The left have been pushing this for decades. It's been a slow process but I will say that within the last 2 decades, they seem to be ramping up and it's working. Christianity in the US is failing in influence due to the majority stance that being gay or trans is a sin. That's created a major push for people to distance themselves from Christian values in general, even if they agree with other value points, purely because of optics on gay/trans issues. So, people re-interpret the bible based on their own values! As we get closer to the Lord's return, I believe this is only going to get worse. The US will continue to back away from Christian values and the world will follow suit.

White south africans are being slaughtered... I approve of this move.

Christian YouTuber and Bible teacher Mike Winger announced he will take a “long overdue” three-month sabbatical beginning in June after postponing the break for months while working on his series about “cover-up culture.”

“I was supposed to go on a sabbatical in January,” Winger said during Episode 77 of his podcast. “It didn’t happen because of this series on cover-up culture, because of the stuff I’ve been working on, that sabbatical did not take place.”

Winger, who just hit over 1 million subscribers on YouTube — “It’s all by God’s incredible, incredible kind grace. I’m so grateful for it,” he said — delayed the break because he wanted to continue helping people connected to the issues he has been covering.

“I really want to keep helping these people. I don’t want to put it off. I don’t want to make them wait months for me to do the work,” he said. “So, we put it off and put it off. Well, it’s May, so I’m going to go on sabbatical starting June 1.”

“I’m just going to take a break,” Winger added. “I’m not done with the whole series. Unfortunately, there’s a few situations that I still want to cover that I just have to put on the shelf for a while.”

Continued below.

The Teachings of the Law of Moses

This rule of life was revealed from God and accepted by Israel at Sinai, and was at no time addressed to the nations of the world. It was a peculiar form of government for a peculiar people, and accomplished a peculiar purpose in condemning the failure of man and in preparing him for the Messiah.

Its full detail is revealed in the writings of Moses; but the history of Israel under the law occupies the rest of the Old Testament, and a major part of the gospels up to the record of the death of Christ. The Law of Moses was complete within itself. It was sufficient to regulate the conduct of an Israelite under every circumstance that might arise. In her relation to God, that nation remained for 1500 years under pure law (God has been dealing with Israel now for 4 millennia and will finally bring them back to Himself, probably during the Millennium—NC).

The Teachings of Grace

Like the teachings of the Law of Moses, the teachings of grace have not applied to men in all ages (not applied until the ascension of the Lord Jesus—NC). They were never addressed to the world as applicable to it in the present age; but are addressed to a peculiar people who are in the world, but are not of the world. These teachings constitute the divine instruction to the heavenly citizen and unfold the exact manner of life that such a citizen is expected to manifest even here on earth.

It is revealed that God dealt graciously with the human family from Adam to Moses; but it is also revealed that the precise form of divine government which is the present teaching of grace was then disclosed, nor was it applied to men until the reign of the law had been terminated in the death of Christ. It is likewise revealed that the death of Christ was the necessary foundation for the present, full manifestation of super abounding grace.

It is equally certain from the Word that the teachings of grace will apply to the children of God under grace as long as they are in the world, and these principles will cease to apply, of necessity, when the people whom they alone address are gathered out and taken from the earth at the Rapture.

This age is not the time of salvation of society; that great undertaking is clearly in the purpose of God, but is reserved for the age which is yet to come. The present dispensation is characterized by a unique emphasis on the individual. The death of Christ contemplated above all else is the need of the individual sinner. The Gospel of grace, which the death of Christ made possible, is equal to the individual alone, and the very faith by which it is received is exercised only by the individual.

The message of grace is of a personal faith, a personal salvation, and personal endowment of the Spirit, a personal gift for service, and a personal transformation into the image of Christ. The company of individuals thus redeemed and transformed, are to be in the ages to come the supreme manifestation of the riches of God’s grace. Unto this eternal purpose the whole universe was created and all ages have been programmed by God.

The glory of this dispensation is lost to a large extent when the reign of law is intruded into this age (attempting to mix Judaism with Christianity—NC) which followed the death of Christ, or when the social order of the Kingdom, promised for a future age, is expected before the return of the king. The Bible affords no basis for the supposition that the Lord will come to a perfected social order. At His coming at the Rapture He will gather all the saved to Himself. The transcendent glory of this age is that very grace which will have been either accepted or rejected by the individual.

