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And not a duck was given that day!

(Via http://whitepeoplemourningromney.tumblr.com)

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Exploring Powerless Manhattan by JC Lemon Photography

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The Past 5 days

The storm, “Sandy” has devastated Manhattan. Over the past five days, Forefront staff and volunteers have been working shifts around the clock delivering, generators, food, lights, gas, and toiletries to hundreds of people in need.

I grabbed Matt Kern to help me make some supply-rounds at the organizations we are assisting last night. Matt, stood up through the sun roof in the car as I drove through the pitch black streets. He took 700 photos. (In the post below are ten of them).

Mega thanks to Orchard affiliates in Boston, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and northern Manhattan for supplying us with supplies to feed, house, and keep people warm. Your generosity is overwhelming.

If you are able to help materially, financially, or physically, please go to forefront church.com/sandy to see a “current needs” list and how you can contribute.

If you are reading this in New York and are in need of assistance, please email relief@forefrontchurch.com

RP 

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Homemade chicken soup and yam chips #healthy dinner (Taken with Instagram at Yang's Kitchen)

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San Francisco, after the earthquake. 9/20/2012. Never forget.

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Fancy dinner at home tonight: orange+beets+Gorgonzola salad, steak. I make fancy food to relieve stress. (Taken with Instagram at Yang's Kitchen)

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Nerds are so cool.

Using Acoustic Levitation to Make Droplets Float in Mid-Air

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Afternoon Snack: Nilah, an 8-week-old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, obviously doesn’t know what to do when life gives her a lemon.  Bonus: The music is perf.  [to]

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If you need a tearjerker this Thursday...

Dear Photograph,

It was only 2 years ago, while gardening with my family and children at the St.Mary Organic Farm, that my son Alex, age 2, ran up to this tree and hugged it. I quickly snapped a photo, thinking to myself,  ”awww… he’s a tree hugger”.  Then, just like that, he leaned in and gave the tree a gentle kiss. Three days later, on September 17th, 2010,  Alex died unexpectedly in his sleep. Now when I look at this photograph, and look into his eyes, I see he is hugging the tree just like he would hug his mother’s or father’s leg whenever he ran to greet us. With his little arms wrapped tightly around the tree, he seemed to be listening in a very comforting and knowing way. This image of Alex is what I referred to immediately after his death and it has given me the solace to know in my heart that he is exactly where he is supposed to be.

Valerie

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So COOL.

STREETPONG Finally an interactive crosswalk game more enjoyable than trying to sneak a stroke on a seeing eye dog

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Hahahaha

Hahaha

Dangerous Garden Patch of the Day: If these toy soldiers’ mission to escape the throes of the backyard doesn’t leave you in giggles, you have no soul.  (Not Safe For Work — language, toy violence.)  [doobybrain]

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Monty Python Style

Early Bird Special: Oh, PSY — so unoriginal.

[knowyourmeme]

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I LOVE salt.

I notice I gravitate toward women who do not find pretty boys attractive.  They like chip teeth and scars and lines they call character.  They find imperfection perfect and “love” little things about you that you actually don’t like or ever thought about.  Like the mole on the back of your right ear.  I find these women attractive because they see the world differently.  Predictable is boring.  They like salt.  They see beauty in things that many don’t.  They would rather discover attraction than let the world tell them what is attractive.  In looking back, every woman I have been in a relationship with has fallen into this category.  They’ve all been women with strong opinions and tastes, extremely intelligent and well read.  And yet, they were striking by commercial standards.  But their looks alone wasn’t why I pursued them.  It was this difference in taste.  I am not saying that women who find Jake Gyllenhaal “hot” have a lower IQ.  But they do have different lenses.  I just notice a pattern with women who prefer Ledger over Gyllenhaal.  They are less obvious, and that to me is sexy.  

- Angry

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Now, I do not ask you not to be carried away by the first rush of the great game of life. That is expecting you to be more than human, But I do ask you, after the first heat of the game, that you draw breath and watch your fellows for a while. Sooner or later, you will see some man to whom the idea of wealth as mere wealth does not appeal, whom the methods of amassing that wealth do not interest, and who will not accept money if you offer it to him at a certain price. At first you will be inclined to laugh at this man and to think that he is not “smart” in his ideas. I suggest that you watch him closely, for he will presently demonstrate to you that money dominates everybody except the man who does not want money. You may meet that man on your farm, in your village, or in your legislature. But be sure that, whenever or wherever you meet him, as soon as it comes to a direct issue between you, his little finger will be thicker than your loins. You will go in fear of him: he will not go in fear of you. You will do what he wants: he will not do what you want. You will find that you have no weapon in your armoury with which you can attack him; no argument with which you can appeal to him. Whatever you gain, he will gain more. I would like you to study that man. I would like you better to be that man, because from the lower point of view it doesn’t pay to be obsessed by the desire of wealth for wealth’s sake. If more wealth be necessary to you, for purposes not your own, use your left hand to acquire it, but keep your right for your proper work in life. If you employ both arms in that game you will be in danger of stooping; in danger, also, of losing your soul.

Rudyard Kipling, Values in Life @ McGill University, Montreal: October 1907

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I am closer than I think. I am closer than I think. I am closer than I think.

So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit” (Galatians 6:9, the Message)

God has put dreams and desires in every person’s heart. We all have goals we want to accomplish and situations we are believing will be turned around. Sometimes it seems to take longer than we thought. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we planned, and it’s easy to lose enthusiasm. Negative thoughts come to us that say, “It’s never going to change.” “You’re never going to get well.” “You’re never going to get out of debt.” If we’re not careful, we’ll get discouraged and end up just settling where we are. Many times, people miss out on God’s best simply because they give up too soon. They don’t realize how close they are to their victory.

Friend, don’t let that be you today! Don’t give up just because things seem hard. You are closer than you think! You’ve invested so much and you never know, just another few more days of believing, another few weeks of doing the right thing, another few months of staying in faith, and you could see that situation turn around. Remember, God is on your side! Keep standing and keep believing because you are closer than you think to fulfilling every desire He’s placed inside of you!

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Serenade me.

Early Bird Special: Meet Myles and Kolton, a couple of kickass kids who improve on Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” with nothing but a guitar and a ukulele.  Don’t even think about comparing them to Justin Bieber.  [vvv]