Podcasts about oh god

With Labour MPs rebelling over Keir Starmer's planned cuts to welfare benefits – where does he stand now with his party and does even more trouble lie ahead? Plus, the UK's new industrial strategy is hot off the press. What makes it so ambitious, and has it learned the lessons from Boris Johnson's failed levelling up plan?  ESCAPE ROUTES • Seth recommends Gilbert and Sullivan's Princess Ida • Hannah recommends Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth and the new Adam Curtis series, Shifty • Zoe recommends Olivia Rodrigo at Glastonbury • Ros recommends The Four Seasons on Netflix www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Zoë Grünewald, Seth Thévoz and Hannah Fearn. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Amos 4-6; Psalm 86-87; Titus 1 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! Today is June 29th, and we're at day 180 in our journey through the Scriptures. I'm Heather, and I'm so glad you're joining me and listeners from around the world as we open God's Word to seek not just knowledge, but transformation—because these Scriptures point us to Jesus, the true source of life. In this episode, we dive into the prophetic words of Amos, chapters 4-6, reflecting on Israel's call to true justice and righteousness rather than empty religious rituals. We find comfort in the heartfelt prayers of Psalms 86 and 87, and wisdom from Paul's letter to Titus, chapter 1, as he instructs on godly living and leadership. We'll talk about what God is really looking for—not grand gestures or showy worship, but hearts transformed by love, flowing with justice, mercy, and living water from Christ himself. As always, we'll wrap up with prayer, trusting God to guide us into this new day with purpose and peace. So grab your Bible and get ready to be encouraged and challenged as we explore what it truly means to come to the water—the living water of Jesus. Let's jump in! TODAY'S DEVOTION: What does God want to see? Big religious festivals, big gatherings of religious people, big houses, big vineyards—a big life. Is this what he wants for his people? Apparently not. The prophet Amos tells us that God is looking for something entirely different. He wants to see a heart transformed from the inside out—a heart that loves justice and mercy, having been set free from oppression, forgiven, and experiencing the fullness of God's love. Amos 5 says, “I hate all your show and pretense, the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise; I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.” What does God want to see? He wants to see a mighty flood of justice and an endless river of righteous living. But where does this river and flood come from? There's only one source. It's not our own piety. It doesn't come from the arrogant headwaters of self. The living water God desires comes from a different source entirely—a source beyond anything we could muster: Christ Jesus, the source of all living water and life itself. In John 7:38, Jesus says, “Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'” The mighty flood, the torrent of righteousness, comes from him. And we must turn to him if we want to live the kind of life God desires to see. Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money, come. Take your choice of wine or milk; it's all free (Isaiah 55:1). We must come first to the water. It's there that we are changed from the inside out by the Spirit of Christ himself, living and abiding in us. Then his living water pours out into the world through us, and it's then that God sees what he truly wants to see: people who have been set free, helping to set others free with the love and power of Christ. God says, come back to me and live. Come to the water—his living water—and let it flow through you to a dry, thirsty, weary land. Drink deep from his well, and you will be amazed at what will happen. Life and justice will happen. That's my prayer for my own soul today, for my loved ones, for this community, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Amos 1-3; Psalm 80; 2 Timothy 4 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter guides us through a reflective journey in God's Word on this 28th day of June—day 180 in our Bible reading adventure. We dig into the prophetic challenges and hope in Amos chapters 1–3, draw near through the heartfelt prayers of Psalm 80, and find inspiration in 2 Timothy chapter 4, as Paul approaches the end of his race with honesty and humility. Hunter reflects on the simple but profound needs Paul expresses in his final letter—a coat, a book, and a friend—and how these basic desires point to the spiritual essentials we need to run our own race well: the warmth of Christ, the guidance of God's Word, and the support of community. With thoughtful prayers and an encouraging invitation to gratitude, today's episode offers wisdom for persevering faith and reminds us all that, no matter where we are, we are deeply loved. Settle in, open your heart, and join us as we gather around the fire of God's love, seeking strength in His presence and Word. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Run well, fight the good fight. At the close of his life, the Apostle Paul offers us a glimpse of what it means to finish the race in faith. After pouring out his life for Christ, what does Paul most desire? He asks Timothy for three simple things: a coat, a book, and a friend. These requests reveal a deep wisdom for all who want to run well to the end. We need a coat, because life can be harsh, cold, and broken. The world is not always gentle or forgiving. Paul needed warmth and covering—something to shield him from the chill. And in our own lives, Christ becomes that covering. We are invited to clothe ourselves with Christ, to put Him on like a coat, so that His presence brings warmth to our coldest days. “All who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.” Only He can truly revive us and keep us warm. Paul also asks Timothy for the book—the Scriptures and treasured writings. To remain steady, to keep running our race to the end, we need the Word. God's Word is a constant encouragement, a source of strength and instruction for every step along the journey. Without it, we wander; with it, we persevere. And finally, Paul asks for a friend. Not just any companion, but John Mark—someone with whom he had previously disagreed so deeply that they parted ways. Yet here, at the finish line, Paul longs for reconciliation and companionship. The gospel does this: it softens old wounds, repairs broken bonds, and brings friends back together. Running well means traveling with others, leaning on community, and sharing both the struggles and the victories. A coat, a book, and a friend—these are the gifts Paul sought, and these are the same treasures we need today if we are to fight the good fight and run the race set before us. Wrap yourself in Christ, reach for God's Word, and be willing to walk alongside a friend—even those with whom you've struggled before. That is the prayer I have for my own soul, for my family, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Dog whistle think pieces seem to be back in fashion and right wingers are more frequently using rhetoric that sounds a bit like Enoch Powell. Powell was condemned for Rivers of Blood, why isn't sounding like him so damaging for the modern right? Plus – AI and copyright. It's put Labour at odds with Elton John, never a good place to be. Politico's Joseph Bambridge joins the panel to talk through the furore.  Read Joseph's piece in Politico: https://www.politico.eu/article/ai-copyright-political-nightmare-labour-uk-models-tech/    ESCAPE ROUTES  •  Rachel watched Virgin Island on Channel 4  • Raf has been reading Barbara Kingsolver novels • Joseph watched The Contestant  • Dorian watched Black Ops  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow    Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Rafael Behr and Rachel Cunliffe. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by: Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Circle of the World Podcast! Join Harrison, George, and Jeffrey as we continue our coverage of Joe Abercrombie's First Law series! For this season, we read through Red Country! And this week we will be covering Oh God, The Dust; Sweet's Crossing, and Dreams.Make sure you sign up to memeing every chapter : https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheMemeMaker/comments/1kwbisk/memeing_every_chapter_of_red_country_signup_list/Meme of the week:https://www.reddit.com/r/HouseOfTheMemeMaker/comments/1lenpfk/memeing_every_chapter_red_country_all_got_a_past/Music Credit: Maszy MusicLeave us a commentSupport the show

