Podcasts about stumbling

In part two of our latest, hear Chief Prosecuting Attorney and judicial candidate Joshua Robinson break down what it takes to be a judge, why he's running, and what he feels when he loses a case. We also get into jury duty and why Joe takes it, and public defenders, so seriously. Give it a listen, it's a good one.#JoshuaRobinson #judges #attorneys #prosecutingattorneys #juryduty

Stumbling into Heaven: How Encounters with God Change Everything On the occasion of his 19th anniversary of ordination, . . . . . . the visiting Montfort priest reflects joyfully on the value of the priesthood and the profound meaning of encountering God. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew, the Homily emphasizes two parables: a man who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and a merchant searching for fine pearls . . . both of whom give up everything to possess what they found. These stories highlight how an authentic encounter with God transforms a person permanently. The Homily underscores how scriptural figures like Moses, St. Paul, St. Peter, and Isaiah were forever changed by their divine encounters with God. The Homily relates this to the Eucharist, suggesting that even if we attend Mass reluctantly or by habit, the experience can still lead to transformation. The Homily invites us to: 1. Pay attention to the small ways God reveals His kingdom in everyday life. 2. Go out with joy after encountering God, showing that joy even amid life's problems. 3. Remove distractions and focus more deeply on Christ. The Homily's message is one of gratitude, transformation, joy, and renewed commitment to live in God's kingdom now . . . on Earth! How? Listen more to this Meditation Media. Listen to Stumbling into Heaven: How Encounters with God Change Everything --------------------------------------------------------------- God‘s Covenant with Abraham . . . Showing Him the Stars in the Sky: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform: Generative AI Image by Queen of All Hearts, 2025 What is Generative AI? Generative AI refers to a recent approach in artificial intelligence that involves the creation of AI-generated art. This innovative technique utilizes a potent AI computer to generate images based on textual prompts or instructions. The resulting output is an AI-generated image, representing one interpretation of a given concept, such as God Showing Abraham the Stars in the Sky in this particular instance. --------------------------------------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Matthew 13: 44-46 First Reading: Exodus 34: 29-35

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

Jude 1:24 says this... “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” Let's talk about this on today's Morning Manna.

In Luke 17:1–5, Jesus speaks some of His most challenging words—warnings about causing others to stumble, commands to forgive repeatedly, and a call to live by faith. In this episode, we explore what it means to walk in humility, extend forgiveness without limit, and trust God when obedience feels too hard. If you've ever struggled to forgive—or to believe you can—this episode will help you lean into the strength that comes through faith in Christ.

What if the things we avoid the most—like messing up, slowing down, being bored, or even facing our own death—are actually the gateways to lasting joy?Join Matt O'Neill and award-winning journalist Eric Weiner as they shatter everything you thought you knew about happiness. Eric, author of the New York Times bestseller "The Geography of Bliss" (now a Peacock docu-series), has mapped happiness across the globe from Bhutan to Iceland, uncovering the counterintuitive secrets that separate the world's happiest cultures from America's convenience-obsessed society.This isn't your typical happiness advice. You'll discover why failure is celebrated in Iceland, how boredom becomes bliss in Switzerland, why silence is sacred in Thailand, and the profound truth that happiness isn't personal—it's relational. Eric reveals why America, the wealthiest nation on Earth, doesn't even crack the top 20 in happiness rankings, and what we can learn from cultures that prioritize relationships over results.Whether you're caught in the convenience trap, struggling with the paradox of choice, or wondering why all your achievements haven't made you happier, this conversation will revolutionize your understanding of what true contentment looks like.0:00 Introduction1:06 What sent Eric on his global happiness quest2:56 Failure, silence, boredom, death6:02 Why happiness is relational, not personal8:58 The Thai teacher's wisdom12:18 How envy destroys happiness and why the Swiss hide wealth15:24 Why Iceland celebrates heroic failure19:46 The surprising statistics about happiness23:02 The experience machine thought experiment25:04 Why thinking about happiness makes you unhappy27:33 America's convenience trap destroys connection32:45 The power of putting effort without attachment to resultsResources Mentioned:Eric Weiner's books:

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports, starting with another disappointing series for the Twins. They're 50-55 after losing two of three to the last-place Nationals, and it's enough to ask where the big plan went off the rails. Plus Reusse and Rand get into the 3M Open, Vikings training camp and the Lynx while offering a send-off for departing colleague Jerry Zgoda.

