/me-by-jennie-garth Feeding America - https://www.feedingamerica.org/partners/entertainment-council/jennie-garth American Heart Association - https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/at-the-heart-of-it-with-nancy-brown/the-power-of-positivity-with-jennie-garth Guest's Links: Website - https://jenniegarth.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jenniegarth/ Twitter - https://x.com/jenniegarth Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jenniegarth TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@officialjenniegarth Podcast - https://jenniegarth.com/pages/i-choose-me-podcast Connect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Tell me I pray thee wherein thy great strength lieth.” — Judges 16:6 Where lies the secret strength of faith? It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is — an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, “My God could […]

Dive into the amazing world of electric eels: what they really are (spoiler—they're not true eels!), how their special electric organs work, and how they use electricity to hunt and protect themselves in the rivers of South America. Here's our trail map:What Is the Electric Eel?How Do Electric Eels Make Electricity?How Does the Electric Eel Use Electricity?What Does the Bible Say About Electricity?Episode Links:Explore the Answers Bible Curriculum by Answers in Genesis: AnswersBookstore.com/bibleTry CTCMath for free for one week: https://ctcmath.com/Order Eryn's book: The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living: https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Rest-Creation-Sabbath-Living/dp/0825448891Nat Theo Club Bonus Video: https://erynlynum.com/club-videosGet full lesson guides in the Nat Theo Club: https://erynlynum.com/clubFree Electric Eel Coloring Sheet: https://erynlynum.com/electric-eel-facts/Ask your nature question: https://erynlynum.com/askOrder Eryn's book, Rooted in Wonder: Nurturing Your Family's Faith Through God's Creation: https://www.amazon.com/Rooted-Wonder-Nurturing-Familys-Creation/dp/0825447615Scriptures Referenced in This Episode:“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” Psalm 28:7 (NIV)“You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.” Psalm 119:14 (NIV)“The LORD is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender.” Psalm 18:2 (NCV)“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (ESV)Terms Learned in This Episode:Gymnotiforms: Meaning “naked back.” A category (order) of fish that do not have fins on their back.Organ: A special part inside a body with an important job to do. Main, Hunter's and Sachs Organs: Special organs in an electric eel's body that produce electricity.Cells: Tiny building blocks that make up all living things, like plants, creatures, and humans. They are so small you can only see them with a microscope.Electrocytes: Special cells with positive and negative charges.Weakly Electric Fish: Electric fish in the gymnotiform order that use an invisible electric field around their body to sense what is around them.Strongly Electric Fish: Electric fish in the gymnotiform order that create and emit strong electric currents to zap and stun their prey.Electric Organ Discharge (EOD): When an electric fish sends out an electric pulse or wave.This podcast episode contains paid advertisements. Mentioned in this episode:Explore...