Happy Dan Hannan Day! We “celebrate” nine years of Desperate Dan's infamous Brexit prediction. Plus, War in and/or on Iran. Whatever happened to “America First”? Does Britain have any influence on Trump in this? And would Tony Blair have joined in America military action? And… this terrible, terrible heat. As the 1.5 degree limit looks increasingly fanciful, is living in a sweaty Britain the best we can hope for?  Charlotte Nichols MP of Warrington North is our special guest. ESCAPE ROUTES • Zoe recommends Shock And War: Iraq 20 Years On on BBC Sounds and Sirens on Netflix.  • Marie recommends Hacks on Amazon Prime. • Charlotte recommends Everything Must Go by our own Dorian Lynskey and On The Calculation Of Volume by Solvej Balle. • Ros recommends Lionessheart: The Life and Times of Joanna Plantagenet by Catherine Hanley.  • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.  Presented by Ros Taylor with Marie le Conte and Zoe Grünewald. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to 'Don't Cut Your Own Bangs!'    In this lively and heartfelt episode, Danielle Ireland chats with Ashlyn Thompson from the Parent Empowerment Network. Ashlyn shares her journey from growing her nonprofit organization to the emotional rollercoaster of her daughter's complex medical journey.    Get ready to explore how pain can be an unexpected teacher, the magic of community support, and why tapping into creativity can be your secret weapon against anxiety. Filled with laughs, valuable insights, and touching moments, this episode is a treasure trove of wisdom and joy. Tune in and enjoy the ride!   00:00 Introduction and Guest Overview 00:20 Ashlyn Thompson's Journey and Nonprofit Growth 01:10 The Importance of Community and Support 01:37 Embracing Big Feelings and Finding Joy 02:52 Welcoming Ashlyn Back and Discussing Growth 05:44 Navigating Pain and Empowerment 09:51 The Power of Perspective and Decision Making 14:27 Balancing Life and Nonprofit Work 21:21 The Role of Pain as a Teacher 30:48 Finding Comfort in Movement and Nature 33:09 Returning to Basics 33:35 Reflecting on Past Decisions 35:20 The Role of Pain and Fear 38:20 Parent Empowerment Network 44:25 Creativity as a Lifeline 49:21 Embracing Emotions 53:07 Don't Cut Your Own Bangs Moment 01:01:20 Conclusion and Resources   Ashlyn Thompson interview links Ashlyn Thompson, a passionate advocate and storyteller, is co-founder of the Parent Empowerment Network, a nonprofit providing emotional and mental health support to parents navigating pediatric medical complexities. She also co-hosts theEmpowered by Hope podcast, which equips parents with practical tools, resources, and a strong sense of community—delivered with a heavy dose of humor and hope to empower them as their child's best advocate. Ashlyn's fire for advocacy was ignited by her daughter Emery, who was born with bladder exstrophy. After Emery nearly died following a major surgery at just seven weeks old, Ashlyn became a fierce voice for patient safety. Unwilling to accept the limitations of domestic medical care, she discovered a surgical option in the U.K. that wasn't available in the U.S. at the time. In early 2023, Emery became the first American to undergo this procedure—and thanks to Ashlyn's relentless advocacy, that surgery is now available in America. When she's not advocating or recording podcasts, Ashlyn moonlights as a budding driveway chalk artist, chaos coordinator for her spirited family, and an avid nature lover. Chocolate is her daily vitamin, ADHD is her superpower, spiders and small talk are her sworn enemies, and she firmly believes laughter and boldness are two of a parent's greatest tools.   Parent Empowerment Network:  The Parent Empowerment Network exists to support, encourage, and educate parents of children with medical complexities—empowering them with community, knowledge, and confidence to be their child's fiercest advocate. www.ParentEmpowermentNetwork.org Empowered by Hope podcast on all major podcast streaming platforms: https://parentempowermentnetwork.org/podcast/   Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Parent-Empowerment-Network/100083218456295/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parentempowermentnetwork/   She is Charlotte book by co-founder, Emily Whiting:https://parentempowermentnetwork.org/she-is-charlotte-book/ DANIELLE IRELAND, LCSW I greatly appreciate your support and engagement as part of the Don't Cut Your Own Bangs community. Feel free to reach out with questions, comments, or anything you'd like to share. You can connect with me at any of the links below.   Website: https://danielleireland.com/   The Treasured Journal: https://danielleireland.com/journal   Substack: https://danielleireland.substack.com/   Blog: https://danielleireland.com/blog/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielleireland_lcsw   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielleireland.LCSW   Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@danielleireland8218/featured “Don't Cut Your Own Bangs” is about creating a community around, and familiarity with, the messy middle—that uncertain and often chaotic and uncomfortable time in the middle of a process or journey. The messy middle is replete with ambiguity and challenges, but it's also where the hard and rewarding work happens.   Transcript [00:00:00] Danielle: Hello. Hello, this is Danielle Ireland and you are watching or listening to Don't Cut Your Own Bangs. I am so excited to be back in the interview seat. We've done some solo cast. It's been a blast. But Ashlyn Thompson is here with me today, and we just wrapped an incredible conversation. Ashlyn came on as a guest to talk about her work with Charlotte's Hope Foundation a couple of years ago. [00:00:26] She was about ready to embark right in the interview we were, she was. Days away from embarking on a trip to the UK for her daughter having a surgery with the only surgeon in the world who performed the specific type of surgery that her daughter needed. Her daughter's made a full recovery. It's a beautiful story we're gonna get into in this episode, but what I'm truly, if you could imagine even beyond that beautiful story, what I'm so excited to introduce to you and to that I was so grateful to witness and learn from. [00:00:53] Is that Ashlyn has grown her nonprofit organization, not no money in organization, but yes, a nonprofit organization that at the time, two years ago when we last checked in with her, was called Charlotte's Hope Foundation. It has grown. It's expanded, and it's evolved, and it's now the Parent Empowerment Network. [00:01:10] She and her co-founder also have a podcast for that same work, and what I love about the work that they do. They create community connection space and resources for parents and families raising children or any provider helping a child navigate medical complexities. And that sounds like such a hard and heavy and challenging topic. [00:01:33] And it is. But what Ashlyn embodies is. The work that I really wanted to bring to this season and this new phase of don't cut your own bangs, which I want big feelings to feel less scary. I want approaching them to feel possible. And then with that in mind, wherever possible, as much as possible, finding lightness, levity, and joy. [00:01:54] However we can do it. And I'm telling you, in this episode we did that. We accomplished that. We talk about important things, we talk about heavy things, and Ashland is vulnerable in a way that is inviting. But also something we can all learn from. And through the specificity of her life experience and what she's learned, there are universal nuggets that we can all find value in. [00:02:17] I know I did, and this was such a beautiful place to share, and we laughed. We had joy, we smiled . I hope that this topic invites you and encourages you to lean in and tune in because there are so many great nuggets of this. Thank you for being here, and I can't wait for you to sit back, relax, and enjoy. [00:02:38] Ashlyn Thompson [00:02:39] Hi. Yes, I know. Big jumps for both of us. I know. I feel like we're, it does feel like a lifetime ago. It I mean, in many ways it is. It's like we're, I mean, I'm still, me and all the key players are still playing. Right. But it does feel like a different life in a way. And I, with that in mind, I just wanna officially welcome you back. [00:02:55] Yes. Welcome. Ashlyn Thompson. Oh, thank. Don't cut your own bangs. I am so excited that you're here for many reasons, but the thing I'm most excited about is I think that. Building something or starting something creates a certain amount of effort and energy. Sustaining something, growing with it, breathing new life into it, that's a different part of a different element of a creative process. [00:03:17] And that's something I think specifically I'm really excited to talk to you about because you're parent Empowerment Network, which has it, it exists to support, encourage and educate parents and caregivers of children with medical complexities. And that was, it already was in existence when we, right, when we recorded the first time. [00:03:34] But it has grown. Grown. I went to a gala, people, she's throwing a gala fundraiser for her for her network. And so, I mean, I wanna hear about all the twists and all the developments of that, but more specifically the context I wanna provide for us and for this conversation. The thing that I'm really excited about, , and why I feel really passionate about bringing this to video. [00:03:57] Is that I want to help make big feelings feel less scary. Yeah. And I want to make, approaching them feel possible. And then with that in mind as much and as often as possible, laugh as much as possible. Amen. And so, right? So like, you are swimming in the trenches with people and even in your own life with people who are holding and making space for heavy things. [00:04:23] Yes. And yet there is a bright smile on your face. There's a twinkle in your eye. You laugh and you smile. And I wanna, and I don't know how to articulate what that is, but I want to, I wanna, that's something I wanna make space for in this conversation too. So it's important and it's big and it's emotional for sure, but also like, let's allow levity too. [00:04:42] Absolutely. I am so excited to be continuing our conversation, and I'm also really happy to know that. The person who's sitting here with you today is very much a different person from two years ago. And I feel like I have gone through multiple versions of myself just in the past two years. And that's one of the things that I truly celebrate about, not just the journey of parent empowerment network, but I think just growing and evolving as a human spirit, experiencing this life is recognizing that I say this phrase to only certain people, but I act, I feel compelled to share it now. [00:05:26] I feel like I have died a thousand times. And greeted so many versions of myself. But every time I rise into that extroversion and realize who I am, I like that person more and more. And. I feel like one of my greatest accomplishments just this past year has been truly settling into a, knowing a deep belief that life is meant to grow through, not go through. [00:05:58] And that change, that pivot of how I see the next big thing that comes up has been such a grounding force for me and has really helped me feel like I'm actually sitting in the driver's seat of my car. I don't know what I'm going to pass as I'm on this highway. In life. And sometimes life yanks me off on an exit I didn't plan. [00:06:23] And those exit ramps are typically the next lesson. But I'm grateful to be at a point where I can now see the next really hard thing emerging and not wanna hit reverse. Wow. Wow. Not that I like it all the time. No, God. But I can appreciate that this isn't out to crush me. This isn't here to take me down like I used to feel. [00:06:53] , Wow. There's a lot to unpack there for. Thank you so much for sharing that, but also not going in reverse. I wanna make a mental note, not going in reverse. The next version of me, I like better, and this is not here to crush me. Right. The, there's something, I got chills. I got full body chills when you, the la with the last thing that you said, because when I'm working with clients, there is this element and this is something. [00:07:18] I promise I'll come back to that original point there. There's an element of the work that I do where, and I'm sure you get this in your own way too, with like hearing stories from families who are holding really hard and heavy things. I think when I meet people for the first time, a common response is, wow, I don't know how you do what you do, or I don't know how you listen to that all day. [00:07:36] Or Oh man, and I think, yes, sure. There, there are certainly days and clients or moments where those stories are making space for people's big, heavy, painful experiences. Right. Is can be a lot at times. Far less anymore. But I think more than anything the va like, I feel so lucky to have the experience a hundred maybe even thousands of times over hurt people's pain. [00:08:03] And I know what pain sounds like. Yes. And there are different types and one thing that I absolutely believe to be true is that our pain is not personal. Our story is personal, right? But pain is not personal. And the events of our life, even things that happen to us, it's, there's it's almost shifting out of a, and I hope I can say this within the context that, that is heard with love. [00:08:27] But shifting out of a victim mentality right into it. Because being victimized or being stricken with grief or holding something hard like that is absolutely real. And also knowing that this is happening to me, but this is not gosh, what are the words I'm trying to find. It, what I'm hearing is you recognize how hard this is. [00:08:51] Whatever that insert blank. I recognize how hard this is, and I'm not going to make this pain so precious that I don't also see it as temporary. Yes, exactly. But there's something, so I think there's something really powerful and there's so much nuance to that because I certainly don't want to, people can be victimized, but the victim mentality is one of, in my professional experience it's one of the more challenging headspace to, for someone to walk out of. [00:09:21] Agree. It's really hard. Exactly. It shrinks your world. So, so much. That's well said. And we experience that very often. We really fo I mean we say all the time, you know, we are non diagnosis specific, non prognosis specific with the families that we work with, and we focus on the parents or the parent role, which could be performed by a sibling, a grandparent, a friend, an adopt, a lot of different people, but. [00:09:51] What we really found early in our journey and what helped us evolve into parent empowerment network was that recognition that, like you pointed out, pain is not it's not customized to your experience. The feeling, the emotional and physical experience relationship with pain is common through all of us, and it actually is a way that we can connect with each other when we recognize that. [00:10:18] When we stop comparing one another's pains. Now, don't get me wrong, if your kid got a bump on the head versus your kid needs a, you know, brain surgery. Right. Those are different. Yes. Very different. Yes. But most of the time we're not dealing with that. And what we have found is that when somebody is in that victim mentality, which is understandable, I think that's a, very important aspect to acknowledge when you're feeling like a victim, why is this happening to me? Or why is this happening to my child? Because I'll be the first to say, it's never okay when your child is hurting or sick or in harm's way or worse. I will never be okay with it. But when we say stuck in a victim mentality, our ability to problem solve goes from about here to here. [00:11:08] Yeah. And then your child is really the one who suffers. And I hate, it's a hard truth. But we have to face that truth because when we can help a parent start to find glimmers of hope, start to see that there's a way to build on quality of life rather than cure. Then you start to see this new version emerge where they are truly, you know, empowered advocates for their child. [00:11:45] There's something that I heard in what you said too, that a lot of times when I'm working with clients who are maybe knee deep in anxiety or depression, for example. I think why can be a powerful question, but I think a misplaced why is a really exactly damaging question. Like, why me? Why them? [00:12:02] Why this, why now? Because those are questions you can't answer that only lead to a defeating answer. Exactly. And usually another question or shame, but what I'm hearing a lot in when you. When you can kind of broaden your focus and sort of release that constriction from why you then can open yourself up to a different type of question. [00:12:23] How can I, exactly. How can I get through today? How can I get through this moment? What is needed most of me now? What do I need now? Right. And those types of the what and the how. Who do I need to show up for? Is it me? Right. Is it them? Who do I need to ask for help? Who has information that I need? [00:12:43] Those types of questions don't eliminate the pain, but it broadens the scope Yes. Of, of your field of vision. And I know that though, like, 'cause you are here in many ways. Oh, I hope it's okay to use this term. But I hope that you're here as an expert and you're also the executive Hope director of of the power impairment network. [00:13:05] And I think a lot of times. What we would imagine as the worst possible case scenario. Like the worst thing we could imagine would be something happening to our kids. This has been your lived experience. This has been your business partner's lived experience. And for, even though you have a podcast as well, where you really create a space and content and a community that helps people with that very specific set of circumstances, that Right. [00:13:33] I would imagine it's like. The best and worst club to be a part of. So we always say, we're so sorry you're in this club. Yes. But we're so glad you found us. Yes. Like it's the yes, we're really sorry, but at the same time, like, welcome home, welcome. And so I think a lot of the, a lot of the people who tune in to don't cut your own bang, I don't know how many would have this specific life experience. [00:13:57] Right. And if you do, oh my gosh, what a gorgeous resource you have in Ashlyn. Oh, thank you. And the Parent empowerment network and their podcast. But I do think that even in something like this, in within the specificity of everything you're saying, there is such a broad truth that I think we can all access and find value in. [00:14:16] And, yeah. So just thank you for all of that. And I want to, okay. I wanna shift a little bit to the growth of the parent Empowerment network. Right. Because, so when I originally started this podcast, what I was, what I really motivated me, one was I was terrified of becoming a therapist and having worked as a creative, and I just wanted to surround myself with other people who, who were building things, right? So that I could sort of sneak in my own needy questions. Like, how did you do it? How did you figure it out? What happened when you were scared? Like, what happened when your computer crashed? Oh my gosh. And you went from newly building something to, you have really grown. [00:14:53] Yes. You have really grown. And I wanna know having experienced the, you know, the gala that Right. That you that you threw that was so lovely. I wanna know . What led to the growth over the last two years? Because you're still momming, you're still life. Yeah. Your daughter is still being you. [00:15:08] I mean, like your life is still life and Yes. Life is still lifeing. How, in the midst of your lifeing, how have you also continued to grow this? And I really wanna know like what fueled your fire. And just tell me more about that story please. Yes, absolutely. So at the beginning of this, you know, when we started talking, you were very talking about how I'm sitting here smiling and I mean, I am fully, I am genuinely full of joy in this moment. [00:15:35] And I think I know actually that comes from being in something like we have with Parent Empowerment Network, which has been truly its own huge like business, right? We are called a nonprofit, but let me tell you, I mean, it is straight up business. [00:15:57] Is what it is in a lot of ways, and. That's the worst possible name for a tax category. It totally is. Because it's so confusing. Nonprofit doesn't mean no money. Right. Exactly. It's so confusing. We do not exist for free. Is great an idea as that sounds. I want that to be the slogan for every nonprofit. [00:16:16] I just, 'cause we don't exist for free. Right. You know the whole, you get what you pay for. It's, yeah. That's a whole other conversation. We're not gonna spend too much time there today. We should have a part two then. There we go. I'm okay with that. All right. So for that, what I think the biggest lesson that has. [00:16:33] Emerged from this journey just since we were, you know, you and I were talking a couple years ago when we were actually still called Charlotte's Hope Foundation. Yes. Which was our initial name. Yes. Because we had an idea for something that was this big at the beginning. And the name Charlotte's Hope Foundation fit that in theory. [00:16:52] But the thing I'm most proud of my, of Emily Whiting, who's my co-founder, fellow mom, fellow sister, fellow savior, at times the best thing we have done is allowed ourselves permission to grow and shrink as needed. And that's what we've done throughout this journey. It has not been a step process. [00:17:15] There have been countless times where we have grown two or three steps, been bigger, you know, working with international teams of surgeons, pulling together collaborations that have never been done, and then. There have been times where we have pulled back and we haven't released an episode for six weeks. [00:17:33] We have had maybe two or three social posts because our lives were on fire or just demanded all our attention, but it didn't mean we had to stop. I need to, oh my gosh. I don't know how many of you listening or watching can relate to that. I, there is a relationship I have with the expansion and contraction of output where if I'm not putting something out, producing something, making something that it really does a number on my sense of self worth. Right. And self esteem. And that is something that I'm still actively healing and repairing, because I definitely know the facts. I know. The really bumper stickery, self helpy sounding talk. [00:18:26] And I believe it. It's not that I, I don't hear it and think like, yeah. Right. It's just that there's a more practiced version of me, right. That has just had more at bats operating in a certain way. And then life in many ways rewards you for that. In theory. In theory. And I don't mean the like the laurels, like you get the the kudos pat on the back accolades but there is a cost, right? [00:18:47] There is a cost. And I think, in the I this past year I wrote a children's book called Wrestling a Walrus. And this the act of writing this book was something that I didn't realize that in the contraction, or even like in the I love the visual of the caterpillar becoming the butterfly. [00:19:09] 'Cause there's a two week process where the caterpillar is literally, we talk about the messy middle in this podcast and think, thank you Brene Brown, wherever you are for creating language and context for us for this very conversation. 'cause so much of this is inspired by that, but that gooey, mushy middle where it's not a butterfly, it's literally goo and it's Exactly, and it, and, but in that place, there is magic happening there. [00:19:33] Even if it, even though it looks like a pile of shit, right. Like, it's, there's magic happening there. I'll say the impetus or the inspiration, the. It was tough moments with my daughter, moments where I didn't feel like I was doing anything. Right. It like hitting the wrecking ball of, you know, being a parent of a toddler and a parent of an infant like that was, there's not enough grace in any space to help you go through that without serious, you know, support. [00:20:02] There were, I had some victim mentality at that point in time, even, and all things can be true at once. But all of that was what I experienced before I had the idea to write the book. And had I not had that experience, I wouldn't have been able to do that. Exactly. I don't think it would've been the same. [00:20:16] And [00:20:16] , and I promise this whole podcast isn't an ad for the book, but like, I really believe in this damn book and I love it so much. And I love that you talk about that expansion and contraction for yourself. And that you doesn't, it doesn't mean you have to stop. 'cause I think a big reason why I maybe avoided picking up the torch again and doing this podcast like I left it for so long, or I abandoned it for so long, or can I still do it right? [00:20:41] Like all of that stuff. And then yeah it. Yeah. Doubt doesn't mean you're done. No. And taking a pause doesn't mean you're stopping forever. But yeah. I mean, you can't just exhale forever. You can't just output like you eventually have to breathe in. Exactly. And that relationship is very necessary. [00:21:00] And so, I mean, everything you're saying is exactly what I need. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome. And it, that lesson doesn't come easily. Nope. But I think another element of that, you know, building off of what you were just talking about, pain and discomfort and naturally shying away from it. [00:21:21] I challenge anybody in life to just take a moment to consider pain as a potential teacher, as a professor, rather than pain as an enemy, or pain as a destroyer. Right. If you ask yourself. Why does this feel painful? Because how many times do we all experience in our life something that really gets under our skin, but whether it's a spouse or it's a friend or a coworker and they seem totally unfazed by it, [00:21:56] and that used to be something that bothered me. I was kinda like what's, am I ever sensitive? Or like, what is my thing? And I grew up always hearing, not necessarily even from my parents, but I feel like. Teacher schools and saved by the bell commercials about find what you love in life and you'll never work a day in your life. [00:22:16] And that was great in theory, but I'm a very eclectic person. Yep. I love a lot. And all I was getting was a lot of burnout. That's also like saying like, love your kids and you'll never have a hard day with them in your life. You're like, no bs. No. I love my kids. But like, you know, oh my gosh, kids are the greatest, hardest thing of life. [00:22:33] Right. Right. But I think the same is true. Like , I never stopped loving this. Right. But I don't always have control over the life around. Right. But it's a, I think allowing things to be a part of you, not all of you, is really important. Yeah. And I think it's so easy to define ourselves by that output. [00:22:53] For me and Emily, the word is often it's impact. Are we actually making an impact? And the thing that helped us. Become okay with hitting the pause button when we needed to, and not officially throwing in the towel. Don't get me wrong, there were conversations about it, but we were always very honest with each other and we held each other accountable that if you are feeling like this is not jiving with your life, if it's not jiving with you personally, or it's not good for your family at this moment, let's hit the pause button and talk about it. [00:23:26] But realizing that if we only help each other while working on this, Emily and I, that's helping our kids, that's helping our families. And there's a domino effect from that goes from that. And if that's all we ever do, what's bad about that? You said something that I, it still stuck with me and it will probably be the title of this episode. [00:23:49] Pain is a Professor. Yes, it is. And I wanna go back to that because something that I talk about in my sessions a lot is that your emotions never lie to you. Now your thoughts are very different. Yes. Your thoughts can go a, now granted, we need to think critical thinking is important. [00:24:04] We probably need more critical thinking, but thoughts happen to us all day, every day, constantly. Right. I don't remember what the statistic is. I think we have roughly like eight thoughts a minute, something like that. I'm surprised it's not . Maybe that's just a DH adhd. And that could be too, like, yeah, there, maybe there's a spectrum. [00:24:18] Maybe it's eight to 80 thoughts a minute. Give or take. Give or take a hundred. But so thoughts happen to us now. We can certainly consciously choose what to focus on and what we think. But thinking happens, the emotions are in response to what we're thinking and believing. Exactly. And they never lie. [00:24:35] Right. And I But something you said like pain as a professor. And I like the thought that emotions are energy in motion. Yes. And they always have something for you to learn. There's something for every emotion. There is something it wants you to know. Right. And when you're not feeling good are we have more pain receptors in our body, unfortunately. [00:24:55] We have more pain receptors in our body than we do pleasure receptors. Like, and so when pain is activated, it just has a firmer grip. There's something that Martha Beck talks about that I love. It's called the, I think she calls it the Viper in the box of puppies. So if you were to imagine like, and enough said, right. [00:25:10] Done. You get it. But you hand, if I handed you a box full of like 15 adorable, gorgeous little puppies, I mean, it's, they're the most abundant, silly, loving, fuzzy source of love, safety, pleasure. I could really go for that right now. I mean, would it, that should be a, I'm hoping there's one hiding around somewhere. [00:25:28] We have a surprise for you, but if I were to then put a Viper in or a cobra in your box of puppies. All you're gonna see is the threat. Exactly. All you're gonna see is the threat. And I think in life, it's like we pop mo most of us more often than not, are probably living in lives with a lot of puppies. [00:25:48] But the viper, the threat is what consumes Oh yeah. So much energy and attention and shifting your focus from one to the other is easier said than done. And I wanna talk to you specifically about how you have found meaning or, and I, when I say success, I don't mean it in like a bullet point sense, but right. [00:26:12] Where you have found access to, you know, the viper, you know, or the cobra, you know, the box of puppies. Right. How you access that. I can certainly share how I have, but my emotions, I. I've learned in time. I don't always know exactly what they're telling me in the beginning, but I trust them enough to know that it's something. [00:26:36] And so the first place I try to access, if I'm not dissociating or avoiding, is to sit with it. Yeah. So usually it's like, I'm I'll just dissociate in my fantasy book or rewatching parks and recreation for the MPH teeth bajillion time. You know, it's just always a Sure bet. Yeah. It's just, it's hard for, life can only be so hard with Leslie Nope and little Sebastian, you know? [00:26:57] So anyway. But I wanna know where you find yourself in that shift. Yeah. Yeah. So you've got my head's like turning, I'm also still picturing puppies to be honest. That's okay. So I actually, I feel like I wanna give an example of something that I experienced last year, so two years ago. [00:27:11] It's crazy to think two years ago I went on this crazy journey to England. I went to London to take my daughter, who was not quite two years old yet to have a surgery over there for her ultra rare condition that was not available in the States. And I had talked to everybody in the States, of course, that had any knowledge about it and all they could tell me was, we don't really know anything about it. [00:27:35] We don't do it here. Kind of you're on your own, go for it. Or don't, we can't say that we would support you. All that matters is I went for it. And fortunately it did end up being the right decision, but I also knew that it could not be the right decision. And what I found on that experience was that I was originally desperate for picking the right way in life to move forward, that I could not make a decision. [00:28:06] I could not possibly move forward unless I was a hundred percent sure. But guess what? Life isn't real big on giving you a guarantee. Yeah. Guarantees with anything. And I think where I, that's where I started to learn that I don't have to have the answers to move forward. I can be looking at that box and I can see, oh my gosh, this could go terribly wrong. [00:28:34] But I think living with a hopeful mindset is something that allows me to keep my eye on that viper and then still interact with the puppies over here. My eye is still trained on it, but what I found is a peace in making my decision. And it was a, that feeling, that gut feeling. You know, it, I, it doesn't matter what you've gone through in life. [00:28:58] I can't believe that there's anybody out there who hasn't just had that. I call it just that knowing in your gut, it's a physical experience and that is something. That has helped me move forward in life. Because here's the thing, guys, nobody can ever stay truly still. And that's where a lot of our pain and discomfort comes from, is fighting moving forward without certainty. [00:29:23] Oh, let's pause right there. Oh my gosh. So there's something that Dr. Becky Kennedy who she has the good, she wrote the book Good Inside, and she's got her own beautiful podcast and work and content. She does. She really she focuses on kids, but she's really working on parents relationship with their inner child and by extension their parenting. [00:29:43] But she talks about something called, I've called it the Gap, but she calls it the learning space. So with kids, most of their frustration, tension and meltdowns happen between meeting a moment or. A moment arising and knowing how to meet the moment. And that learning space is usually the gap in knowing or understanding of this is what's arisen and I don't know how to meet this moment. [00:30:04] Right? And then if their context or their ability to meet it, if the moment exceeds their ability that's usually when there's a lot of pain or big feelings. Right. And I think with adults, that's usually where I see self-doubt, rumination anxiety, self-destructive tendencies. [00:30:23] Come in and you're right. You're, I love that you said we're never really still, I mean, one that's just true based on science and physics. We're never still that's actually one of the, like, there's like two necessary components, maybe three to being a living, being or a living entity. [00:30:36] I think, what is it? Movement, cell division, reproduction, and, I don't know, something else. Hey, anyone here pop off in the comments if you're a science boss, please gold star for you. Please. But but yeah, we're never truly still. And so even when you feel stagnant and stuck and even hearing you say that I'm actually processing in real time, one of the things that I have done that I, I discovered by accident, but probably because my body knew better than my mind did. [00:31:04] I would, it often does. I would take my feelings on walks. I would, I talked about that movement is essential if you are literally feeling stuck. I tell, that's what I tell everybody. Anytime they're spiraling. Which it's understandable. Go for a walk. Even if it is five minutes, walk up and down your stairs. [00:31:22] Or at the least one of my favorite things thank you Instagram reels for sucking up so much of my life at times in the hospital, but sometimes, but it's, sometimes it's, it is the perfect escape. It's okay to let the pressure off of ourselves. But there was this one that I saw it was this therapist who was like in her seventies and she was in Ireland and she's walking around in like this, you know, the quintessential Ireland landscape. [00:31:47] And she said, I tell all of my clients when you have a problem or a worry or something that's making you feel like you need to hurry, walk outside where you can see the sky and look up. Because the moment you remove a ceiling from your view, from your your line of sight, your mind opens with it. [00:32:08] And possibilities grow. And I have experienced that so often. And you think about it where you, when you're in a confined space. It only adds to those feelings of I'm stuck or I'm out of options, or I can't deal with this. But when you go outside and the world is just showing you how big it is and how small you are, there's actually a ton of comfort in that. [00:32:35] There's, I've also read and heard that there's something about the way that our eyes sort of gently move and follow and track side to side. Yeah. The movement around us that activates a similar calming sensation that our body experiences in REM sleep. Because if you're tracking a bird or tracking a squirrel, or just simply seeing like the trees and movement, track your kids. [00:32:55] Right. That'll keep you, your eyes all over the place. Girl. But like, 'cause right now we're facing a computer screen and we're in, we're under lights. Like, it's a very I mean, it's a lovely container, but it's a sterile container by comparison of being outside. And I Right. I do think that sometimes, like, like Lifeing. [00:33:11] It can be hard, and I never wanna oversimplify holding the challenges and moving through the challenges. Right. And yet I think sometimes when something feels overly, when something feels complex and impossible, it's almo. I, my instinct is to abandon the basics. And that is always the place to start. [00:33:32] That's always the place to start, is to go back to the basics. [00:33:35] Knowing what you know now what. Do you think the version of you, I wrote down three years ago, but I wanna go back to two years ago bef, like as you were navigating all the travel plans and the decision to go to the UK for your daughter's surgery, what do you think that version of Ashlyn needed to hear or needed to know? [00:33:55] And then the follow up question to that, after you answers, do you think she would've believed you? [00:33:59] It's really funny that you're asking this question because I actually had a conversation yesterday with a neighbor's daughter who is a film student, and this question has actually been going through my mind a lot lately about, I wonder where my life would be if I'd known this in my early thirties, if I'd known, or if I had known this in my twenties. [00:34:23] And I kept kind of going backwards like, I didn't know this then. Oh maybe if I'd known this. And I kept just, like I said, looking back and then what I realized is. It's so important that I didn't know those things because I had to experience them with the challenges. I had to climb the mountains for the first time to really understand the importance of gaining those skills for myself. So I actually think that Ashlyn, a couple years ago, I may have wanted to hear, I, what I wanted to hear was, you're making the right decision. I wanted to be validated by doctors, by people who I typically refer to as the ones who have the alphabet after their name. [00:35:06] Can somebody please just tell me, check, you know, you're making the right choice. Or this is what I would do if it were my child. And I wanted it so desperately that I, it did almost prevent me from going. But I am blessed that because of other experiences before that, right where pain had started to evolve into a guide for my life, a way of understanding what is most important to me. [00:35:37] It clarifies a lot. Exactly. Because often, you know, pain and fear are often about things we can't control, right? And what it showed me was that I don't need guaranteed outcomes to be able to sleep at night. I know that if I don't give it everything, including the kitchen sink, I won't be able to sleep at night. [00:36:03] I won't be able to look at Emery when she's an adult and tell her. We tried absolutely everything we could to give you the best quality of life, and that's what I needed to be able to give her. In order for me to feel good about the mom I am. And that's what was most important to me at that time. [00:36:23] So it sounds like maybe you trust in your ability to meet the moment enough that you don't think you would've gone back and told yourself anything? No, I think, and that's something that, like I said, I'd been thinking about a lot, like how many times if I'd only known this, if I if I'd only held my boundaries or if, or you know, these standards or, you know, all the things I could have done differently. [00:36:48] But as I said at the beginning of this, I feel like I have lived a thousand lives and become. A thousand new versions of myself, but you don't become your next self without going through something that carves away at you to reveal it. We don't grow through the easy no we stay stagnant. And besides small talk, my biggest fear in life is staying stagnant. [00:37:20] God, can we just let go of small talk? Oh my gosh. We all have a weather app and we all know the traffic patterns at this point. Like, do you know what's so funny about the weather app? I'm gonna use it every day. I treat my husband like the weather app, and we have an Alexa, like in, literally, like, I'll ask him what the temperature is and he'll be like. [00:37:41] Alexa. I just, oh my goodness. It's like those basic the basic like things of moving through life. I don't know why. It's like I've, I have this like faux that's of publicist. I'm like, I don't know what I'm, so what's the weather? I can't look out the window. I can't ask my own Alexa. [00:37:56] I always think, I think it's, I think it's more like, I think it's fair to acknowledge those as high. There's higher priorities that take up front of mind space. That's right. That's right. Things' so focused on the big things. Right? Yes. It's okay. We're not meant to like, you know, and I think that's another, that's one point I feel really compelled to bring up in this conversation based on all these things we've talked about, you know? [00:38:20] Yes. thank you for the chance to share what Parent Empowerment Network does, and the Empowered By Hope podcast is about addressing the real hard, the messy like, because as far as we're concerned, like once you get the news, your child is not okay. You're living in the messy middle from there on out. [00:38:36] And it can make you, or it can break you. And we're there to tell everybody, we promise this will make you. Even with worst case scenario, and that's a bold statement, but, you know, but it's one you've lived and I exactly. And I've seen countless others live, right? But I think it's so important that everybody, you know, I guess my dream would be if everybody could just realize we are not meant to carry pain and hardship and struggle by ourselves. [00:39:07] That's really what Parent Empowerment Network does. That's really what our podcast does, is it directly says to everybody who gets a chance to interact with us or who we have the honor to meet with. It just says, Hey, you are not expected to hold this alone. You know, put some of that on our plate. [00:39:24] Let's hold it together because it'll be better for everybody. It's not just you is like, again, that's what frees you from a victim mentality. You are not the only one who's ever experienced this. Right. You are not the only one who has suffered this way. And in by no means it's not to minimize. [00:39:40] Right. Exactly. It's not belittling it, it's not, it's definitely not dismissing it. But it's meant to serve as a lighthouse. Right. Our stories are unique. Yes, of course. And so that's, and I think that's what is endlessly, I will never be bored having an in-depth. Not small talk with the love of God, but like, I will never I will be endlessly fascinated by other people. [00:40:01] Because the stories are unique. Yeah. But there is a common thread that we can all see ourselves in or relate to. That, it's so enriching. Yeah. It's almost like, maybe because it's spring and, but I'm thinking it's like the pain is like the compost. Yeah. Something has to die in rotten decay in order to nurture something new. To grow. Yep. Exactly. And I, and that pain serves as fur. It's fertilizing the new, the next round of growth. Right. Yeah. It's not making anything vanish or destroying it, it's just, but it has to break down to build back up. I think that's why mosaics are my favorite type of art. [00:40:39] Yeah. I have such a strong connection to any piece that I see that's made up of a mosaic. And I remember that coming true for me when my dad had his massive stroke and. You know, he was completely debilitated, couldn't speak for himself, couldn't move his own body. He lived like that almost two years. But I remember getting really close to a couple key therapists in his life. [00:41:04] And I remember just after he passed, I got them both a small gift. It was these little mosaic art pieces for them. And I said, when I saw those, I knew that this was the right thing because you didn't see my dad as a destroyed person. You saw him as for the broken pieces. He was that to be put back, to be put together into something that was new and beautiful on its own. [00:41:33] And that's what I feel like pain has the ability to do for all of us. It's okay. And I to acknowledge that you are broken. But it's also just as important to acknowledge that you can be remade into something. You, the old you is gone. You know, when we go through something awful hard, unimaginable it's really easy to think that I will feel this way forever. There is a finality that we attach to painful experiences and it takes often somebody from the outside to gently help us realize that's not reality. I often, when I'm in that transition and I'm not aware or I'm just not ready to admit there are either, there's usually it's I there's usually things I wanna carry along with me. [00:42:28] Yep. It's like. Like an old dingy snugly blanket or like a stuffed animal that like has like holes worn in and like an eyes popped off. It's just but I when I've gone through those transitions, it's saying goodbye to maybe friendships that aren't serving me. [00:42:42] Yep. Or titles, roles levels of output expectations, stories, ways of being and the way, and to go back to pain as a professor, which is going to be the title. That it's only when I try to take the old way of being or the old relationship that is no longer serving into my new now reality. [00:43:04] When it feels anything other than good. Yeah. That's information exactly that it's showing me something and. That curiosity over constriction can also for me look like curiosity over criticism. And because that criticism is usually either dialed inward, what's wrong with me? Right. Or what's wrong with them? [00:43:25] Versus , what is happening Exactly. What's going on? What is this showing me? And I would say probably saying goodbye to relationships or friendships has probably been the hardest. Yeah. The hard, because there is this idea that I'm like if I like it, and it's like in a possessive way. [00:43:42] It's, if I like you forever. And I, and of course that is true. I mean, it, there's nobody who's been in my life that's added value that I don't appreciate. Right. But but I think that the shedding. Yeah. It's like I, I want the next thing, but I also don't wanna let the old thing go. [00:43:56] Right. And so it's, I think I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to like, pull that thing with me. Whatever it is and whatever that stage. But I think that there's when you can fully embrace, 'cause what I'm hearing from you is when you can fully embrace I am different now. [00:44:11] Yep. This is different. This mosaic. I'm not, I may not be able to carry water like I was as a vase. Right. But I'm gonna look really great as this. Yeah. And the other thing I wanna shift to before, before I get to your, don't cut your own bangs question. What I wanna ask you, you've mentioned art a couple of different times. [00:44:28] And this is to, to reference Dr. Martha Beck again. She has done a lot of incredible work in the last couple years where a way to. Step out of anxiety is not to try to access calm. 'cause we talked about going for a walk, right? So, because as much as I love these big conversations, it can be sometimes like, what is something tangible I can actually hold onto? [00:44:53] So walking with something we talked about community and connection with something else we talked about, but Art, I wanna talk about that for a moment because that is what my book was for me. Yeah. It was I created something that only that felt like it was to serve me. The process of interacting with that idea was so delightful and so delicious and so fun that I was like, I feel like I'm just the luckiest person that like this is, oh wow, I get to play with this thing. [00:45:21] Yeah. And it wants to play with me. And I don't feel that all the time. Like sometimes it's origami or doodling or coloring with my daughter. But to go back to Dr. Martha Beck's work that the opposite of anxiety is not calm, it's creativity. Oh, I love that. And you have by default really spoken through, like just healing through creating. [00:45:43] Oh, absolutely. And also there's something about, 'cause calm, there's something about calm that like, we must be still, and granted I love meditation, but like, I must be still, I must be calm. But when you are holding something that is buzzing and shaking or heavy or hot, like just some emotions are hot, like you, it's like you wanna move it through your hands or your words or your body and make something, right. [00:46:06] And you made me, she made me this bracelet before we started this episode. So like, it feels like you have a relationship with creativity too. A hundred percent. Creativity is a lifeline. And I feel like, and the most chaotic moments of my life have been the least I'm my least creative and I think it's a really. [00:46:29] Valuable, tangible thing for anybody to take from this conversation is if you are feeling out of control, lean into something as simple as I'm obsessed with those adult, you know, like the coloring books. Yes. You know, for adults to have like tons of different like lines all over the place that you have to be like really specific to keep the marker in there. [00:46:51] It can't, I do get a little bugged when it like bleeds over to the next section, but, , it's okay. I know I'm working through my, , my stressors at that moment. But yes, giving yourself a creative outlet, it's like taking a big drink of water after you've been exercising and you are so parched. [00:47:07] And I also agree that , calm sounds great in theory, but for me I feel like the more important, like the word that's become more important or I'm better able to. Absorb is the idea of am I grounded? Are my feet touching the ground? I can still have a lot going on, but when I'm like rising higher, you know, off the ground, 'cause like, I'm like a bird at this point, just flapping my arms so fast, right. [00:47:35] That I'm actually taking flight. I'm not in my best head space, but when I can just take a moment to literally just ground myself, make sure that my feet are, whether it's in the grass or sit down like this. And a conversation with a friend, somebody who really knows you is a great moment for that. [00:47:53] It's a great way to remind you who you are is somebody else. Sometimes I talk all the time about the value of when you can connect with somebody who feels with you, not just for you. Oh my gosh. It makes the world so much lighter and goodness. I mean, huh. That's probably if I could have answered the question I asked you a little bit ago, what's something that you could have if I could have told my former therapist self, like when I very when I first started, you're there to hold space for people to feel and feel with them. [00:48:23] Right. Exactly. You're not there. It's sacred. Yeah. It's there's nothing, one, it's like, there's nothing I can tell someone who's deeply in pain that they're actually gonna No. , That's, the words are just like, right. It's just noise. Yeah. And not to take anything. I'm sure I have clients who have been impacted by words. [00:48:40] But having a safe space to feel your feelings free of judgment. Is one of the reasons why I love journaling so much, but also doing that in communion Yeah. With another human right who expects nothing of you. I love Elizabeth Gilbert has language I love, like there's no precious outcome. [00:48:57] Like I can, that I can sit and have space with you or I can make plans with you or be, and there's no precious outcome. You don't have to perform for me. Right. You don't have to be anything for me. Like we can just be that is what a gift. Yes, that is. I just want to, this conversation has inspired way too many thoughts, but in the best way. [00:49:15] But something that hit me and then I think we could absolutely move on to Yeah. This the cut your bangs question. But what I've realized even in our conversation is that logic is not loud . our emotions are loud and they get louder and louder. The more we. Push them back the more we ignore them. [00:49:36] Think of your kids until they, when they need your attention. Because they deserve your attention. They do. The best thing we can do is acknowledge those emotions and just, even if it's as simple as, it's totally understandable. I feel this way right now. That is such a freeing sentence. Of course, I feel this way right now. [00:49:58] That was some serious shit that I just went through. Yeah . of course, I feel, and it doesn't have to make sense when those feelings hit the timing a lot of times feelings for me, I've found won't hit until I'm in a safe space much further down the road. Yes. And it's like being T-boned, like yes, totally out of the blue. [00:50:19] But that's also what happens to kids when they have tantrums. Ah, yeah. They'll hold. And then when they're finally either home at the end of the day or something, when the container is so full and they're finally in a place where they feel safe, they'll erupt over an orange peel not being peeled correctly. [00:50:32] Or , or a banana not being peeled correctly. Oh gosh. And it's not that, don't even start me on string cheese. God. Oh God. Parenting is fun. The best, but No, but you're right. Sometimes, I think that's probably why I cry almost with like every movie and TV show I watch. [00:50:47] Yeah. Because the emotions are just always right there and I just need a place to let it trickle out. Right. And that's okay. And I think, but just not judging ourselves for feelings. And then I think once we give that space or the feelings, the sooner we can do that, the sooner that logic, you know, like you, you mentioned multiple times, I know this, then you give logic. [00:51:13] The space that it needs to speak to you in a calm and quiet manner that you can actually trust. And that's where I think that those gut feelings truly come from. Those inner knowings are, when you've allowed space for the emotions first, given them their due. So then the logic can start to talk to you because it's never going to yell for your attention. [00:51:35] No. And I think we want it to, but that's not the way it works. And that's okay. A lot of times things make sense in hindsight, oh gosh, hindsight's 2020. Always. South Park has a great episode. If people if you have just like a dark sense of humor and you wanna laugh at, there's a character called Captain Hindsight and it's really funny. [00:51:54] . So yeah, a lot of times things don't make sense until we're. A little bit more removed from them. Yep. And some what I have found to be helpful, I've noticed you using your hands. Yeah. And I find when I am, when my mind is really active and I need it to stop or slow down or I just i'll sometimes even throw my hands up. Yeah. And I'll say, and even saying. I'm feeling something and just to myself in my kitchen. 'cause I'm almost always , because I work from home, I'm either like in my office or in my kitchen, like I'm feeling something. As soon as you did that, it's gonna show on video. [00:52:25] I like saw from the corner of my eye myself, naturally going, whew. Yeah. Just sound like inhale. Exhale. Yes. It's like something is being felt. Something's happening. I don't know what it is, but something's happening. And I think, in a lot of ways too, like that's how we have these internal smoke signals. [00:52:42] Yeah. And it's the same way, like your smoke detector in your house doesn't know the difference between burnt toast and something on fire, right? But it will beep when it senses. Yeah. When it senses something. And so my body is like sensing something. Is this a threat? [00:52:56] Are we safe? Yes, we're safe. Oh, we're likely. We just needed water. We're just dehydrated. Uhhuh. Or we just, yeah. So any number of things. But that was so good. Thank you. And yes, I would love, love, love to know your don't cut your own bang moment. And for anybody who is new to the podcast, 'cause I think there are some new people here. [00:53:15] Thank you for being here. Don't cut Your own bang moment is a moment where you went all in on something like cutting your own bangs, you grabbed some scissors, you watched a YouTube video, you're like, I got this. And you go, and then, oh no, this wasn't what I thought it would be. But the value in a don't Cut Your own Bang moment is not only that we can share in the silliness of humanity and mistakes, but also like maybe we learn something from it. [00:53:42] So, Ashlyn? Yes. I would love to hear your Don't cut your own bang moment. Oh my goodness. I think that there's probably a plethora of them. Oh, of course. And, let's see here. I'm even, I tried to have one prepared, and then I got excited about the rest of our conversation. Oh my gosh. Don't worry. So, okay I'll share one. [00:53:58] So what's a good, don't a good, oh. I invited my husband to record a podcast with me because I thought it would just be, , fun to bring him back on. And what I realized was I didn't prepare him for it at all. I just set up lights and set up a camera and asked him to sit. And he was so, visibly like he was trying, he was sitting, he was trying. [00:54:23] But I could just tell, again, something's happening. And I could tell he was a little uncomfortable and a little stiff. And I kept, because our eyes look out. My first assumption is, what's wrong out there? And I was like, what are you okay? What's wrong? And he he was , I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing. [00:54:41] And then I was like. Oh, no, it was snip the bangs. I didn't provide any context. I didn't give him any preparation for what we'd be talking about, why we'd be talking like he had no context. And the whole setup is different, uhhuh. And it was such a humbling, settling moment of context. [00:55:04] It's I'm writing something right now about this idea of play. I'm a freedom loving, freedom seeking play hungry, greedy person right now. I want more play. I could never get enough. But what makes play feel fun and safe is to understand the context. Yeah. , There's rules in a game. [00:55:20] Otherwise, what is it? And I, my first instinct is to buck. Rules. I don't like ingredient lists. I don't like recipes. I just wanna feel my way through it. But, if you wanna make a beautiful croissant, you can't just feel your way through that. There's a very exacting way to do it. And so, it, it was such a one, I'm endlessly grateful for him and his patients with me. [00:55:40] I'm grateful that , our dynamics not new, so he probably knew what was going on, but just did yeah he's pretty sweet that way. But I, it was such a refresher that , if I wanna create a space and container to play safely with people Yeah. I need to give them the context. Absolutely. And it doesn't matter how long I've known someone, how well I know someone. [00:55:59] I laughed at myself because I, the part of the reason why it feels funny to me, but in like a humbling way. I thought the problem was him for like the first 15 minutes. I was like, what dude? Relax. I was like, what? Is he doing it right? [00:56:12] Yeah. like come on. And I was like. Oh no. Context. Zero. Oh my goodness. So that was a great one. Thank you. Okay, I'm gonna do mine in like short seconds because this one just hap this that inspired me perfectly. So my 8-year-old son and I are both going to the same therapist right now. [00:56:30] I'm a believer everybody should have at least an annual checkup with a therapist, but that's a great endorsement. Everyone should have an you annual checkup. You welcome, reach out to Danielle, she's fantastic. If you live in Indiana, by all means. If not, we'll help you find someone. Yes. And also order the book. [00:56:44] Yes, order the book. Get resting the wall risk. Get treasured. Yes. But go on please. So anyway one, one of the things that my I, the reason I love the person we're working with is because she's the first therapist I've worked with when it comes to, with my kids, she actually tells me what I can work on rather than just , you're doing the best you can and like you just love 'em. [00:57:03] And like, yes, I know, but that is not helping me. And so one of the things that got pointed out to me. Was so Cole , has very low frustration tolerance, like more so than is necessarily healthy for an 8-year-old. And of course with all the trauma with our his sister, our journey, it's understandable. [00:57:22] So we're working on that. What she kindly pointed out to me was, okay, we could work on his, but do you also realize that your tolerance for acceptable emotions is about this big? Oh, she's , therapist, be therapist Uhhuh. She's , but there's like a whole lot more emo like, she's , it's like a whole rainbow. [00:57:42] We need a whole arc for acceptable emotions. She's so you need to stop making it your responsibility to control which emotions he experiences. And it's up to you to provide the solid ground for him no matter which emotion comes up for him. And I will say that has changed my parenting in the last week. [00:58:04] More than maybe anything has like faster than anything. Because all of a sudden I'm like, of course it's acceptable that his sister just made him extremely mad. Of course it's understandable that he's jealous or sad or excited or whatever the feeling is, but it also doesn't define him as right or wrong, what emotions he's experiencing in that moment. [00:58:28] And the big thing was the realization that every emotion he experiences is not a direct reflection of who I am as a parent. No. Because that was what I needed to let go of that any emotion that is considered negative that my child has doesn't mean. That I'm doing a bad job as a parent. Oh my God. [00:58:49] That is one. What a beautiful. Don't cut. Thank you. With Dr. Sarah. Yes. Thank you, Dr. Sarah. You'd be therapizing all up in that session. That was so good. And it's the, that to me is a great example that hard truths can always be delivered with kindness. Yeah. But I think the big important thing there is you had the right context. [00:59:12] Exactly. You went to her for that information. Right. It wasn't like someone on the street. But the thing that we can't give someone what we don't have. Exactly. And I actually think that what you just said, if there was ever an endorsement for what. Self-care actually is not the commoditized, right. [00:59:29] Faux sense of, I'm gonna create a problem and I'm going to prescribe collagen. Did you know that the reason why, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah is these things that you need to buy and, oh, my program for blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm gonna, I have all that stuff. I'm not I'm wanna, I wanna keep it in perspective. [00:59:45] I am drinking the same Kool-Aid 'cause I'm getting sent the same algorithm ads that we're all getting sent. Like I'm doing colostrum now. I don't even know. Like, I just, because I was like, my gut might grow up I own, but anyway but I think self-care and the best possible context is when you nurture. [01:00:03] And heal yourself. It becomes the medicine. Yes. Yes. And the offering for the other people in your life that you love most. It's like as you increase your own palette of what you're able to allow yourself to experience, you're then also able to see it in your son and give it to him. That is so beautiful and it's hard. [01:00:26] Sometimes, but it's some God that a well timed, articulated loving truth like that can change your life. Yeah. That is amazing. Thank you. I don't know, we can't top that. That was good. We're good. That was real good. Ashlyn Thompson, thank you so much for coming back and we're going to have you back. [01:00:43] You have to come back. Yes. And you're coming over to Empowered by Hope very soon. I would love that so much. And Yes. And so all of the ways, if you or anyone you know in your life has been impacted by a little one with complex me complex medical issues and you want some support, you want some information, you want some resources. [01:01:01] The link in the show notes will have every way that you can connect with Ashlyn, her business partner, and what was formally Charlotte's Hope Foundation, what is now the Parent Empowerment Network. Pick up all the books, all the resources, everything I talked about too for my stuff is also in there. [01:01:16] But , it's all linked for you there. So I hope that you get what you need and. Thanks so much, . Oh my gosh. [01:01:21] If you've ever wanted to pick up journaling,