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  After a tough stretch in Arizona and Colorado, the Cardinals come home and split with the Padres, but that feels like too little too late for Daniel (@C70) and David (@iPopEditor).  The trade deadline should be a busy one and the guys talk about all the various options, including the unlikely ones in Sonny Gray and Brendan Donovan.  They also discuss how things might look the rest of the way and if there's anything that will swing Oli Marmol's job status one way or another.  Double sized show this week, so enjoy!

Why do some people rest their faith in Christ while others reject Him to their destruction? From his expositional series in 1 Peter, today R.C. Sproul considers how God sovereignly calls His elect out of darkness and sends them into the world with the light of the gospel. Get R.C. Sproul's commentary on 1–2 Peter for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4170/donate   Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Request the ebook edition of the 1–2 Peter commentary for your donation of any amount: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global   Meet Today's Teacher:   R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew's Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE:  We're running in place. Tripping on our feet. Stumbling backward. And retooling ourselves to suit the changing world.  Astro-Insight for July 21-27, 2025. Please do not forward w/o copyright notice intact, which is: Text & recording ©℗ Kathy Biehl 2025. Image by Olya Adamovich from Pixabay Transcription of this episode Saturn/Neptune through history My Jupiter in Cancer video Energy management tips in my Actions You Can Take playlist Bonus content at Patreon Join my mailing list Listen to Celestial Compass on OM Times Radio and TV Support this podcast   Find out what this means for you! Facebook: Empowerment Unlimited and the Astro-Insight Lounge

Stumbling blocks clutter the heart like debris in a runner's path. In today's message, Pastor Richard mentions the call in Hebrews to cast off the sins and weights that snare you, and to return to God. Those habits or distractions you know too well? Clear them away and set your heart to pursue Him earnestly. It's about preparing the way, like charting a course. Are you ready to remove the obstacles holding you back from God?

The post The Stone Of Stumbling (Romans 9:30-10:4) appeared first on Lookout Valley Baptist Church.

(00:00-22:58) Blues announcer Joey Vitale joins us. Talking about the simulcast news announced yesterday. Still ironing out some of the details. Bittersweet feeling on the news. Wardrobe talk. Critiquing Andy Strickland's game. Joey's 99 year old grandma still going strong on gluten and cookies. Are the Blues going to make more moves? The rich history of broadcasters in St. Louis.(23:07-40:50) The Band. The Load. Just bangers, man. Will Clark. Audio of Will Clark with an expletive filled rant on Boston reporter, Will Fleming. Brawling with Ozzie. The Eagles. Listening to Glow Worm while you military press. Chairman's sleep patterns. Doug's TV issues.(41:00-52:25) Stumbling into a music theme. Do you reach in the porta potty to get an Air Pod if you drop it in? Technology hates Doug's guts. Drops of the Week. Tony LaRussa is calling Martin. More on Doug's missing remote.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(00:00-18:24) The SEC Umpire is on hold and he says he has a solution to Jackson's movie talker problem. SEC Ump wants to know our hat sizes because he has a gift for us. Jackson says don't bring your own blankets to the theatre. Getting shushed. Smuggling your own food in.(18:32-41:41) Keith/Greg from Wisconsin on the phone lines. Keith with tales of movie theatre hijinx. Racing piglets in between innings. Doug's trying to profile Mrs. Keith. Would the Yankees have interest in Arenado after DFAing DJ LeMahieu? Audio of Nolan Arenado on MLB Network talking about having fun this year. Where would they be without Sonny Gray?(41:51-53:17) Stumbling into bangers. Wishing SLU and Mizzou would play. Jackson not buying the narrative that Mizzou is afraid to lose to SLU. Doug doesn't wear T-shirts. Lathered up playing pickleball.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Heartbreak ~ written in the ER The dull sickening pressure Is what got my attention. A racing heart, Stumbling over itself Is a more familiar alert. But this blunt sensation Was something new, Relentless and swelling, Like water and dry earth Mingling and churning As in a flash flood Finding its way slowly, Inexorably, Blindly searching out the low places By feel. Nothing stopping it's steady movement. And nothing did On that day. This intensity, not familiar pain, Invaded the muscles of my chest Stiffened with anticipation. Slipping silently between the ribs Of my caged heart and lungs. Pushing rudely up into my throat Without asking permission Flooding both jaws With a strong, strange sensation That signaled something wrong. The pushy entitlement of fear Taking over without concern Or consent. It was my heart that was Captured and confused By this wild rouge energy. Not by the eyes I couldn't Turn away from in the beginning, And still can't. Not the warm young body I sought and never left As both our bodies Transformed into something More settled and real. Not by the steadfast will And stubborn Insistence I encountered saying This was what mattered. No, I had been captured by That unexpected love Years before. Confused by its earthy and Ordinary magnificence. Irresistible and terrifying. And now it was breaking. Not the love. But my heart. A dull sickening pressure Pushing me To the edge of the bed, Over the precipice in the dark. Nothing cruel or personal, Just inevitable. This precious breaking The final vow The final bow To you.