-Unknown




MJS daily devotional excerpt

God led the children of Israel into the desert with its thirst, that He might bless them. “For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). It is for no less a reason that He takes us into the desert at times. “How shall He not with Him [Christ] also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:2). -MJS

“Our Father disciplines us that we may be more fully free from the old nature, and find everything in the Lord Jesus. But He begins the lesson with the assurance, ‘I love you perfectly.’

“‘I bring you into the desert to learn what you are, and what I am; but it is as those I have brought to Myself!’ He gives us a place with the Lord Jesus, but then shows us what He is and what we are. The discipline of the way teaches this; but if He, in His love, strikes the furrows in the heart, it is that He may sow the seed which shall ripen in glory.”

“Those who receive deliverance from their troubles never grow like those who get strengthened in the difficulties.”

“How slowly one learns that His sympathy is not expressed in removing the affliction but in raising one above it to Himself, so that He becomes so endeared to the heart that He is more an object to the heart than oneself.” -James Butler Stoney (1814-1897)

Aw

reddogs said:

Here is a good explanation... Login to view embedded media

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Awful long video. I also know the whole doctrine of Ellen White, etc. I've been to their meetings a couple of times. They can't seem to explain those verses about worshipping the King on earth and all the nations that don't show on the Feast of Tabernacles get no rain, etc. Big problem.

Came here to start such a thread.

It’s notable that the bulk of the cases are men from Mexico, which is predominantly Catholic; a religion that holds self-extermination to be a “mortal sin”.

Another 'mental health is to blame' story.

Court records indicate that the suspect had a stay-away order from the White House put in place on July 11, 2025. He had been arrested the day before the shooting after attempting to get into the White House and get past a security checkpoint, according to a court record. He told officers he was "Jesus Christ" and allegedly told officers he wanted to get arrested.

Foamhead said:

While we agree this guy is an idiot, or malicious, I would like to see data that guns save more people then they harm.

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I agree, and I would be shocked credible data to support that claim were forthcoming.

My take is that President Trump will regret missing his son's wedding.

EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Robert Barron said he has been urging Catholics on the left to stop the "demonization" of the Trump administration, even when it comes to highly contentious issues such as immigration and border security.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Barron, arguably the most prominent Catholic prelate in America, said that despite criticism within the church of the administration’s immigration policy, "there are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border."

"I don't think it's fair to say to a conservative, to a Republican, you're just being difficult and anti-humanitarian," he said, adding that "at times, the Catholic left is great for calling for dialogue and bridge-building — until it comes to conservatives."

He said that for many Catholics on the left, "when it comes to conservatives, just tell them what they should be doing and saying."

“No, no, let's build bridges of conversation. That's a role the Church can play," he said. "What I don't want from the church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration."

Continued below.

Although I generally admired Pope Leo’s first encyclical, I was dismayed to read, in paragraph 192:

Today, more than ever, without prejudice to the right to self-defense in the strictest sense, it is important to reaffirm that the “just war” theory, which has all too often been used to justify any kind of war, is now outdated.

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Pope Leo is not the first Pontiff to say that just-war theory is outdated. Pope Francis said the same thing. Even Pope Pius XII, who cannot be classified as a pacifist, said in his Christmas message of 1948: “The theory of war as an apt and proportionate means of solving international conflicts is now out of date.”

But Pius XII, speaking in the aftermath of World War II, did not jettison just-war theory—even with the advent of The Bomb threatening new levels of mass destruction. No one short of Dr. Strangelove would think that nuclear war is “an apt and proportionate means” of resolving conflicts. A just war is always a last resort, when preferable methods have failed.

Pope Leo renders his judgment “without prejudice to the right to self-defense.” But in the just-war tradition, a war can be considered just only if it is fought in self-defense, or in the defense of others.

If a nation can be morally justified in defending itself, how shall we distinguish between which sort of military actions are justified, and which are not? That is precisely the purpose of just-war theory: to make such distinctions. And indeed Pope Leo uses the principles of just-war reasoning when he discusses the dangers of autonomous weapons.

Later in the encyclical, the Pope again speaks inaccurately when he says: “When a culture normalizes and justifies conflict, a dangerous pathway opens up…” Conflict is a reality of human interactions, a consequence of original sin, which no moral system is likely to eliminate. Nations, like individuals, have different wants and needs; sometimes they will be in conflict. The key question, international affairs, is how those conflicts will be resolved, and of course peaceful negotiations are the preferred method.