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: TODAY'S DEVOTION: TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Proverbs 15, Summer Psal. Proverbs are back for a limited time, and we are ready to jump right in with this Book of Proverbs, looking at how our relationship to Jesus transforms conflict in our other relationships. As we look to the reading of God's word, if you please join with me in prayer. Oh God, we do ask that you would guide us by your word and spirit, that in your light we may see the light of your

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Kings 6-7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: TODAY'S DEVOTION: TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Trump came down that golden escalator ten years ago this week, and thus began America's descent to the depths of madness. The gang looks back on his political journey, from launching into the GOP race from Trump Tower to whatever you'd describe where we are now. Plus, Reform UK won loads of council seats – and now it actually has to take charge of things. So, how's that going? (We promise we say more than just bad.) Then in the Extra Bit for supporters – can we ever be as happy as Finland? And what does that even mean? • Listen to The Bunker including Andrew's interview with Peter Ricketts.  ESCAPE ROUTES  •  Matt went to see The Ballad of Wallis Island at the cinema • Zoe went to Primavera in Barcelona – and she says to watch Chappell Roan's set online if you can!  • Raf went to see Showstopper! • Dorian suggests Decoder Ring   www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow    Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Rafael Behr, Zoe Grunewald and Matt Green. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you embrace slow living when the world demands speed? Lesley and Brad reflect on Lesley's interview with author and slow living advocate Stephanie O'Dea. They explore how intention, structure, and seasonal living can create a more fulfilling life. This episode is a reminder that it's okay to go at your own pace and that it might be the key to your peace.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why structure and routine are key for creating freedom.How living with intention helps reduce overwhelm.What seasonal living looks like and why it works.How guilt and people-pleasing get in the way of presence.Small steps to start building a slower, more values-aligned life.Episode References/Links:eLevate Workout and Q&A - https://lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlistAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniOPC Summer Tour - https://opc.me/tourLA Tour - https://opc.me/laBalanced Body - https://www.pilates.comUK Mullet Tour - https://opc.me/ukCambodia October 2025 Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comSubmit Your Questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsStephanie O'Dea's Website - https://stephanieodea.comFree Daily Journaling Worksheet - stephanieodea.com/dailySlow Living Podcast - https://stephanieodea.com/podcastBook: The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky - https://a.co/d/6f2NCI7 If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! 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DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/ Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  Whenever we're trying to make things happen fast, but it usually means we want to skip ahead. And unfortunately, when you skip ahead, you miss out on like the muscle strength and experience you need for where you're going to go. So then when you get there, not only are you further along than you are strong enough to be, but now you don't have the skill set to handle the problems you have. Lesley Logan 0:18  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:01  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the sustainable convo I had with Stephanie O'Dea in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened that episode, you need to, as part of a slow living request, you got to go rush over and just make it.Brad Crowell 1:17  Just rush right now, get over there. Lesley Logan 1:20  Do not pass go. You gotta listen to it. She's so great. She's so fun. I got to be on her podcast as well. But also she's like, a famous, like, slow-cooking person, like she's.Brad Crowell 1:30  Yeah, Crock-Pot. Lesley Logan 1:31  Just the famous Crock-Pot. Brad Crowell 1:33  Not insta-pot. Lesley Logan 1:33  Yeah, no. Brad Crowell 1:34  She was very upset about the Instant Pot. Lesley Logan 1:37  She was and we were really in on the insta-pot, but we got off the insta-pot, we like made soup.Brad Crowell 1:44  Yeah, still do occasionally. It's good times. Lesley Logan 1:47  Just whenever we're home when it's soup weather. Speaking of what day today is, today is June 19th 2025 and it's Juneteenth here in the United States. The freedom of African Americans from slavery in the U.S. in 1865 is celebrated on the holiday Juneteenth on June 19th. Juneteenth is made up of the words June and 19th. Brad Crowell 2:06  Case you didn't know.Lesley Logan 2:08  Just, whoever writes these, it's always just the explanation of the day, using the day you can't. Brad Crowell 2:15  It's celebrated every year on this day. Lesley Logan 2:17  Yes, yes. And it is on this day that Major General Gordon Granger, wow, arrived in Texas, more than 155 years ago, to inform slaves that slavery had been abolished. Today is also.Brad Crowell 2:31  Yeah, well I just want to comment on that because, because they just ignored the messengers and they were like, nah, we're good. We're gonna keep doing.Lesley Logan 2:41  Not the slaves, the bad people. Brad Crowell 2:43  Yeah, the slavers. They were like, yeah, we're just gonna keep going. And then they, they sent, well, actually, I don't, I actually, don't know who first, who came first. It's possible that Gordon Granger got there to make the initial announcement, and then later it had to be enforced.Lesley Logan 3:01  Yeah, this is something that the day didn't give us information on. And I feel like I've read about, here's what I do, every Juneteenth I actually read about it and I find myself appalled that this happened. And then also, of course, it didn't, and also the time we're recording this. Brad Crowell 3:15  Also, of course it did what? Lesley Logan 3:16  I said at the time that we're recording this. Brad Crowell 3:18  No, no, before that you said. Lesley Logan 3:19  Of course, it did, of course, bad things. Of course it happened because they're shitty people. Of course it happened. But on this time that we are recording this, because the day after a very, very huge slave, like the largest slave sugar plantation, slave house burned to the ground, it was turned into a wedding venue, and so people are having those antebellum weddings, and it's like humongous tons of rooms like but was one of the worst slave places in Louisiana, and it burned to the ground. And I have to say, people are celebrating the fuck out of it online. And I have no problems with that. In fact, I have why I like was celebrating and smiling with them every reel of every person, like dancing and going, oh, do you need some water? And then pouring away from the fire. I was like, yes, yes to all of it. Because, I mean, I just, it's just, it's bad. So anyways, please make sure that you are honoring Juneteenth today. Take some time to read up on it. If you didn't know about it. We obviously still have some learning to do, but it's an important day. Brad Crowell 4:25  Remember this general. Major General. Lesley Logan 4:27  Yeah, Major General Gordon Granger. Brad Crowell 4:30  That's a mouthful. Lesley Logan 4:30  That is a mouthful. I mean, his parents didn't name him Major General, so.Brad Crowell 4:37  Fortunately for his parents. Lesley Logan 4:38  What if he become a ranger? Then he'd be Ranger Granger. Brad Crowell 4:42  Major General Gordon Granger Ranger. Lesley Logan 4:44  No, he would have just been a ranger. It would have been Ranger Granger. All right, today is also the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence and Conflict for everyone else there, out there in the world. So we wanted to, because it's an international show and so on this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence and Conflict is observed every year on June 19th to raise awareness about sexual violence and conflict and to strategize ways to end these crimes throughout the world. On June 19th 2015, United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the date as the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence and Conflict. This date commemorates the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1820 in which the Council condemned sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peace building. Yeah, wow. Brad Crowell 5:31  Yeah, this one's heavy. Lesley Logan 5:32  It's a heavy day. Brad, these are heavy. Brad Crowell 5:35  Yeah. I mean, you know, like, I listen to a lot of deep dive interviews about the conflicts in Europe, you know, and then a. Lesley Logan 5:45  Oh, it's terrible what they do. Brad Crowell 5:46  In the Middle East and in Africa. And, you know, like they're using rape as a tool of war in. Lesley Logan 5:54  So many countries. Brad Crowell 5:55  In the Ukraine, you know, in, in, it's historically.Lesley Logan 6:01  Yeah, it's happening. It's happened. It's happened for centuries and it happens everywhere, and it is horrifying. So I think it's, think it's, I can't believe it took till 2015 for the world to be like, this is a bad thing. Brad Crowell 6:16  Well, I mean, it's been, you know, it's a war crime. It's been war crime for a really long time. But yeah, maybe just this, you know, the day bringing awareness to it. Lesley Logan 6:27  Do you know who then, who gets to be the court for war crimes, like, who does it? Brad Crowell 6:33  Yeah. So there's the International Criminal Court, the ICC. Lesley Logan 6:37  Oh. Brad Crowell 6:37  Yeah and we're not a part of it, we don't honor the ICC as the United States of America, which is a complicated political decision. Lesley Logan 6:47  We are winning. We are winning in the history books right now, guys. Well, you know what? I think we need to bring this day up a little bit. So first of all, I think Juneteenth is like a positive holiday, right? Brad Crowell 7:04  Yeah, Juneteenth is a positive holiday. I think that it's important to remember, but also it's a day of celebration. So, love that. Lesley Logan 7:12  Okay. And. Brad Crowell 7:13  We can talk more about the ICC later, y'all, if you're really interested.Lesley Logan 7:16  I don't think anyone came here. We'll get Brad his own segment at the end. Brad Crowell 7:21  I listen to a lot of this kind of stuff, and, you know, it's interesting, it's interesting why we chose not to be, you know, part of it, but also we still. Lesley Logan 7:30  Well, because we would be in trouble for war crimes all the time. Brad Crowell 7:32  We would be in trouble for war crimes. That's right.Lesley Logan 7:34  Yes, that's right, okay, but you know what's happening that's going to be more fun than all this talk? July.Brad Crowell 7:42  Slow living. Lesley Logan 7:44  July 9th, we are hosting, wait, oh, we are doing this. Yes, okay. Brad Crowell 7:50  Yeah, this is actually happening. Lesley Logan 7:52  Okay, but there's a few things going on and July is very busy. Brad Crowell 7:54  July is a busy month for us. Lesley Logan 7:54  So, so it's June right now, obviously, Juneteenth, but July 9th, I am hosting an eLevate workout and Q&A. So if you're a Pilates instructor, this is a free workout. It's a way to get your questions about eLevate, my mentorship, answered. You can hear from people who've done eLevate and why they like it and why you should do it, because you shouldn't take it from me. You can take it from the people who've been part of it. So you want to go to lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlist lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlist. Then on July 17th, we are doing an Agency Mini. Guess we are bringing it back for Pilates instructors and studio owners. Brad Crowell 8:30  Yeah, that's exciting. Lesley Logan 8:30  If you remember, we used to, up until last year, do it a little week long coaching program for Pilate instructors and studio owners. And we loved it, and it was amazing, and then we stopped doing it, and we're like, we're never doing it again, because it was there's parts of it that were amazing, were amazing, and some of the parts were overwhelming, and they were overwhelming. Brad Crowell 8:48  Yeah, not just for us, but also for the attendees. Lesley Logan 8:51  Mostly, for, yeah, it was less about there's less about us, more, so we have been working behind the scenes on making some amazing changes, and now we have a new Mini. Brad Crowell 9:01  We've got a mini Mini, but we're just still calling it Mini, yeah, but yeah, it's only three days, not seven. Lesley Logan 9:06  Yes. And you get all the best parts of Mini, which is a workshop on how to actually attract clients you want to work with. Then you get to use Lesley on Demand, this amazing tool. So we'll help you with your I Help statement. And then you get to join office hours with Brad and I, includes breath work, and we're going to answer all the running questions about your business on this call. It's so much fun. You can see if Agency is right for you, but also you can get questions answered. And, you know, take that information with you. Brad Crowell 9:31  Just come party about your biz. It's gonna be good. Go to prfit.biz/mini prfit.biz/mini yeah.Lesley Logan 9:39  And then July, yeah, I believe we actually start on the 24th but maybe we start on the 25th Don't ask me. We start end of July, and we go to August 17th, and it's the OPC Summer Tour. You're gonna go to opc.me/tour to get your tickets for and see the cities we're going to. We are going up.Brad Crowell 9:58  We teach in Phoenix on the 25th So we could go down on the 24th.Lesley Logan 10:01  Oh, okay, cool. You know, we'll do whatever. Maybe we'll go to the Oatman Ranch and we'll go play with the donkeys. Brad Crowell 10:08  I don't remember that. ILesley Logan 10:10  Yeah, I told you about it. I told you about it. Brad Crowell 10:12  Oatman. Lesley Logan 10:12  I think it's called Oatman. Um, anyways, um, you guys, we're gonna start in Phoenix, and we go to San Diego, then it's Los Angeles, and it's Santa Barbara, and then maybe a city in between, and then San Francisco, and then Sacramento, and then Eureka, and then Portland and Seattle, Vancouver, yes, you just heard Vancouver, Canada, and then Kamloops, Canada and Calgary, Canada. And then we're gonna come down into Idaho and Utah. Brad Crowell 10:42  We're gonna swing through Montana for a bit. We want to see glacier. Lesley Logan 10:45  Well, for vacation, yeah, so, but, you know. Brad Crowell 10:48  We'll be posting about a coffee shop and white fish, probably. Lesley Logan 10:52  Yeah. Well, at any rate, you want to go to opc.me/tour to snag your tickets. And by the way, we end in Las Vegas, and that class already sold out. Brad Crowell 10:59  I know it's insane. I can't believe it. Bam. Lesley Logan 11:02  24 hours. Class sold out. We already have. Brad Crowell 11:03  20 seats in. Lesley Logan 11:04  Yeah. Brad Crowell 11:05  That's. Lesley Logan 11:06  Well, we did tell them if they wanted us to come, and they did. Yeah, yeah, opc.me/tour of course, we are sponsored again by Balanced Body and Contrology. We're bringing our Contrology equipment. It's gonna be so much fun. Then in September we are going to be in the U.K. We have two amazing stops, Leeds and Essex. Leeds, you can get two day pass there. There's only three spots left, so. Brad Crowell 11:31  Only three spots left in Leeds. Lesley Logan 11:33  At the time that we're recording. So we're recording this, obviously, before Juneteenth, so you never know. And then in Essex, we actually opened up the day passes, because we're doing Essex on a Tuesday and a Wednesday. So you could do an all day Tuesday. Brad Crowell 11:44  You'll come out for the day from the city. Lesley Logan 11:46  All day Wednesday. We know it's not easy to get two days away during the week, but also it's really hard to get away on the weekends, so we offered you two options, during the weekend, on the weekends, opc.me/uk that's where you want to go. And then, of course, in October and come with us to Cambodia. Holy moly, we are insanity. Have you heard this, this schedule, and then he wanted to take me camping in here, guys. Brad Crowell 12:08  Oh, we're going. Lesley Logan 12:08  We're going camping, apparently. Brad Crowell 12:10  Yeah, we're going camping somewhere in there. Lesley Logan 12:11  Very expensive storage that we live in sometimes. So Cambodia. Brad Crowell 12:16  Oh, you mean our house?Lesley Logan 12:17  Yeah, I love it so much. But Cambodia is you'll have, you'll be at our house in Cambodia, and we do retreat, stuff and workshops and temple tours. Brad Crowell 12:28  Oh men, it's just gonna be amazing. Lesley Logan 12:30  So go to crowsnestretreats.com crowsnestretreats.com. The plural is on the crows and the retreats, but not the nest. So there you go. All right, before we got to get to Stephanie, but before we get there, Brad, do we have a question to answer?Brad Crowell 12:44  We do @creativesoulpilates on Instagram asked, hey LL, are you coming down to the IE anytime soon? IE is Inland Empire, which is Southern California. Basically, it's between Los Angeles and Riverside so, or I think actually, I think actually, Riverside is also considered IE.Lesley Logan 13:04  I think that Riverside is the IE, is it also, is Covina the IE? Brad Crowell 13:07  Covina and West Covina, I think they're south of L.A. I don't think they're technically IE. Lesley Logan 13:12  Like the Orange County. Brad Crowell 13:13  Closer to Orange County, I believe. Lesley Logan 13:14  Well, anyways. Brad Crowell 13:16  If I'm wrong, hit me. Let me know. Lesley Logan 13:20  If you all want to know L.A. well, go watch Everybody's in L.A. Just watch, at least the first episode. Brad Crowell 13:25  You know what, I'm 1,000% wrong. Covina is directly south of Glendora and Azusa, so it's where the 15 cuts down. Nope, it's not the 15. So it's towards Pomona. It's the beginning of IE, West Covina and Covina are like the beginning of the San Bernardino Valley, I think.Lesley Logan 13:46  Well, at any rate, to answer your question, we are not going to be anywhere near the IE, we are going to be in Toluca Lake. I guess that's not far from the IE, but it is. We are going to be, basically, we're in the valley of Los Angeles, close to Burbank. Right? Toluca Lake is like Burbank. Brad Crowell 14:01  Toluca Lake is Studio City, Burbank. It's between the two near Van Nuys, like, yeah. Lesley Logan 14:07  It's gonna be on our West Coast Pop Up Tour. Brad Crowell 14:09  I'm so excited. Lesley Logan 14:10  I know. Brad Crowell 14:11  I freaking love Los Angeles so much, and I cannot wait to just be back. Like, I literally used to live, like, two streets that were from where the studio is.Lesley Logan 14:20  Well, and also, for years, we're actually using the studio that we did the Accessories Flash Card photo shoot at. So I actually got to live in this part of L.A. for a week and now I can say I lived in that part of the valley. It's really, really fun. So we had Strong Body, but it's part of our summer tour. And so you got to come, because here's the deal. We, when we go to L.A. we typically go to hang out with friends, and we pretty much try to avoid working as much as possible, but because we're on tour. Brad Crowell 14:47  It's true. Lesley Logan 14:47  And we want an excuse to see L.A. again, we are making a stop as we're going by so go to opc.me/la for tickets to the L.A. event. Or if you go to opc.me/tour, you'll see San Diego, Santa Barbara. You know, because people who live in L.A. also live very far from the center of L.A., typically, so like Poway, as the San Diego city. So you know, there's some really good stuff. But thanks, you guys. You guys, we have a really easy place for you to send your questions in. You can text us at 310-905-5534, or you can actually submit your questions or a win at beitpod.com/questions. Brad Crowell 15:27  That's right beitpod.com/questions.Lesley Logan 15:28  Now you can just do it there, and it's so easy and you can be anonymous if you want to. You can whatever you want. Brad Crowell 15:36  Well, you know, so for the Friday episodes, we celebrate wins. And now, instead of people sending DMs, you know, fill out this form, it actually makes it easier for you, too. It's clear what it is, and we know what's going on, all the things. So beitpod beitpod.com/questionsLesley Logan 15:54  And you could put your win there too. I know, it's, which we didn't want to have two links. We just want to have one. So it's we could have called it quest wins.Brad Crowell 16:01  Quest wins. We could have, we could have really gone over well with trying to figure out how to spell that. Lesley Logan 16:07  All right. All right.Brad Crowell 16:08  Well, look, stick around, this, we're going to talk about slow living. This, this break will be fast, but the, but the conversation about Stephanie O'Dea is going to be really exciting. So we'll be right back. Brad Crowell 16:21  All right. Now, welcome back. Let's talk about Stephanie O'Dea. She's a writer, she's a coach, she's a teacher and a speaker who helps people embrace slow living. Lesley Logan 16:30  She's a teacher and a speaker. I like how that sounded. Brad Crowell 16:33  She's a teacher, teacher and a speaker. Her journeys began in 2008 on a viral blog where she used her Crock-Pot every single day for an entire year, landed her on national TV and got her a book deal, and that, she said, that journey lasted for about eight years before things really changed with the introduction of the Instant Pot. Fascinating. She said, when that, when that trend rose, she realized faster isn't always better. After stepping back to unplug, she discovered her true gift was helping others reach their goals in a slow, steady and sustainable way, a mission she now shares through her Slow Living podcast. Lesley Logan 17:13  I, so, so first of all, okay, I would just have to say, I was on her pod, and I was like, okay, like, this is great, you know, this is wonderful. And I really enjoyed her. I thought she was so sweet. And then she came on the pod, and, like, I was like, I'm in the presence of, like, a celebrity, like I and I was like, oh my God, she's, I'm sure, like your mom and your grandma and, like all these people, probably like, no, she is. And I'm sitting here going, oh my God, who are you? Oh God.Brad Crowell 17:48  Well, she, not only that, she is really fun. Lesley Logan 17:53  Oh yeah. Brad Crowell 17:53  And, like, snarky, and, you know, like the things that she was saying, she's got a lot of experience. You know, going through life. And I appreciated it, and I enjoyed it. And it was, it was, it was a really great conversation. In fact, I feel like it's probably a conversation, y'all, that you would want to save. So if you have not had a chance to go back and listen, I would recommend it. But. Lesley Logan 18:20  So slow living, you guys, stands for look only within. So, like, trusting your inner voice and intuition to find answers. And I really love that we talked about, like, slow living is meeting your goals. It meets all of them, but it just says it like, as you said in the bio, like in this nice, sustainable way, some of us are, like, really trying to make things happen fast. And this one book that I read every morning was like whenever we're trying to make things happen fast, but it usually means we want to skip ahead. And unfortunately, when you skip ahead, you miss out on like the muscle strength and experience you need for where you're going to go. So then when you get there, not only are you further along than you are strong enough to be, but now you don't have the skill set to handle the problems you have, and so that's why you don't get to skip ahead. So I really do believe it's sustainable to hit your goals in a way that is steady and allows you to evaluate and you and trust your gut intuition. And she said, she encouraged you to decide your next best step when you're in a good mood and not when you're feeling down. And I was like, that is so common sense and fucking brilliant.Brad Crowell 19:24  Yeah. No, that makes total sense. I mean, when we make decisions in a bad place, you know, we're making reactionary decisions. We're not making proactionary decisions. I just wanted to throw out there the 34% Rotten Tomatoes review on an Adam Sandler movie from 2006 called Click. Lesley Logan 19:44  There, okay. Brad Crowell 19:45  Which is exactly what you're just describing. It's all about how he somehow got a magic remote that fast forwarded through what, at the time, he was like all the bullshit so that he can get to what he wants to do in his life.Lesley Logan 20:00  Oh, but then, and then he got there and he missed everything. Brad Crowell 20:03  He missed everything. Lesley Logan 20:04  Yeah, yeah. I was in sixth grade, or fifth grade, when I read a story about a little boy who had this magic string, and he could just pull the string and it could, like, skip ahead. So like, he was, like, not ready for a test, so like, he pulled the string and he like, skipped ahead. Now he's in next grade. And then he, like, pulled the string a little bit more. And then he was in high school and, like, it's the same thing, I think, Click just came from the story of this little kid who pulled the string too much. At any rate, I, I wanted to say, like, going back to the good mood or bad mood. Sometimes when I'm in my email inbox, I start to get a little overwhelmed. Because, like, the only emails I have to respond to often require a little bit of research, of like, they're like, like, someone's asking me to do this event, and I already said I would do it, but I have given them rates before, and they like, want rates again, and they asked for my rates to be lowered, and I but, but they were like, oh, can we get your rates? And also, like, this is our first time so it would be great if you could lower your rates to help us support this event. And I was immediately pissed. I was so pissed off because I was like, what are you talking about? Like, what? And so I was like, and so, you know, I got this email. I'm really behind on my emails. I'm gonna you will have response from me by the end of this week. And I was like, because nothing good is going to come from what I want to say in this moment. And I just need to be able to get angry and feel my feelings, and also go, well, why am I in a bad mood now? Like, what happened? Well, it's not intentional. She personally did not intend to piss me off in any way, but it's the, this is, by the way, guys, this is like a constant, like, I'm asked is my inbox is mostly people asking me to do free things, or to negotiate the rates I say of things and so. Brad Crowell 21:50  Or to partner up, which means. Lesley Logan 21:52  Partner up, which means do it for free. Brad Crowell 21:53  Do it for free. Lesley Logan 21:54  And so, it's, so by the time I got to this email, I had already had gone through like seven people wanting to do things for free, and then this person wants to pay me, but not as much and I was like, I gotta walk away, because I have an appropriate response. I'm sure we can get to a place where it's gonna work for both of us. But I just was angry. And so, so it's always better if you're not in a good place to just like, give yourself a permission. And this goes to slow living, if, if my response to her at the end of the week means she can't work with me, then I don't. It wasn't for me, you know, like, like, slow living, like, I really love what Stephanie's talking about, because we used to live that fast pace. Do, do, do, do, do. We were in Australia, then Spain, then, then New York, then U.K. and it's like, and I don't actually want to do that anymore, and so, so I think it's like, really. Brad Crowell 22:47  We have tried to be more intentional. Before it was like, oh, you're willing to pay us, we'll be there, even if it's like, stupid, you know, for us to travel that way. Lesley Logan 22:56  Also, by the way, when you're new in an industry or new at a thing, I do think that you need to get your feet wet. I do think you need to, I want to make sure, like, I don't want any Pilates instructors like working for free, but I also sometimes you do, and so I think, like, I never flew anywhere for free, but I definitely wouldn't travel for the rates I used to travel on. However, I because I was willing to say yes to things and learn from those experience. I could keep changing my contract had I had my current situation set up now, well, one, I wouldn't know all the things I wouldn't have known all the things that drive me crazy when I travel, and it's like, no, I do need my own hotel room, and I actually do need pistachio milk for my coffee or something like, I know that, what I need, right? I sound like Mariah Carey. But, you know what? I know why Mariah Carey is now like that, because sometimes you don't have what you need, and then you perform at your best and you don't have it. So I wouldn't know all the things that really helped me be the person I am had I not gone through that stuff. So I don't think anyone should skip ahead. But also, at some point you have to go, okay, hold on. Do I need this, right? So anyways, I also just want to say share, to quote, discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most, and just going back to like you saying like now we're more intentional. It's like, it can be really flattering to be asked to do certain things and so, but also, what do we want most? And so is it like, is that part of the most, or is that actually just flattering? And then, you know, so you all have to decide, like, when you're saying yes or doing things like, what is ahead? Is it on the journey what you want most? But I really liked her, her definition, her quote of discipline, because most people think it's like, means like. Brad Crowell 24:41  But she was full of them. Lesley Logan 24:42  She was so, I mean, there's so much stuff I have to go.Brad Crowell 24:45  She defined FOMO as Figure Only Myself Out. Figure Only Myself Out. So, meaning, stop the comparison game, where we're probably scrolling the gram and then beating ourselves up about it, right? And she said, she also said, it's not too late to start now, right? So you can, instead of FOMO, as in, you're missing, you know, you're not doing what they're doing on Instagram. FOMO is figuring only myself out. What do you want to do? You know? How are you going to get you know? What is your path? Where are you going? You know, and you can start to figure that stuff out today. She said, Start pivoting. It's time. Let's do this, right? She also emphasized, setbacks are normal. And she said something that I laughed about, because we are, one of the things that we say a lot in OPC is, if you only have five minutes, just do five moves, you know, like, don't, don't make a big thing out of not having time. And we just had somebody quit the other day, oh, I only was able to log into class once this week, you know, and I'm barely getting to it, right, and so they quit their entire membership, you know. And now I'm, like, thinking that I'm gonna email her back and say, hey, that's okay, you know, like, think about that, even if you came, you know, only five minutes in a week, would it be worth it to start now and be consistent with five minutes and then consistent with 10 minutes.Lesley Logan 26:26  And also, like, what are you going to do without it? You're going to somehow be better at doing your Pilates some, somewhere, somewhere else, no you're not. Brad Crowell 26:33  No, clearly you're not. Clearly, if they can't log in at home, they're obviously not going to a studio to do it, right? Lesley Logan 26:40  And also, some people actually only do it once a week, and that's fine. Like, I only log into Max HBO on Sundays for John Oliver. Like, you know what I mean? Like, and I don't go. So I think we have to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves that it has to be all or nothing. If that's how you're living your life, you're going to miss out on a lot of things.Brad Crowell 26:59  Yeah. And Stephanie said, you know, if you're doing a 30-day challenge, but it takes you 45 days. You did not fail. You still did the challenge. You did it on your time, and that's okay. Lesley Logan 27:12  That's FOMO, Figuring Only Myself Out. Brad Crowell 27:15  That's right, yeah. And she said, you'd be way more proud of yourself for going even if you have to take a day off, right? I was just thinking about the video you showed me last night about the one-legged. Lesley Logan 27:28  The Pope, yes. Brad Crowell 27:29  No, no, but that's funny. The one-legged athlete.Lesley Logan 27:33  Yes, the Nike girl. Brad Crowell 27:35  Yeah, who, the reason that she is now the Nike girl is because she entered herself into a competition. She, she has a, like, a bionic leg. I don't really know what all the right terms are there, but she's, she, she was trying to do a.Lesley Logan 27:54  Looks like a thrust, a clean.Brad Crowell 27:57  Yeah, she was trying to do a clean with a barbell, right, and. Lesley Logan 28:00  That's hard with two legs, I'm just gonna be really honest, and she has one leg that doesn't really bend like her other leg does, so, yeah. Brad Crowell 28:06  So she, so she, she's in the middle of a stadium with all these people, everyone's watching. There's, like, you know, all the things, and she's being filmed, and she doesn't know she's being filmed, and she, she fails. She fails. She like, gets it halfway up and just can't go and drops the bar. And she's frustrated with herself, she's like, okay. Lesley Logan 28:24  She's also starting to cry and really emotional. Brad Crowell 28:27  So she, she drops the bar. Well, she leans back over. She's like, all right, I got it. She, you literally can see her say shit, you know, on this video, right? And, and there's no audio to it, but she's like, shit. So she leans over, and she tries again and she fails again, and it's this point that she, like, totally breaks. Obviously, she's been frustrated all day long, and she breaks, and she literally starts crying, and she and it's super emotional, right? And she leans over and she like, puts her head on her arms, and she, you could see herself make the decision, I'm not going to quit here. I'm going to get this, through this even though I probably have disqualified myself already from whatever this competition is, because I didn't get it up on the first try, I didn't get it up on the second try, and she tries a third time, and she succeeds. And it is like this heartfelt, amazing experience. And I, I have to imagine that she is more proud of herself for finishing, completing it, for being just making the decision to stay with it, than she was, you know, than, obviously, she quit, she would, she'd be beating herself up. Lesley Logan 29:40  Well and I think first of all, I got chills and emotional just like thinking about it, because I like, every time I watch, I've watched it multiple times. And trust me, you guys, she's on a list of like, okay, I gotta email her publicist. I gotta get her on the pod. I have so many questions. But everyday, I talk to women who are beating themselves up for how little they've done, that they think they've done, which, by the way, is more than most people will do in a day, right? And it.Brad Crowell 30:08  Specially moms. Lesley Logan 30:08  Frustrates me, because none, never have you ever shamed yourself into doing the thing you said you were going to do. It doesn't work. That is not how our brains work. Our brains avoid shame and judgment. It doesn't feel good, it doesn't bring your dopamine up. It's not what motivates your brain to do shit. And so we have to do some FOMO, figuring out myself, figuring my own self out, and start congratulating ourselves we did fucking five minutes. You know, like, first of all, if you don't, no one else is. No one else is going to come up and congratulate you on things that they don't know have happened and they won't know have happened. That's why we do the FYFs. And it is, do you know how many people won't share their wins? I don't want to share, it's so small. Okay, but you do understand that that's going to inspire someone else. So, anyways, be nice to yourself. Get the FOMO.Brad Crowell 31:02  Be nice to yourself. Lesley Logan 31:03  The new FOMO. Brad Crowell 31:06  You know, I think that decision to stay with it, to be consistent, will, will be so much more gratifying over the long run, even if it's smaller increments than you know, whatever the prescribed amount is, or whatever that thing is, you know. So, that, I love this FOMO, I love this idea of figuring only myself out. It helps get rid of that comparison energy, you know, and create a safe space for you to succeed in, so, very cool. Very, very cool. All right, stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna cover those Be It Action Items from Stephanie O'Dea. Brad Crowell 31:48  Okay, welcome back. Finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What are the bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Stephanie O'Dea? She said, hey, funny enough, I'm gonna tell you to journal, but I'm gonna tell you how to journal in a very structured way. Lesley Logan 32:07  I, but I also, it's the only person I let journal, like, say journal, so.Brad Crowell 32:12  So it's funny because, I mean, I've heard Lesley say this about four, well, three, 250 times now, hey, if you're going to tell you know, use journaling as your, your Be It Action Item, you have to give us a structure how to do it. And she started laughing, and she said, I can do that. In fact, she has a free guided daily journaling worksheet that you can print out and you can write on if you go to stephanieodea.com/daily we will put that link in the show notes, but she's a big proponent it gives you structure. It tells you how to journal, what to journal about. It gives you prompts. But she also specifically mentioned that picking up a pen and paper, or pencil and paper, is different than typing on a computer. It just puts you in a different mindset. I mean, she's a writer, right? She got a book deal, she wrote a blog for eight years about cooking, right? She's like, constantly, constantly writing. And so she definitely would know she's the authority. She said that her tool will help you get in the right mindset. It gives you action steps, consistent, and consistency, it builds the muscle of slow, sustainable growth. And she said, your brain engages differently when writing by hand, which I think is interesting, and it helps you move towards your goals, even in off days. Lesley Logan 33:35  And also, your handwriting does not have to be good for it to actually still do the thing it does with your brain. I write things down which I like, which is why I like my reMarkable tablet. I actually don't even need to look at the tablet again. I remember it, but I. Brad Crowell 33:48  That's how I used to study for tests, hard copy my own notes. Lesley Logan 33:51  My nails are too long now, and it's, it's really annoying to type things. I'm like, I'm trying to learn how to type with the nails that.Brad Crowell 33:59  Hi, buddy. Are you trying to learn how to type, too?Lesley Logan 34:01  Yeah, Bayon's learning how to type. He's also truly found his voice this week. He's. Brad Crowell 34:05  It's pretty funny. Lesley Logan 34:06  He's like, oh, I'm gonna bark at this thing. And it's like, never did. Brad Crowell 34:12  Well, yeah. Lesley Logan 34:12  Anyway. Brad Crowell 34:13  His trip to Joshua Tree was a win. Well, you know what one thing that she said that I that I laughed about. She said, look, once you get into a routine, if something changes the routine, it's okay, because you, she said, you are not a spreadsheet. And I was like, oh, that's a really good idea.Lesley Logan 34:37  There's actually a whole study on, you know how, to go back to the long intro we had about politics, there's a study that shows like the more rigid your thinking is, the more likely you are to get stuck in beliefs that are not serving you. And so I'm a big habits coach, mindset coach, all those different things, but you'll notice that, like, I'm always going, giving grace. Giving lots of grace and kind of rolling with it. And I really love what she said here, because I have a morning routine and I have three hours, but, I don't have, oh, I have to be out the door at 6:01, otherwise it's, like, I just get outside. Brad Crowell 35:13  Facing the ice bowl, rub the banana peel, 6:11, take the elevator from 6:17.Lesley Logan 35:20  Yeah, yeah. Brad Crowell 35:21  So dumb. Lesley Logan 35:22  Right? I don't live like that. I do have and I post my schedule of the day with my outfit of the day. I'm like, here's my outfit and here's the schedule. And it might look rigid, but you have to understand, like, most of the things on there take 20 minutes, but I gave it the full hour so that I can be flexible. I can, I can roll with it. If I need to have a little bit more time with something, if I want to take a longer walk, I can. If I have longer Pilates, I take a shorter walk. And so by not being rigid, allows my habits and routines be very malleable and to serve me and what I need that day. And I think that's really important. We're not a spreadsheet. Okay, there's so many, you guys have to listen to the episode because I'm, she actually gave us so many Be It Action Items, to be honest. So I'm just gonna take a few. Celebrate your process, even if it's not linear. We actually have talked about that 17 times on this episode already today. So you celebrate your process, even if, it won't be linear, it is impossible. It never is, don't, you don't have to read the book. Go look at the cover of the book, called The Middle. The Messy Middle. It's bright yellow. When you see the graph, that graph of it going up down, up down, up down. It's like a heart rate monitor, and it's going up, but it's always going up, even though it might go down way lower than it did. And it goes up, Brad's looking at it right now, down, up, down. But like.Brad Crowell 36:34  It's not even a graph. It's like a squiggly line that goes in a square, in a circle and a triangle. Lesley Logan 36:38  Yeah, but if you take a bigger picture, it goes to the end. It's always going up. It's like the stock market. The stock market is not linear on the app, it goes up and down, up and down, up and down. But guess what? It always ends up. It's up, right? So hopefully, I don't know what it is today, guys. Anyways, she also said, use gold stars, stickers or a visible chart to track your small wins. Yes, it's a behavior from childhood, charts from childhood, but it's very important. You need to see it visibly. And then she said, choose non-food rewards, like a cozy nap or a pedicure or something like that. Like the things that you feel like are indulgent and you would never do, those should be your rewards. Make a list of them. That's what my therapist really had me do. And then she also reminded us, you can absolutely get to where you want to go, but you have to trust in yourself that you can do that and you'll get there when you get there. I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 37:29  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 37:29  Thank you so much for listening. What a longer recap we had today. We were very chatty, so we hope you enjoyed it. Send your questions and your wins in we want to celebrate them. And we want to answer your questions. So beitpod.com/questions and then make sure you share this episode with a friend, especially the Slow Living episode, because Stephanie has, obviously, so many great tips. She is amazing. And check out her journaling prompts. I know I am. Until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 37:53  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 37:55  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 38:37  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 38:42  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 38:47  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 38:54  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 38:57  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Brad Crowell 39:12  Now, welcome back. Welcome back. I hope you're loving life. Welcome back. Let's start that again.Lesley Logan 39:19  He's just waiting for me to smile.Brad Crowell 39:21  I was, I was, my, my mind did a little loop there. All right, welcome back.Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It Took Cupid's ArmyCan I woo the girl who knows my embarrassing childhood?Based on a post by Mac G. Listen to the podcast at Connected.Even though it is right in front of you, you don't always see what's good for you. Sometimes you need a little nudge. This is about a couple of mine.When I was five, Jenny's family moved in directly across the street from us. Our families became good friends right away. Due to the fact that there was nobody else our age living nearby (Jenny is three months older than I am), we soon became inseparable.She had no trouble keeping up with me in the rough and tumble things I wanted to do, and I had no problems playing house with her when she wanted. One of our parents always had to shoo us home at night because we would never think about it ourselves. I once tried to get my parents to let Jenny spend the night, but they said it was not right for girls to spend the night with boys.Although I missed it at the time, the first indication that Jenny and I would end up together came when we were fourteen. I was over at her house watching TV with her and her dad. As we sat there, the doorbell rang. Jenny got up to answer it. She came back a moment later followed by a policeman."Mr. Adams," he said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."Jenny's dad got up to stand next to her. I stood a few feet behind them."I'm really sorry to say that there has been an accident. A drunk ran a red light and hit your wife's car," the policeman stated."What! When? Where? How is she?" Mr. Adams asked."The paramedics did their best, but I'm afraid she didn't make it. I am truly sorry."At this point, Jenny turned around and looked at me, tears pouring from her eyes. She ran to me, buried her head in my shoulder and sobbed. I guided her to the couch and sat her down. Holding her gently, I let her cry herself out, trying to soothe her as best as I could.After about fifteen minutes, Mr. Adams finished up with the policeman and came over to sit next to us. Jenny had calmed down a little and was just crying lightly. He took Jenny in his arms and held her. I got up and called my parents telling them what had happened. They both came right over.After a lot of consoling and grief, Dad left with Mr. Adams to tend to the body while Mom stayed with Jenny and I. Mom told me later how proud she was of me and for handling the situation and comforting Jenny so well. Years later, Mr. Adams said he'd kill me if I told Jenny, but that it hurt a little when Jenny turned to me, instead of him, for comfort upon hearing the news about her mom.The First NudgeI have always thought differently about Jenny than anyone else. Even during those awkward adolescent times all boys go through in which girls are gross and have cooties, I never felt that way about Jenny. It was like my mind thought, 'That's not a girl, that's Jenny'. The trouble was that as I grew into a teenager and began to notice girls, it was the same thing; I didn't realize just how beautiful Jenny was becoming.Ironically, it was on a date with someone else in the summer between our Junior and Senior years that her beauty was pointed out to me. We had been having a great time: Dinner, movie, and ice cream afterwards. It was close to time to take my date home."Anne, can I ask you a question?" I asked."Sure, what's up?""Well, when I asked you out, you seemed a little surprised. Pleased, but surprised. I got the same response from Sarah Jansen last month, and I was wondering if it was true you were surprised, and if so, why?"Anne smiled and hesitated a moment before answering."Yes, it's true I was a little surprised and I'm sure Sarah was as well. The reason is we keep expecting you two knuckleheads to wake up and see what a good thing you've got.""Knuckleheads? What two knuckleheads?" I asked."Okay, it looks like it's up to me to straighten you out, although I really shouldn't," she sighed. "I'm going to do this in a roundabout way. I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions. Some of them may seem silly, and some might be embarrassing, but I need you to trust me and answer them all honestly.""Okay, I'll try.""Good. Now first question: Do you think I'm pretty?""Of course I do. Most guys in school do.""Thank you," she said, blushing a little, "Now, I know all guys have different ideas about the ideal woman, but am I your ideal? Be honest.""No, you're not." I said a little chagrinned."Hey, don't worry about it. I asked for honesty. I'm somebody's ideal and I'll find them one day. Let's concentrate on your ideal woman. I'll say an attribute and you tell me what you like. You okay with this?""I guess.""Ok, height?""Your height, perhaps a little taller.""Hair?""Red, long and straight.""Longer than my shoulder length?" Anne asked."Yes.""Eyes?""Green.""Mouth?""Don't know. Never thought about that.""Not a problem. Now, don't get embarrassed, but look at my tits."I couldn't help it, I turned crimson, but I looked briefly. She had very nice tits."That's what I like about you, Tony; even with permission you don't ogle at a girl's chest. Most guys would be glued there right now. Ok, what would you change?""Nothing, I really like your tits," I said, turning even redder, if that were possible."Thanks, so do I. There's definitely something there to attract attention, but not too much. What about the butt? Do you like big butts?""Not really.""What about legs?""Long, with a good muscle structure.""Great. Now, here is what you just told me is your ideal woman; 5'9" or 5'10" tall, long, straight red hair, green eyes, an athletic build, long muscular legs leading up to a nice tight butt. Is that an accurate description?""Yes, that would be correct.""And you still don't see it do you?""I guess not. See what?""You just perfectly described Jenny Adams."I sat there for a moment. She was right of course, but I had never made the connection."Did you know that most guys think Jenny is the best looking girl in school? Many also think you are an idiot for not dating her. You've been best friends for so long you two cannot see it any other way. You should start looking at Jenny as the beautiful woman she is. With the great friendship you've already built, you two would make a perfect couple. Think about it, you dope," Anne ordered with a grin."I will, I promise," I said. "Now, I'd better get you home before your dad sends out the posse."I drove her home in silence. When I walked her to the door, I said, "Thanks a lot for telling me that, Anne. I guess it's true it's sometimes hard to see what is right in front of your nose.""You're welcome. I'm sure you two will be very happy together. Now, I don't usually do this on a first date, but as I'm pretty sure I've just ensured there won't be a second one, kiss me good night.""Gladly."I leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss. She was having none of that. Throwing her arms around my neck she pulled me in for a nice, hard kiss. It seemed to last forever, breaking only when we ran out of air."Thanks, that's just what I wanted," she said smiling. "Now, go get her, Tiger!" With that, she turned and went inside.It's a good thing the route home was so familiar, as I was not paying too much attention to where I was going; I was thinking about Jenny. She was beautiful. She was also a great person. She was funny and fun to be around; kind to everyone; caring with genuine compassion; helpful whenever you needed her. She had so many wonderful qualities that it's hard to think of them all.Two days later, Jenny was over at my house watching TV. As the movie ended, she turned to me, saying, "Okay, Tony, what's up? You've been quiet all day and you've been giving me some funny looks."I hesitated before answering, unsure as to how to answer. I was really nervous about how this would go. I took a deep breath."Jenny, will you go out with me on Friday?" I asked her."Sure, we can get together and...""No, please, that's not what I mean. I don't want to just get together; I want to go on a date, a real date."She looked at me with her eyebrows raised. I could see the wonder in her eyes."Look, Jenny, I know we've been friends for a long time, you've always been my best friend, but lately I've been seeing you in a different light. I've always known you were pretty, but I'm starting to see just how beautiful you really are. I've always known you were a girl, but now I'm seeing you as a woman. We're friends but I'd like to see if maybe we could be more."She sat there, deep in thought. I waited for her to decide.After several minutes I added, "I know this is sudden. You don't have to answer now if you want to think about it for a while. Don't be afraid to say no. Nothing will change if you say no."She smiled at me and said, "I don't need to wait. Of course I'll go on a date with you. I just wasn't expecting it. What brought this about?""I'll tell you, I promise, but not right now. What time do you want to start?""Um, I'll let you know.""Fine. Want a Coke?""Sure."I went a got one for each of us. We watched some more TV, neither one of us talking much. When she left to go home, she paused at the door and gave me a long look, smiling slightly.The rest of the week seemed to last forever. Jenny must have said something to her dad, and he spoke to my parents, because on Wednesday evening Mom came into my room, announcing, "Let me know what you plan on wearing for your big date Friday, and I'll make sure it's clean and nicely pressed.""Okay, Mom, thanks. I'm not sure...wait, how did you know about Friday?""Moms just know," she said, grinning. "If there's anything else I can do for you, let me know."When Friday came, I had still not told her what I wanted to wear, having changed my mind several times. I went out in the afternoon to get a haircut. When I got back home, there was a brand new outfit laying on my bed waiting. It was perfect. As I was getting ready, my dad came in my room."Here, try some of this," he said, handing me a bottle of cologne. "It's a very popular scent.""Thanks, Dad.""Also, a good date needs a good ride. Take my car tonight."I was stunned. Dad rarely let's anyone drive his car. He had saved for years to afford it. "Are you sure?" I asked."Yes, I'm sure. I got it cleaned up nicely today and it's got a full tank of gas. Enjoy yourself.""Wow, thanks, Dad! You're awesome."When the time came, I walked across to her house and knocked. Mr. Adams answered."Come on in Tony, she'll be right down. Where are you going tonight?" he asked."I made a reservation at that new Italian place south of the mall. After that, we'll just see. Probably a movie later on," I answered.We heard the sound of Jenny coming down the stairs. I turned to see her and was stunned. She was wearing a light green sun dress that stopped just above her knees. Her legs looked great, tapering to a pair of strappy sandals with a 2½-inch heel. Her red hair cascaded down over the front of her shoulders, framing her face nicely. Jenny's eyes were sparkling and she was grinning from ear to ear.I walked up to her as she got to the bottom of the stairs."I've never seen you look more beautiful," I said.She blushed a little and said, "Thanks, you look great, too."We walked back to her dad."Have fun tonight you two," he said. "I've talked to your parents, Tony, and for tonight, and tonight only, there is no curfew for you two - just don't push it too far.""We won't, Mr. Adams, I promise," I said.We walked across the street to the car. Jenny's eyes got huge when she saw we were heading to Dad's car. We drove to the restaurant in an awkward silence. As we were waiting for the table, I reached out and took her hand in mine. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea, as I figured she could feel that my heart was beating about 200 times a minute. Jenny just smiled at me and squeezed it gently.Dinner went well. The talking started slow, but we loosened up some as things went on. By the end I think I had my heart down to about 150.