Evelyn's Dark Labyrinth Task.In 13 parts, By BradentonLarry - Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.The maze at the Manor had been bright and green, with nice right angles and a geometric design that was pleasing to the eye. This was dark, grey, and anything but pleasant."Scary, isn't it?"Instinctively dropping into a crouch and raising her staff defensively, Evelyn looked around for the speaker. It had sounded close and came from her right, over by the dead tree. She noticed that there was a grey bird with a reddish-brown head and white throat looking at her calmly. She thought it looked like a small hawk."Did you say that?" she asked the bird skeptically."I did," the bird gave a little nod."A talking hawk," Evelyn chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised, I guess.""Excuse me, miss, I am not a hawk," the bird stretched its wings and puffed out its chest a bit. "I am a red-necked falcon."Lowering her staff, Evelyn smiled and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. Ornithology is not really my specialty.""I forgive you," the bird said.Evelyn decided she should just roll with the situation and said, "You were saying something about the maze?""Yes," the falcon nodded a bit. "It's rather scary, isn't it?""Is it actually dangerous, though?""Naw, I fly over it all the time.""I'm afraid I don't have that option.""Oh, well, yes, I suppose you don't," the falcon said. "Does that mean you are actually going to go into it."Evelyn frowned, then said, "Well, is that the Dark Labyrinth?""I believe so. I have heard it called that, anyway.""Then I have to go into it. I need to reach the center of it.""Whatever for?""It's my quest," Evelyn smirked, mostly just to herself."Oh, well, I guess that makes sense, then. Annoying things, quests.""You're not wrong," she smiled.Just then a loud voice called out from above them, "Horace! What are you doing down there?"Looking up, Evelyn saw another falcon circling them in the grey sky."I'm just being friendly," the falcon in the tree, who Evelyn now supposed must be named Horace, called back."Leave that poor girl alone," the falcon in the air called down."We're just talking, honey," Horace shouted. Then, addressing Evelyn in a normal, quieter voice, he said, "Sorry about that. The missus gets a bit jealous sometimes."Evelyn smiled and said, "That's alright, I should be on my way anyway.""Be careful," Horace nodded."I'll do my best. Any advice?""Don't get distracted," he said. "There are things in there that will try to trap you, or at least get you very lost." Then, as he flapped into the air, he added, "Oh, and don't let the Beast catch you!""What? The 'Beast'?!" Evelyn called after him, but he was already too far away to hear, or at least to reply.With a serious scowl and her staff at the ready, Evelyn started down into the labyrinth, entering it near the closest end of the valley, but quite high up the slope.For the rest of that first day, Evelyn worked her way through the maze slowly and carefully. She decided it would be a good idea to follow the left wall, just to help keep track of where she'd been. She wished she'd managed to bring along some chalk.Before it started to get too dark, she found a section of wall that had collapsed, forming a little cave she managed to crawl into without scraping herself up too badly. She felt far from secure, but she thought it was the best shelter she was likely to find before night fell. Stumbling around that maze in the dark seemed a sure recipe for disaster. Before she was able to drift off into a restless sleep, she gave herself a quiet orgasm, clutching her staff to her as she shuddered in the rubble.Early the next day, Evelyn found some blueberries growing down the side of a wall and drank the water that gathered on the leaves from the misty air. She was starting to think it could take a very long time for her to reach the center of this damned thing. She was trying to use the trick Don had taught her to use in navigating the Manor, but she couldn't tell if it was helping at all.Toward midday, when she was thinking about taking a break anyway, Evelyn came to the first opening in the labyrinth. Like the rest of the maze, this clearing was in a state of serious disrepair, but there was an apple tree surviving and bearing fruit in the corner, and a large pool taking up most of the center of the space. Jumping up and swinging her staff, Evelyn was able to knock down a couple of apples. Biting into one, she found it surprisingly tart for Erosian fruit, but it was still delicious.As she ate her lunch, Evelyn strolled over to the pool of water. It looked too still to be safe to drink, but she might be able to use it to clean up a bit. Looking at her reflection, she saw that she was indeed quite disheveled and dirty. She tossed the core of her apple off to the side, dropped to her knees and set her staff down next to her as she cupped her hands to splash some water on her face. After a bit of rubbing and splashing, and running her fingers