Continued below.

David1701 said:

That one verse that I quoted shows clearly and unmistakably that Adam was not deceived. He did not believe the lie for which Eve had fallen, and to make that fact certain is one of the main purposes of that verse.

You cannot set the Bible against itself; and you will not get me to believe your deception, so you might as well give up now.

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No sir! What you have done is to single out one verse in the Entire Bible, separate it from the EVERY OTHER WORD inspired by God and given to us "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works", and then twisted it to deny the undeniable Biblical Truth that ALL Sin, Rebellion, disobedience, dishonor, disrespect for God, is founded in the lack of "BELIEF" in God, in God's Power, God's perfect wisdom, God's Sovereignty, God's Truth.

1 Timothy 2 has a message from Paul, but the message isn't to discard, omit and consider unworthy of your honor and respect, EVERY other inspired Word of God that explains for us the foundation of all transgression.

9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

I agree with the Scriptures that the serpent went to the weaker vessel and deceived her, not Adam. Nevertheless Adam believed her, Not God. We know this because God said so. Was Adam deceived into unbelief in God, or did he choose of his own free will not to believe God?

Scriptures say he wasn't deceived. Nevertheless, he chose not to believe God. Then tried to hide himself from God, after He transgressed. How could Adam "believe" he could "hide from God" if he truly believed in God?

Now I know you will not consider any of these things, and that is fine. You are free to chose your own belief. I only said them for those who might be reading along because it seems like a great topic of discussion for those seeking God's Truth. But those who are only seeking justification for their adopted religious philosophy, they will most likely not be interested in an honest unbiased discussion.

I agree you can't pit the Bible against the bible, yet that is what you are doing. I'm not sure even why.

Nevertheless, thank you for the opportunity for the discussion such as it was.

How science leads atheists to faith.

Throughout human history, most people understood that human beings are physical beings, but also spiritual. People have physical bodies, but they are also non-material beings, with things like a soul, consciousness, and a mind. But militant Darwinists and atheists have rejected that understanding of what it means to be human.

Most of them are naturalists who insist that we are physical beings only. They claim there are no supernatural and metaphysical realities. In fields such as neuroscience, many claim there is no such thing as a mind, only a brain. But that is really a philosophical presupposition as opposed to scientific fact.

I have written often on such matters, including this two-part piece: (1)(2)

Making the Scientific Case for the Soul​

Continued below.

But what if the ordinary isn’t meant to be fled from? If it is indeed the case that the Lord speaks to us in a still, small voice, wouldn’t it stand to reason that the ordinary is where we have the greater opportunity to experience the divine?

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In our highly politicized culture, we often use secular terms such as “issues” or “Church policies” to refer to the precepts of Catholic morality. However, policies come and go. God’s law remains forever. The framework and vocabulary of traditional Catholic moral theology reinforce the moral certainties that uphold our human dignity.

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AlonzoJahue said:

Thank you for posting. Isaiah chapter 6 is one of my favorites. I have read it during a bible reading in a nursing home.

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You are welcome. Glory to God!

If the descriptions of God's wrath upon earth in the book of Revelation are to be taken literally, as they should be, ecological disasters do not come close to what's going to happen in the Tribulation. I believe He will upset the 'greenies' big time!

trophy33 said:

It is a symbolic language and it has nothing to do with biology or evolution.

Problem solved.

God is called a lion and not an elephant in the bible exactly because lions are carnivores and dangerous, the top of the chain. Its not a bad or immoral thing or something to be "fixed".

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God is called a rock in Scripture. That is not an assertion that God is classifiable as metamorphic, sedimentary, or igneous. It does not imply that, giveb time, God will be ground down into sand.

God is called a consuming fire in Scripture. That is not an assertion that God is made of oxygen, nitrogen, water vapour, carbon dioxide, hydroxyl, formaldehyde, hydrocarbon radicals, or of carbon monoxide & soot. Nor does it mean that God can be stifled by a fire-blanket, or extinguished by a flood of water. Nor is a statement that God, considered chemically, is gaseous. Nor does it mean that God, if ionised, temporarily becomes plasma.

God is called a lion, but not because God lives in a pride with other lions and lionesses, nor because God lives in the African savannah, nor because God preys on antelopes & zebras, nor because God has a mane, nor because God is biologically feline.