Rachel Reeves' spending review is out – what's in it and what do the panel think should have got more attention? Plus, Reform UK wants to bring the DOGE mentality to Britain. We explain why that's a terrible idea. Author of Failed State and the indispensable Comment is Freed substack Sam Freedman joins the panel. And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, as the Millennium Bridge turns 25, what has Britain built in the first quarter of the 21st century and what does it say about us? • Listen to the latest Why? With Emma Kennedy: What is scrolling doing to our brains? ESCAPE ROUTES • Sam Freedman has been bingeing on The Big Bang Theory on Channel4.com.  • Ros recommends Series 2 of The Gold on BBC iPlayer.  • Jonn recommends Microserfs by Douglas Coupland.  • Dorian recommends Platonic featuring Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne on Apple TV+.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Ros Taylor and Jonn Elledge. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Video Production by Chris Jones. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, "Thought of Awakening" 139, 145, 146 & 156 were contemplated.

Daz, still away, still manages to talk the talk as he, Jamie and Welshtechie discuss the latest news and look back at Cymru v Lichtenstein and Belgium v Cymru.

Our chief desire this morning before You is to be right with You. Oh make us right with You, great Father. There are some in Your presence who are not right with You at all; Your countenance they cannot behold, and You can not accept their offering; for it is true of them, as of Cain, "sin lies at the door." Oh God roll every sin away; but we know they must first feel the burden of it, they must come to You and confess it, they must accept the great Substitute and rest in Jesus.

The world is watching in horror as Los Angeles turns into a real-life immersive Rage Against The Machine song. Is the President looking for a Reichstag to set on fire as he threatens to use US troops on US citizens? Plus, the Battle of the Bastards! First, what does Trump's mega fallout with Musk tell us about the realities of far right politics… if anything? Then, what's behind Zia Yusuf's on-off resignation from Reform UK?  Escape Routes • Raf recommends Maybe I'm Amazed by John Harris.  • Alison recommends Scarface (1983) directed by Brian de Palma.  • Matt recommends Your Friends And Neighbours with John Hamm and The Studio with Seth Rogan on Apple TV+.  • Andrew recommends All Asimov And No Fresh Air by Half Man Half Biscuit.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison with Alison Phillips, Rafael Behr, and Matt Green. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Video Production by Chris Jones. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Send us a textWhat if everything you've been told about building a successful fitness business is wrong? In this eye-opening conversation with Paul Waters, a 25-year veteran of the health and fitness industry, we challenge the conventional wisdom that bigger always means better.Paul's journey begins with his unexpected thrust into self-employment as a young personal trainer who quickly built a thriving business with over 100 clients. Despite financial success, the 16-hour workdays led to burnout and a crucial realization: the lifestyle he was promoting to clients wasn't one he could sustain himself. This insight planted the seeds for what would eventually become "Balance" - a business structured entirely around personal values rather than growth metrics.After years in the corporate fitness world, where he helped develop educational programs reaching thousands of fitness professionals, Paul found himself missing entrepreneurship's creative freedom and accountability. "I missed the fear," he confesses. "I like being scared going, 'Oh God, I've got to pay some rent next week.'" This drive propelled him back into self-employment, but with a transformed perspective on what constitutes success.The conversation takes a fascinating turn as Paul reveals how he and his partner identified their five core values - time, nature, family, social connection, and health - and restructured their business to honor these priorities. Their approach challenges the "growth or die" mentality pervasive in business culture. "For us, we judge success by our values," Paul explains, not by traditional metrics like revenue or client numbers.Perhaps most compelling is Paul's recent pivot away from digital marketing back to community-based promotion. While the fitness industry rushed toward online offerings during the pandemic, Paul and his partner discovered greater fulfillment and success through local engagement. Their innovative service model, offering clients flexible access to multiple wellness modalities, demonstrates how values-aligned business models can thrive without chasing scale.Whether you're a fitness professional questioning your business direction or an entrepreneur seeking sustainable success, this conversation offers valuable perspective on building a business that supports your ideal lifestyle while making a meaningful difference in clients' lives.Support the showSubscribe to our Newsletter: https://creatitive.com/fit-to-grit-cast/