through her hair, she waited for the water to calm to see if she was actually helping her situation.Looking down to her reflection, she was surprised to see another face looking up at her. Bright emerald eyes regarded her from beneath the water, and then as she scrambled backward a pale woman with blonde hair broke the surface and said, "Well, hello there." She had a vaguely Scandinavian accent and a sweet, sexy smile."Ah, hello," Evelyn responded."Sorry if I startled you," the girl in the water said. "You're just so pretty, I had to come say 'hi.'"Not knowing what else to say, Evelyn smiled and said, "Well, thank you.""I'm Trielle," the woman said as she extended her hand, leaning on the bank of the pool, her porcelain breasts brushing the grass."Uh, Sage," Evelyn said as she shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Trielle."Trielle continued to hold Evelyn's hand, her clasp becoming a caress, and purred, "It's been a long time since we've had a visitor here. I'd love a chance to get to know you better."The smile on Trielle's lips and the glimmer in her eyes as she said this left very little doubt as to what sort of getting-to-know she had in mind.Evelyn swallowed, and said, "Well, that certainly does sound nice."Trielle's green eyes were certainly inviting, and Evelyn found herself moving closer, until she was leaning down to kiss the girl's cool, moist lips. Trielle's slender fingers moved up to gently brush the sides of Evelyn's face and then held her there lightly as her tongue slipped into Evelyn's mouth. The feeling of the girl's tongue on hers as well as the soft pressure of their lips together was intoxicating, and Evelyn felt herself leaning forward to indulge herself more deeply in the kiss.Suddenly remembering herself, Evelyn pulled back, regaining her balance on the grass. Trielle smiled back at her. If she was offended by the abrupt withdrawal there was no indication."You're a good kisser," the woman smiled, "and you taste so good."Evelyn found herself blushing a little and said, "Thank you, so do you.""Would you let me taste you down there?" Trielle asked with a wink."Down there?" Evelyn found herself suddenly a bit confused."Uh-hum," Trielle nodded, biting her lower lip a bit. "You can just sit here on the edge."Evelyn caught on and said, "Oh! Well, I guess it would be rude of me to say 'no.'""It certainly would," nodded Trielle emphatically. Then she pushed back from the shore to let Evelyn rearrange herself so that she was sitting on the edge of the pool with her legs in the water.Smiling up at Evelyn, Trielle moved smoothly through the water between Evelyn's legs.Evelyn shuddered a little in anticipation as Trielle's cool, light fingers moved up her legs. Then she sighed when Trielle's lips brushed over her labia, which were already quite moist and very ready for some affection. Soon, Evelyn was leaning back on one arm while she held Trielle's blonde head in place while the girl in the pool licked and sucked at Evelyn's clit. It didn't take long before Evelyn's orgasm wracked her body with intense, fiery delight, muscles clenching and heart pounding.Slowing her ministrations until Evelyn could regain her breath, Trielle kept her mouth on Evelyn's sex, and then, when Evelyn was ready for more, she began to tongue her clit again, slowly but firmly. Even quicker than the first time, Evelyn's body responded to the woman's cunnilingual skills. Crying out and arching her back there on the bank of the pool, Evelyn came and came, shuddering intensely until she collapsed, spent.As Evelyn lay on her back, looking up at the leaden clouds, heart pounding in her chest, she said, "Thank you! I really needed that.""It was my pleasure, Sage," the woman in the water said."Can you come up here so I can return the favor?""Oh, no, I don't think I can do that, but you could come in here and play with us.""Us?" Evelyn asked, and then hauled herself up to see that she and Trielle were no longer alone. Four other people were there in the water. Three of them were handsome men, two of whom were lounging back against the far shore of the pool, muscular arms resting on the ground and broad chests on tempting display. The third man was closer, leaning on the ground, his chin propped on his palm, watching Evelyn with a playful smile on his lips. The new woman was slowly bobbing in the middle of the pool, just her head above water. All of them were staggeringly attractive."Oh," Evelyn said, drawing back a bit. "Hello there.""Come on in, Sage, and we'll have a wonderful time," Trielle smiled.Evelyn was thinking they did look like they would be a lot of fun, but she managed to say, "I don't think I should.""Can't you swim?" Trielle asked as if that were the only possible objection one could make to her invitation."Well, yes, I can but, ""She can't breathe underwater," came a familiar voice from behind Evelyn, in the direction of the apple tree.Evelyn nodded, "Yes, that's right; I can't."Trielle pouted a bit theatrically, and said, "Horace, you're