Cornyn references 2 Timothy 4:7 in concession speech

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has defeated U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s primary runoff for the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. In his victory speech, Paxton thanked his grassroots supporters and President Donald Trump, and declared that voters have sent "a Texas-seized message to Washington."

"Every Democrat, and I would say every Republican, knows that if we lose this state, if Republicans lose this state, we lose the country," Paxton said.

As polls officially closed Tuesday evening, Paxton had received over 63.1% of the vote, compared with just over 36.9% for the incumbent Cornyn.

In his concession speech, Cornyn reflected on the words of former President Teddy Roosevelt, shared memories of time spent with fellow Texans, and listed congressional achievements during his time in the Senate. The senator then quipped that "God laughs when we make plans" before referencing 2 Timothy 4:7, saying he will continue his work over the next seven months to help "make this nation a better place for all Texans and all Americans."

Continued below.

The struggles I have would take most of you out probably.

But I can talk to you pretty much normally, when you interrupt me temporarily.

But that in no way means everything is "normal" by any means.

God Bless.

Delvianna said:

I hope she wins the lawsuit.

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Me too.

What a wonderful aspect of our redemption.
Don't worry about being shamed. Believers will not be ashamed at his coming.

1Jn 2:28
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Psa 25:20
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.

Psa 25:20
20 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.
Rom 10:11
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

1Pe 2:6
6 This is why it says in Scripture: "Look! I am laying a chosen, precious cornerstone in Zion. The one who believes in him will never be ashamed."

Chapter 28

****
As soon as the Burton family got in Carl’s sedan (except for Oliver and Elain who each had their own cars), Carl turned to Samuel, Aneurin, and Mary who were all seated in the backseat—Mary in the middle—and said, “What did you learn today in Sunday School?”

“Pastor Jordan taught about the rich young ruler”, Samuel said, his fingers drumming a slow rhythm against the car window. “He walked away sorrowful because he wouldn’t give up his wealth.”

“Ah, the rich young ruler, huh?”

“Yeah. Mommy, Daddy, before service, I’ve overheard Raymie talking with his mom about that lesson and he said he thinks his dad with what he wants comes first and only then if he’s got time for anybody else,” Mary said, her fingers tightening around Rosie’s paw as the car heater hummed to life. “Do you think that’s why Robert stopped coming to church? I mean, for the same reason?”

Carl and Donna exchanged a glance—a silent conversation passing between them in the rearview mirror’s reflection. The car’s heater clicked off abruptly, leaving only the sound of tires rolling over salted pavement. Carl cleared his throat. "Rayford’s always been… particular about his priorities," he said carefully, fingers flexing on the steering wheel.

“Robert was actually eager for church when he was little, just like you were, honey”, Donna said, “However, when he got into high school, he started changing—almost like he was trying to prove something to himself.”

“I’ve heard of kids who grew up in the church drop out in high school and eventually in college”, Samuel said, tapping his phone screen. “I think Robert just got exposed to more worldly ideas at Prospect High. Then at aviation school, no one ever talked about Jesus.”

Aneurin shifted in his seat, pressing his forehead against the cold window glass. “It’s not like he’s evil,” he muttered. “He just doesn’t care anymore.”

Mary’s fingers curled deeper into Rosie’s fur as the car slowed at a red light. Outside, a street preacher waved a tattered Bible, his breath visible in the frigid air. Samuel exhaled sharply, thumb hovering over his phone screen where an article about Greenland’s annexation glowed. “Maybe that’s the scariest part,” he said. “Not hating God—just forgetting He exists.”

As soon as they returned home and went outside, Carl checked his phone for messages and saw one from Dirk: *I’ve sent Buck an email the following: Cameron, you always tell me this message center is confidential, and I hope you’re right. I’m not even going to identify myself, but you know who it is. Let me tell you something major and encourage you to come here as quickly as possible. The big man—your compatriot, the one I call the supreme power broker internationally—met here the other day with the one I call our muckety-muck. You know who I mean. There was a third party at the meeting. All I know is that he’s from Europe, probably Eastern Europe. I don’t know what their plans are for him, but apparently they’re something on a huge scale. “My sources say your man has met with each of his key people and this same European in different locations. He introduced him to people in China, the Vatican, Israel, France, Germany, here, and the States. Something is cooking, and I don’t even want to suggest what it is other than in person. Visit me as soon as you can. In case that’s not possible, let me just encourage this: watch the news for the installation of a new leader in Europe. If you say, as I did, that no elections are scheduled and no changes of power are imminent, you’ll get my drift. Come soon, friend.*

Carl read through Dirk's text again, his thumb pressing into the phone screen hard enough to leave a temporary dent in the glass. He replied with a question: *European—Romanian?* The dots pulsed for what felt like minutes before Dirk’s answer appeared: *Possibly. He’s young. Charismatic.* Carl exhaled through his nose, watching Donna through the kitchen window as she stirred honey into her tea—the steam curling around her fingers like smoke from an offering.