Hot DateA 7-part series by Member389. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Stories. The tires hissed along the gravel drive as I pulled alongside her Jeep. I walked to the door, bouquet in hand and rang the bell. I took a deep breath, just as the door opened. A pretty girl stood there, dark hair and piercing eyes stared intently at me for a moment. In a flash of an eye a familiar crooked little smile crossed her face."Mom, your hot date is here!" She yelled over her shoulder."Well don't make him stand on the step, let him in!" Summer hollered back. I just started chuckling as Emily opened the door. Emily cracked open the outside door and opened the inside door further."Come on in." She said."Hi Emily, I'm Pete." I said holding out my hand. Already over five feet I could tell she was going to be tall like her mother."Are those for my mom?" She asked nodding at the flowers. I just shook my head."No, they're for you." I said presenting them to her. Her eyes grew wide and her expression got serious for a moment before she took them with a smile."I'll be right out." Came the call from another room. She laughed a bit after saying it. I began to think this was a calculated move.Emily set the flowers down and disappeared head first into a low cupboard coming up with a vase. She filled it with water and put the flowers into it, preening them to get them the way she wanted.Summer came out of a short hallway dressed in jeans and a blue and gray striped sweater. Her hair freshly brushed and a big smile on her face."Hi." She said giving me a quick hug, and more notably a slight push-off after. She noticed the flowers on the counter. "They're beautiful. Thank you."Emily turned and interjected with a grin. "He brought them for me.""Oh he did, did he?" She looked at me, the eyebrows lifting.I gave Summer a slight shrug and a wink. She just gave me a quick eye-roll in return. "Score one for the visiting team." She said, in a low voice."You're the fireman that saved my mom from drowning in the ocean, huh?" Emily asked."Actually we responded to a fall victim that was out on the rocks. If I hadn't braved the wild winds and pounding surf, she might not have made it." I said. "She could have been lobster chow.""Oh lord, the story gets more dramatic with the telling." Summer joined in. "I fell on the rocks, luckily I had a cell signal, and called for help. Pete here was one of the first responders and promptly hauled me back to the sand and brought me to the walk-in clinic to get X-rays. See? Not nearly as dramatic as you two make it sound.""She was laid up for a week after, and I kept an eye on her. I didn't want her to starve because she couldn't feed herself." I added, a wicked glint in my eye."Yes, you can cook, and I certainly didn't want for anything." She gave me a warning look that I should stop before more questions began. "Is your stuff in the car Em?" Emily nodded at her mother. "Grab your jacket, let's go I'm hungry." She said grinning. Emily trotted up the hallway, and Summer stepped closer and we kissed deeply. "Nice job with the flowers you clown." She ran her thumb across my lip wiping away any telltale lip gloss."I do what I can." I grinned, and stepped back a half step before Emily walked back into the kitchen.We left, Emily yelled 'Shotgun!' and her mother quickly squashed that plan, though I graciously got in the back seat and let her have the front. Summer giving me a sidelong look, knowing I was indulging Emily for my own sake."Is this your guitar in the back Emily?" I asked. She turned as far as she could in her seat to reply."Yup, my teacher is going to be there tonight and we're going to play.""That's awesome! What are you going to be playing?""You'll just have to wait and hear." She smiled, a mirror of her mother's impish grin.Summer pulled up beside the fire house and parked between a couple pickup trucks. We walked inside to the din of what sounded like a school cafeteria. The engine sitting outside had made room for folding tables and chairs to be set up in the bay. People were already seated and others milled about talking and laughing."I'm going to find Jen." Emily said, wrestling her guitar case through the crowd.Summer was saying hi to people as we passed through the crowd, but she kept moving like she was on a mission."Dale!" She called out. A large guy turned around, he must have been six and a half feet tall. She wrapped an arm part way around his waist and hugged him. "Come here I've got someone I want you to meet. This is my rescuer, remember when I took that spill a couple summers back. Pete, this is my uncle Dale.""Hi there. Thanks for making sure she didn't end up as fish bait." He said smiling, shaking my hand."Pete is applying to the fire department here, looking to get hired for the new year." She added.Dale's eye turned on me appraising openly. "Looking to move to our neck of the woods are you?"I nodded. "Yes sir." I didn't add anything so that rumors wouldn't begin. The look in his eye got shrewd, and he knew exactly why I was willing to pick up and move a thousand miles away from home. The reason was standing right next to him."Hell don't call me sir, save that for her dad." He said tilting his head towards Summer. "Call me Dale, good luck to you Pete. Now go on and get some food before the kids clean us out." He said smiling. We made our way through the crowd, Summer greeting people as she passed, stopping a few times to introduce me around. We eventually found ourselves in the chow line. Summer insisted on paying for us at the little card table. She mentioned that hurricane Emily might blow through any minute. The lady let her know that Emily had already come through the line.We found a place to sit and eat at one of the tables. People stopped to chat and moved on, the night had a familiar small town feel to it. Before long we could hear the sound of guitars, chords being strummed here and there. People started to grab seats, and there was Emily sitting on the left of another girl and a woman. They were sitting around a music stand and Emily and the other girl were watching the woman point things out on the sheet music. I felt a hand grip my thigh and looked at Summer who was beaming at Emily with a big grin on her face. A few moments later the woman began and the girls joined in playing Van Morrison's Moondance instrumental. My foot began tapping and Summer's grip tightened on my leg as I ran my arm over the back of her chair rubbing her back. She turned to me with the silliest grin. I only hoped she was reminiscing about when I played it for her at the summer festival. They gave way to the Beatles Eleanor Rigby, then played John Denver's Take Me Home, which they sang.Summer leaned in close to my ear and whispered. "Thank you." Before giving me a peck on the cheek. I just wrapped my arm around her and gave her a squeeze and smiled.As the group finished the crowd erupted with applause, the girls grinning ear to ear. The woman spoke up after the noise died down stating that she had room for one more student this year if anybody knew someone looking for lessons.Emily packed her guitar away, and put her chair back with the tables. She made her way back to where we were sitting and got caught up in a bear hug from Summer."Alright, say goodbye to your friends, we need to get going."As we left I hollered shotgun and got front seat privileges on the way back to the house. We chatted on the way back about other songs Emily had learned, and how long she'd been playing. Coincidentally it had been just over a year. Summer pointed out that she was a natural, learning very quickly."We learned Moondance this summer. I figure if mom liked it so much I wanted to learn it.""Your mom likes Van Morrison?" I prodded."She's played his greatest hits until she practically wore out the CD." Emily replied. I just grinned wider. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Summer's expression and nearly bust out laughing as she tried to look aloof, the twinkle in her eye giving her away."Well there are some other great musicians from that era you might like. Maybe I can suggest a few for you to listen to." I said."Do you play too?" She asked surprised."Not guitar. I play saxophone, clarinet, and dabble a little in piano." I said."I can teach you." She said, excited.She didn't begin to know how much I would love that. "That would be awesome.""Not tonight." Summer chimed in. "You need to get ready for your sleep over, and that room of yours looks like a tornado touched down in there." As we entered the house she told Emily that she needed to get it cleaned up. Emily went down the hallway with a few sighs and several eye rolls."Would you like something to drink?" Summer asked, with an unusual look in her eye."Yes, please." I nodded, trying decipher it. She opened the fridge and pulled a wine bottle out and began opening it. Music started playing down the hall as Emily puttered around making more noise than necessary. I turned from looking down the hall to look at Summer. She had stopped opening the wine and I noticed her shoulders trembling slightly. I stepped closer my hand circling her waist."Hey, what's the matter?" I asked softly."I don't know, it all seems to be happening so fast, I feel like I'm waiting for the train to derail. You know? I get the feeling something is going to go wrong and it's all going to blow up in my face." She looked up, her eyes burning intently.I chuckled. "How do you think I felt when I put that note in the mail box and drove back down the mountain to wait and see if you'd respond.""Those were the scariest hours of my life." I added softly, staring down at the wine bottle. "I mean I had no idea if you'd call the cops, or call and tell me it was all a mistake and I should go home, or worse, just throw it away, and me with it."She spun around in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck kissing me fiercely. "If you think for a moment that it didn't hurt to leave you like that, then you're crazy. I only did what I thought was best.""Ahem?" Came loudly from the hallway door. I tried to release Summer from my grip but she just held tighter and gave me another quick kiss."Better let her get used to it." She whispered, before slowly letting go of me."Ready for inspection." Emily said saluting as she stood at attention.Summer let out a snort. "I bet. How much of it is stuffed under the bed?" She asked as she spun Emily around and pointed her down the hallway giving her a nudge.As I watched them retreat down the hallway I felt a warm glow deep inside me, the feeling enveloped me, eventually making the hair on the back of my neck tingle. There was no other explanation for it, this just felt right. I turned and poured the wine into the glasses, putting the bottle back into the fridge as I listened to muffled conversation and shuffling as the last of the cleaning was directed."Put the basket on the dryer, and I'll ask Pete if he wants to join us for movie night." Summer said. She walked back toward me, a grin on her face before she let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes. "Still a disaster, but you can walk through it now." She smiled. "So, on Friday nights we usually pick a movie to watch. It's sort of a tradition, some mommy and me time. Care to join us?""So long as it's not an intrusion on the mommy and me time." I said grinning back at her."Like I said, she's going to have to get used to you being around. What better way to start.""Well we better find something family friendly, you know, no late night cable." I chuckled.Summer laughed. "No and I'll make sure we don't bore you with princesses and tiaras.""You don't have to change what you'd normally watch on my account." I replied."Well it is nearly Halloween, horror movies have been popular the last few weeks, but they're getting old. What's your favorite?"I shrugged, giving her a non-committal look. "I'm pretty easy going, though ax wielding, chainsaw revving, slasher flicks are a little too much for me. I've decided a while back that I like being able to sleep.""I'm sure we'll find something." She smiled wrapping her arms around my waist."So what's the verdict so far?" I asked softly kissing her ear."Hmm?" She responded, running her lips up my cheek leaving a trail of kisses."Emmy? Am I doing okay?" I prodded her.She let go of my earlobe long enough to whisper. "Oh, you're a shoe in. She asked me if you were my boyfriend, with a huge grin on her face.""Well?" I asked, wondering at her response.She pulled back laying her forehead against mine. I could see the little grin on her face, she bit her lip and said. "I think he just might be if you like him. She nodded like a bobble head doll.""Yes!" I whispered. "Easiest interview ever.""Am I going to walk into a room and find you two sucking face every time?" Emily said, clearly not as exasperated as she tried to sound."Only if I'm lucky." I replied."Go and get everything ready and I'll make the popcorn." Summer said.We sat down on the sofa, I ended up in the middle. "What are we watching?" I asked."You choose." Emily said.I took the controller and thought a moment and keyed in a title to see if it was available, and it was."Ever heard of this one?" I asked as the film poster popped up with a short synopsis.Both shook their heads. "Nope, any good?""Well the book was fantastic, but I've never seen the movie." I hit play, and the credits began. The movie was a hit, the fantasy and magic captured Emily's imagination as she let out occasional exclamations. I chuckled inwardly when I realized I had both of them tucked under each arm. I don't remember when that happened but I certainly wasn't going to complain about it."That was a good movie. I love when he went to find the falling star and found the girl." Emily said."Sort of reminds me of how I found your mom on the beach." I said."Oh please." Summer said, rolling her eyes and giving me a poke in the ribs. Emily broke into a fit of giggles. "Alright you, get ready for bed.""But it's not even ten yet!" Emily shot back."It will be by the time you're done." Her mother replied. "Now scoot, get a move on." Summer uncurled herself and began to stand too. She reached into my lap to pick up the popcorn bowl and I waved her hand away and picked it up standing up too. I set the bowl and glasses on the counter as Emily trudged up the hallway with a sigh. An equal sigh came from Summer as she wrapped her arms around me from behind. I felt her soft warm lips meet the nape of my neck."Thank you." She said."For what?""For everything. You don't think she snuggled up to you just because you had the popcorn, do you.""Well, it was really good popcorn." I smiled. I got another poke in the ribs for my comment."No. She likes you.""She's pretty terrific, like a mini you." I said turning in her arms holding her closer."Mom!"I just began chuckling as Summer buried her head in my neck. "God help us if we're out of toothpaste." She mumbled before giving me a kiss and turning to go find the source of the distress."What babe." She said as she walked down the hallway, and turned into the bath.I washed the wine glasses by hand, returning to the cupboard she'd taken them from earlier. They both came back into the kitchen a few minutes later."Goodnight Pete." Emily said."Sweet dreams pumpkin." I said, not quite sure where that came from. She launched herself at me hugging me like she was holding on for dear life."Thank you for saving my mom." She sniffled. I hugged her back just as tightly and gave her a peck on the top of the head."You're welcome, but I think it was your mom that saved me. Hopefully we'll have time to figure that out.""Take all the time you want." She smiled up at me before she turned and trotted over to her mom, gave her a big hug and kiss and disappeared down the hallway with a parting goodnight.Summer stood across the room from me leaning back against the door jamb, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked side long down the hallway. A few minutes passed before she let out a sigh. "I have got to stop overestimating how smart I think I am."I chuckled at that."Seriously! You know why she called me into the bathroom?" She asked."I'm guessing it wasn't because she was out of toothpaste.""No! She gave me the kind of interrogation I'd expect from my mother! She asked stuff I hadn't even thought of yet." She chuckled nervously. "Is he moving in? Are you two getting married? If he's moving here, what does his family think of that. Does he know you can't have more kids? That last one threw me, not because I had thought of it when you and I spoke the other day, but that she thought of it!"I walked over to Summer and leaned down and kissed her softly. "Well, I've added another piece to the puzzle, she's just trying to figure out how it's going to fit.""She wanted to know if you were staying the night." Summer said glancing down the hall. "Damn she grew up fast."I laughed at that. "Yea they have a way of doing that while you're not watching them. What did you tell her?"She sighed again. "I told her that you were going home for a couple months to finish out your year at work and that you'd be coming back after Christmas. You'd be getting your own place, and that we hadn't planned anything beyond that!" Her eyes were wide like she'd just gotten the third degree."Come here." I gathered her close and she uncrossed her arms and held on to me. "You're right on the money, everything you said was perfect. I mean hell, I'm not even sure I'm marriage material.She leaned back and looked me in the eye. "You're kidding right?""Yup, actually I'm a hell of a catch. You should be lucky to have me." I grinned."I am a lucky girl. I should pick up a lottery ticket." She smiled back at me.We sat down on the sofa, Summer leaned on me. "Sorry if all this seems a little strange, it's just that she's the most important thing in my life and I don't want to grow old knowing that I screwed her up before I turned her loose on the world.""I've only known her a few hours and I'd say that you're doing a hell of a job. She's smart, funny, warm, and just a bit sarcastic so she doesn't take life too seriously. All of which proves that you're doing a great job." I replied."How are my panties still on?" She grinned throwing a leg over my lap, straddling me while we kissed."These jeans don't want to let go of your incredible ass so they can escape." I said grasping her pulling her down onto my lap to feel the effect she was having on me. She twisted my shoulders slightly and pushed me flat on the couch."How do you do it? You make me feel loved and cared for like I've never felt before. I mean you even did it when I first met you, and you were just a, a kid.""Well since I feel pretty much the same I think it comes from the fact that I love you, no ifs, ands or buts." As I finished, I gave her ass a firm squeeze through her jeans. "Okay, maybe one ass." I added pulling her up slightly, resting her on my hip. We kissed slowly, hands roaming where ever they would. I kissed my way down from her ear to her throat and felt her melt into me. She let out a soft moan. She responded by unbuttoning my shirt and sliding her hand inside. I had her sweater pushed halfway up her back."Seriously, you two need to get a room." Emily said, from the kitchen doorway.I started giggling like a teenager, Summer tried hard not to join in. "Go to bed!" She said before burying her face into my shoulder in fits of laughter."If he gives you a hickey, you'd better wear a turtleneck when Jesse and her mom come tomorrow." She said retreating down the hallway. "I don't want to have to explain that!""It's been a while, come here." I said leaning down and nuzzling her neck."Ah! Don't you dare!" She said pulling back."I can't be held responsible for what I may do." I growled into her neck, and gave her a little kiss and lick. "If I don't get going soon I'll be making you breakfast in the morning.""Scrambled, toast, sausage and coffee regular." She said before slipping her tongue into my mouth."What? No juice?" I asked, after coming up for air."All out, need to pick some up at the store." She licked my lower lip before dipping into my mouth once again. Her thigh was rubbing between my legs, stroking my cock. It's a wonder it hadn't torn through my jeans."Any bacon?" I said sliding her sweater over her head and unclasping her bra.She let out a soft moan as I began stroking her freed breast, thumbing the nipple into a similar state as my cock."I don't think so, no." She said as she kissed down my chest pushing the t-shirt up and taking my nipple into her mouth. I was sure that the jeans didn't have much time left. In an effort to prove my point, Summer slid her hand down and stroked the bulge. I had to stop her."I think we need to take this to the bedroom before Emmy finds us sprawled here naked in the morning.""Good idea." She said gasping. She stood up her neck and chest flushed pink, eyes bright and hair wild. She grabbed her clothes and reached down to grab my hand and pull me up, hauling me off the couch with more strength than I expected nearly causing me to knock her over. "Come on." She tugged me along into her bedroom, and turned on a small bedside lamp. She turned and kissed me again, while doing her best to tear my shirt off. I assisted in getting both off. Both arms wrapped around my neck, the heat of her pressed against my chest was intense. I reached between us and fought her jeans to let her free. She brought her hands down steadying mine and the button came free, the zipper went down swiftly as I ran my hands around behind her pushing them down over her ass. She pushed away and began tearing at my belt and jeans to get them off. We finally freed ourselves of our clothing, Summer reaching for my cock, stroking it softly. It was nearly torture."Think with that head not this one before you answer. Have you had unprotected sex with anyone besides me." She looked up at me asked, her eyes wide with expectation."No, I haven't. I had a good teacher." I said. Her grip tightened and her face lit with a little smirk. She snatched a throw pillow off the bed and dropped at my feet before kneeling down and laving my cock with her tongue. She took me into her mouth and began sliding more of me into her mouth with each stroke. She began massaging my balls while her rhythm increased. "Oh God, slow down I can't hold out much longer." That seemed to spur her on as the pace increased bringing me to the edge before she pulled back with just the tip in her mouth, she reached up and began massaging me behind my balls causing my immediate orgasm. The contractions lessened as Summer took it all in, swallowing quickly. I was nearly spent and ready to collapse when she started in again. She worked my cock deep into her mouth again, her efforts to keep me hard weren't wasted, and I was ready for more.She backed off and licked her way from base to tip. "There now that we have that out of the way, we can put this where it belongs." She stood and turned to pull down the covers and I scooped her up and set her on the bed, turning her so her legs were dangling off the edge. I punted the pillow so it was right in front of her and knelt down. She let out a soft moan as she wrapped her legs around my neck pulling me down to pleasure her.She was already soaked, the heat pouring off her body was intense. I teased and licked her swollen lips, her hips began to sway trying to make me hit a certain spot. I danced around her clit, gently lifting the hood with the tip of my tongue and retreating. Soon she had handfuls of my hair in her grip, pulling my face into her harder. "Stop teasing!" She said through gritted teeth. Her wish was my command. I pushed two fingers into her easily as I pulled back the hood and began sucking and licking her clit. Her body tensed as she arched her back and let out a yelp. Before she could make any more noise she'd grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it as she climaxed. She slowly relaxed and I cleaned up the incredible mess I'd just made of her. She pulled the pillow off and began gulping air as if she had been drowning. As she caught her breath she picked her head up and looked down at me. "You look like a kitten that's just finished an entire bowl of cream." She said grinning.I smacked my lips. "Surely not the entire bowl." I replied as I stood up and lifted her, turning her gently on the bed so she was laying comfortably in the center. I slid in next to her, she scooted over slightly and rolled up onto her side to make room. She leaned over and kissed me softly, still breathing hard."You're going to be the death of me.""Yea, but what a way to go." I smiled up at her and kissed her again. She began softly stroking my still hard cock."All tuckered out?" She asked.Without warning I rolled her onto her back, parted her thighs and sank deep into her. "Not at all. I was just letting you catch your breath."She wrapped her legs around me, lifting herself to meet each deep thrust. Our tongues began a slow tango as her hands roamed up and down my body."I can't even describe how incredible this feels." She gasped.I slipped my arm around her waist and lifted her from the mattress, pushing a pillow under her ass. The slight shift in angle had my cock sliding along her upper wall."Oh, oh, oh yes!" She cried, as I deliberately slowed down and pushed harder with each thrust. Her grip on me was getting to be too much, and I wasn't going to last much longer as I pumped away. She slid her hand down between us and began stroking her clit with quick fingers. It took only a moment before she started shaking, her legs clamping down and drawing me in as much as she could. Her walls contracting to milk me of every ounce I had to give. At that point I just leaned forward and erupted. Inhuman sounds escaped from deep in my throat. A long low guttural moan escaped Summer as she arched her back rising up to me. A few deep gasps and she collapsed back to the mattress, and I followed her, our mouths met, our tongues danced lightly as we tried to catch our breath. I slid to the side, breaking free of her lips for a moment and turned off the lamp.I woke early, pulled on my jeans and t-shirt quietly and made my way to the bathroom for a little relief. I walked out of the bathroom door to find Emily standing in what I guessed was her bedroom door. She rubbed her eye and just looked at me for a moment."Hi." She said softly.I stood there unsure of just what to say. "Hi." I replied nervously. The pause began to get uncomfortable."Are you done, can I get in there now?" She nodded towards the bathroom."Oh sure." I stepped aside quickly and she plodded her way in closing the door quietly. I closed my eyes taking a deep breath. I walked back down the hall into the kitchen and noted it was about my normal wake up time. So I scouted for coffee. Emily padded into the kitchen in her sweats and socks."What are you looking for?" She asked noting that I was peeking into different cupboards in search of the coffee."Coffee first, then I was going to make breakfast, if you want." I said."Can I help?" She asked. I just smiled and nodded. She pointed at a canister on the counter and smiled back. I opened it to find the coffee."How about we make something special?" I opened the fridge and rummaged and found the eggs and sausage Summer had mentioned. I found some veggies in the drawer and pulled those out too. My real find was a box of ready pie crusts. I detailed my plans with Emily and after extensive prep work of dicing and browning we placed a sausage and pepper quiche into the oven."Corn flakes are for chumps." She said looking at the door and smiled at me."Can you set the table while I wake up your mom?" I asked.She nodded. "I'd bring coffee and lead with that. She can be grouchy in the morning."I chuckled and poured a cup, topped it with a splash of milk and spoonful of sugar. I opened the door slowly and walked to the bed. Summer was curled up, her hair a golden splash across the pillow, her expression was strained."Don't try to fool me, that grin is a dead giveaway that you're not asleep." I said as she broke into a full smile and opened her soft blue eyes."Good morning.""Good morning pretty lady." I said as I set the coffee on the nightstand and leaned down to kiss her."If you don't mind, I've had to go to the bathroom for the last twenty minutes, but I didn't want to barge in on your bonding session." She slipped out of bed and grabbed a robe from the closet door and wrapped herself up and darted out of the room, leaving me chuckling. She didn't come right back and I was wondering what might be going on in the kitchen. I reached for the coffee cup as she walked back into the room shaking her head."What?" I asked.She just grinned at me. "Oh nothing, you know that old saying 'out of the mouths of babes'? Well mine just asked why you were spending money on a motel when you could stay here." Summer just looked up and laughed and shook her head again. "She's right though. If she took this as well as it seems then why don't you check out and come up here for the rest of your stay?"I just smiled. "I wouldn't want to intrude.""Intrude my ass. All you've done since you've been here is make life better." She walked over and sat next to me on the bed and kissed me. "The invitation is sincere, from both of us. Oh and you're timer is nearly up on the stove." My eyes went wide as kissed her and trotted out of the room to save breakfast.Em started giggling as she saw me jog into the kitchen to look at the stove. The timer still had seven minutes to go. I squinted at her. "Gonna be like that is it?" She burst into a bigger fit of giggles."You were right mom, he fell for it!" She yelled.A few minutes later Summer walked in wearing her college sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt, grinning ear to ear."I'd nearly forgotten that you're a gourmet chef, besides a fireman. What have you done with breakfast?" She asked."It's in the oven. It'll just be a few more minutes. Do you have any tomato sauce?" I asked."There's some in the pantry there I think." She said as she topped her coffee off.I found it and opened it up, pouring some into a bowl to warm up in the microwave. She looked at me sidelong not sure what to make of what I was doing."Okay shortcake, let's do this restaurant style, why don't we make a little assembly line here on the counter. Plates here, we need the spinach from the fridge, the bowl of sauce here, and do you have something to set the main course on?" She dug in a drawer and found a large pot holder and set it on the counter. As if on cue the timer went off. I checked in on it, and it was done. I slid it out and set it on the counter."That smells fantastic. You found that in my fridge?" She chuckled."The only special ingredient is imagination." I said as I winked at Emily who smiled and nodded. "Okay, so here's how we do it, do you know what the flag of Italy looks like?" Emily shook her head no. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "What are they teaching you kids in school these days? We're going to make the plates look like the Italian flag, green, white and red. So spinach on the side, then we're going to put a slice of the quiche in the middle for the white, and then a little sauce on the side for the red. Got it?""Yup." She took the first plate and piled a handful of the spinach on one side while I sliced the quiche, and set a slice just on the edge of the spinach."Okay, here's where we get all fancy." I whispered. "We take a little sauce and we make a little pool on this side. Don't tell anybody about this trick, everybody will be doing it." I said winking at her. Emily just rolled her eyes at me, the grin never leaving her face. "Two more like this and we have breakfast!"Emily made the other plates herself and set them on the table."A little more caffe for a me, we'll warm up Mama's, and for the signorina, the juice of one cow." I said pouring her a glass of milk. "Finito!"Summer started clapping, and I took a bow, and caught Emily out of the corner of my eye joining me. We sat down and began eating."Italy tastes really good." Emily said around a mouthful. Everybody nodded as we ate."Oh, did you tell her?" I said leaning over asking Em. She just looked at me wide-eyed. "Well the deal usually goes, the cook doesn't do the dishes." I said winking. Emily grinned and looked at her mother who in turn gave her a gimlet eye."So that was the deal? Why wasn't I given a vote in this plan?" She said.Emily replied with a shrug. "You were asleep." It was my turn to chuckle."That'll teach you to sleep in." I said. She gave me the same gimlet eye with a smile thrown in.When she finished Emily cleaned up after herself and put away the milk and the rest of the cold food without being asked. I looked at Summer who had a smug look on her face as she popped the last bite into her mouth."I'm going to get my stuff ready to go to Jesse's." Emily said as she headed for the hallway.Summer let out a quick, authoritative, "Hey," and raised an eyebrow at her, then looked at me and back. Emily rolled her eyes just like her mother and came back."Thank you for making breakfast..." she stumbled unsure what to call me.My eyes went wide. "Just call me Pete, and I should be thanking you for your artful assistance."She beamed and turned and took off up the hallway. I just watched her grinning as I sipped the dregs of my coffee. Music floated down the hallway a few seconds later as I pondered just how things had unfolded since I'd gotten here. I must have been lost in thought for a few minutes."Penny?" Summer asked, startling me out of my reflection."Sorry, I was just thinking how scared I was that this whole trip was a bad idea, and how everything has gone so right. I'm still worried that something bad is going to happen to screw it up. You know, like waking up and finding that I'm dreaming this."She ran her instep up my leg. "Don't go looking for trouble, it'll find you all by itself in time.""So what do you have planned for me tonight?" She asked."Oh a little dinner, maybe a show after." I grinned. "You have something nice to wear? No jeans, reservations are for seven o'clock." I said with a wink."I'll see what I can manage." She rolled her eyes."I can't wait." I said, the excitement in my voice coming through, bringing a smile to Summer's face."What's next for you today?" She asked."Let's see, I need to run back to my motel, pack and check out, stop by the dry cleaners, a couple errands. Most of all I want to start with a long hot shower." I said giving her a wink."That last one sounds good." Summer's eyes wandered to the hallway and back, and her expression changed, turning apprehensive as she crossed her arms over her chest."What's the matter?" I said as I took her arms and uncrossed them putting them on my hips."I don't know, it just feels weird. I feel like I've got to sneak around to have a life of my own."I laughed at that. "If we didn't scare her last night then I think she'll be fine. You just need," I paused and corrected myself, "We just need to be straight up honest with her. Show her that she's not being cut out of your life, but I'm joining both of yours, with any luck for a long time.""You'd better be planning on a long time. I'm not a love 'em and leave 'em kind of girl."I just raised an eyebrow at her for a moment, and she turned bright red and looked down."Okay there was that one time, but..." She began but I cut her off with a kiss."Mom, when you come up for air can you help me find my blue sweater?" Emily said as she walked into the kitchen.We both busted out laughing. "Yes dear. I am ever your willing servant." Summer replied rolling her eyes up at me and gave me another quick peck."Go get your stuff and get back here safe." She added as she made her way down the hallway.I got dressed and got ready to leave and wandered up the hall rapping on the door jamb before peeking around the corner of the door."I'll see you ladies in a little while." I said smiling."Hurry back, I want you to meet my friend Jesse when she gets here. She's really cool.""I'll do my best." I replied.To be continued in part 6, by Member389 for Literotica

Feeling burnt out and drained in your business? Not sure what truly lights you up anymore? You're not alone, and more importantly — you don't have to stay stuck there.In this powerful follow-up episode, I'm diving deep into the practical strategies that will help you rediscover joy in your entrepreneurial journey. This isn't about toxic positivity or pretending everything is fine — it's about giving yourself permission to explore, create, and experience genuine fulfillment in the work you're building.After more than a decade of coaching women entrepreneurs, I've learned that joy isn't something you earn after you "make it." Joy is the fuel that gets you there. And if you're feeling like you're just going through the motions or chasing someone else's definition of success, this episode is your wake-up call.In this episode, you'll discover:Why giving yourself permission to explore new ideas (without implementing them all) can reignite your passionThe "one or two rule" for pursuing new opportunities without burning outHow to identify and eliminate the "shoulds" that are draining your energyMy personal story of recognizing I was the bottleneck in my own business — and how I fixed itThe question that reveals where your biggest frustrations hold the most potential for joyWhy delaying joy until you "achieve more" is keeping you stuckHow to build micro-doses of joy into your daily routine right nowTimestamps:00:00 Permission to explore new ideas without pressure01:00 The danger of chasing too many shiny objects at once02:00 Making space for joy-driven projects (even free ones!)03:00 Avoiding the "shoulds" that drain your energy05:00 Recognizing when others' agendas are influencing your choices06:00 Where are your bottlenecks? Journaling prompts for clarity10:00 The "Oh God, not this again" indicator for finding joy opportunities13:00 Building micro-doses of joy into your routine15:00 Finding people who are living joyfully (and learning from them)16:00 Building a Joyful Business book recommendationLinks mentionedBe sure to listen to Part 1 of this conversation before this epsiode: https://www.liannekim.com/blog/349Check out my book, Building a Joyful Business: https://www.liannekim.com/book‌Connect with me:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liannekimcoachInstagram: @liannekimcoachJoin the Mamas & Co. community to get access to valuable resources and the support of likeminded mompreneurs and mentors: https://www.mamasandco.comInstagram: @mamasandcoPodcasting support:https://theultimatecreative.com— Learn with me: Mamapreneur Success Path - Free Audio Training ‌Connect with me: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liannekimcoach Instagram: @liannekimcoach Join the Mamas & Co. community to get access to valuable resources and the support of likeminded mompreneurs and mentors: https://www.mamasandco.com Instagram: @mamasandco Podcasting support: https://theultimatecreative.com

On today's show we speak with Lebanese-born, australian-based filmmaker Samia Mikhail about her poetry which responds to the barbarism of imperialism, while feeling the pain of the oppressed and the  murdered, and expressing the pain and rage of all that is left of humanity as we watch senseless wars created in the Global South by ruling classes of the Global North. How can one write any other poetry when people make money from killing others and stealing their fields? We don't beg emotions from those who don't have any. Oh God, how cruel people can be.Samia's poetry and writing can be found at the following Arabic publications: Ilaaf, Ana AlAaghar, Eihterafaat kinaah,Thakafaat, Kitabaat, Horraas alwatan, Kalimaat bawhh al-rouh, Rasa'el maa kahwat Alsabaah.