always spoiling our fun.""I doubt that," said the falcon."Are you sure you don't want to come in for a while?" Trielle asked, though her tone suggested she knew what the answer would be.Evelyn drew back from the water, curling up well out of reach of the people watching her in the pool, but smiled and said, "I'm very flattered, but I really must continue on my quest."As her companions began dropping down into the water, Trielle said, "Oh, a quest? Well, that's understandable. It was very nice meeting you, Sage."Then, with a wave and smile, Trielle dove beneath the water, which was broken again a moment later as a very large fish-tail flipped up and splashed before disappearing again.After realizing she was gaping at the fact that she'd just been eaten out by a mermaid and invited to participate in a mer-orgy, Evelyn shut her mouth, stood up and turned to see Horace perched in the tree. She smiled and said, "Thank you. I wasn't thinking too clearly there for a minute.""Don't mention it," Horace said. "Might be a good idea to be a bit more careful, though. This whole place wants to keep you from getting where you want to go.""The place wants, ?" she started but Horace had already taken to the skies again.Carrying an apple in one hand and her staff in the other, Evelyn spent the rest of the day making her meandering way through the Labyrinth. She found that the more natural-seeming surface maze was combined with the occasional overpass and tunnel. She moved as quickly as possible through the latter but tried to appreciate the view afforded by the former. Unfortunately, the Labyrinth now stretched out in every direction with no clear end in sight.Toward evening she heard her next sign of animal life, and it was not at all welcome. Rising in the distance as she started down from one of the overpasses, Evelyn heard something that sounded uncomfortably like the howl of a wolf. Spinning around with her staff at the ready, apple falling to her feet, she scanned her surroundings for any movement or other sign. After several minutes of nothing, she hurried back into the maze. She was now looking for some kind of shelter for the night.The best she could do before it got too dark to continue was to climb up a tree that had enough leaves on it that she wasn't completely visible from the ground. As she finally ate her apple, Evelyn realized that her precarious perch was far from ideal. She might fall in her sleep, and she had no assurance whatsoever that the beast Horace had mentioned couldn't climb this tree as well as she, or better. She wasn't even sure that the howl she had heard belonged to that beast. For all she knew, there could be several beasts about.Still, she would be even more vulnerable on the ground, wandering about the maze in the dark, so she made the best of the situation. Wedged as comfortably as possible, she passed a fitful night in the branches of her tree.As soon as the sky began to lighten in the morning, Evelyn managed to climb down. Rubbing her stiff muscles, she congratulated herself on still being alive and in one piece. Then she started off again.That second day was a long, tedious one, punctuated only by the discovery of another apple tree and then, in the evening, another howl. This time she was sure it was closer, but she still couldn't tell from which direction it came. She managed to clamber up onto the top of a wall, where she managed to sleep a bit during the night. She dreamed of a black shape looking for her with blazing red eyes.Soon after her first masturbation break (spent huddled in a corner, thinking about her fun on the Riverboat with Don) on day three, Evelyn came upon what she took to be a hopeful sign.Her way was blocked by a heavy stone gate with a broad platform set above it. It didn't seem to her that whoever had designed the Dark Labyrinth would put such an obstacle here if it was just a dead end.As she approached the gate, there was a loud flapping sound - much, much louder than anything Horace could make. Craning her neck, she was able to catch sight of a massive shape swooping overhead just before it landed on the platform over the gate.Evelyn was amused to see a winged sphinx perched there regarding her carefully. It had the body and limbs of a rather large lion or some other cat, enormous feathered wings at either side, and the dark-haired head of a handsome, bearded, man. It had been several days with mostly herself for company, and the encounter with Trielle had been all too brief, so she wasn't too surprised to find herself wondering if she was about to experience some sphinx sex. She was more surprised to find that the idea was more intriguing than troubling. This was Eros, after all.The sphinx looked her over slowly, cleared his throat, and said in somewhat bellowing and official tone, "I am Oberon, guardian of this gate, only those who pass my test shall pass!" Then, in a more conversational voice, he asked, "Are you lost or what?""Ah, no," Evelyn frowned. "At least, I don't think I'm lost."