“Dad, what is it?”, Samuel asked, watching Carl’s fingers tighten around his phone. The kitchen window cast a grid of light across the porch steps, dividing Carl’s shadow into fractured squares.

“Your uncle Dirk has a knack for finding trouble,” Carl said, showing Samuel the text—the words glowing stark against the dimming evening light.

“A young charismatic person from Eastern Europe being elected as President of the European Council—but no elections are scheduled?” Samuel murmured, scrolling through recent newsfeeds with deliberate slowness.

“Yeah. Samuel, imagine if someone becomes President of the United States while it’s still the middle of his predecessor’s term—without any election.” Carl tapped his phone against his palm—three slow beats like a muted drumroll.

Samuel’s fingers froze mid-scroll, the screen reflecting in his widened pupils. “That’d mean something broke.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Or someone *made* it break.”

“It could be, but I think this tells me something.”

“What’s that?”

“The Russian airstrike in Israel a year ago, the world currency being reduced to three, geopolitical shifts, and now a young charismatic Eastern European who may soon be elected president of his country- the Rapture may be nearer than we think.”

"Carl, do you think the stage is being set for the prophecy Pastor Billings have been talking about in his sermons?" Donna asked, her teaspoon clinking softly against the china as she stirred her tea—the amber liquid swirling like liquid fire in the low afternoon light.

“I believe so, dear. This Eastern European, whoever he is, I believe he’ll be the one known as the Antichrist”, Carl said, his voice steady despite the way his fingers trembled slightly against the teacup—the faintest ripple disturbing the liquid’s surface like the first tremor before an earthquake. Outside, a gust of wind rattled the kitchen window, scattering raindrops against the glass like thrown pebbles.

“Pastor Jordan had mentioned something about the Antichrist before, but even said he’s referred to as *the Beast*”, Samuel said, swiping to an article about rising nationalist rhetoric in Romania—the photo showed a crowded square, banners snapping like black wings in the wind.
“He said that when John was writing Revelation, chapter 13, he was writing about the Antichrist as God views him—literally a beast.”

Carl received a message from Buck, who informed him that he was coming to Chicago to see Lucinda. Anticipation, Buck Williams had come to realize, was his favorite part of the job. Buck simply liked the planning of his days as much—if not more—than the days themselves. Nothing fulfilled him more than taking a Sunday afternoon, idly watching sports on television and scoping out his next week on his computer, then downloading his schedule to his iPhone. As each task—rated by order of importance—was checked off, he felt better and better about himself. Someone had referred to him as an overachiever, but he didn’t see it that way. He believed the difference between him and a thousand other guys—stalled or stuck in jobs they didn’t like—had less to do with luck than it did with doing a thousand little things right. He knew he lived a charmed life. He traveled extensively; met interesting, important people; drew great assignments; and was paid well. More than well. He lived way beyond a level that would have easily satisfied him. His tastes were simple, yet his apartment in Manhattan was unattainable for anyone below his station. Buck left little to chance. Everything was planned and plotted. And as he made his lists and double-checked them to be sure he had what he needed, he imagined each experience. If it was a tense reunion, as was scheduled with Lucinda Washington in Chicago this week, he knew it was time to take her up on her promise to expose him to her culture in a great restaurant on the South Side of Chicago. And then, thanks to Marge Potter’s finding a direct Pan-Continental flight out of Chicago, it would be on to London to see Dirk. His quirky friend had been the source of some great and some not-so-great leads over the years, but this one was sure worth pursuing. Second to reuniting with Dirk, though, was the prospect of all those hours in first class over the Atlantic.

Carl replied by asking: *Is Connor coming with you? Maybe he can finally meet both Lucinda’s and my kids.* A pause—the dots pulsed—then Buck’s answer appeared: *Not this time. He’s got school, but I’m sure he’ll meet Samuel and Aneurin eventually.* Carl sighed and replied, *Thank you for letting me know. See you in the office sometime tomorrow.*

*****
Robert had been over at the Steele’s house, talking with Rayford, when Irene and Raymie had come home from church all psyched up. Irene, apparently encouraged by Rayford’s table-setting gesture, did not intervene when Raymie started in about how incredible the sermon had been.