Summer Arrives on the Atlantic Coast of Maine, in time for his first time.A 7-part series by Member389. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Stories. I was finally glad to be out of school. My buddy Jeff got out last year. He went off and joined the military and left our little town. I figured I'd work the summer here and see what was what after the tourists left. It was still early yet, they hadn't started arriving yet, clogging the roads with their luxury cars, acting as if they owned the place. Truth be told, they did. If it weren't for them, the rest of us wouldn't have a living. Fishing wasn't cutting it anymore, and the old quarries down coast were barely running now. Luckily we had the tourists.I walked down into the village near the docks, and popped into the little corner store."Hey Peter." I heard as I walked in. Paula nodded at me and smiled. She and her husband ran this little place, and did well by the locals and tourists alike. I waved and smiled at her as I headed to the back and grabbed a soda from the cooler."You headed over to see Davy about work?" She asked."Yea, I figure I gotta do something before mom tosses me out of the house." I chuckled."Would you do me a favor? Chip is out on a delivery and we're short-handed. Is there any chance you could make a delivery for me, it's on your way. The lady has an account so you don't need to collect any money. It's just, I heard she twisted her ankle on the beach and I told her that if she needed anything to call us and I'd get it over to her.""Sure, where is it going?" I said.She handed me two canvas sacks from the cooler, and gave me the address. It was just a couple blocks over from where I was headed. Paula refused to let me pay for my soda before leaving. I walked the few blocks turning up onto the driveway that led to a house facing the water. I walked around the house looking for the kitchen door. As I turned the corner I saw a woman lying on a towel on the lawn. She lay there basking in the morning sun completely naked. A small pile of fabric beside her looked like a swimsuit she may have been wearing. I stopped and looked around, the spot was well sheltered on the curve in the road. Her long blonde hair trailed out above her on her towel, her arms down at her sides, her deep pink nipples pointing up to the sun. Her stomach was flat and a little glint of something shiny hinted at a belly button ring. From this distance I couldn't be sure. A small strip of hair dipped down between her thighs. Her legs were long toned and pale, but getting red. She had just started tanning by the color she'd turned already. She was going to look like a freshly boiled lobster in a very short time.I realized she hadn't heard or seen me, so I turned and cleared my throat loudly. I looked over my shoulder, and she hadn't moved. I decided I'd just put the groceries in the house for her. I set the bags on the kitchen table and peeked to make sure nothing needed to be put in the icebox. Thankfully I did or the cold stuff would have spoiled. I put them away and left the rest. I walked towards the back door again and looked out the screen at her. She was beautiful, like she'd just stepped out of a magazine centerfold. She still hadn't moved, and it wouldn't be long before she burned badly. So I took it upon myself to rescue her, that's just the kind of guy I am. I opened the back door and pushed it open as far as possible and let it swing shut. The loud rap of the wood on the frame did the trick. She jumped, then the realization that somebody was near and she was naked came on her and she rolled onto the grass pulling the towel over her covering up. I saw why she hadn't heard me as an earbud fell out onto the grass.She peeked over the top of her big sunglasses, and in an accent I hadn't heard around here, she asked. "Can I help you?" The scolding tone of her voice saying that she didn't appreciate being peeked at while she was sunbathing.I scrunched up my face. "Where are you from?" I asked, curious about her accent."Right here buster, I'm renting this place. Where in hell did you come from?" She replied."Oh! Paula down at the market asked me to deliver your groceries. They were shorthanded and I was headed this way."She just stared at me for a moment, and I returned the stare taking in the scene with a dumb-founded look."Would you be a gentleman and please turn around?" She said a little testily. I did as she asked. Unfortunately for her I'd turned and was looking directly at her reflection in the kitchen window. She stood up cursing quietly, putting her weight on one foot, and wrapped the towel around her and tucked it in above her breasts. She was tall, and though her breasts weren't large they were nicely shaped, and red. The little stripe of hair ended neatly where I thought. The towel was just long enough to cover her modestly. She hobbled over to the little pile of cloth and swept up her bikini and started hobbling towards the house like a wounded animal. She passed me and got to the step and hobbled up the half step, and opened the door using it for stability and hopped up the step into the kitchen.She hobbled back to the screen door and said. "Well come on in."I walked over and stepped into the kitchen. She was sitting down on one of the chairs one leg splayed out in front of her the other tucked under the chair. The smooth skin was kissed with a flush of pink. I knew she was going to regret falling asleep out there later, but I'm glad I happened to wake her up so she didn't get severely burned. She was fumbling with her towel to keep it up, and digging through a big pocket book."Paula said that you have an account." I held up my hand. "I'm not going back to the store anyhow."She peeked up at me from her purse through a tangle of long blonde hair. "Thank you, but I was going to give you something for the trouble. She mentioned that you wouldn't be here until afternoon because it was busy today." A pink nipple peaked over the top of the polka dot beach towel. She caught me staring. "Though it could be surmised that you already got your tip." She said an eyebrow going up, and a small grin turning the corners of her mouth up. She shook her head as she pulled the towel back into place and tossed the purse onto the table. She held her arm out straight with a folded bill in it. I just shook my head once and waved it off."Thanks, but you don't need to do that." I said."Don't make me get up, my ankle hurts like hell, and I'm in no shape to use it to kick your ass for being a peeping tom." She replied grinning. She waved the money again. I shrugged and took it slipped into my jeans pocket. I was hoping she hadn't noticed they were tighter in front than a moment before."Thanks." I nodded."No, thank you Chip, I would have come into town to get them later but she insisted on having you deliver them."I smiled. "I'm not Chip. He was doing another delivery. I'm Pete.""Nice to meet you." She said holding out a hand. "I'm Summer."I shook her hand. She had a firm grip and didn't let up until I did. I just stood there for a moment looking at her. She had mesmerizing blue eyes and a crooked little smile. I realized I was staring when her brow went up. I felt myself blush."Are you thirsty? I could use something cold." Summer asked. I nodded."If you don't mind, there's a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge. I'm going to go put something on besides a towel.""Not on my account I hope?" Why not, I figured, she seemed to have a sense of humor about getting caught. I smiled over my shoulder at her as I reached for the cupboard door. She laughed aloud at that.She stood again, wobbling, and took her bikini in hand and walked towards the living room and gasped grabbing for the door jamb. In the process the towel let go and she stood there grasping the towel in one hand the door in the other. Her long smooth back tapered to a narrow waist and flared back out to beautifully curved hips. On her back was a pretty sunflower tattoo with vines around it. There looked to be a figure in the center of it."Oh to hell with it. I don't think I've got anything left to hide at this point." She muttered and hobbled out of the room. I opened up the freezer and got a tray of ice out, and filled the glasses. I heard her fumbling around a bit and she started to hobble back out. She'd pulled a light blue flowered sundress on, and taken a minute to brush out her hair. She hobbled over to an easy chair in the living room and sat down. "Would you be a doll and bring that in here?"I walked into the living room and she was gingerly setting her foot on the coffee table. I handed her a glass and set the other down. I took the towel she'd tossed on the sofa and folded it up into a little bundle and went to take her leg. I stopped myself and looked up at her, from under fallen bangs."May I?" I asked. She held her glass with both hands, licking tea from her upper lip, and nodded. I lifted her calf, the skin smooth and warm in my hand, and slipped the folded towel under her ankle to pad it from the table. I set it down carefully and she let out a sigh. I sat down on the sofa and took up my glass. I was looking into the glass at the ice cubes floating around. I set it back down and went to the kitchen, found a plastic bag and filled it with the rest of the ice. I looked down at her, she sat there wide eyed as I reached to carefully set it on her ankle."Thank you," She said softly, with a smile "again.""You slammed the door on purpose didn't you?" She asked."Well you were beginning to look like a lobster out there, fresh from the pot. I wasn't sure if you were asleep and I didn't want you to burn, or worse." I said.She smiled. "Thank you." She said, and after a moment she added, "West Virginia.""Rockport here, welcome to Maine." I toasted her with my tea, and we clinked glasses. Neither of us said anything we just sat there enjoying our tea."You said this was on your way? Where were you going?" Summer asked."I was headed down to Davy's marina down the road." I said. Then pointed. "If you go down Sea Road and bear right. He runs a couple of boats for fishing, sightseeing and whale watching. I was going to see if he needed any help this summer."She nodded, and looked down at her ankle. Water running down her leg from the condensation on the bag."If he doesn't give you a job on a boat, you might want to consider going to medical school." She chuckled. "You're a quick thinker and have a gentle touch. I don't mean to keep you from where you were headed but since this is really feeling like hell." She pointed at her foot. "I was wondering if you could do me another favor before you leave.""Sure, what else do you need, lunch?" I asked.She laughed. "Well that would be nice, but I was just going to ask you to go into the bathroom and grab the ace bandage that's rolled up on the counter and the bottle of pain killers for me. I want to get this wrapped again, now that I'm not worried I'll look like a cat with one white paw."I set my glass down, and went to the bath and found the items. I found a bottle of sunburn lotion on the counter and brought that too."I see you came prepared to burn." I looked at the bottle."Well when you're as white as I am, it happens often, especially this early in the season." Summer said as she reached up for the items. She reached down and took the ice off, and dried her foot off on the towel. She crossed her legs, her dress riding up high as she reached to start unrolling the bandage.I laughed. "That looks more awkward than a lobster trying to climb a tree." I reached out for the bandage and took it from her. "Let me show you how it's done." I sat on the edge of the coffee table and laid her leg across mine. I wrapped her ankle neatly slipping the clips on at the end with a flourish. I looked at her toes peeking up, the nails a sparkly pink color. A small throat clear broke me out of my reverie, only to notice that I'd been absently stroking her shin and calf. I snatched my hand away, and felt my face turn bright red again. I looked down at the rug and apologized."For what? Doing a better job than I would wrapping my ankle? Or maybe the lame lobster jokes." She flipped a hand at me and took the bottle and popped it open. She poured out her dose and knocked them back with a swallow of her tea."I should take these with food." She took her foot off my lap and set it gingerly on the floor, grabbing the arms of the chair preparing to get up."Whoa! Where are you going?" I asked."I was going to go see what was in those bags to eat." She said."Sit down. I'll get you something." I answered quickly.She rolled her eyes at me. "You've done far more than you should have for a tired, broken down old lady." She rolled forward again, and I put my hand on her shoulder to keep her balance back."I'll get it." I said firmly. "What would you like?""You are too sweet." She said, relaxing back into the chair. "What did you bring?"I went into the kitchen to rummage through the bags. Given a little creativity and a few minutes time I whipped up a sandwich and chips. I peeked around the door jamb to ask if she wanted mustard or mayo on her turkey. The sight that greeted me stopped me in my tracks. Summer had sat forward on the chair, and slipped the straps off the sundress pushing it down to her waist. She sat there slowly rubbing in the sunburn cream into her skin. She finished her arms and began working on her chest rubbing slowly giving each nipple a pinch and tug. My jeans felt about ready to explode at the sight of her. I popped my head back around the door and called out asking my question. She replied, mustard. I responded that it was ready then, to give her time to cover up.I walked into the room with the plate in front of me and the bag of chips dangling beneath to try and hide my arousal. I sat quickly as I handed her the plate, hoping I'd covered myself well enough."Ooh thanks!" She said setting the plate down and reaching for half the sandwich. She just stopped and looked at me. "You didn't make one for yourself?" I shook my head. "Here," she handed me the other half, "I hate eating alone."I shrugged and took the other half, and we ate quietly. I asked her how she twisted her ankle. Exploring wet rocks on the outbound tide, she'd slipped and thought she'd broken it. She had gotten an X-ray and it was only a bad sprain."Ironic. I ended up having to postpone starting work at the very hospital that I was going to be starting at next week." She said."Oh? You a doctor?" I asked."RN, and I was serious earlier, you have a gentle touch, and you wrap a mean ankle." She followed with a smile."Sports." I said by way of explanation. She nodded.She opened her mouth laying a chip on her tongue and took it in whole giving it a crunch. I didn't know why, but she fascinated me on an entirely new level. I'd seen naked girls before, well in magazines and movies, anyway. Here sat a woman who, unlike those from around here, wasn't scandalized by having her body admired. This isn't the end of the world, but not far from it."How old are you Pete." She asked. I told her the truth, that I was nineteen, and I'd just graduated last month. She offered me the chips, and I took a few."What are your plans from here?" She asked."I honestly don't know. I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up." I said chuckling.She set the chips aside and wiped her hands on the towel. She took up the bottle of cream and popped the cap up. She nonchalantly pulled up the hem on her dress to a nearly indecent level and leaned forward and began rubbing the cream into her leg. She continued to ask me about the area, what there was to do after school got out. She worked her hand further up her thigh, the warm pink flesh supple under her fingers. She pulled back again, the hem of the dress slid up, and a peek of pink lace appeared. She asked if I had a girlfriend. Which made me pause. She started on the other leg working from the ankle up to the knee. She stopped and looked at me when I didn't reply."No?" She asked, no doubt noticing that I'd been watching every movement she made.I just shook my head looking down at the floor. "No. I've gone out a few times, but never really had a girlfriend."She looked down her leg again, massaging her up her thigh slowly. Watching her was not helping the situation in my jeans one bit."That's too bad. Seems an awful waste of resources if you ask me." She smirked."Huh?" I said looking up at her with a quizzical look.She bit her lower lip and looked me in the eye for a moment, then down at my lap, and nodded.I must have turned deep red, she looked up at me and smiled, then busted out laughing."Oh my God! You're as innocent as the day you were born, aren't you?" She asked grinning ear to ear.I stammered."Oh hell." She waved her hand. "Don't be embarrassed hon. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you a hard time." She reached over and gave my wrist a quick squeeze. The feel of her warm hand sent a shock up my arm. She leaned back in the chair, not bothering to adjust her dress. The little pink lace peeking out kept drawing my eye. I could feel her eyes studying me as I tried not to look.She started softly. "Am I the first woman you've ever seen naked?" She followed with, "in person?"I cleared my throat. "Well, that close, yea." I said softly. "Last summer, my friend and I found a cove where some girls go to tan in the summer, but we stay well back. They mostly only took their tops off. Jeff had binoculars." I felt my ears turn red.Summer smiled again biting her lip. "So, the peeping tom thing isn't new." She giggled. She was enjoying teasing me. A moment of silence passed while I looked anywhere but at her. "Stand up Pete, and come here." I looked at her and did as she asked. She slowly reached up, and tugged the straps of her dress to the side, and looped her arms up through, pushing it down her torso. Her breasts popped free, the cherry red nipples stiff in the cool breeze coming through the house. She looked up at me from under a lock of hair, still biting her lip. Time seemed to stop, and I wasn't sure what to do next, but instinct pushed me to reach out and cup her breast. It was warm and soft in my hand, and I stroked it gently. I reached up with my thumb and rubbed the nipple. A sigh as she inhaled deeply, her eyes were closed while I explored. I rolled it between my thumb and finger it was as hard as a pencil eraser."That feels nice." She said softly. I stroked the curve up to her chest, and back down between them following it around.Time started again when I jumped back startled. I hadn't expected it when her hand reached up and pressed against the front of my jeans."Oh!" She giggled. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just thought you might enjoy a little rub too." She nodded at my jeans. "Let me see it."I went wide eyed like a deer in caught in headlights."Come on. It's only fair, you saw mine." She urged. Her hand slid down raising the hem of her dress showing off the pink lace panties with black lace trim. She circled the front with her finger, pressing as she did. She reached over and took the last swallow of her tea and caught an ice cube from the glass. Swirling it around her mouth. She opened her mouth showing me that she was rolling the cube around with her tongue.Without conscious thought my hands reached for my zipper to release the pressure built up behind it. I pulled it down as she watched intently. I unbuttoned the fly of my boxers and the pressure was gone as my hard cock pushed its way out seeking relief.Summer made an approving sound deep in her throat at the sight of it. "Ooh that's nice." The ice cube clicked on her teeth and she crushed it quickly, chewing the bits of ice. She looked up at me and made a come hither motion with her free hand, the other still working on the pink lace. I stepped forward as if she were drawing me towards her with an invisible tether. She reached up slowly this time and took me gently into her hand. Stroking the shaft and rubbing the tip with her thumb. I gasped, my breath coming in short panting breaths. "That's it, easy now." She said in a soothing voice, as if calming a frantic animal. "You aren't going to last very long."My body was humming like a taut wire as she gently stroked me. In a move that surprised me, she leaned forward and took me into her mouth. The cold sensation from her chewing the ice nearly pushed me over the top. I gasped. She licked my cock like a kid with an ice cream cone, her icy tongue dragging away at me. I knew I was about to cum, and she did too. She stepped up the pace of her licking, and took me into her mouth once more sliding down further until I lost it. I felt my hips jerk forward and she put her hand on my thigh to keep me from choking her. I grabbed for the first thing at hand, and it happened to be the back of her head, and I erupted. My body stiffened as I gasped for air. I felt as if she was drawing me inside out. I exploded in her mouth, her tongue cleaning up the mess I'd made."Is that the first time a girl has done that to you?" She asked softly, lapping my still hard cock. I nodded between gasping breaths."You poor thing. Have you ever thought of what it would be like to lick a girl down there?" She asked innocently. I looked down to find her fingers had slipped into the panties and were making deep circular motions. I had to think, because if I hadn't before now, I certainly was beginning to. She kept darting her tongue out, giving me soft licks and quick flicks with her tongue and thought I could do that.She stood up awkwardly not putting her weight on her bad ankle, and reached up beneath her sundress tugging at the fabric. Soon her panties were around her knees. She turned and tossed the towel onto the chair and spread it out."Oh screw it." She said pushed down the fabric of her sundress as it slid over her hips. She sat down pushing her dress and panties off and tossed them on the couch. She leaned back on the chair as I watched her chest rise and fall with her slow deep breathing. My eyes followed down her taut stomach, a small silver heart dangled from her belly button on a chain. My eyes scanned further down and found the top of her little narrow strip, the soft tuft of dark blonde hair leading to deep pink lips. I stood there with my mouth hanging open as she set her leg back up on the coffee table, opening up a little more for me. I licked my dry lips, which must have been a sign."That's what I like to see. A willing student." She smiled and winked at me. "Grab a pillow and kneel down. I'll give you a quick lesson on the special anatomy of a girl." She chuckled. I did as she asked and knelt before her. She proceeded to point out the highlights softly, in an encouraging voice. Explaining how best to please a woman down there.I leaned forward, my nose filling with the scent of her. I reached forward licking upward between her spread fingers. She let out a deep sigh and I began licking and nibbling. I tilted my head up and began swirling her clit with my tongue like she'd done to my cock. She threw her head back and her jaw dropped as a low moan escaped her lips.She panted quickly. "Slip your finger inside me, and make a come here motion." She mimed it with one finger.I did as she asked, slipping my middle finger into her as far as I could. It was wet, and warm and I could feel her tighten down on me. I started off slowly stroking in and out of her, then remembered how she'd shown me and I rubbed up and forward and back again. I had forgotten what I was doing and noticed she'd reached down to start stroking her clit with incredible speed. I leaned down putting my tongue to it again, and began flicking it with my tongue as fast as I could. Summer arched up off the chair and began yelling, 'Oh my God.' She stayed that way for nearly a minute before collapsing back into the chair gasping for air. My hand was soaked with her juices. I wasn't sure, but I figured I'd done well. I used the corner of the towel to wipe my hand. I looked at her swollen, wet and deep pink lips and just leaned forward and began lapping up the mess she'd made, slowly with the tip of my tongue. She inhaled sharply and her legs came together quickly."Easy there." She said pushing my head away gently. "It's very sensitive after." She released the grip she had of my hair and ran her fingers through it. She was just looking at me smiling while I licked my lips."So how did I do teach?" I asked.She chuckled. "I'd say you did pretty damn well for a first-timer. I'll give you an A plus for effort and an A for technique." She smiled. I was hard as a rock, and wondered if I was going to be allowed to follow through with the next thing that came to my mind."Are you a typical young guy with a raincoat in your wallet?" She asked, reading my mind. I looked at her with my quizzical look again. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. I sighed looking down, and shook my head slowly. I got a slightly scolding look in reply. I wasn't sure if it was because I didn't have one, or that she was unhappy about it as well."Get up." She said giving a slight push to my forehead. I leaned back and stood in a single motion. I nearly fell over backwards when I realized I still had both legs caught with my jeans around my knees. Summer leaned forward to grab my arm and help me balance. She nodded down at them and without saying a word let me know that I should get them off. She gripped my hand solidly and pulled herself carefully out of the chair and hobbled a step aside. She reached down taking the rumpled beach towel off the chair and flipped it in half and lay it on the center cushion of the sofa. She turned me back to and gave me a push so I fell back onto it."Don't move." She said leveling a serious gaze at me. She hobbled back off to the bedroom. A little rustling later she came back with something closed in her fist. She pulled the coffee table up close and sat gently on the edge of it facing me."First things first. It's never her responsibility to make sure you're prepared." She said holding up a little foil packet. "If you aren't prepared, then keep it in your pants, or her hand if you're lucky enough." She smiled. "The only time it'll be up to her to help is now. If she'd like to." She reached forward and began slowly stroking me, her fingers firm and soft at the same time. "You see, you can't wrap the rascal unless he's primed and ready." She smiled. "I'll show you how best to use this so you don't end up a daddy too soon, or worse."I smiled and rolled my eyes."Hey, we can stop right now if you like." She said levelly at me. The shock on my face must have been plain as day. "That's what I thought." She smiled and looked down at my hard cock. "I'd hate to stop now myself." She peeled the wrapper down the side pulling out the little ring. She held it close for me to see. "See how it's rolled up? Place it with the rolled side up over the tip like this." She reached holding my cock in one hand and setting the condom on the tip. "Unroll gently down the shaft like this." She said sliding her fingers down my shaft unrolling it fully. "All the way down. That's important since she's not going to want to fish the thing out of her if it comes off in the middle of your good time. It also makes it pretty useless if that happens." She gave the base of my cock a little squeeze. She pulled my knees together, and stood up kneeling on the sofa straddling me."This is a good position for us to start with. It gives a woman the ability to control the depth and speed with which you entering her. Missionary isn't bad, but if you get a little over zealous it can end up hurting her. If you want to her to ever want you back in her again then it's best to make sure she has a good time too." She said reaching down between us she ran her finger up and down her swollen lips."Remember to open her gently beforehand, the more care you take with her, the more likely she'll be calling you for more." She sat up, and lined herself up over my cock and took my shoulders as I took her by the hips. She looked down at me for a moment, one eyebrow going up."Oh." I said reaching between us and stroking her still wet lips placing fingers on either side and gently opening her up. As I did she lowered herself on me. The sigh that escaped my lips was loud. I nearly passed out from the feeling of the warmth and tightness, as she slowly rode the entire way down my length. A soft purr came from her throat.She sat there for a moment and proceeded to just tighten herself around me and relax. I started pushing urgently with my hips."Easy does it." She whispered into my ear then licked her way down nibbling the lobe and kissing my neck. "A woman's nipples are very sensitive, and shouldn't be neglected." She took my hand and ran it up to her small breast. Lifting it away slightly and rubbing her nipple with my fingers. She bit her lower lip as I took the hint and stroked her breasts and rolled the nipples between my fingers. I leaned forward taking it in my mouth rolling it around, lashing it with my tongue. Summer sighed deeply and rolled her hips forward and started rising up and lowering herself on me. My other hand found its way behind her gripping her ass and pulling her down onto me with each stroke. She started a long deep stroking rhythm that I thought was going to drive me over the top again. She must have noticed my urgency as my hips rose to meet her down stroke hard. She stopped on an upstroke and let me slip out of her and I thought I was going to die when my eyes popped open pleading with her. She smiled at me."What's your hurry? Aren't you enjoying yourself?" She said sweetly.I nodded furiously. "Yes I am." I gasped."Good. The journey can be as much fun as the destination, so take your time." She got off the couch. I looked at her pleading with her not to stop now. "Let's see how well you improvise." She said.She turned around and knelt down on the pillow that was on the floor, and leaned forward setting her elbows on the chair she was sitting in before. Her beautiful ass, up in the air her lips open and pouting in invitation. I scrambled off the couch and knelt behind her, nearly ready to drive my cock into her when I paused and opened her up slipping back into herShe whipped her hair over one shoulder and looked at me over the other. "You're in the drivers' seat now. It's going to be up to you to be aware of the clues a girl is giving you. If she's pulling away from you, you're fucking her to hard. If she's pushing against you, well she wants you to put the pedal to the metal, so to speak." I pushed forward feeling myself fall into her and never wanting to leave. I began pushing and she met me stroke for stroke as I sped up. I couldn't take it any longer. Summer let out several long high pitched moans followed by a gasping, 'Harder!' and I went into overdrive. Plunging her depths with abandon I finally drove her forward hard, pushing her hips against the chair as I exploded. I stiffened as I felt every ounce of strength drain from my body. Summer shuddered hard in my hands bringing me out of my daze."Are you okay?" I gasped between breaths.She rose up slightly, hair a complete mess covering her face. She started to laugh, gasping for air. "I was just thinking, this vacation started off lousy, but it's improving nicely."I chuckled. "Welcome to Maine, Vacationland." She busted out laughing at that. I backed away falling free of her, the cool breeze came in from the screen, cooling the sweat on my skin."Let's get cleaned up." She stood shakily, with the help of the arms of the chair. I stood as well. She turned and slipped an arm around my shoulders. "Help me to the bathroom, would you please?" I looked at her, and turned slightly and reached down picking her up off the floor. She let out a whoop of surprise. "I only needed a shoulder to lean on honestly." She said smiling."So lean on it." I said smiling. I negotiated the narrow path to the bathroom and brought her in careful not to bang her against the doorjamb. I set her on a little stool next to a big claw foot bathtub."Let me get that." Summer reached over and popped up a tissue and reached up sliding the condom off of me and wrapping it and tossing it in the trash. She looked up at me, her hair still a mess. I reached down pushing it off her forehead. She smiled. "Grab a washcloth for me, would you please?" She nodded at a small shelf, and I took one down and handed it to her. She reached over to the bath running water onto it and a little squirt of her bath gel. She frothed it up and began washing herself off. She rinsed and repeated. She dried herself with another towel hanging from the bar. She looked up at me from under her bangs, scanning down. "Really?" She said in a resigned voice as she saw that I was once again ready.I shrugged. "The benefit of youth?"She laughed. "I guess!"She rinsed the cloth again and began gently washing me with it. The cool water and warm hands were soothing but not doing a thing for the fact that it was loaded and ready to go yet again."Would you hand me that light blue bottle there." She asked. She poured a small amount into her palm and set the bottle aside. She rubbed the oil between her hands and rubbed it between her legs oiling herself up. The sight of this was not doing me any good either. A crooked smirk spread across her face as she watched me watching her in fascination.She reached up with her oily hand and began stroking my shaft. The hardness slipping through her firm grip with little friction. The other hand began fondling my balls. They were already tight, and ready to go again. She slid her hand further under and began massaging me underneath in a tight circle. The feeling blew my mind as I couldn't contain myself and came hard, with a loud splatter, on Summer's chest."Not sure if it's good for burns, but I've heard it does wonders for the skin." She said, leaning forward cleaning the last few drops off with her tongue. She then used her cloth to wipe up the cum I'd splashed on her chest.. I just watched her, her movements so graceful and efficient.She looked up at me with a smirk. "Pete, how would you like to give me a hand for a couple weeks while this ankle heals?"My eyebrows went up. "How?" I asked."The usual mow the lawn, grocery runs, cleaning, maybe even an occasional turkey sandwich. It'll allow me to keep off this as much as possible and not feel like I'm an invalid. I'll warn you now though it's not only doctors that make lousy patients."It was my turn to smirk. "What's it pay?" I asked wiggling my eyebrows.Her mouth dropped open. "You little shit! I'm not hiring you to be a gigolo!" She laughed. "But there's always the possibility of a bonus. I could continue your lessons. Practice makes perfect they say." She smiled at that."I don't know." I said, my spent cock hanging inches from her lips. Oh I knew alright, but I played along. "I'll have to see what Davy has to offer this year. Those rich folks that come in to fill up can be pretty good tippers too."She raised an eyebrow at me again. "Okay if you'd rather work for him I'll understand." She said in mock resignation. She stood on her good foot, testing the floor with her bad. I instinctively wrapped my arm around her waist."You drive a hard bargain." I said pulling her to my side so she could put her arm over my shoulder.She looked me up and down me and smiled. "This vacation isn't turning out bad at all."To be continued in part 2, by Member389 for LiteroticaSummer In Maine: Part 2Lesson Two, and Two and a half.A 7-part series by Member389. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Stories.This summer job wasn't turning out the way I'd thought. So far I'd mowed the lawn, done the dishes, (thankfully there's a dishwasher) hauled trash, done laundry, dusted and vacuumed. When Summer asked if I wanted to help her out for a few weeks I sort of expected there would be fringe benefits to go with, or instead of, getting paid. Instead it was actual work. She wasn't shy, about her body or mine, she often would wrap her arm around my waist to help with her balance. She occasionally stroked my ass through my jeans. I didn't hesitate to return the favor but I always ended up with only a smile in return. I figured after that first day when I took the job I might get some more personal time with her. The other night I helped her to run a bath, and she shooed me out of the bathroom. One night we watched a late movie I slept over, and ended up on the couch. Something didn't seem right about all of this. Nearly a week had gone by, and it was as if that first day hadn't even happened, and I was too shy to say anything. I hitched the grocery bag I was carrying a little higher, tonight, I'd say something tonight.I walked up to the kitchen stoop and pulled open the screen door and I heard a gasping cry. I dropped the bags on the table and darted into the living room, she wasn't there. Another cry, and I looked to the right and saw the bedroom door was open. I walked quietly towards the door, and Summer was laying back on the bed naked except for her bandaged ankle. She was sliding a pink vibrator up and down between her thighs. She tilted it slightly and slid it into her, her other hand pulling on her nipple. I was instantly hard watching her pleasure herself. She let go of the nipple and slid her hand down and began flicking her clit, rubbing it fast. She arched her back crying out "Yes!" She pulled the vibrator out slipping her fingers in as she came. She continued rubbing her clit slowly and stroked her fingers in and out for a few before falling flat to the sheets like a deflated balloon. Her breathing was fast and shallow."How long have you been watching?" She asked, not looking up. She looked absolutely radiant, her skin flushed pink through her tan. Her hair was a tangled mess of sun streaked gold, she looked fantastic."Just a couple minutes." I said quietly looking down at the floor. I heard the old brass headboard creak and I peeked up. She had raised her head and was looking at me."What's the matter?" She asked gently. I shrugged and walked out to the kitchen, and started putting away the groceries."I picked up some local shrimp for lunch. I'll put them on ice in the fridge." I said loudly from the kitchen. I turned and Summer was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen watching me with her arms crossed in front of her, buck naked. She gave me a shrewd glance."Please tell me what's bothering you."I looked at her for a moment, then turned away and put a couple other items in the fridge."Nothing." I said, unconvincingly."It's just..." I started. I looked over at her and said."Never mind." I walked out to the yard looking around to see if I should mow the lawn again already or not. I heard the screen door bang shut behind me. I felt her hand on my shoulder as she stepped up beside me."I love it here. The salty sea air, the big sky, everything seems so much simpler." She said softly. I instinctively wrapped my arm around her waist, her skin was warm and damp."Why?" I asked softly."Why what, Pete?" She asked with surprising sincerity. "Why haven't we had sex since Monday? Is that what you want to know? Are you asking me if you were a one afternoon-stand? What Pete? Ask me." She urged.Her words inflamed me and my frustration flared. "Yes!" I turned to face her, her arm sliding down from my shoulder. "Was I just a one shot deal? Screw me, then have me cook and clean for you?" I immediately sensed I'd gone too far and full well expected a slap. I'd deserve it if she did. I opened my eyes wide.She stood there looking at me, her eyes smoldering. She coolly pointed out. "Which one of us is the one standing here naked?" I stood there a moment longer, every muscle in my body taut like a drawn bow. I snapped and took hold of her and kissing her hard as our lips parted, tongues lashing out at each other like sparring fencers. Her arms wrapped around my waist pulling us together."Damn, I thought I you'd never come around." She said between kisses. I leaned back and gave her a queer look."What?" I asked, completely confused. She grinned ear to ear."Lesson number 2, confidence is sexy. Hell it took me walking around naked to get your damned attention. What the hell is wrong with you?" She bopped me on the forehead. I shrugged, feeling completely confused. I had no idea what she was talking about."This exercise, which you nearly failed miserably I might add, was to see if you would take the lead. I personally tend to be a bit passive. Therefore, as the guy, you need to learn to take the lead, just like dancing." She held my hand up and snugged her hand around my back and gave a little sway."The other night when you fell asleep on the couch I laid awake waiting for you for nearly an hour. I finally took matters into my own hands, maybe I should have made more noise.""I knew girls were crazy. I honestly was hoping to get more insight from you, not more confused." I said smiling. "You were waiting for me?""You haven't seen crazy yet, give me a week." She winked.I groaned, then kissed her again, holding her against me, my hands stroking down her back to her ass massaging it as I pulled her to me. Holding her was like holding a flame, seductive, hypnotizing and hot, and I didn't care if I got burned."Tell me you've had the good sense to pick up some protection." Summer mumbled between kisses. Without breaking our kiss I reached back for my wallet and held it up."Please tell me you bought more than one." She growled. I felt her hands come between us resting on the waist of my jeans unbuttoning them and grabbing for the zipper. She pushed my jeans and boxers down far enough for me to escape captivity. She let out an appreciative hum as she ran her hand up and down my hardened length. She broke our kiss long enough to grab the hem of my polo shirt and drag it up pulling it over my head. She leaned down and took one of my nipples into her mouth. I gasped out loud at how the sensation shot through me. It felt as if my cock was getting even harder and I didn't think that was possible."Holy shit! Does it feel this way when I do this to you?" I gasped.She hummed an agreement as she switched to the other side, then stepped back and looked at me smiling.I stood dumb-founded for a moment. I quickly realized she was waiting for me to do something. She placed her hands on her hips and gave them a slight tilt. "I'm all yours, all you need do is tell me how you'd like me, or better yet, show me." She winked. I kicked off my shoes and pushed my pants the rest of the way off and looked at her for a moment. The sun kissed her body so exquisitely, her pink nipples hard and pointing straight at me. Her hair was blowing in the breeze surrounding angelic face like a golden halo. I stepped forward, wrapped her up in my arms again and kissed her deeply. I ran my hand up between us taking her breast in my hand cupping it twirling the nipple in my fingers. I work my mouth down her jaw, kissing her neck and I feel her shudder and gasp. I moved down the center of her chest trailing kisses to the other nipple and teased it with my tongue before taking into my mouth suckling it gently. A moan escaped her lips. Her hand was pulling me towards her, fingers running through my hair. I wanted her so badly but I didn't want this to end. I pulled away looking up at her face, her mouth hung open her eyes half closed."Your ankle has to be killing you right now." I said, noting she'd been standing for a while now. I walked over and brought one of the Adirondack chairs over and set it behind her and she smiled. I laid my clothes on it to keep her from burning her ass on the sun heated wood. She just looked at me without sitting. "Sit down." I told her, and she tilted her head in assent and sat. I knelt down in front of her and kissed her nipple again and began trailing kisses down her stomach. She took the cue and leaned back on the chair. I flicked her little belly button ring aside and licked her belly button. She let out a whoop and jumped, chuckling."Ticklish?" I chuckled. She grasped a handful of my hair and gave me a little push further down, but I was going at my own pace and I made my way down nuzzling her little blond stripe. I kissed my way around her pouting lips, my tongue darting out giving little licks. She tasted sweet, the scent of her was driving me mad, I couldn't take it any longer and slipped my tongue into her as I massaged her clit.She arched her back and moaned. "Yes!" I lapped up to her clit taking it in my lips and giving it due attention. Her cries got louder and I stepped up the assault on her. Her leg came up over my shoulder and she pulled me hard into her with her heel. I let up a bit, I didn't want this to end too soon, it seemed that I wasn't the only one enjoying it. I slipped my middle finger into her, and felt her grip it tightly. Her hips started rocking forward. I was pretty sure I could finish her off quickly if I had a mind to, but I didn't. I continued bathing her clit, varying the pressure on it. She let out a few short gasps. "Please?!" She begged. I knew then I had to finish her and slipped another finger in to join the first and intensified my tongue lashing. Her hips lifted off the chair as she climaxed. She held on to me, still moaning, finally collapsing back into the chair panting."You sir, are a natural." She gasped. I returned her smile and licked my fingers."Am I mistaken, or is there a very hard cock in my immediate future?" I grinned even wider and nodded. "How would you like me?""Over hard." I said smiling. Her eyes lit up like a fire had been kindled."Well then, dig that little party hat out and show me how easy it is to put on."I chuckled and dove for my wallet lying on the grass a few feet away. I dug out the foil wrapper and crawled back. I tore open the packet holding the ring carefully and reaching down, putting in place and unrolled it carefully."Very good." She said her eyes flashing. She stood up and knelt down on the grass facing the chair. "Over like this? I'm sure you'll supply the 'hard' part." She added with a wink."Yes." I said, my breath shallow. I had to have her and scooted up behind her and lined up pushing the head in. I took her hips and pushed forward in a single motion burying myself in her.We both gasped loudly. In moments she started moving her hips back and forth and I pulled out and began taking slow strokes at first, but I knew I wasn't going to last. She leaned back pushing hard against me and I responded in kind driving forward, the sound of our bodies coming together pushed me into a frenzy. Her gasps were coming in short cries of, "Yes!" She began shaking in my hands, her moans coming from deep in her throat as she arched back into me and climaxed again pushing me over the edge. I drove her forward nearly knocking her and the chair over as I stiffened arching my back. I froze in place for what seemed an eternity, and not long enough both at the same time as I came deep in her.She leaned back against my chest, the heat of her skin against me was incredible, she reached behind us grasping my ass pulling our hips tight together. "I love how you feel inside me." She whispered. I leaned down and began kissing her shoulder, working my way up to her neck and nibbled on her ear."I love how you feel too." I said, my voice a little weak.She breathed a deep contented sigh. "What now?" A small smirk spread across her lips."I don't know about you but I worked up an appetite." I said. "Those shrimp sound good about now.""All this and you cook too. You're not going to be single long." She chuckled and reached up behind her and stroked my cheek. "I think we may need to move for that though." She said lightly, reminding me that I still had her pinned against the chair. I leaned back, pulling free of her. I stood stepping back, I gathered up my clothing. Summer put her good foot down and stood, steadying herself on the arms of the chair. "Let's go clean up and have lunch." She smiled slipping an arm around my waist and we went into the house.I started a pan for the shrimp, a little olive oil, some garlic and some red pepper flakes tossed on top of fresh spinach. My killer homemade vinaigrette to top and she would be mine. Well she already seemed to be. I stopped and stared out the little window above the sink out over the water. That thought caught me by surprise. What exactly was going on here? An hour ago I was pissed off for being shunned, now I was making her lunch with a silly, satisfied grin on my face.Summer hobbled into the kitchen wearing a pale blue tank top and panties with little pink hearts on them."Don't you own pants?" I asked smiling."Sure, would you rather I be fully dressed, or comfortable?" She asked."Oh I don't mind your outfit, as long as you don't mind your lunch burnt to a crisp." I laughed."What are you making?" She replied chuckling."I'm going to woo you with my culinary skills. My own special shrimp and spinach salad with homemade vinaigrette." I said."Wow, sounds awesome. You're a man of many talents. I think you're a little late in the wooing department though." She said smiling.My chest tightened at that. Nobody ever thought of me as a man before. Everybody has always treated me as a kid until now. The shock of it must have been evident in my expression."What?" She asked, her eyes widening. I didn't answer her, I just leaned forward and kissed her softly, she responded in turn."Nothing." I said, my grin returning."Need a hand?" I handed her two lemons with directions to squeeze the hell out of them then juice them for me into a bowl. I diced up the shallot, and garlic tossing them into the big bowl, salt and pepper followed. In went a huge dollop of spicy mustard, I looked at how much juice Summer had squeezed out of the lemons and eyeballed it pouring it into the bowl, straining out the seeds. I dug a whisk out of the drawer and started whisking in olive oil."Most vinaigrette recipes ask for vinegar, obviously. I like mine with lemon juice, especially with seafood." I said. I stopped whisking dribbling a little onto my finger to try it. "That's the ticket." I said offering a taste to Summer who agreed with a little sound. I set the big bowl aside and had her start splitting the cherry tomatoes. The shrimp were rinsed and patted dry on a towel, and I threw some garlic into the pan starting it with some of the olive oil. I salted and peppered the shrimp and in they went tossing them around to coat them all with the hot oil. They were ready in a couple minutes and the kitchen smelled terrific. I stacked the plates with spinach and started building the salads with the tomatoes, red onions, shrimp and as a topper sliced almonds."If this tastes like it looks, you're staying on as cook after this heals." She said lifting her foot behind her."Prepare to have your mind blown." I said handing her a plate and a fork. I had brought a small baguette with me which I'd sliced up and we ate."A girl could get used to this." She smiled popping a shrimp into her mouth. Cooking for a girl is a sure way into her panties."I laughed. "Even if she wasn't wearing any?""Well she's wearing some now." Her eyes flashed."But for how long?" I said playing along."You have your driver's license don't you?" She asked, changing the subject."Yea, I just don't have a car of my own yet." I said, wondering why she asked."Do you know of anybody that would loan you one, like your folks?""Yea I'm sure I can get one. Why, do you want to do it in the backseat?" I wiggled my eyebrows at her."Hell yea, but I'd also like to get a ride to go get my Jeep. It's been down at the clinic for a week now. They told me it would be safe but I'm getting a little stir crazy stuck here in the house." She replied.I looked out the window. "I can ride down and bring it back, it's only about four or five miles." I said."Ride?" She asked."I have a bike, I can put it in the back and haul it back if you don't mind.""Not at all." She smiled.I did the dishes and cleaned up after lunch, and Summer kicked back on the sofa folding a load of laundry I'd done earlier. I took a look at the grass, yea the lawn could wait a couple more days. "What else needs to be done?" I asked from the kitchen. I got no answer. I walked into the living room and she was bobbing her head as I walked around the edge of the couch I noticed she'd put in earbuds and was listening to her mp3 player. She was lip syncing some unknown song. She looked up at me and grinned, pulling one of the buds loose."I couldn't live without my music." She threw a towel at me to fold."Listening to anything good?" She mentioned a band I'd never heard of, and moved the folded stuff from beside her and patted the seat beside her. I sat and she handed me the ear bud."Check it out, you might like it." I put it in my ear and listened for a song or two, folding another towel. A hard rock song started and she turned it up a bit and started singing along. She got to the chorus and really joined in full blast. The lyrics were pretty explicit. I was thinking you wouldn't hear music like that on the radio around here. There was a pause, then a soft intro began. The ballad was soft and low, and Summer stopped and closed her eyes, her lips barely moving with the lyrics. When I noticed I stopped and listened intently to the lyrics, it was about intense, heart-felt, you are my world, kind of love. The kind of love that lasts longer than a lifetime. When it ended she reached down and stopped the playback. She looked straight out the window for a moment and turned to me, a shy sweet smile on her lips."Do you believe in love Pete?" She asked me. I stared at her in wide-eyed amazement for a minute, and began slowly nodding."I do now." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but something in her eyes made me hesitate. There was sadness there, and they welled up as if she were doing her best to hold back tears. A wash of emotion swept over me like a storm driven wave, and I leaned forward lifted her chin and kissed her softly. Our lips brushed, our tongues sought out one another, delicately probing. Something wet touched my cheek making me break the kiss long before I wanted to. I pulled back and a tear streamed down Summer's cheek. I reached for one of the towels and daubed it. I took a deep breath and was about to ask why she was crying when a curt little head shake waved off the question."Please don't ask, not yet anyway." She said, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm sorry." She said wiping the remaining tear with the heel of her hand."You don't have anything to be sorry about." I replied softly.She inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. She turned to me with a smile on her mouth but sadness in her eyes."I saw there's a free concert in the park tonight. Want to go? A rock blues cover band is playing. Sounds like they might be good."I knew they were good, my friends brother was in the band, and I'd heard them before. I smiled and nodded. "Sounds like fun, and they are good, I've heard them before.""I should ride down and get the Jeep. There's no way you're walking that far." I said sternly."Yes dear." Summer rolled her eyes at me. She giggled, and got up hobbling off to the bedroom and came back with a set of keys handing them to me."It's black, and I'm guessing the only one with West Virginia plates. It's at the walk-in clinic on Route 12."I nodded. "I know exactly where you mean. I'll go get it. You relax, take a nap if you want. I should be back in an hour or so." I smiled. I kissed her again, the underlying want in our embrace was nearly too much. She placed her hand on my chest, with the barest hint of pressure. She was right, if I kept it up we weren't going anywhere. I reluctantly stepped back, picked up the folded towels and put them away. I walked back out and she had laid down on the couch with her foot up on a pillow. I smiled that she'd taken my suggestion."Can I get you anything before I go?" I said softly leaning over the arm of the couch. She just smiled and gave her head a little shake. She reached up pulling me down closer for a quick upside-down kiss. I headed for the kitchen door, pausing as I closed it quietly, looking back into the house. I turned and started walking home.I walked, lost in thought. This week had been a week of firsts for me. I grinned at the thought of the first day when I lost my virginity to an amazing woman. The aggravation of the following days of not knowing exactly what was happening. If I had just opened my eyes I would have noticed she was waiting for me. Then today when she all but pushed me into making love to her again. I wondered why, well why me anyway. I knew so little about her. What was going on here. We'd known each other about a week, what was that question about believing in love. I could easily fall in love with her, I had to admit. Was I doing just that? So many questions came to mind as I walked up my driveway, I grabbed my bike out of the garage and hopped on. I made my way down to the coast road and started pedaling in earnest up the first rise. The traffic drifted past me as I sought answers to my questions. I pedaled harder nearly coasting up the next rise. Why was I over analyzing this? I was living out a fantasy any red-blooded male would die for. A beautiful, sexy woman wanted to have sex with me, repeatedly. Isn't that enough for me? I laughed out loud at that thought because I realized, it isn't.I rolled down the long slope of the hill seeing the clinic up ahead. I pulled into the parking lot and rode around looking for the Jeep and found it near the side of the building. I checked the plate and got off my bike, took out the keys and opened up the driver's side door. The heat billowed out of it from being parked in the sun so long. The smell of a roasted sweet smelling air freshener poured out and nearly gagged me. I walked to the back and looked at how I was going to get my bike in there and noticed there was a folding bike rack on the spare tire mount. I figured it out in a few minutes an