We only back what we use—VersaGrips are a game changer. https://www.versagripps.com/pages/drmike Want to get even more jacked? Grab the RP Hypertrophy App for your training, and maximize your gym efforts with the RP Diet Coach App to nail your nutrition.   0:39 Recap 5:57 Age reversal updates 10:31 What happens when probs are solved 16:08 Stumbling blocks in the revolution 31:03 Hot hot girls interact with the world 38:25 Advanced virtual reality 43:58 Cybernetic enhancement 53:11 Vanity might go away 58:03 Body image healing

God With Us as a Sanctuary or a Stone of Stumbling; Isaiah 8; Bennie Tomberlin. Scripture read by Raymond Vaughn.

A Realestate.co.nz survey found that 24% of respondents bought a property without initially intending to purchase, with 8% buying spontaneously in the past year. Agent Rawdon Christie told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's hard to believe people are really buying on a whim. He says there's a mountain of paper work and regulations to get through before signing on the dotted line. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3196: Chris Reining explores how behavioral biases like the endowment effect and loss aversion distort investment decisions, often leading us to cling to poor choices out of fear or attachment. By asking a single powerful question, “Would I buy this today?” investors can cut through emotional baggage and make clearer, smarter decisions that optimize their portfolios. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://chrisreining.com/buy-it-now/ Quotes to ponder: “If I didn't own this stock or bond today, would I still buy it now?” “Investments don't care what price you paid.” “Anytime you don't sell, you buy.” Episode references: Stumbling on Happiness: https://www.amazon.com/Stumbling-Happiness-Daniel-Gilbert/dp/1400077427 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3196: Chris Reining explores how behavioral biases like the endowment effect and loss aversion distort investment decisions, often leading us to cling to poor choices out of fear or attachment. By asking a single powerful question, “Would I buy this today?” investors can cut through emotional baggage and make clearer, smarter decisions that optimize their portfolios. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://chrisreining.com/buy-it-now/ Quotes to ponder: “If I didn't own this stock or bond today, would I still buy it now?” “Investments don't care what price you paid.” “Anytime you don't sell, you buy.” Episode references: Stumbling on Happiness: https://www.amazon.com/Stumbling-Happiness-Daniel-Gilbert/dp/1400077427 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 3196: Chris Reining explores how behavioral biases like the endowment effect and loss aversion distort investment decisions, often leading us to cling to poor choices out of fear or attachment. By asking a single powerful question, “Would I buy this today?” investors can cut through emotional baggage and make clearer, smarter decisions that optimize their portfolios. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://chrisreining.com/buy-it-now/ Quotes to ponder: “If I didn't own this stock or bond today, would I still buy it now?” “Investments don't care what price you paid.” “Anytime you don't sell, you buy.” Episode references: Stumbling on Happiness: https://www.amazon.com/Stumbling-Happiness-Daniel-Gilbert/dp/1400077427 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite cultural pushback, salvation is by faith in Christ.

In this episode of The Insurance Technology Podcast, Reid chats live in New York at Insurtech Insights with Peter Germanov and Michael Lebor, the CEO and president of Momentum by NowCerts.Tune into their candid conversation to dive into the stories that shaped who Peter and Michael are today and how they joined forces to create lasting momentum in Insurtech.Episode HighlightsSetting the scene at Insurtech Insights (00:40)Michael reminiscing on growing up in New York (1:29)Peter's relocation from Bulgaria to Canada to New England (5:03)From humble roots to humbling success (11:18)Stumbling into the software business (13:00)NowCerts becomes Momentum (15:03)Talking about TrustedChoice.com (15:38)Connecting the dots, bringing everything into one system (16:56)Making it easy for agents to do what they do (26:00)

Stumbling in Matthew

Beyond the Resume Podcast with Sheri Thompson (Stumbling into Real Estate Executive)

Jesus Cornerstone or Stumbling Stone pt.5

Jesus Cornerstone or Stumbling Stone pt.4

Jesus Cornerstone or Stumbling Stone pt.3

Leading With Purpose Summer SeriesJoin Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you'll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.Originally aired Oct 2023 Be it blind arrogance or a lack of accountability, it can be easy for church and academic leaders to allow pride to consume them and to point fingers when they fall.That's why Bill Blocker, President of the College of Biblical Studies - Houston, believes the leadership journey should start by understanding that it's not about you. God doesn't care how talented you are — only that you're available to use your gifts to lead and inspire others.   Bill shares how Christ called him from the legal industry to help equip others and what leading from the front with humility means to him.    Join us as we discuss:Measuring personal success in how you inspire others (6:11)What God cares about more than your abilities (11:43)Stumbling blocks that Christian leaders need to avoid (18:40) To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Jesus Cornerstone or Stumbling Stone pt.2

Teaching from the Word of God.

Jesus Cornerstone or Stumbling Stone pt.1

The letter of Romans strengthened the ancient church, brought reformation to the dark ages, has brought hope for 2000 years, and can change your life!This week Pastor Joel continues Part 2 of his message series in the book of the Bible called Romans, “Bold Faith That Wins”. This is a special four part series that will span the year of 2025. LINKS + RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:• Recommended reading for this series• Download the free study guide by visiting and clicking on the button "Download Study Guide"⁠• Find a complete transcript here• Scripture References: Romans 9, verses 30 through 10, verse 2; Deuteronomy 28, verse 47; Psalm 147, verses 19-20; Acts 4, verses 10-11; Isaiah 28, verse 16• Find out more about Covenant Church at ⁠covenantexperience.com

Wednesday June 4, 2025 Main Idea: Main idea: When Jesus Christ reveals His suffering and death, Peter reveals his misunderstanding of the suffering Messiah. Text: Mat... for full notes: https://www.cgtruth.org/index.php?proc=msg&sf=vw&tid=3160

Stumbling blocks and fascinations with the courts regarding the Trump Administration. John Tyler, the 10th President of the United States from 1841 to 1845, just had a direct grandson pass away. We're joined by Johnny Estes, Vice President of Operations, and Shannon Estes, President of CMI Gold & Silver. Red Chinese influence over our universities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ready? 1,2,3! Let's walk this out together…. 1.   One Big Truth from Karen and Susan to find our footing: Antidotes to Control and Anger: Proverbs 19:21 & Proverbs 29:11. 2.     Two resources to keep learning:  ·      enCourage Podcast series about Belonging to Christ- from Heidelberg Catechism question#1 ·      TGC Article: Fighting to Say Yes, When God says No.   3. Three Questions to discuss together:   1.What do you tend to try to control: people or circumstances?   2. How can the elusiveness of control lead to anger in your life?   3. What would it look like for you to surrender your desire to control this week and delight in your sovereign Savior? Spend time in prayer relinquishing the areas of your life that you are seeking to control and trust in His good will for your life.   To listen to the rest of this series go to enCourage Podcast-  https://women.pcacdm.org/stumbling-forward-together/

Sonnie Trotter is a world-renowned rock climber, father, husband, writer, and the author of the new book "Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life." For the past three decades, Sonnie has built a career as one of the most accomplished climbers of his generation— pushing standards, putting up first ascents, and bringing a sense of creativity, humility, and grit to every project he tackles. His new book is part memoir, part meditation on movement and meaning, and it's one of the most thoughtful and grounded climbing books I've read in a long time. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sonnie and I talk about the unexpected ways writing has shaped his life, how his approach to climbing has evolved over the years, and what it's been like to move from living out of a van to raising a family in the mountains of Canada. We also discuss how he's stayed grounded throughout his career, his relationship with sponsors like Patagonia, and why gratitude— not rage or ego— has been the driving force behind his decades of commitment to climbing. Sonnie also opens up about how parenting has shifted his perspective on adventure, freedom, and ambition—and how he and his wife are raising their kids in a way that emphasizes curiosity, effort, and joy. Whether you're a climber, a writer, a parent, or just someone trying to live a meaningful life, there's a ton of wisdom in this one. Sonnie's new book "Uplifted" is out now, and I highly recommend picking up a copy—you'll find a link in the episode notes, along with links to everything else we discussed. Hope you enjoy both this conversation and the book.  Thanks for listening.  --- Sonnie Trotter Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sonnie-trotter/ --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 1:55 - Intro, how Sonnie got into writing 4:58 - Influences 8:30 - Why write this book now 12:40 - Stumbling into the climbing world 17:45 - Into the unknown 20:27 - Origins of drive 25:07 - Climbing's darkness 27:11 - The road to Patagonia 32:23 - Parent perspectives 36:54 - Becoming a parent 42:35 - Getting kids active (a jiu jitsu segway) 48:13 - Training, nutrition and getting older 52:47 - Race to 9A 56:31 - Book recs 59:29 - Final words of wisdom — get back to work --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Support Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts  

In 1 Peter 2, Jesus is called “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” that those who are disobedient will trip over. What does that mean exactly, and how can we avoid stumbling over Christ? Pastor Jack answers those questions in today’s episode of Real Life TV.(00:00) Jack Hibbs Podcast(17:22) The Power of the Holy Spirit CONNECT WITH PASTOR JACK Get Updates via Text:  https://text.whisp.io/jack-hibbs-podcastWebsite: https://jackhibbs.com/ Instagram: http://bit.ly/2FCyXpO Facebook: https://bit.ly/2WZBWV0 YouTube:  https://bit.ly/437xMHn DAZE OF DECEPTION BOOK:https://jackhibbs.com/daze-of-deception/ Did you know we have a Real Life Network? Sign up for free for more exclusive content:https://bit.ly/3CIP3M99