“You’ve got to listen to it, Dad. Really. You’d love it”, Raymie said, leaning forward with his elbows on the kitchen table.

“Maybe I will”, Rayford said, though the way his fingers drummed against the coffee mug—too fast, too restless.

“Promise.”

“Okay, I promise.”

“That’s two promises now, Dad.”

“How well I know.”

“You do?”

“Sure.”

“Next Sunday?”

“Yep. Promise.”

Rayford asked Robert to stay for lunch, and Robert accepted the invitation. Raymie spent the rest of the meal, not to mention the Bulls game, regaling Rayford with point after point from Pastor Billings’s sermon. Amazingly, Rayford actually found it interesting and wondered if perhaps he should have gone. But he wasn’t about to admit that. Who knew what a torrent of information that would unleash? Why couldn’t he just have a normal life, a normal family, a normal wife, a normal son? Nobody he knew had a kid this interested in church. Maybe they went, but what happened in church stayed in church. It wasn’t something you discussed ad nauseam at meals and while watching ball games on TV.

“Ray, have you talked with the rest of the flight crew about the upcoming flight to London?”,
Robert asked, pushing his half-eaten sandwich aside.

Rayford showed Robert the text messages between him and Hattie from that morning:
Hattie: *I’m on the London run.*
Rayford: *Great, Hattie. I’m looking forward to that.*
Hattie: *Me too. More than you know. More than I can say. But maybe not more than I can show.*

Robert read through Hattie's message again—his thumb hovering over the screen—before exhaling sharply through his nose. The scent of Irene’s rosemary-roasted potatoes still hung in the air, mingling with the metallic tang of Rayford’s untouched coffee. Across the living room, Raymie was sprawled on the couch, his sneakers leaving faint streaks on the upholstery as he tapped his phone screen with restless energy.

“Rayford, does Hattie always text like that?” Robert asked, turning the phone slightly as if adjusting the angle might make the message less suggestive. The Bulls game droned on in the background—a missed free throw echoing through the room like punctuation to his question.

Rayford explained to Robert that he had expressly forbidden Hattie to call him at home. It wasn’t that Irene was suspicious. It was that Rayford did not need even the possibility of that eventuality in his life just now. The truth was that he had become obsessed with Hattie, which made Irene, for all her efforts to resurrect their marriage, seem old, cold, plain, and shrill. Rayford knew better. Yes, there were times when she reverted to the Irene of old—the one who used anger or sarcasm to try to make a point. But in his heart of hearts he knew that was his fault too. He had drifted to where the only discipline in his life showed behind the controls of the jumbo jets he piloted. He always looked right and was prepared for that work. But his marriage, he knew, was failing. He did what he wanted to when he wanted to, looking out for number one, his own wife and son largely ignored. And his mind, it seemed, was constantly on the young woman he so enjoyed being with in the car, in the air, at more and more private dinners, and on the phone. But only his cell phone. But here was one of the most alluring women he had ever seen, fifteen years younger than he, and she wanted him. He could tell. He didn’t have to be a Rhodes scholar to figure that out.

Rayford and Robert both knew that landline was phasing out, and Rayford explained that he grateful that he and Irene still had one while most of his neighbors had gotten rid of theirs. Hattie didn't have his home number—not that she wouldn't be able to find it if she tried—but Rayford had made it clear that he didn’t want her calling him at home. He justified this by telling himself it was out of respect for Irene, but the truth was more complicated.

“There’s another thing, Robert. Raymie’s playing a tree in his evening program at school, but unfortunately it’s on the same evening we have our London run”, Rayford said, tapping his wedding band against the coffee mug.

“Well, at least I went to Mary’s skating competition yesterday”, Robert said, rubbing his temple where a tension headache pulsed.

Rayford nodded, his fingers tightening around the mug until his knuckles paled—the ceramic groaning under the pressure. Outside, Irene’s wind chimes clattered in a sudden gust, their hollow notes scattering through the room like loose change. Robert watched Raymie’s reflection in the darkened TV screen, the boy’s thumbs flying over his phone keyboard with the fervor of a cryptographer decoding divine secrets.

I have used rosary beads this way as well.