Special crossover edition... Well, Elon Musk is putting Washington behind him – or so he says… Molly Jong-Fast joined American Friction to talk Chris and Jarv through what's going on – and we thought you might want to listen too! Go get more American Friction and listen to the whole episode at: https://linktr.ee/americanfriction  Molly also has a new book out called How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir, and there's a link to buy it below.)  Buy How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir through our affiliate bookshop and you'll help fund American Friction by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org's fees help support independent bookshops too.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow      Presented by Chris Jones and Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by: Chris Jones. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reform UK gets a lot of coverage but not enough scrutiny. Say Nigel Farage did become Prime Minister (God forbid), what would a Reform UK-led UK look like? Is their manifesto (… sorry, ‘contract') full to the brim of wishful thinking? Plus, with changes inbound on the two-child benefit cap and winter fuel payments is Labour sorting its act out? Or does this make Starmer look weak? Paul Nowak is the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and joins the podcast to give his thoughts. And in the Extra Bit for subscribers following the death of BBC arts titan Alan Yentob, we ask: Is the dream of culture for the masses still alive?  • Read Sam Freedman's Substack here: https://samf.substack.com/p/what-would-a-reform-government-be • Listen to The Bunker including Duncan Weldon on the economics of war. • Don't miss the latest edition of Crime Scene on the Liverpool parade car collision and what it means for policing. ESCAPE ROUTES • Paul recommends Bruce Springsteen live and Race Across The World on BBC iPlayer.  • Matt saw Mary Poppins at the Bradford Alhambra. • Rachel recommends listening to Magic At The Musicals on RadioPlayer.  • Dorian recommends Gang Of Three (keep an eye out in case in gets a transfer) and Electric Dreams at Tate Modern. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Dorian Lynskey with Rachel Cunliffe and Matt Green. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio Production by: Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rebellious MPs, a nightmare spending review, the endless Two Child Benefit Cap row, dire polling… is Labour in for a summer of discontent? We ask whether the Government can bend with the wind to succeed, what policies will change, and whether Starmer/Reeves is a double act with two straight men? Plus: Have researchers found a new way to deal with digital disinformation? And in a special bonus, Jonn and Andrew discuss why the best political drama of the decade so far is the Star Wars spin-off Andor.  • Don't miss Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho on Weds 11 June.  • Listen to the new Crime Scene – the truth about true crime.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros recommends The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham.  • Jonn recommends Paradise on Disney+. • Marie recommends Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. • Andrew recommends Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin and Murderbot on Apple TV+.  • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more.  Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Marie le Conte, John Elledge and Ros Taylor. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back with another dose of Nintendo news, game impressions and discussion! Join us as we discuss: Credits: Panelists: Hylke – @Gear12Turbo Rosalie – @LittleRecordGirl Edited by: Hylke Langhout Interludes: Craig Windle – @CraigedyCraig / Windmills at Dawn Follow us: Gamepodular.com The post N-Focus #262 – Oh God, The Switch 2 Is Out Next Week appeared first on GAMEPODULAR.

Opening: #523 Christ the Lord is Risen Today Psalm: #67 O God, let all the nations praise you (Kremer/Gelineau) Presentation: #588 I have Loved you Closing: #614 Joyful, Joyful, we adore you All music reproduced and streamed with permission from ONE LICENSE, license #A-723939. Organist: Shara Sikmars Celebrant: Father Sam and Deacon Frank Szemanski Today's readings (via USCCB): bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading For more information, visit our parish website at MaryQueenofPeacePGH.org.

The Tory press and pundits reacted as rationally as you'd expect to the new UK-EU deal, accusing Starmer of sneaking back into the EU, betraying the British taxpayer, and all their favourite themes. But exactly what are they saying and how much of it is legit? Plus, with the potential abolition of the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, we ask why governments can't see the positives of culture? And in the Extra Bit for subscribers, it's 20 years since The Thick of It hit our screens. Politically, does it still hold up? Today's special guest is Emma Kennedy, writer and host of our sibling science and psychology podcast Why? – new series out now! • Get tickets for Oh God, What Now? Live at 21 Soho, London, with special guest Marcus Brigstocke. • Don't miss our fascinating new series Crime Scene. Latest episode: Who killed the Essex Boys? www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Dorian Lynskey, Rafael Behr and Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Six-Button Samurai is away on a spring vacation for this-here Episode 72. So GameAgentET, opting not to subject our listeners to an unhinged 1-hour soliloquy about the evils of gaming while on the toilet, decides to bring on fellow Ruminators Hoptimus (Retro Futurist Culture, Game Roominations) and Charlie (Brevity Box) for this special show. Discussions are made about the recently-delayed Grand Theft Auto VI, our favorite industry-defining game of our lifetimes, and the sobering new norm of prices going up, up and way up for game systems and software. We three ponder about these price-volatile times… if it's temporary or here to stay. Just tell us where you WANT IT from Oh GOD it Hz!https://www.teepublic.com/user/ruminationsradionetworkhttps://linktr.ee/ohgodithzwww.RuminationsRadioNetwork.comwww.instagram.com/RuminationsRadioNetworkTwitter: RuminationsRadioNetwork@RuminationsNMusic and Production by Mitch Proctor for Area 42 Studios and SoundAudio Engineered by Dean Delp for Area 42 Studios and Sound https://twitter.com/DeanDelpVOhttps://www.patreon.com/RuminationsRadio ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

How is our fear of uncertainty holding us back? Could an acceptance and willingness to embrace the unknown unlock new potential and innovation?  Margaret Heffernan is a professor of Practice at the University of Bath, an entrepreneur, and a mentor to CEOs. Her books include Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril, Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future, and most recently Embracing Uncertainty: How writers, musicians and artists thrive in an unpredictable world.Margaret and Greg discuss the importance of embracing uncertainty in business and life, the value of creative thinking, and the pitfalls of over-reliance on predictability and data models.*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*Episode Quotes:Why dissent is the secret engine of creativity and better ideas34:46: Our obsession with efficiency means that we may prioritize management over productivity, and critical to productivity is diversity, debate, dissent, because this is how bad ideas get turned into good ideas. I mean, as a CEO I could waltz into work one day with an idea, which I thought was fantastic. And the great gift I was given were  a lot of employees who would think, "Oh God, here she comes back with another terrible idea," and say, "Well, I don't know. What if we did it like this? So what if we did it like that?...[35:31] But at the end of a very long process, you end up with something which started with my bad idea and gradually got a lot better because of everybody else's input, and turns out to be marvelous at the end. But that dissent is absolutely fundamental to the creative process.What's the relationship between being a noticer and being creative?39:11:  It's impossible to be creative without being a noticer, for a start. And I think that the great value of being observant and thinking about what you see is it keeps you much more in touch with what's going on in the world.The danger of mental models and the power of an open mind45:55: The danger of mental models is that they will attract confirming evidence and marginalize, or disguise disconfirming data. And so, the antidotes to that are certainly about having enough time to be in different places with different people who think differently. Having a sufficiently open mind to be prepared to notice this confirmation. Having an open mind prepared to change one's mind. And having, I guess, a way of thinking that tends more towards skepticism.Why embracing uncertainty means loosening up, not tightening down57:32:  Engineers talk a lot about tight and loose. I think much that has gone wrong in organizational life is a function of being too tight. And it sounds very counterintuitive because it is counterintuitive, but uncertainty requires that we loosen up in order to be able to respond more flexibly. And I think you are exactly right that pertains as much to us as individuals, as it does to the largest corporations in the world.Show Links:Recommended Resources:Gerd GigerenzerRichard S. Fuld Jr.The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness “The role of art in difficult times” by Margaret Heffernan | Financial TimesCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsMax H. BazermanPatrick KavanaghSeamus HeaneyGuest Profile:Faculty Profile at University of BathProfessional WebsiteHer Work:Embracing Uncertainty: How writers, musicians and artists thrive in an unpredictable worldWillful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our PerilUncharted: How to Navigate the Future A Bigger Prize: How We Can Do Better than the CompetitionBeyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small ChangesThe Naked Truth: A Working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really Matters

We have a little check up on toms wedding... of course AND hes in the new casa! finally The hot topics are... Stephen Bartlett just selling his morals & Online coaches having little... VERY LITTLE empathy My socials https://www.instagram.com/tomhall.coach/ https://linktr.ee/tomhall.coach?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYscU-4la_VrblY1fxSFTf9XqRPw-63HWnqg5YAEHJnUzfHH9l2VRZQRos_aem_rtrRX86_7TcB1sH7CTF8WA https://open.spotify.com/show/4RAxo4ijiT6Qz32d6VQxjc?si=1e1459d558e84cf6 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEMVLN9zQhLJSrJjkTpmG1A  

The fish and the fury… As dead-end Brexiters rage against the “betrayal” of the Great British Haddock, we look at what REALLY matters in Starmer's EU reset. Plus, polling giant YouGov's Patrick English joins us to bust some opinion poll myths and explain the Reform Surge. And is Generation X really the most hard done-by of the postwar era? We don our Blur t-shirts and crack a Smirnoff Ice to discuss the 90s generation taking financial responsibility for their kids and their parents. • Join us for Oh God, What Now? Live in London with special guest Marcus Brigstocke on Weds 11 June.  • Listen to Crime Scene's interview with Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp.  ESCAPE ROUTES • Ros recommends Delizia: The Epic History of Italians and Their Food by John Dickie.  • Seth recommends The Radical Print by Esther Chadwick.  • Andrew recommends Andor on Disney+.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ros Taylor and Seth Thévoz. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Music by Cornershop. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This Podcast description was blatantly written by AI... Ever wondered what happens if you crash a band after only 30 days of practice, or if you could join an early bird club that lets you club and still get home by 10pm? This episode of the Clint Meg & Dan Podcast dives into these topics along with hilarious waxing horror stories, celebrity workplace encounters, and Joel Little talks about music and motherhood. Plus, stay tuned as we discuss the boundaries of sharing sensitive content on social media. 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast05:19 Gym Talk and Personal Stories07:07 Band Practice and Performance Prep13:06 Listener Interaction and Fun18:35 Marriage Tips and Flashing Debate25:57 Unexpected Bird Flash32:53 Celebrity Encounters at Work41:59 Joel Little Joins the Show48:09 Making New Adult Friends53:53 Uncle Will's Will Contest54:38 Waxing Horror Stories58:38 Band Practice and Reflections01:04:26 Jennifer Lawrence on Motherhood01:08:35 Early Bird Dance Clubs01:16:48 Social Media and Tragedy

After possibly the most aggressive speech on immigration ever made by a British Prime Minister, we attempt the adult conversation on the topic that politicians won't have. Why can't Britain accept the benefits of immigration? Who's going to bail out the care system when it collapses? And what the hell is Labour playing at anyway? Plus: Politicians think artificial intelligence will fix everything. Have they bought the snake oil? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, should we fight to save the after-work pint? • Come to Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho, London on Weds 11 June. Tickets on sale here. • Listen to the latest edition of Crime Scene – the truth about true crime. ESCAPE ROUTES • Hannah recommends Jamie Oliver on the Louis Theroux podcast. • Jonn recommends This City Is Ours on BBC iPlayer. • Marie recommends The Border: A Journey Around Russia by Erika Fatland. • Dorian recommends This Mortal Coil . • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey with Marie le Conte, John Elledge and Hannah Fearn. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Theme music by Cornershop. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 1 Chron 25-27; 1 Thess 4 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter invites us to journey through day 135 of our year-long Bible reading adventure. We'll be exploring 1 Chronicles chapters 25 to 27, discovering the organization of temple musicians, gatekeepers, and King David's army officers. Then, we'll dive into 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, where Paul encourages believers to live holy, loving, and hope-filled lives—all centered on the profound promise of resurrection and Christ's glorious return. Hunter reflects on the Greek word “apantēsis” used by Paul, painting a powerful picture of believers joyfully meeting Jesus, much like welcoming an honored guest into a celebration. Through prayer and thoughtful meditation, this episode is designed to inspire your heart, reassure your faith, and remind you that you are dearly loved. So grab your Bible, settle in, and let's spend some meaningful time together in God's Word. TODAY'S DEVOTION: A sure and solid hope. Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians, wants to fill the believers with hope—a hope anchored in the resurrection of Jesus. The central message of today's passage isn't about predicting timelines or worrying about being left behind. Instead, it's about comfort, encouragement, and the surety of belonging with Christ, both now and forevermore. Paul uses the word “apantēsis”—a term that paints a picture richer than mere meeting. It's the image of a people who go out to greet someone they've been longing for, and then, together, process with him into his place of honor, into the celebration, into the heart of the community. This isn't about escape, but about joyful welcome. Just as villagers would run out to greet guests, as Hunter shares from his own experiences in India, so there will come a day when the faithful who have died and those still living will join together in greeting Christ. There is no reversal, no turning away, only forward movement—together, with our King. Paul's words pastorally reassure the anxious hearts of his day—and ours. Grief isn't the last word. Neither confusion nor uncertainty nor death itself can swallow up the hope Christ has given us. The resurrection is God's great declaration that there are no forgotten ones. No one is left behind in his kingdom plan. Those that have gone before, and we who remain, will all share in the joy of Christ's return and his reign—on earth as it is in heaven. This hope is sure and solid. As Christ was raised, so too are we raised to new life in him—not only in the age to come, but even now, as we walk as his people. We have a King who leads us home, a King who makes us his own, a King whose coming fills all our waiting with joy. So today, let's encourage one another with these words. Let's rest in this deep, resurrection hope. Let's live as people who know they belong to Christ—and will process into his presence with gladness when that day comes. That's a prayer I have for my soul, for my family, for the whole church, and for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 8-12See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. Today's Prayer: Father, the language of being taken captive is unsettling. Holy spirit, we ask that you would make us a discerning people. We choose against human wisdom in favor of spiritual wisdom and understanding and we pray  the truth of Proverbs 9:10 over our lives today, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Holy Spirit, in the same way we asked you to illumine our hearts to the ways we've been deceived through persuasive arguments, we come to you again today and ask that you show us where we've been taken captive through the philosophy and deception of our time and generation. You have made us a particular kind of. You tell us in 1 Peter that we are… 9 …A CHOSEN PEOPLE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Chosen. Royal. Priests. Holy. Your possession for the purpose of proclamation. We can scarcely wrap our minds around it but It is the truest true! Oh God, life East of Eden threatens to conform us to its patterns, but we choose to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might prove what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2).  Our hearts thrill to read of how You have made us complete. We take our place under your headship and authority. On this day, we choose again to put off our flesh and walk as Spirit-people. Again we make our confession that we have been buried with You in baptism, and raised by God in faith.  Our new identity is firm. Our future not up for discussion and secure in You. Move in power in and through us today.  In the strong name of Jesus we prayer…Amen.NOTES & LINKS:Information about the Women's Summer StudyInformation about the Men's Summer StudyReach out to the Center for Spiritual Formation

Keir Starmer's statement on immigration may well have repelled many Labour voters towards the Lib Dems and the Greens. How wrong has the Prime Minister got this strategy to defeat Reform? And are his party's plans even workable? Plus, the UK has signed trade deals with the US and India – what's in them, how important are they, and are we getting too close to Trump? Trade expert Dmitry Grozoubinski spoke to Andrew Harrison for The Bunker and we've included a brief excerpt in this section. • Want more? Find the full Bunker episode with Dmitry here. • Come to Oh God, What Now? Live at 21Soho, London on Weds 11 June. Tickets on sale here. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow Presented by Ros Taylor with Seth Thévoz, Rachel Cunliffe and Ahir Shah. Producer: Chris Jones. Audio. Production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today's Passage: Colossians 2: 1-3For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Today's Prayer: We thank you that Paul was willing to struggle and intercede for your people in Laodicea, that they would grow up in the faith and come into a true knowledge of You. Father, Paul speaks in this passage of the way we are meant to struggle and contend on behalf of those with whom you've placed us.  So today, we sit in silence for a moment and ask your Holy Spirit to search our minds and imaginations for those you've entrusted into our care. As we move throughout today and the days we follow, we choose not to fall asleep to the people You've place around us. People who You will direct across our paths. Even now, allow names and faces to come to mind… Even now, would your Holy Spirit form prayers in us for those you've given into our care… Sons and daughters, parents, friends, colleagues, ministry partners… God, we ask that their hearts would be encouraged. That you could knit them together in love… We ask that they would have an assurance of understanding that results in a full and deep and rich knowledge of the mystery that is You, Father! Oh God, Your Word says that wisdom and knowledge are treasures – and our deep desire is to possess them as gifts made available to us through Christ.  Holy Spirit, as your new covenant people, we ask that you apply these treasures to our lives today. They are our inheritance, and we chose to possess them in all humility and gratefulness. And it is in your name that we pray…Amen.NOTES & LINKS:Information about the Women's Summer StudyInformation about the Men's Summer StudyReach out to the Center for Spiritual Formation

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 19-20; Ps 55; Matt 28 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, “May 11th, 2025 Heather,” Heather guides us through day 131 of our journey through the scriptures, inviting listeners from around the world to gather around the warmth of God's love. Together, we read from 2 Samuel 19-20, Psalm 55, and conclude with Matthew 28, reflecting on King David's tumultuous return to power, a psalmist's cry for help, and the earth-shaking hope of Jesus' resurrection. With Mother's Day as a backdrop, Heather shares personal reflections on grief, hope, and the mystery of resurrection, drawing inspiration from her own family's recent loss. She beautifully connects the promise of transformation found in scripture with the journey of saying goodbye to loved ones, and invites us to rest in the hope of restoration and new life. The episode closes with powerful prayers for peace, guidance, and unity, as well as the encouragement to carry God's love into the world. So grab your Bible, settle in, and let's discover together the sustaining love and hope found in God's story—and remember: you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Resurrection and the Mystery of Transformation I don't think I have ever considered the resurrection of Jesus and Mother's Day at the same time. But as we celebrate Mother's Day today, there are many of us whose mothers are no longer with us. Hunter and I, along with many of our family, gathered around my mother's grave site this last weekend as we laid her ashes to rest alongside my dad's, his brothers, and their parents. My mom has been enveloped into the great mystery, the true home that we will only discover when we finally shed this earthly husk and are transformed. But transformed into what? Even Paul struggled to understand or know it. In his attempts to describe it, he used the example of the everyday seed, a tiny dry brown microcosm of life, which only blooms in full beauty when it has been nestled into the dark soil. There, through water, sun, and light, it finally emerges into a new life-giving plant, looking nothing like the thing it started as. And in its transformation, it takes its unique place in an ongoing participation of life. We are part of this great mystery, which those who have gone before us are discovering, connected through the sustaining life of our loving creator. For now, we experience the heat of the sun, the droughts, the weeds that seem to threaten, even as we learn to cast off our dry husk, yearning to be fully fruitful, fully alive. Ours is to trust in the process of change, resting in the hope of transformation and restoration. We are the small dry seed, the life of the creator deep within us, only fully transformed as we settle into the earthy soil, trusting in the great hope that resurrection will come. Buried in brokenness, raised in glory; buried in weakness, raised in strength. That's a hope and a mystery I hold for my own soul, for my family, and for all who hear these words today. May we live in the light of resurrection, trusting the God who brings life from the dust, and in His promise that we, too, will be made new. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:2 Sam 13-14; Matt 24 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter invites us to journey together through some of Scripture's most challenging and hope-filled passages. We begin in 2 Samuel 13-14, witnessing the heartbreaking story of David's family—Tamar's suffering, Amnon's crime, and Absalom's revenge—unfolding themes of brokenness, consequence, and the longing for restoration. The reading continues in Matthew 24, where Jesus speaks openly about the future: persecution, deception, and the enduring hope for those who remain faithful, reminding us that no one knows the hour of His return. As we reflect on wisdom from the woman of Tekoa—“our lives are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again”—Hunter encourages us to see how, through Jesus, God makes a way to gather and restore even what seems lost. The episode wraps in prayer, drawing us into the renewing hope of the gospel and practical rhythms of daily faith. So, grab your Bible, settle in, and let's step into God's word together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Our lives are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. These are the wise words of the woman from Tekoa—a poignant reminder that time, opportunity, and past decisions can't be reclaimed. Brokenness, regret, mistakes—these things often feel wasted, much like spilled water. Yet, there is hope, because the story doesn't end with what we have lost. But God does not just sweep life away. Instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him. What a beautiful, powerful truth. God specializes in restoration. Where we see only what's gone, wasted, too far out of reach, God sees the possibility for renewal. He has made a way, through a king greater than David, through his own Son, Jesus. What we could not recover, Jesus gathers up into himself. Our spilled, bitter water—our failures, shame, and isolation—he meets with his living water. He exchanges our regrets for his life-giving presence. He joins us to himself, making us new, uniting us to his love, never to be separated again. So today, drink deep of these waters of life. Remember, you have a Savior who restores what has been lost. Look to him, trust in him, and let his grace draw you near. There is no past too wasted for Christ to redeem, no distance too far for him to gather you up in love. He alone can transform what was once spilled and gone, making all things new. That's a prayer I hold for my own heart: to trust his gathering grace, to let his love renew what feels wasted, and to rest in the newness he offers each day. It's a prayer I hold for my family, and for you. May you know the abundance of his living water, and may you find yourself gathered up in the fullness of Christ's love. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 11-12; Ps 51; Matt 23 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter guides us through the events of a pivotal day in our yearlong journey through scripture. We dive into 2 Samuel 11–12, where we witness King David's fall into sin with Bathsheba and the tragic consequences that follow, as well as his heartfelt repentance captured in Psalm 51. Hunter reflects on the power of story—drawing a powerful connection between the story Nathan the prophet shares with David, and our own need for honest self-reflection and restoration with God. In the New Testament reading, Matthew 23, Jesus offers fierce words to the religious leaders of his day, challenging all of us to pursue true humility, justice, and mercy. Throughout the episode, Hunter provides thoughtful commentary on the importance of recognizing our union with God even when we fall short, and invites listeners into a time of prayer for renewal, peace, and compassion. As always, the podcast closes with warm encouragement to keep showing up—both for yourself and for those you love—reminding us that God's love and restoration are always available. Brokenness and Renewal: David's Sin, Confession, and God's Restorative Grace TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 10; 1 Chron 20; Ps 20; Matt 22 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter guides us through day 125 of our journey through the Bible, reading from 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 20, Psalm 20, and Matthew 22. We'll witness King David's encounters with loyalty and betrayal, victory in battle, and the rich prayers of Psalm 20. Then, we turn to Jesus' parables and his challenging conversations with the Pharisees about the greatest commandments and the true meaning of knowing God's power. Hunter's reflection reminds us that real understanding of Scripture comes from seeing it through Jesus—knowing not only the words, but the transforming power of his resurrection life and love for everyone. You'll hear prayers for peace, purpose, and gratitude, and be reassured with the simple but powerful truth: you are loved. Settle in for a thoughtful and encouraging time in God's Word together! TODAY'S DEVOTION: They set a trap, but the trap they set sprung on them. They came to trap Jesus with their questions, but their questions merely revealed that they didn't understand the scriptures or the power of God. That's what Jesus told them. "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God." They were badly mistaken, because to know the Scriptures and to know the power of God is to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection. It's possible to learn all about the Bible—even to have the whole thing memorized—but if you aren't looking at the Scriptures through the person of Jesus, you will be badly mistaken too. You can be very religious, very pious, and still not have the power to love God or to love others. That power is found only in Jesus. God offers us these two things: knowledge and insight into the Scriptures, and power to live a new quality of life. We don't need to pose or pretend any longer, because now we have new life. When we look at the Bible through the lens of Jesus, we realize we aren't coming to God to interrogate him, to try and outsmart him. Instead, we discover that God has already caught us up into his life and his love. Even before we knew it, we were loved by God; while we were still sinners, he gave himself for us. The parable in today's reading states this plainly: good and bad alike are welcomed into the banquet of God. That is the nature of God's invitation—open, generous, and radically inclusive. When we view the Scriptures through Jesus, we see what God has done for the whole world, and that we are all included. And so, that's why we remind ourselves of this every day on this podcast: you are loved. No ifs, ands, or buts. That's just the way it is—because that's who God is. That's a prayer I have for my own heart today—that I will know this well, know God, know his Scriptures, and know his power. That's my prayer for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 8-9; 1 Chron 18-19; Matt 21 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In today's episode, host Hunter invites listeners on Day 125 of our journey through scripture, exploring passages from 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and Matthew. Together, we'll witness King David's military victories and his profound act of kindness to Mephibosheth, hear the story of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and learn from his teachings and parables about faith, humility, and true authority. As always, Hunter encourages us to warm our hearts by the fire of God's love, reminding us that our greatest victories come through the humble, conquering King—Jesus—who offers rest and peace to all who are weary and burdened. Whether you're in Sweden, Ukraine, or anywhere else in the world, you are part of this global, grace-filled community. So, grab your Bible, settle in, and let's discover the treasures of God's Word together. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Someone greater than King David is coming. All throughout today's reading, we see David—the greatest king in Israel's memory—defeating his enemies, subduing kingdoms, and bringing treasures of gold, silver, and bronze into Jerusalem. The nations fall before him; his name grows famous. But the spoils of his conquest are fleeting, material things, trophies of war. Yet the Bible points us forward. There is another King coming—one greater than David. And this King, Jesus, does not conquer by the shed blood of others, but by shedding his own blood for the sake of the world. His triumph isn't measured in riches or territory, but in lives redeemed, in sinners welcomed home, in foreigners and outcasts called sons and daughters. He comes not riding a war horse, but humble and lowly, on a borrowed donkey. He enters not to take, but to give; not to demand, but to serve. The treasures he wins are not silver and gold, but people—the weary, the burdened, those defeated by life, the ones ready to wave that white flag of surrender. You and I are invited again today to see this King, to see his humility, his gentleness, his generous victory. "Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens," he says, "and I will give you rest." He offers his own victorious life for those broken, discouraged, or worn down by their own wars—whether in relationships, finances, health, or hope itself. His victory is for sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, and anyone who will come to him in humility. It is for all who will lay down their burdens and take up his yoke—light, gentle, and full of grace. In his kingdom, defeat becomes victory, sorrow turns to joy, burdens lift as we walk with him. Let us look, then, for our King, humble and riding on a donkey, offering rest for our souls. Let his life fill us, his joy be our strength, and his victory be our song. May we rejoice in his gentle rule today, surrendering all that weighs us down, and finding life—true life—in the One who gave himself for us. That's a prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 7; 1 Chron 17; Ps 2; Matt 20 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible with your host, Hunter. On this May 3rd episode, Hunter invites us to journey together through day 124 of our Bible reading plan. Today's passages include 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, Psalm 2, and Matthew 20. We'll reflect on God's promises to David, the unique place of Israel in God's story, and the profound parable of the vineyard workers. Hunter guides us through both the scriptures and heartfelt prayers, reminding us of God's unfailing kindness, compassion, and love—especially in our lowest moments. Whether you feel like you're in your own “Jericho,” searching for hope and vision, or simply seeking encouragement for today, this episode centers on how God sees, stops, and restores us. Settle in for an uplifting blend of scripture, meditation, and prayer as we take another step on our daily walk through God's word. TODAY'S DEVOTION: He sees us, and he stops for us. Jericho—known as the lowest city on earth—becomes in the Bible a kind of symbol for us, a place where blind eyes are opened and where people at their lowest are noticed and restored by Jesus. Earlier, there was blind Bartimaeus in Jericho, and today we hear of two unnamed blind men, sitting by the roadside, unable to see and overlooked by the crowd. Yet when they call out, “Son of David, have mercy on us,” Jesus hears, he stops, and he asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?” They ask for mercy. They want to see. Life has a way of bringing us to our own private Jericho. We find ourselves blinded, brought low, uncertain which way to turn. And in those moments, as in this story, we are reminded that we can cry out to God, even when it seems others want to quiet us or think we're unworthy of attention. When we tell God honestly our need—to see, to be restored, to find mercy—he stops for us. He listens. He cares. And he is able to give us what we truly need. What a comfort to know that when we are at our lowest, God is not indifferent, nor too busy to stop. He sees us. He touches our eyes so that we might see again—see his love, see our purpose, see the next step. It's when we know we are truly seen and loved by God that we find the strength and the will to follow Jesus, just as these two men did. Love enables us to get up and go after him, to make our way even from our lowest place, right into the light of his presence. And so, the prayer of my heart today is like theirs: Lord, have mercy. Help me to see. And having seen your love, may I follow you wherever you lead. That's my prayer for my own soul, for my family—my wife, my daughters, my son—and that is my prayer for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 1 Chron 16; Ps 106; Matt 19 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On today's episode, host Hunter invites us into day 122 of our journey through Scripture, focusing on First Chronicles 16, Psalm 106, and Matthew 19. Together, we reflect on God's enduring faithfulness, the story of Israel's wanderings, and Jesus' teachings about marriage, hard-heartedness, and what it truly means to follow him. As we listen, Hunter guides us to see how all of Scripture points to Christ, the bridegroom, as God's answer for our hearts. Alongside our Bible readings, we'll spend time in prayer—seeking God's purpose, asking to become instruments of his peace, and remembering that we are deeply loved. So, grab your Bible and join us as we warm ourselves by the fire of God's love and continue to grow together, day by day. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Jesus is the answer for our hard hearts. In today's reading from Matthew 19, Jesus says something remarkable about the law: it is a concession to our hardheartedness. The laws given, even about divorce, are an acknowledgment of our rebellion, our tendency to live life apart from God. God gives the law not as his ultimate desire for us, but as a way to deal with our brokenness and stubbornness. But that is not where the story ends. The answer is not the law. The answer is Jesus himself. Throughout scripture, we see marriage as a significant signpost. It was at a wedding in Cana that Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. And at the end of time, there is the promise of a great marriage feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb. All of scripture is pointing to this bridegroom, our Lord Jesus, who longs to transform our hearts and give us new life. He is God's answer to our heart's deepest need, far surpassing anything the law can do. The religious leaders came to Jesus trying to corner him with the law, but Jesus was not distracted by their traps. Instead, he offered freedom—the kind of healing only he can bring to hearts that are hardened by sin, disappointment, and pride. Jesus is the one who comes near with compassion, who makes all things new, who invites us to leave behind our old ways and follow him into abundant life. This is the answer for us today. Not more rules or burdens, but the loving, transforming presence of Jesus. The one who turns water into wine, the one who welcomes the little children, the one who calls rich and poor alike to lay down what stands in the way and receive the treasure of his kingdom. And that's the prayer of my heart today: that I will let him. That's what I long for my own soul, for my family, and for you. That we would open our hearts to the bridegroom, to the only one who can truly make us new and set us free. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 1 Chron 14-15; Ps 132; Matt 18 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! It's May 1st, day 122 of our journey through the Scriptures, and Hunter—your faithful host, brother, and Bible reading coach—is here to guide you. In this episode, we take a heartfelt stroll through 1 Chronicles 14-15, Psalm 132, and Matthew 18. Together, we witness David's rise as king, the joyful return of the Ark to Jerusalem, and hear Jesus' challenging words about humility, forgiveness, and mercy. Hunter doesn't just read the passages; he unpacks their meaning, especially Jesus' parable of the unforgiving debtor, reminding us of the generous mercy the King has shown us—and our call to extend that mercy to others. The episode wraps with prayers for peace, unity, and a deeper embrace of God's love, paired with gratitude for the community that makes this podcast possible. Settle in and join the soul work, as we seek to live generously, forgive freely, and remember—no matter what—you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The king is merciful, but the debtor is not. His debt has been paid in full. Mercy has been shown to him, but this man will not show mercy to others. Why is he behaving this way? Why is his heart not changed by the mercy of the king? Why is he so desperate to collect from others now that he's debt free? Maybe it's because he resents the king. The heart of the flesh never wants to admit its debt. When the debt is pointed out, and even when it is forgiven, the heart doesn't receive it as such. The heart of the flesh is still trying to pay back and earn, to rid itself of the shame by extracting it from others. The debtor wants to free himself of the shame. He's desperate never to be in that position again. But the heart that is ready to receive mercy is evidenced by the desire to offer mercy. It realizes the debt was too great, and there's no way to ever repay it. The king has absorbed the loss because of his generous heart. And this is true for you and me too. King Jesus has absorbed the loss, the debt. He took on the insurmountable debt on Calvary's Mountain, and he said, forgiven. We can never collect enough from others to pay back what we owe. We must simply receive from the generous heart of the king. That's it. And when we do, we're changed by his loving, forgiving, and merciful heart. And we can and we must offer the same heart of generosity to others, forgiving the debts of others as we ourselves have been forgiven. Today, let's live with the generosity of heart, for we have been forgiven. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, and my daughters, and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 6; 1 Chorn 13; Ps 68; Matt 17 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome, friends, to another episode of the Daily Radio Bible. It's April 30th and we've reached day 121 in our journey through the Scriptures—a milestone marking the close of another month together in 2025. Today's episode takes us through powerful passages in 2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13, Psalm 68, and Matthew 17. Hunter, our host, invites us to pause from the rush of life and soak in God's Word, letting it speak deeply into our hearts. This episode delves into the dramatic story of moving the Ark of God, David's uninhibited worship, and the consequences of disregarding God's holiness. We reflect on the blessing that follows reverence and obedience, and the ways God's presence transforms lives and communities. In the New Testament, we ascend the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James, and John for the Transfiguration—a breathtaking vision of God's glory and the Father's resounding call to “listen to Him.” Hunter shares moving insights on how Jesus is the final and living Word, the One who remains when all other voices fade away, and how God is drawing all humanity to Himself for true transformation. We'll close, as always, with prayer—asking God to make us instruments of His peace, to renew our minds and hearts, and to carry us forward in the strength of His joy. So grab your Bible, settle in, and join us as we listen, reflect, and pray together on today's Daily Radio Bible. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The pathway to real transformation is seen here on this mountain. This story is about far more than Jesus' clothes being transformed, made dazzling white, whiter than snow. It's about you and me. It's about the world and all things being transformed. In this story, we are offered a vision and a voice. The first thing we see is that Jesus—he's the final word. He's the one we're told to listen to over and above all else. Not Elijah. Not Moses. Not the writings. Not the Torah. Not Peter. Not me. Not you. Peter witnesses this amazing moment—there he is. Suddenly, Elijah and Moses are speaking with Jesus on the mountain, and Peter, out of fear or pride or probably both, shouts out, “Lord, it's good for us to be here. If you wish, I'll make three tabernacles here. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” Peter thinks somehow he's going to have some final say here. And so we hear him say those words: “I will make a tabernacle.” Other translations render it, “let us build.” But “let us build” is not the final word. No. Those words are often born out of fear and pride, but they will never be the final word. Individuals and kingdoms and churches are always offering this as the final word—let us build. But fear, which makes us cower, and pride, which puffs us up, will all be subsumed in the end by God's voice, by God himself, the living word. And we see that here. Suddenly, a cloud envelops them, and a voice comes from the cloud. The voice they hear is the Father, saying: “This is my son that I love. Listen to him.” At the sound of his voice, they're terrified. They fall face down to the ground. It's at this point that Jesus comes and touches them, says, “Get up. Don't be afraid.” When they look up, nobody is there but Jesus. Moses, Elijah, gone. Only Jesus remains. No more voices. No more conversations. Only Jesus. The one who is the final word. He's the one that remains, and he—the living word—will envelop all of our fearful pride. His voice will break through all things, and he will make all things new. So let's hear the father's voice on this mountain today. He's pointing us to his son. And not just on this mountain, but on a different mountain. This whole episode is pointing us to Calvary's mountain. And not just Peter, James, and John are being drawn to Calvary's mountain—no, he's drawing all of humanity there to himself. When the Son of Man is lifted up, he will draw all humanity to himself, that he might transform all things—including you and me. And the prayer of my own heart today is that I'll hear the Father well. That I'll see what Peter, James, and John saw. That Jesus is the final word. He is the living word. And through him, he's making all things new. That's a prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: 2 Sam 4-5; Ps 139; Matt 16 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to another episode of the Daily Radio Bible, hosted by Hunter! On this April 29th, 2025 episode, we journey through day 120 of our Bible reading plan, diving into passages from 2 Samuel 4–5, Psalm 139, and Matthew 16. Hunter encourages us with the importance of simply showing up, reminding us that tending to our souls impacts not just ourselves, but those we love and our wider community. Today's readings explore the dramatic times of David as he becomes king over Israel, David's deep reflections in Psalm 139 about God's intimate knowledge of each of us, and Jesus' challenging words to his disciples in Matthew 16 about seeing life from God's perspective—rather than just our own. Hunter calls listeners to consider what it means to live in the light of the cross and to allow God's love and purpose to shape our lives. The episode concludes with heartfelt prayers for guidance, peace, and a reminder that love “showed up” for us all. So join in, take a walk if you can, and be encouraged to keep showing up for yourself and those around you—because you are loved, no doubt about it. TODAY'S DEVOTION: It's a dangerous trap. That's what Jesus calls it—to see things only from your own point of view, from your own perspective. It's a dangerous trap. And Jesus rebukes Peter and says, “Get away from me, Satan. You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's.” It's dangerous to hold on to your life and your agenda apart from God. Later on in this passage, Jesus says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you'll save it.” If you demand to hold on to your own way, to make this life a project all about you—your ego, your comfort, your ambition, position, reputation, or pleasure—then you've fallen into a trap, and you will ultimately lose your life. “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” asks Jesus. But Jesus gives us a way out. Jesus himself frees us from this trap. He tells us that we must live in light of the cross. We must live in the reality of what has become of us through the cross. You have been restored. You have been forgiven. You have been made new there on the cross with Christ. The way to be free from this dangerous trap is through the victory of the cross. The cross declares what God has done. The cross proclaims what you've become. Wonderful. It is here in Christ that your soul is made new. To pursue your life apart from Christ is to forfeit your soul. It's a failure to see what God has done and what you have now become. You are a child of God, my friend. May God help you to see it so that you can begin to live it, to discover your true self, to discover him. On the cross, we see what it is to love, to give of oneself, to radically forgive others, and to suffer alongside others. When we do that, we become fully alive. So don't fall into the trap. Don't live only from your point of view. Live from the perspective of the cross. That's a prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's a prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL