#(THAT'S HOW I FEEL A LOT OF THE TIME WHEN DOING BIBLE STUDY ESPECIALLY AFTER NEGLECTING IT)

[brown-little-robin]

Reading Nehemiah 8 (9-10), shocked and spiritually renewed in the club tonight!!!!

""Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep"—for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. He said further: "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!""

OR "“Go your way... and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”" depending on the translation. OKAY

[semisgroupie]

I SEE A REFLECTION OF MY SINS IN YOU

priest!getou suguru x fem. reader

wc: 2.6k

warnings: HEAVILY sacrilegious, blasphemy, use of a Bible verse during sex, unprotected sex, creampie, piercings (pierced getou makes the brain go brr), light choking, oral sex (m!receiving), spit, mention of having sex in a church

synopsis: who said priests can’t have a little fun? just make sure they repent on sunday

Maybe everyone was right. Maybe priests were one of the biggest hypocrites of them all.

They’re the people that everyone sees as the closest beings to god, the people that could save you from the fiery depths of hell, the people that could save your soul from eternal damnation and the people that are trusted among all. But maybe, just maybe, that’s not the truth. Maybe we should rip them down from that pedestal they’re atop of, maybe we should expose them for their sins and make them worry about the consequences of their actions.

Or maybe, we should let them continue to sin. At the end of the day, they are still going to church on Sunday, they are still repenting for their sins. Continue to let them be sinners especially when you benefit from it the most.

You have never been the sweet church girl your parents tried to raise you to be. Being innocent and complacent never appealed to you but when you were under your parents roof, you followed whatever rule book they laid out for you. There were moments where you disobeyed but only with minor things, sneaking out once they were asleep, coming back home past curfew reeking of alcohol and weed, making out with your boyfriend at the time in the church’s parking lot during Bible study.

Then once you moved out to college you were free to do whatever you wanted, and you did whatever your heart desired. Even to this day you still do as your heart desires. Which has led you to your current relationship, fuck buddy situationship, with the priest at your local church.

Suguru had joined the church almost a year ago due to the former priest falling ill. He immediately caught your attention and you immediately caught his. During his sermons, his eyes would scan the crowd until he could see you. Whenever you would visit him after mass for extra guidance, he was never able to hide the way his hungry eyes roamed your body, drinking in all of your curves like they were the last thing he would see.

After a month of being at the church, he couldn’t take it anymore. His fist was no longer satisfactory, he needed to feel your flesh against his, he needed his cock to delve into the warmth of your mouth and cunt, he needed you to be his salvation. So one Sunday morning, as he was picking up and organizing the Bible’s for morning mass he saw you standing at the entrance. A warm smile hiding devious intent graced his face as it did yours. You begged him for a quick confession, you needed to absolve yourself of the sins that plagued your mind and soul. He obliged, of course, what kind of priest would he be if he didn’t? He listened to your confession with open ears and by the time you were done, his cock ached and throbbed underneath his cassock. He couldn’t let you go away without doing something so he did something completely unorthodox and confessed to you, confessed how you’ve plagued his mind every night while he pumped his cock, how he so desperately wanted to bend you over one of the pews and fuck you senseless until you cried out his name like a prayer.

You took his words as some twisted sign from God. Then after mass you stood behind to fulfill both of your desires. He pulled you into the confessional booth and made you ride him while you recited some of the Bible verses he brought up during mass. The whole experience made you both crave more so you established a plan and schedule for regular hookups.

Today was the day that you two were supposed to meet up. You sat on the queen sized bed of the motel you two frequently went to and awaited his arrival. That’s how it would always go since today he had to conduct Bible study. Some time passed and you finally saw the door knob turn, he opened it and looked at you with a soft smile. “You look as beautiful as always, dear.” Your eyes scanned his body, he was wearing black slacks with a black button up and right at his neck was his clerical collar, you rolled your eyes at the sight of it as he closed the door and moved closer to you.

“If you keep wearing that to our little meetings then word will spread, Father. Imagine how bad it’ll be, the young priest that everyone has grown to love is the biggest sinner of them all.” You both knew nothing would happen. The motel was a few miles away from town and was just used as a rest stop for anyone on a road trip or truckers that needed somewhere to sleep for the night. Even the woman at the front desk didn’t care, as long as money would enter her pocket, she could care less about what happened behind the closed doors of her motel rooms. He chuckled at your words as he moved closer to you and took your chin between his thumb and index finger, “then I’ll just tell them you’re a temptress. You and I both know they’ll believe anything I say, my word is as good as God’s.” You fight the urge to roll your eyes again so instead you drop your head a little to take his thumb into your mouth and swirl your tongue around it before releasing it with a soft pop.

He groaned and felt his cock throb in his pants and leaned down to press his lips against yours in a lust-filled kiss. You lifted your hands to grab at his shirt as his tongue slipped into your mouth, the cool metal that decorated his tongue grazed against yours and made you moan against his lips. When you first found out about his many piercings, you were surprised to say the least. He was able to cover the ear piercings with his hair and somehow hid his tongue piercing from everyone and the piercings that surprised you the most were the four barbells that were tucked away in his pants.

His hands moved underneath your top and pulled it off of you rather roughly. You decided not to wear a bra and he immediately dove down to take your sensitive nipples into his mouth, he groaned as the taste of your skin hit his tongue and looked up at you as you began to thread your fingers through his dark locks. He released the bud from his mouth and dragged his tongue to the other before latching onto it to give it the same treatment. His cock throbbed and ached for release and soon he would grant himself the serenity, he just wanted to hear more beautiful sounds fall from your lips. You moaned his name and after a few moments he released your nipple and stood up.

“You have such a beautiful mouth, makes the most beautiful sounds. Now I want you to put it to work, okay?” He undressed himself, first his shirt, then his pants and briefs until you could finally see his rock hard cock.

It sprung out of its confines and slapped against his toned stomach and the silver piercings caught your eye. You licked your lips at the sight before sticking your tongue out to run it along the underside of his cock, feeling the metal that decorated it. Once you reached the head of his cock you wrapped your lips around it, suckling on it for a few moments before opening your mouth to take more of his cock in your mouth. He groaned and rolled his head back, “God granted me the gift of your sinful mouth and body. Oh how lucky am I.” He placed one hand on top of your head to guide your movements, moving you along his cock and trying to restrain himself from forcing you to take him entirely down your throat. Patience was a virtue he held dear, until he met you. He let you continue to take your time for a few more moments before shoving his cock down your throat, using both of his hands to keep you in place.

“That’s much better, a mouth like yours needs to be purged forcefully. Taking my time won’t do you any justice.” You felt his piercings along your tongue as he started thrusting into your mouth. The tip of his cock nestled in the back of your throat and his balls slapped against your chin with each thrust. You felt the burning ache between your thighs and you had to satiate yourself before you grow mad. So, you snaked one hand down and started to rub your clit, your moans vibrated along his cock and it made him twitch in your mouth. He bit his lip as he pulled out of your mouth completely, only a few strings of saliva connect you to the tip of his cock. He shuddered as the cold air hit his cock, since it was no longer basked in the warmth of your mouth and it craved more, he craved more.

“So, what are your plans now? Want to watch me pant and pleasure myself like a heathen? Or do you finally want to fuck me?” You bit your lip as your hand continued to rub quick circles along the swollen bundle of nerves, a low moan left your lips and his cock twitched again. He leaned down and hooked his hand under your arm, tugging you up from your position and pushing you on the bed so you’re bent over it. His hands moved along your plush thighs and moved up to push your flimsy skirt up, giving him a better view of your soaked panties. “You drive me crazy when you wear these little skirts to mass, always distracting me whenever you cross your legs. I remember the first time you surprised me by not wearing panties underneath, I almost choked on my spit when I saw this needy cunt, glistening under the lord’s light.” He hooked his lithe fingers underneath the waistband of your panties and pulled them down, tossing them to the side since they were no longer needed.

Your need grew with each passing second and you could feel yourself clench around nothing. You let out a low wanton whine, you were waiting for this all week and now that he was finally behind you, you couldn’t wait any longer. “Suguru, please — fuck!” Your whines were quickly replaced with a loud moan, he pushed himself into you so suddenly, your legs shook and your hands flew to the sheets, gripping them tightly in your fists. “No need to whine or complain, I was giving you what you wanted. I need this just as bad as you do, my sweet temptress.” He gripped your hips tight enough to bruise the skin and started to thrust, each drag of his cock along your walls was beyond blissful. His piercings rubbing along your walls made your toes curl. He first started off with slow thrusts despite his abrupt entrance inside you then began to thrust faster and harder.

Low grunts and groans left his lips while whines, mewls and cries left yours. It felt like angels were singing in his ears each time you cried out his name. He moved one hand up from your hips and brought it to your neck. He wrapped his hand around it and brought you up, making his cock hit even deeper. His mouth was pressed right against the shell of your ear, his breath fanning your skin before he started to speak. “You know, this reminds me of one of the verses we went over today in Bible study. Mind if I recite it to you?” You nodded dumbly at his words and he knew you couldn’t comprehend whatever he told you. “It's from the epistle of James, ‘But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.’ We have been tempted by each other and now engage in a constant ritual of sin, if God were to strike us dead right now, I’d die the most blissful death known to man. I think it's pretty ironic, I am a man who has devoted himself to God and I have planned to live a life free of sin, yet here I am, committing some of the worst sins known to man. I should be leading you away from temptation yet here I am, pushing you headfirst into the fiery depths.”

He snaps his hips into yours harder, almost animalistically and drags his tongue along the side of your neck. You bring one of your hands up and wrap it around his wrist, holding onto him as best as you can as he continues to fuck you senseless. Choked out gasps and moans leave you and you grip his wrist tighter and you edge closer and closer to an orgasm. “Gonna cum!” You gasped out and he moved his hand from the front of your throat to the back of your neck to push you down against the bed. Your cheek pressed against the soft fabric as he drills into you mercilessly. “Oh god! Oh fuck!” You babble out and tremble underneath him more, making him chuckle. “You should never use the Lord’s name in vain, especially during a time like this. But, I’ll just make sure you repent later during your confession. I think 10 hail mary’s while I’m edging you will do just fine, I’ll make sure you don’t cum until you say your last one. But for now, cum. Make a mess all over my cock and I’ll give you my own blessing and coat your insides in cum.”

He snaked his other hand down to rub your clit, finally sending you over the edge into your own paradise. A cry of his name paired with thank you’s left your lips as he fucked you through your orgasm. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes and threatened to spill and with a few more heavy thrusts from him, they finally ran. He continued to snap his hips into yours, greedily chasing his own release until he finally came inside of you. His cock twitched as heavy spurts of cum flooded your cunt. If you weren’t on birth control then you were sure that you would’ve been bearing his child. He released his grip on the back of your neck and leaned down to pepper kisses along your spine and shoulder blades as he came down from his high.

Heavy breaths left the both of you and he slowly pulled out to drop on the bed beside you. He opened his arms to let you cuddle close to him and he wrapped his arms around you. You both basked in the comfortable silence before he finally spoke, “I know it’ll sound cheesy but I am thankful that God put us in each other’s paths. You’ve made priesthood much more enjoyable.” You smile at his words and press a few kisses along his chest before lifting yourself up to press your lips against his. “It is cheesy but I am thankful as well. It’s not everyday where you get the chance to fuck the hot priest.” You laughed as he shook his head and pinched your side. You swatted his hand away and rested your chin on his chest, taking a strand of his hair between your fingers to twirl it. He watched you with a smile on his face while his fingers danced along your skin.

You were both convinced that in some twisted way, you were meant to be together like this, you were both meant to indulge in sin and then use prayers to cleanse your souls. It was in your nature to sin and why go against nature and God’s wishes?

taglist: @coffee-on-a-rainyautumn @hellsingalucard18 @suyacho @cherrykamado @satmitsuplanet @benkeibear @watyousayin

[nalyra-dreaming]

Oh I love these:

Jacob Anderson

On Sam Reid's performance as dream Lestat: "I noticed after we did a few scenes together with that dynamic, I would just notice Sam copying me. I would have to be like, 'OK, he's studying the way that I stand or the way that I say things. It's the story. It's what's supposed to be happening.' But occasionally I was like, 'I don't do that!' Now I've seen the season, and I'm like, 'It's genius.' I'm looking forward to seeing what Sam says about playing Louis, essentially. It's Lestat as Louis remembers him, filtered through the things that Louis doesn't want to say, and can't say. And maybe the things that Louis is embarrassed or ashamed about, Lestat just says it."

Sam Reid

On Lestat and Armand's relationship: "They have a very, very, very messy relationship. I think a big part of why Lestat didn't want to go back to France, in Season 1, when they were in New Orleans, is because he doesn't want to run into Armand. He doesn't want to see Armand. He's got a very, very complex relationship with him. It's not like he's like, "Ugh, Armand!" [Disgusted noise] It's like, "Ugh." [Exasperated noise] He's not twisty, turny, thinking about Armand every single day or whatever. He's like, "Ugh, I just would rather… Yeah, I don't want him around." But when he does the flick of his wrist when he thinks about Armand, he's also flicking a huge chunk of his life away."

Delainey Hayles

On Louis and Claudia's relationship: "The book became like my Bible in a way, where I was able to look back and look at how Anne Rice describes Claudia. And I was taking into consideration that it's been her and Louis for a very long time. As a child, you absorb your surroundings. Claudia has spent a lot of time with Louis over the past couple of years. So I think, in a way, his empathy kind of rubs off on her."

Assad Zaman

On the show's memory theme: "I personally think often we equate — if the memory's a little bit inaccurate, then the feeling isn't real. [But] if you think back to our childhood, we elaborate on the stories in our heads so much, and often the tiniest things, moments that meant a lot to us become bigger as we remember them. Time slows down or speeds up, and people become larger or smaller in our heads depending on how they made us feel in that time. I think [there's] a lot of that this season — when we go into Paris, I think that's where the performative nature comes into it. We get to really embrace those emotions. The love between Louis and Armand, the romance, is one of the most beautiful parts of it, the way it starts."

Eric Bogosian

On his experience working on the show: "To be working on such complex material and be asked to do things that I haven't done before, and to be working with such amazing creative team — I mean... I've been around. I'm not speaking from, like, this is my second show or my third show. This is like, my 35th show, or 60th, or something. So when I say that Rolin [Jones] is amazing, Hannah [Moscovitch] is amazing — that's our writing team — and that Jacob and Assad are amazing — these guys are very generous. And I think a lot about [how] when you go into deep work as an actor, you have to feel safe. I have definitely not been safe [in the past], especially with men. Men can be real jerks on set, and the audience can't see it, because we have to do our job. But if you're with a bully star, it's hard to go to where you need to go to. And Jacob, who's mainly who I'm working with, he's a very loving guy. Maybe people don't want to know this about him. Maybe I'm only supposed to say things like, 'In real life he's actually a vampire,' but in real life, he's actually a real, very sweet man. Very human."

Ben Daniels

On Santiago's approach to the theater: "It's like people trolling on Twitter. It's like, they're hidden behind the screen, but his screen is the fact that he's pretending to be a human. And he sort of is getting those mortals by the scruff of the neck and saying, 'Look at yourselves. Look how ridiculous and pathetic you are.' But they lap it up because they think it's a show."

THERE'S MORE!

[dangerously-human]

I'm a little late on posting my celebration this year, though I did celebrate with writing Resurrected Hope. I've been reflecting on this anniversary quite a bit - coinciding with Holy Week had me thinking a lot about hope and resurrection and life conquering death and how our stories are echoes of The Story - and I ended up focusing on a slightly different angle of this part of my own history.

Thirteen years ago, I was the most suicidal I've ever been. I don't tend to talk about that part as much, because there's no nice neat bow to tie on it the way there is with the cutting - there wasn't a habit to quit, and it wasn't the last time, by a long shot. I knew the how and I was pretty much decided on the when. So you've got a pretty good idea of where my head was at, at the time.

I forget, often, that I got baptized around this time, too. I was born into a Christian tradition that believes in infant baptism, so I was sprinkled as a baby, but as a teenager actually studying the Bible for myself, digging into theology more, I decided that didn't sit right with me, and I should take the step of obedience on my own as a reflection of the spiritual rebirth and renewal I'd experienced years prior through the work of the Holy Spirit. My dad recently told me that was a time he heard most directly from God, praying for wisdom after I asked what he thought I should do: God told him to tell me to do it, basically. Increasingly, when I have the opportunity to share my testimony, that's a piece I mention, that even in the midst of the darkest season of my life, God was still working, and I was still growing, even though I didn't feel the faith he'd gifted me with.

But it wasn't just "around the same time." I'd forgotten, but it was two days later. I didn't really know at the time, but I cut myself for the last time, and then I was baptized into the fullness of belonging that comes from walking in the Way. Renewal. Rebirth. None of it the narrative I had planned, but the one my Maker ordained before time began.

That wasn't the end, for better or worse. Getting dunked in some water didn't magically take away the depression I pled with God for years to take from me. I still spent a lot of my teens and early twenties wanting to die. But on the self-injury front, at least, by the grace of God, I never went back, even when the temptation was very, very loud. And I am being constantly remade as a new creation in Christ - my identity in him is irrevocably sealed.

Partly because of what I've been studying in the Bible recently (especially Psalms), and partly because of my special interest in Lockwood & Co, I've been thinking a lot lately about the victory of life over death, and the way breaking the grip of depression is a picture of that. Celebrating Easter last week was a powerful reminder: Jesus submitted to the grave in order to put it under his feet. I remember last spring, just when I'd gotten to the climax of The Empty Grave, I had to put the book down to head out for a Coram Deo prayer and worship night at church; perhaps unsurprisingly, I was struck by the thought that night that my God has stolen me back from death many times over. Once when he pulled me out of the muck of my own sin; again when he said, "Not this time. That's not the way it's going to be" and pulled me back from the grave I was determined to throw myself in. However worthless I considered my own life (the last lie I wrote on my skin), God saw it as precious, worth redeeming, because he made it and claimed it - and this morning, taking Communion, that's what I repeated through tears: "It's yours, it's all yours." That's why I spend this time reflecting and remembering each year, in gratitude for the light that entered the darkness and made me new.

[awen-born]

The Story of How I became a Witch...

I was raised in the bible belt and in a very conservative Christian family. I love my folks but they've got very different beliefs than mine. I officially left at twenty years old, however it was something coming as I'd been heavily deconstructing and found witchcraft secretly. Even worshipping a totally different deity, but letting go of Christianity was hard, as I'd believed it almost my entire life.

Though, I never felt at 'home' spiritually, in Christianity and didn't think anything of that till I left. I don't know how to explain it and this could probably be a post in and of itself. But, the point is, it never felt 'homey'. Now the deeper I got into folk practice, the more at home I felt, even when I was still a practicing Christian. But once I really embraced it... that was so freeing. I feel so completely at home and at peace, it's truly incredible to me.

As a child, I'd always been 'in tune' with things, spiritually. Could sense them, saw them sometimes. It's actually been a common thing with the women in my family. We have bad feelings, predictive dreams and sense spiritual presences. The others aren't witches, they believe it comes from the Christian god, which was what I thought too. Till I began deconstructing at nineteen.

I am also a fantasy writer and world builder, have been since I was twelve. Which led to me researching a lot of folklore, mythology, herbalism and historical folk practices. Fairies, all things folklore, mythology and runes/ancient languages has been a special interest all my life. Especially celtic, norse, anglo-saxon and Slavic as well. I believed in fairies for years, but stopped as I got into my teens. Though it got put into my fantasy writing.

The herbalism is really what kicked this off and I think part of what led me here. I began researching it and quickly found magick. Now, I was a christian at the time and didn't want to practice that. However I found folk practices, wheel of the year things. So I began doing some of those at seventeen. And so I'd say I began practicing witchcraft then but didn't know it. This goes a bit for my childhood as well. I even found my favorite plant ally during the herbalism studies and was strangely drawn to it... which is juniper, I adore it. I'm even wearing some around my neck as I write this.

Around fifteen is when I began questioning Christianity. These thoughts ebbed and flowed but didn't go anywhere till I was nineteen and really found some deep flaws. Ironically I was trying to convert someone at the time, or more so witness to him and answer his questions that led to him deconverting. He's my ex now, but at the time we were close friends and very in love with one another. So... I dated him. For about a year and a half. Now he was not in the least bit spiritual or pagan. Actually he didn't like it whenever I began practicing officially, he didn't force me to stop, although as I learned more and put up more and more wards around me... the more toxic our relationship got, showing all his flaws, leading to a break-up right after I made my first witch bottle... said bottle molded immediately following the breakup. After this I was devastated as it came at a very bad time in my life, with a hell of a lot happening both for me and my best friend. But I did get past it and had already basically become pagan, I just didn't know the word for it. So I leaned on my deities and decided to let go of Christianity for good.

[scarabjewels]

Why The Prince of Egypt Suceeded As A Movie , Not just as an Adaptation of the Biblical Story

I watched this so many times, that it awoken the complicated feelings of empathy, sympathy and conflict in me. I have watched so much reaction videos about this and no disrespect to Christians (I grew up Christian btw) however I think that a lot have missed the point of Ramses as Moses' family and instead took the original Biblical passage to heart so much, that the complicated themes were sort of thrown out the window.

Biblical stories are a little tricky to adapt. People who grew up exposed to the religion know what it was like watching those animated shows and videos of biblical stories and how in your face the religion is. I still remember watching the dubbed version of Super Book (if ya know, ya know). There is a whole subject dedicated to just studying Christianity, carrying bibles and learning and relearning passages, assigned reading at weekly masses, and having quizzes about the homily everyone slept on after the holy communion (it was supposed to be wine, but they probably made is drank grape juice with some water, the "bread" is a little piece of wafer that just disintegrates in your tongue the moment you eat it).

I speak for this very specific audience, I know. To the people who didn't, this is what it was like. But funny enough, not once did they play the Prince of Egypt for us. Actually, I remember some of my peers not liking it, and they were hardcore Christians, by the way, like voluntarily praying in cathedrals. Yet, I have also heard people who aren't even Christian LOVE this film. It's just a beautiful film of so many other aspects.

I found it ironic that the complicated parts of the story was the hardest part to really understand. Yet there I was, 12 years old, one of the ones who weren't so devoted to the religion, binging this movie. I wanted to understand those complicated feelings, especially with Ramses and Moses.

Let me discuss the emotional stakes here and how sad and sympathetic everything was.

First, I am glad that Moses was really portrayed to be part of the royal family. That's what a lot of the adaptations did not take on with creative liberties with, Moses was always portrayed as a snobby prince in the first act. Moses was Ramses' brother and best friend, and you can tell how much they trusted and loved each other. They were really a family. Ramses, despite being older, looked up to Moses, as he was there for him ALWAYS. The love they shared was so great that it made the movie so sad. Their destinies to be enemies were so heartbreaking.

Now Ramses. Hey, I do not condone any of what he had done. However, he was a result of his upbringing. Pressured to be Pharaoh, all his life, his belief that slavery was just hard laborers to a good cause they are building was passed down to him. I can not blame him entirely for growing up to be what he is. The tough love was so tough, there was NO love. That man got daddy issues, he really promised to make an even greater Egypt than what his father built by literally having a larger monument of him than his father's. Its like Homelander and Gus, the need for approval of a father was so rooted in Ramses, it lived on even after his death. Let me also say there was no changing him, even when Moses was still in his life. Moses was also brought up like him. The beliefs passed down were the same, and they were raised in the same environment after all. But like any other two people living in the same system, they were bound to be different, but no one could have prepared their fate to be against each other in the future.

No matter how many scenarios we can make up for both of them to still be brothers and not be enemies, there was really nothing that could change what was going to happen.

It hurt to see how happy Ramses to see his brother, welcoming him with open arms, not as Pharaoh but a brother. Moses, too, I could not imagine having to do that to his adoptive family, his beloved brother, and best friend.

But well, they OUTGREW each other, but damn they really just had to be enemies, huh?

I will say, making them brothers makes sense how Moses got away with the plagues of Egypt. Not just because he WAS royalty of them or just because the Pharaoh was so stubborn, but because even when Ramses is Pharaoh, he loves Moses so much, even with resentment. He could never imagine to eliminate or to imprison him. I appreciate the writers connecting that and it was so much more impactful for the story.

Only when Ramses' son was gone where the hatred overcame him to really attack the Hebrews.

Oh, the taking of the first borns. It was a brutal crime for Ramses's father and predecessor to eliminate the first borns of the Hebrews, but it was just as brutal for God to take the first borns, too. The scene where Ramses lay his son's body to be then mummified and Moses even trying to console him, only to be hissed at (UNDERSTANABLY). He set the slaves free, yes, but this is an important scene that no one really won. Moses broke down, we know he never wanted this, he couldn't get through Ramses but this didn't have to happen. Ramses was stubborn and prideful, yes, but he is still a father. He is overcome with extreme hatred at this point, that Moses is not his brother anymore, but a man who is responsible for his son's death.

Damn, Ramses loved his son the way his father never did. I feel like he raised his son like the way he and Moses had fun. Those small scenes of pure affection and adoration for his son, his son was always involved in the kingdom, always hugged and protected by him and just before the scene where Moses turned the lake into blood, you can see him and his son bonding and just having fun. That essence of fun literally could have only come from his bond with Moses, which DOUBLES the sadness. Man, my overthinking makes this way too harsh on me.

Nonetheless, that "death" scene should never have been glamorized and I am glad that it was portrayed like that. Its not sweet revenge, it was brutal. No one had to die, especially children. No one was really happy in this scene, even with the grant of freedom.

The animation, by they way, I learned that it was a mix of PAINTINGS and 2D animation, damn those animators should be proud of their work. This is such a masterpiece.

There is another animated adaptation after this, by Dreamworks as well. It was Joseph: King of Dreams. The animation is made to TV level but otherwise okay. I do wish they made one of Queen Esther. If you guys don't know or are interested, pick up the bible. I tell you now, as a literature enthusiast, the bible has stories that should be told in the way Dreamworks succeeded in telling the Exodus story. No fanatic air please.

CAN I ALSO JUST SAY HOW HOT EVERYONE IS

I think my type was born here, the men were good looking, Moses got that good beard and Ramses had age with him actually, the jawline and those sculpted cheeks?

But, Ramses' mom though? GODDESS. Zipporah? HER EYES AND SPARK and Miriam, girl, I think my type came from her. Jawline, smile, kindness damn.

[vampyr-game]

by the way i loooove usher talltree 🥰✨

DONTNOD made him the hint-dispenser with a silly off-brand tarot deck and yes i take that personally. i love a good application of tarot and this one is weak. BUT then again, the Rider-Waite tarot deck wasn't released until 1909 so I GUESS it's possible that usher's is from an older, non-standardized deck. tarot used to be done with just playing cards, after all. so perhaps he received his specific deck as a gift, or he acquired it as a novelty during his travels?

occultism grew popular among the bored upper class during the Victorian era; palm readings and seances and tarot readings in the parlor were common, and since the Brotherhood feels so well-established and socially exclusive in this way, it's possible Usher picked tarot up from his peers? maybe people asked HIM often enough that he was like "ok lol if u want ur silly cards so much here they are!"

there's ALSO a possibility it's an expression of his own beliefs. because without going into too much detail, some Sikhs do keep daily practices which resemble bibliomancy (flipping to a random page of a book as a form of divination); imagine a Christian flipping to a random page of the bible in search of daily guidance, or a solution to a problem they're facing. it's kind of like that, but a bit more formalized within the practice of Sikhism. from what I've read, a tarot deck would not be an inappropriate substitute for this practice. it would also be more portable, and more comprehensible to an outsider more familiar with tarot than Sikhism (such as Jonathan, who looks an awful lot like a bored Victorian upperclassman lol).

Usher's character model sports all the visual hallmarks of a practicing Sikh man: his skin tone and features seem to point toward Punjabi descent, and he wears a bracelet on his right hand, a brightly-colored turban on his head, and a dagger on his belt. yet his name is Usher Talltree, when Sikh men who come of age mostly take the surname 'Singh'. so is this only the Anglicized name he offers to Englishmen who he doesn't trust to pronounce his 'real' name? is this his one and only name? or does he simply have several (I personally go by several different names depending on who I'm speaking to, so I don't find this especially unusual)?

and also like, WHAT does this name mean? 'Talltree' feels fairly obvious; does this mean he sees himself as, hah, a pillar of the community? a source of stability and support for scholars of vampirism? and/or vampires themselves? looking at his letters, he DOES seem to view the Brotherhood's primary role and responsibility to be the custodianship of vampires who can't control their bloodlust.

also, The Fall of the House of Usher was published in America in 1839, so I mean. maybe he read that and chose that for his name, because the story touches on the undead? or maybe it is only DONTNOD making the E.A. Poe reference, and his name is not intended to be read as something HE chose. though I think either interpretation is perfectly defensible.

ok this post got long but suffice to say I love usher talltree. I think he and edgar take tea together during the day (and that's how usher heard about jonathan...) and that's SO cute of them... edgar calls himself the black sheep of the brotherhood for wanting to BEFRIEND vampires instead of merely study them... but usher still makes time for him and takes an interest in his research...! perhaps they are transforming the brotherhood together... i love them 🥺💓

[luveline]

do you mind talking more about the character study you did for miguel and presumably the other characters you write for ? i feel like i have that “same-face syndrome” that visual artists struggle with but i guess in this case it’d be like “same personality syndrome” 😭 don’t get me wrong it’s a good personality but i think diversity and understanding characters is really important and it’s clear you’ve got it to a science

I don't mind!! Especially when you're being so nice to me about it I feel very complimented and super happy you think so!

My character studies are genuinely just a list of dos or don'ts like a show bible, and lots of it is going to be based off of personal assumption of how i think a character might act cos when you're working with characters who don't have much screen time u have to guess lots of stuff!!

Like for example a big action might be, let's say you want miguel to tell the reader he has feelings for them. I don't think Miguel would say, "I'm in love with you," (well he might I could see him in a slowburn after some healing) because from his actions and from what we know of his backstory, he's traumatised, he's bad tempered, he's deadpan, and using something that is basically a confession is vulnerable, to admit to a feeling and own it, he wouldn't be able to take it back. But just because he's grumpy doesn't mean he doesn't feel sincerely and doesn't mean he won't be changed by having positive feelings for someone even if he's cagey, so instead I'd make him either show it or have him say something else, like, "I can take care of you." like a factual statement rather than something based in feelings. I think if you really dial in on that for even small details it helps make a more concise character and you get the feel for them.

I hope that helps some!!

[itsmeanyango]

Saturn in Pisces

Saturn in Pisces, what is this transit about?

Those two sound scary because you know Saturn as this big harsh God who does things traditionally and expects you to do the same OR ELSE. You also see Pisces and get scared because Pisces and mental health plus asdictins go together. Just hearing Saturn in Pisces may make you scared.

You've heard that Saturn serves "karma" and "punishes" so you better be careful dealing with Aquarius and Capricorn placements. Did you know, that Saturn also expects you to value yourself OR ELSE?

The Bible states that the Body is the Temple of God. Many other religions and spiritual practices state how sacred the body is. Your body, is also your ancestors Altar.

So it makes sense that Saturn will be ANGRY and put you in line real quick for not respecting yourself.

Saturn in Pisces is simply about discipline when it comes to your well-being.

This transit is from March 7th 2023 to May 24th 2025 where it retrogrades into Aquarius briefly, before coming back on August 31 2025 and staying there until February 13 2026.

Saturn in Pisces in the Houses using whole sign.

1H: Are you overly concerned with people's perception of you to the point your wellbeing is tanking?

Preoccupation with what people think or say about you makes you a prisoner. You are unable to be yourself, always looking over your shoulder and calculating everything you do from what you eat, how you dress, how you talk, who you talk to and what you purchase from where because you are concerned about what people will say. One of you in response to my recent post on what Jupiter in Taurus brings sent me this and I find it helpful to put this here for you Pisces risings:

2H: Is your obsession with money tanking your well-being?

I saw this post by Dr Indy Einstein who I respect very much, this is what this means for you. Stop Penny pinching.

3H: Is your mouth or pen or both bad for your wellbeing?

Not everything is worth saying or writing. Use your inner voice.

4H: Is your family/home (of origin) bad for your well-being?

Are you afraid of being alone hence keeping them around? What's worse, being on your own by choice or being around people and feeling alone? Listen to The story of us by Taylor Swift. Two lyrics for this reading are: Now we are standing alone in a crowded room but we're not speaking. I've never felt silence quite this loud.

5H: Is your obsession with children or your hair bad for your wellbeing?

This sounds like pain. Being unable to get what you love. It's going to be very hard letting go for two years, but there is something you are meant to be blessed with out of letting go.

6H: Is your fixed mindset on how things should be done tanking your well-being?

Review your way of doing things because Pluto in Aquarius will be a very hard time otherwise.

7H: Are your relationships tanking your well-being?

This is not just about Romance, this is about all relationships in your life from family, friendships, community and workplace. This is also about your relationship with yourself. You don't have to keep every relationship, and sometimes the person in the mirror contributes to all the relationship problems they have. Listen to Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson.

8H: Is your sex life tanking your well-being?

Celibacy would do you very very good. Long celibacy, channel your energy elsewhere. Yes it's not easy to be celibate until 2025/2026, but it will help. This group sounds like a lot of pregnancy after celibacy, I hope you use this period of celibacy to be discerning about the relationships in your life because when Pluto goes into retrograde in Aquarius, that will be in your 7H and the message for the 7H applies to you. Choose your childs/children's parent very wisely. It would be best to be celibate until 2026. If you want to go for Valentine's rendezvous, I think that will be fun especially if you've done the work.

9H: Are your educational choices tanking your well-being?

You chose to study an academically challenging course and now it's challenging you academically. What would you like to do with this information? Choose, whether you stay or quit you can still thrive as long as you make modifications for your well-being.

10H: Is your career tanking your well-being?

You're doing whatever it takes in your career to realise your dreams but it's a whole mess for your well-being. Do you know it takes 10 years to treat burnout and burnout is VERY expensive to treat? Also, Pluto in Aquarius in your 9H will change your values, beliefs and understanding of things so don't be stubborn! Change!

11H: Is your network(especially online) tanking your well-being?

Watch do revenge and see how being in certain networks can tank well-being. Watch other movies about sororities and in groups. If you are a projector or have line 3 or 5 in your profile, you have absolutely no business inviting yourself into spaces you have not been invited to. Generally, you do not need to keep up with everything. You do not need to do something because others are doing it. Everyone has their own timeline, don't be pressured and don't pressure yourself.

12H: Are your spiritual and or religious values tanking your well-being?

In my country, there is a massacre called the Shakahola Massacre. A pastor convinced his followers to starve themselves to death and do other things that tanked their well-being. Religious values is not just about Church,Mosque,Temple or shrine. It's also about the people you follow and believe online, those coaches. Are they tanking your well-being?

If yes to any question I've asked, Saturn is going to be on your case and make things very hard for you until you change. If no, Saturn will sprinkle some motivation and encouragement to show you that you're on the right track.

The main message is love yourself ×10.

You can book a reading with me here

[cowboytuba]

🎶✨when u get this, put 5 songs u actually listen to, publish. then, if you're comfortable, send this ask/tag 10 of your followers (positivity is cool) 🎶✨

Got tagged by both the cool artist @mostlikelydead and the cool streamer @leahplease, so instead of just going with just 5, I'll do 5 regular songs and 5 songs from other media that all live in my brain.

5 normal songs (Like the purpose is only be a song)

Had Enough by Breaking Benjamin - Ok I gotta admit that young Tuba liked to listen to edgy music and imagine situations. However, this has sentimental value as Phobia was the first CD I ever had which papa Tuba gave to me way back when.

Wenn sie tanzt by Wise Guys - Way back when, Tuba studied german back in school and on valentines we translated a song from them, "Willst Du Mit Mir Gehen" and I was taken by the energy. Years later, I eventually got the album and this became a favorite. There's also a radio edit with additional instruments but the acapella works better for me. God I should take up my german studies again.

War by OutKast - Another first for young Tuba. Phobia was the first cd given to me, but Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was the first album I purchased myself and an introduction to music as an ability to make a political statement, a new concept to young tuba whose biggest worry was thinking about school and mama Tuba worrying about me running into discrimination in a majority hispanic district. Needless to say, it only grew on me as I became more aware of the world and started venturing out further and student size grew and grew and I became a minority in the student pool.

Seasons by DragonForce - Ok this one is much more simple. I was getting into Rock and loved how the song sounded when I was younger and still love it now. Some sick solos.

The Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band - A toe taper that I can just belt out when driving anywhere to help pass the time and feel real good doing it. Though unfortunately still trapped by the common idea that country is only made by and for right wing leaners and bible thumpers which Charlie Daniels definitely leans. Guitar Hero III cover was cool too.

5 songs made for other media

Madness 4 by Cheshyre for Madness Combat 4- while listening to music I was probably too young to be listening too, I was also on the internet browsing sites like Newgrounds before I should've and happened across the Madness Combat series which was an interesting creative partnership between musician Cheshyre and animator Krinkles where both music and animation are created in tandem and beat for beat. One of the first produced this way after their partnership cemented and the beat lives in me. Still makes really good electronic music too.

Nightmare Fiction II By Daisuke Ishiwatari for Blazblue - While most now associate Daisuke with Guilty Gear since Strive really blew up in common knowledge, he also did a lot of work for Blazblue's soundtrack with themes I may like better than Guilty Gear's. Nightmare Fiction II follows an occurrence in Blazblue where older songs were remade to give a fresh take on years old tracks. Of course the old ones are still available, but for the most part, the II version is better with Nightmare Fiction standing especially. One can feel the hatred and animosity in the track, giving way to a tense, yet still hateful, clarity in the middle of the track. and the Solo.... Man we're never getting another Blazblue.

Living Failures by Nobuyoshi Suzuki for Bloodborne - Where do I begin? The emotions are high for the entire track and leads into one of the best second phase themes in From History. The choir, the French Horns, the immediate plunge into a fucking drive of strings, horns, and choir that only builds and builds ever higher. Legit brings tears to my eyes with how beautiful it is.

Heynong Man by Chris Christodoulou for Deadbolt - A familiar name to Risk of Rain soundtrack lovers as Deadbolt was the devs previous game before RoR. A chunky bass and saw of a lead drives the song forward on and on from one groovy bit to the next. Just nice listening on a walk as it gives a strong beat to walk with and the energy to just take it all in, music and whatever you're walking through.

Altars of Apostasy (incl. "Halls of Sacrilegious Remains") by Heaven Pierce Her for Ultrakill - Hakita, goddamn Hakita. He is a different beast entirely when it comes to game dev, design, and music. Inspired by Black Metal, this track maxes out at 7 fucking guitars playing at once at the densest section. It is a goddamn beast of track well deserving of being with the layer of Heresy. Even the reference to Glory, a different Ultrakill track, is thrown in as it helps give a lighter moment to an otherwise dark as hell track. and after a huge leadup, wind down, and lead up once more is the second section, Halls of Sacrilegious Remains, inspired by a beta tester using Castle Vein for a hype moment. This lead Hakita to holding off reusing Hideous Masses until the end of the level where the rematch with Gabriel is hyped up before a gauntlet is thrown at the player to a black metal rendition of Castle Vein. When I think of the highest hope I could ever have when making music, it's to eventually inspire the same feelings in someone that I feel listening to this track

Let's see, uhhh, @eunique, you got music you wanna gush about?

[etcnnante]

i always found mista's interest about luck being his saving grace and his strange connections with being superstitious to some degree. we know next to nothing of his background- so i like to think about where this trait comes from. i think it might have something to do with his estranged family. i don't think they're dead or gone- i just think they're out of the picture for now- which greatly affects his worldview.

maybe they're not in the picture because of more personal reasons, such as religion. i think a part of his natural gravitation towards luck and believing in strange is because of leftover beliefs and the persistent influence christianity had on him when he was younger. and as time went on, and as he got older he realized what they preached didn't line up with his moral views- and some of it was just genuine bullshit. especially since his parents preached the old testament- which endlessly showcases the wrath of god and how sinful humanity is- and how they need to suffer for their sins. it's was just ... too much for someone like him, for someone who clearly believes in the good and betterment of humanity. it's why he wholeheartedly believes in bruno with no hesitation- another man who understands his worldviews and wanting to better society- even if it is just a small fraction. and- when it comes back to how he was raised, and the never ending sermons, the singing of certain psalm before mass began, having to sift through specific verses and decipher their deeper meaning during bible study. specifically having to get up before school to attend more bible study classes. all while focusing on the old testament- a rather graphic and ruthless depiction of how god was ... i think it all got too much- the religion, the studying, the pressure of it all. then, they wanted him to settle down with a nice christian lady and further his education, maybe get a reliable trade job and stay close to home. maybe even follow in his fathers footsteps and become a deacon for the church- or possibly the bishop if he wanted to aim higher! but ... obviously he didn't want that. truthfully, he doesn't particularly know what he wants to do yet, either. but he certainly didn't want to settle down with some random woman, not when he's ready to see what the rest of the world has to offer him. especially not when he's just found out his newfound talent and power with firearms. religion just ... wasn't for him anymore. that's when his parents kicked him out, realizing he wasn't a follower of god and struggling to now cling onto something after years wasted believing in something he didn't necessarily believe in anymore. you can see it still affects him in ways he doesn't necessarily notice, the more he tries to distance himself from such a influential lifestyle that he lived in for years- the more it lingers in ways not yet realized. obviously he still believes in some sort of higher power that is looking out for him and granting him all this luck- it's just not god anymore. now he's just glad he can do something he enjoys, even if he feels a piece of him in now missing from having to deal with the sudden loss of something that was so influential to him- even if it did harm him in the end. still struggling with the verbal assaults from his parents and the sudden abusive tendencies his father displayed once mista started to feigned interest in the church- skipping study periods and not staying after mass to help clean up. but, he wants to see his parents again- which is the hardest part for him. but to see them would mean dragging up years of turmoil and conflicted feelings he is definitely not ready to face yet. maybe his siblings he'd like to come back into contact with- but as for his parents ... he will have to wait and see. he still wants to have them in his life when he inevitably has a family of his own. but their old way of thinking- it hinders a lot of progress that they otherwise could of gotten over. honestly, he just wants the familial feeling again.

[dangerously-human]

Bible study bestie asked me when I saw her on Friday for her husband's birthday dinner if I was feeling Some Type Of Way about this summer ending my time with the young adults group. And I said no, it feels a little strange but I know I'm ready to join a new group, and she expressed relief and added that some people had been saying things like "are you really going to kick Rachel out just because she's turning 31" and heavily implying that I was unhappy about it. To which I replied, "You are the person I am closest to; if I was upset about something, you'd be the person I'd come to about it anyway, but even more so if I was somehow upset with you for enforcing this rule - I think we're pretty good at addressing things directly." Which, like, I guess maybe, if I were a petty person, I could consider it being on her - before she and her husband took over, the group never really had a stop point, it was just assumed to be thirty-something, and I happen to be the first person officially aging out. But that's a completely reasonable expectation, and she and I have been talking about it all year, planning for the future, and we're going to join the next group together (while she keeps running this one), so it doesn't especially feel like a big deal. I think she feels a tiny bit guilty, because usually when people have moved on, it's because of getting married/having kids, but there are plenty of single women in the women's group, I'm not worried about that.

She was relieved, anyway, and it kicked off a good conversation for us; but I guarantee you the worry attributed to me was coming from the young whippersnapper, who's been kind of freaking out about losing me lately, I think. Well, I know, actually, because part of his confession letter was this whole thing about how he panics a little whenever I talk about moving after I graduate and starts thinking maybe he should just come with me. (Oof.) I know he's operating from a schema of friend abandonment, and I've been trying to reassure him he's solidly stuck with me - while also putting some temporary distance in place to give him space to move past his crush, so on review, maybe it kind of seems like I don't mean it. As always, I'm a little frustrated by the unearned possessiveness while sympathetic to where it's coming from. Oddly, though, BSB seemed to imply this was coming from more than one person, which seems strange to me, because the only other people I'm close with in the group don't really come anymore, so I'd be surprised if they voiced concern about me not being there. Sort of the opposite, even: I've thought for a while that my "graduation" might end up being the final kick for the adventurer to stop coming, not exactly because of me specifically, but it's kind of far since he moved, and we've been the older pair for quite some time now - teased fairly often as "Mom and Dad" - so without me there, he might feel less like he belongs. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Idk, the whole thing is weird - not bad, just strange. It's a transition, and I have to be intentional about making time to see these friends when we won't automatically cross paths every Wednesday, and I should make it clear to them that I do plan to do that so it doesn't look like I've outgrown them. And I don't really love that my only real Bible study options from here are sex-segregated, but that's not really a requirement, it's just that the only other combined ones are during the workday, so mostly for retirees. I do think that's a weird pattern in churches, though. This post is getting so long and I'm not even sure I'll actually post it after all, I'm just having lots of thoughts and August is the time to be thinking about endings and beginnings and the melancholy in between, isn't it?

[molsons112000]

As you see, people with piercings and the more piercings they have and the more tattoos they have. It says more risk to individual health.

"Conclusions: Continuous attention to, and interest in, the increased incidence of tattooing and piercing are necessary, especially in terms of public interventions for health education and health promotion, as these forms of self-adornment are associated with behaviours that pose a risk to health."

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc

Self-esteem, propensity for sensation seeking, and risk ...

by BK Hong · 2017 · Cited by 23 — In this study, respondents with tattoos and/or piercings were more likely to be women who were in their 20s

So the problem is with tattooing. In that and piercing, you're creating more scar tissue. The Bible warns you about desecrating the flesh. Now, this piece below talks about how scared tissue impedes circulatory actions of the body.

After a heart attack, the shock of the event leaves behind a trail of damaged heart muscle, which becomes a scar over time. However, the scar tissue doesn't have the elasticity and flexibility of healthy heart muscle, meaning there can be complications with pumping and transporting blood.Jan 13, 2023

https://www.sydney.edu.au › news

Scientists find way to heal scars left behind by heart attacks

So scar tissue impedes healing of the body and yourself.Imposing lots of added scar tissue upon the body...

ScienceDirect.com

https://www.sciencedirect.com › sca...

Scar Tissue - an overview

Scar tissue can be thought of as a physical structure made of collagen that is wound up tight and coiled in on itself like a rubber band that has been twisted ...

Missing: impede ‎| Show results with: impede

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.nih.gov › news-events

Stopping scar tissue improves healing after heart attack in mice

Jul 21, 2020 — Testing showed that this scar tissue was more flexible than normal, allowing it to expand. This explains why it is worse at helping

Here is more into how scar tissue affects the body.

Marjorie Brook

https://www.marjoriebrook.com › ...

How Scar Tissue Affects the Body

Nov 23, 2020 — Additionally, it does not oxygenate well because the circulation is limited which limits the oxygen through the area. This causes a low (acidic)

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › NB...

Scar Formation: Cellular Mechanisms

by IA Darby · 2020 · Cited by 19 — The inflammatory phase begins with capillary damage, where blood loss results in a clot forming, which

National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc

Angiogenesis and wound repair: when enough is enough - PMC

by LA DiPietro · 2016 · Cited by 562 — Both the selective reduction of inflammation and the selective reduction of angiogenesis have now

This new device reduces damage in blood vessels. Maybe this can help reduce the damage from surgery to the circulatory system. And remember surgery we have to understand the nervous system as well as I cut my finger in half and this is like a surgeon cutting my finger open. When it healed and outer side of my thumb in my right hand I still have no neurological feeling... So think of when you do surgery on the body and you don't re attach the nerves. The nerves naturally may not regenerate Causing loss and feeling in that area. So it isn't as simple as cutting.Open the body and stitching it back up. You must reconnect everything on the way out.And that includes the nerves and circulatory.And now you can do micro surgery and reconnect Circulatory...

Northwestern University

https://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu › ...

New Device Reduces Scarring in Damaged Blood Vessels | News

Nov 20, 2014 — The device contains a form of vitamin A that controls inflammatory responses, preventing scar tissue formation and promoting wound healing.

Missing: capillaries ‎| Show results with: capillaries

Lumen Learning

https://courses.lumenlearning.com › ...

Tissue Injury and Aging | Anatomy and Physiology I

When a large amount of granulation tissue forms and capillaries disappear, a pale scar is often visible in the healed area. A primary union describes the ...

ScienceDirect.com

https://www.sciencedirect.com › sca...

Scar Tissue - an overview

Scar tissue can be thought of as a physical structure made of collagen that is wound up tight and coiled in on itself like a rubber band that has

So now they have to do micro surgery not like they used to cut it open and then stitch it back together that does not work... You need to re attach the nerves. Re attach the fiber correctly re attach the circulatory system.

So this is needed when you take out piercings. They need to re establishealthy tissue. Remove the scar tissue and re attach the circuitry and nervous system.

Microvascular reconstruction surgery is a procedure in which very small blood vessels are rejoined in order to restore blood flow to severed tissue. This advanced type of reconstructive surgery requires the use of a microscope and specialized surgical instruments.

https://www.kansashealthsystem.com › ...

Microvascular Reconstruction Surgery

People back then had no idea how much damage they were doing to the body..... Now you think we would be in an age of enlightenment and we understand not damaging the body.....

So I was looking at these girls with all these piercings and truly feeling sad for them..... They have no idea what they're doing to their body and it's not anything positive....

So we truly need an age of enlightenment where people stop doing these damaging actions.... And I hoe heartily, they believe in sports, but boxing, they have gloves and the gloves are supposed to be designed to wear.You don't break bones.You don't create bone bruises that really?It's a scoring match on points like in the olympics. I love good fights.... And this is where mixed martial arts like you FC.We need to get away from thinking of bleeding and knocking people out to really good fights...

Think of flying all the way the vegas and you get there and you're looking forward to seeing this great boxing match and you get in your seat and then all of a sudden they ring the bell and then the fight starts and then a minute into the fight the person's knocked out..... I remember I forgot who it was who stepped up to the heavy weight.He was a light heavy weight.Stepped up to the heavyweight first round.I'm looking forward to a great fight.And it gets knocked out in the first round. Like a minute into the first round.I'm like what the f***I planned.On watching this great action and now he's knocked out so to me.The knockouts i'm looking for a great competition where it goes all the way.... And then the TV people the big money is on the main event.Just like you FC and all of a sudden, you got like Gracie.He should have never been in the ring with the guy he fought.He was too old and that guy destroyed him and I felt horrible... Here's a guy I liked since I was a child he gets in the ring and he can't compete. And the person beats on him badly.... The fight should have never happened....

Part of fair competition is when another person stands a chance of winning. This is the thing they say any given Sunday in football. There's a long shot, but still there's a long shot, meaning there's still a slim possibility of them winning. But when I see these fights like Mike Tyson fights. I really didn't like them. I like Sugar Ray Leonard VS Thomas herns or sugar. Ray Leonard VS marvelous Marvin Hagler. These fights want the distance... And yes, the one where the Asian guy died against boom.BA Mancini that fight went all the way to the end.It was one of the greatest fights i've ever seen.... This Why I like jimmy connors and john.



Boxing Social

boxing-social.com

The Top 10 First Round Knockouts In Boxing History

Aug 14, 2017 — Mike Tyson KO 1 Marvis Frazier, Civic Centre, Glenn Falls, New York, July 26, 1986 ... Mike Tyson took a lot of fighters out in the opening .

[tinamaetales]

The 39, in retrospect

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah  6:8

The phrase “familiarity breeds contempt” seems truer than I could imagine. I tend to treat familiar things as just common knowledge but I don’t really find any feelings of contempt. But then, as I grew older, I realized that the things I’m familiar with started to irritate me especially when I encounter them all the time. Whenever I browse through social media on national holidays like my country’s Independence Day, I see a lot of posts related to our national heroes and before when I was still a student, I tend to become excited about them because “yey, something informative is on social media!” but now I just roll my eyes and scroll past them. This habit is bad because what if the post contains misinformation and everyone else just does not care enough to correct it? Then it will just create a series of posts about misinformation that the younger generation will stumble upon and since no one dares to correct them then it might pass off as fact. Sometimes, that is how we just roll right? We tend to just read on surface level instead of doing our research about certain things because fast facts and summary are better than reading full information – who has time for reading, anyway? An example of this that I can think of is when history books claimed that Jose Rizal is the author of the poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” and everyone else just accepts it. However, there is no actual documentary evidence that suggests his authorship. But such “fact” became so common in the Filipino society that when one asks about his writings, that poem is a familiar answer. Anyway, misconception or fake news is not the main topic of this blog post but more on how familiarity with certain things tend to make us disinterested in knowing more about them. I, for one, am guilty of this. I prefer reading summaries instead of the whole article. My mindset was, why read the full chapter when not everything will be part of the exam? Only the most common knowledge such as the main/famous characters and the dates of the more significant events are the questions to be included in exams. This kind of mindset was the reason why I never was interested in reading the Bible as a whole. I was content with knowing the familiar stories from the Bible like Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, Moses and the ten commandments, and Daniel in the lion’s, the parables of Jesus, Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection to name a few and have no interest in actually knowing more about God. And such a mindset was one of the reasons why my faith in God was like a rollercoaster ride, filled with ups and downs. For the longest time, my mind only knows God but my heart does not fully know and understand him. 

I have already discussed here in my blog about how I was redeemed by God in late 2023 through the show The Chosen (crazy how God works, right?) and it was that show that ultimately made me come back home and work on having a real relationship with God through His only begotten son Jesus Christ. Early this year, I turned 28 and I made it a mission to get to know God more through reading the Bible. I bought a King James version Bible last December 2023 and I started reading it on the very first day of 2024; I decided to just read it in chronological order so I started with the Book of Genesis. Since I grew up in a dominantly Catholic practicing society and have studied in Catholic schools from kindergarten to high school, I am very much familiar with the stories from the Bible so I had the assumption that reading it would be easy but I was wrong. I was surprised at how difficult it was to fully grasp its message and I often find myself feeling overwhelmed after reading some chapters or verses. I realized now that there are a lot of things that I misunderstood and there are so many stories that are foreign to me and I am just learning now. Few days ago, before I started working on this blog post, I finished reading all 39 books of the Old Testament and right now I am feeling a lot of things. It was overwhelming, especially the contents of the books of Moses and the history books. The poetry books as well as the books of the major and minor prophets are also overwhelming especially on the form it was written. I thought that the Bible was written in a “novel” way but it was actually “poetic” which made it very challenging for me to comprehend. 

Amazement, confusion, assurance, melancholy, frustration, comfort, and pain – these are just some of the things I have experienced while reading the books of the Old Testament. Reading those 39 books was not like a walk in the park experience. I thought that reading the stories would feel as if I am reading a story about a hero; I just assumed that the chosen people of God managed to always do the right things and fulfill the mission given to them with some challenges and struggles on the side. I was expecting that it would be like how movies do it – once the main character conquers the challenges then it is happily ever after but it is not the case here. I tend to forget that these people from the Bible were real people who are just flawed humans like us. They can fall like a tower despite God choosing them. Just because they were chosen does not mean that they will not break again. It was difficult for me to understand it at first so I ended up getting disappointed and frustrated with them. I was frustrated with Aaron for tolerating idolatry, mad at Saul for his disobedience, and was let down by David when he ordered Uriah killed just so he can have his wife, and many others. It was difficult for me to understand because what I was expecting was something simple instead of accepting the fact that humans are complex. Also, who am I to be mad at them when I am a sinner too? It is easy to see the faults of others. Now that I have finished reading all the books and rereading some of the chapters and verses, I have realized that the Bible has the recurring theme of rise and fall of humanity and the abundant mercy, love, and compassion of God despite showing His wrath. In retrospect, I feel like the entire Old testament can be defined through these two verses: Exodus 34:6-7 - And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” and Judges 21:25 - In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

It would be impossible for me to discuss the entirety of the Old Testament but in this blogpost I would just share some of the events and characters that I think about a lot:

The event that confused me: Isaac as an offering to God (Genesis 22:1-18)

“It is too much. God is asking for too much” this is my exact reaction right after reading that chapter from the book of Genesis. It was difficult for me to comprehend why an all-knowing, powerful, and loving God would ask his faithful servant Abraham for a sacrifice as heavy as this one. I reached the point wherein I asked God if it was necessary for Him to test one’s faith in such a heartbreaking way because I have been in situations wherein my faith was really tested to the point that I just concluded that maybe God enjoys punishing humans because the test was just too much. And that is where my failure to understand this chapter comes from. I was looking at this in a limited perspective because I thought God was just doing this to see if I can endure being faithful despite the heartbreaks which, most of the time, ends up with me resenting Him. However, that is not the case as I truly dive deeper. God did not ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac for the purpose of hurting him for his faith but to show us that when we remain faithful and submit complete obedience, God will deliver. The message of this story, in my own understanding, is that true faith requires work (James 2:26). It is not enough that you believe in God and memorize the Bible, you must also put in the work. We must completely surrender our lives to God and leave the life of sin. This is my main takeaway from this story – God is not asking for too much, He just wants us to fully trust Him. Abraham fully trusts God and Isaac trusts God too, so in the end God provided the ram to be sacrificed instead. The ram in place of Isaac is a foreshadowing of God himself sacrificing His own son to save the world (John 3:16).

The event that surprised me: Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32:24-28)

One of the characters from the Bible that early on I was never fond of was Jacob. I disliked him because of all the things he has done such as deceiving his father, stealing from his brother, and he did not even defend his own daughter from a rapist – he is a jerk. I disliked him more because it seems as if he always gets away from his own shits. Then, he finally got “cornered” when he was informed that Esau is going to meet him but he has 400 men with him; no assurance if this meant Jacob will be met with war or with peace. Jacob sent his gifts ahead and was left alone in the camp then the event that followed surprised me. I find the story of Jacob wrestling with God surprising because, well, what on earth was that? I was confused as to why God had a wrestling match with a human. The wrestling match even lasted until dawn. I thought a lot about that scene and I was trying so hard to understand its purpose because you know… God can just simply forgive Jacob and redeem him and give him his new name but a wrestling match really did happen. But upon deeper reflection, I have come up with two realizations:

I am also wrestling with God

There have been a lot of times when I find myself screaming and crying while praying to God because I was begging him to intervene and provide solutions to the problems I am facing. Sometimes those moments would last for weeks; I just kept on begging God to do something because my situation had become hopeless. Those were the moments that really felt as if I was also wrestling with God. And just like Jacob, I really wanted to get an answer from heaven so I stood firm in my prayers. Sometimes, God responds in the way I wanted to but there are also some moments wherein He provided a redirection.

2. We are never too damaged for God to save us

One of the things I have noticed in the world that we live in is that often one’s reputation precedes them; society seems to be unforgiving of people’s past acting as if perfection exists in humans. But thank God, it is not the same with Him. Jacob’s story proves that God is a loving and merciful God who is willing to extend His grace to those who truly repent and I am a testament to this. I am truly grateful that through Jesus, I was redeemed and I am hoping and praying that I would not waste this second chance given to me.

The character that I am familiar with: Moses (Exodus to Deuteronomy)

Moses is probably the most famous prophet from the Old Testament. If I will describe it in kpop terms, he is the face of the group or in NBA terms, he is the main star of the franchise. Moses’ role is one of the most important as he is the one used by God to free the people of Israel and establish the covenant. What makes Moses iconic is how relatable he is. I look at Moses and feel the assurance of God’s love and mercy. For a long time, I have looked at Moses as someone who is so great, someone you can define as a larger-than-life kind of person, in NBA terms the GOAT, but then fail to see that behind the great role is a man who was once lost. He was like that one lost sheep whom God decided to look for despite having 99 good ones. Moses is one of the proofs that God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called. He was wandering around the desert because he killed someone in Egypt and what might seem like already a dead end for him turned out to be just a stepping stone to something greater. He was able to start a new chapter while in the desert, he got married and had kids, but then God called him for a great mission. His entire arc is not just amazing but inspirational; a testament of God’s abundant grace, for sure.

The character that I never knew before: Josiah (2 Kings 22-23)

King Josiah was just one of the many people from the Bible that I am not familiar with. When I reached his part of the story, I was surprised at how young he was when he ascended the throne but his story became one of my favorites. Josiah is proof that you cannot let your past define your future. He proved that a person can break the generational sin by simply becoming a good person. I love how he refused to inherit the sins of his ancestors (his grandfather and father). I love that Josiah did not follow the sinful life led by his family and instead dedicated his life and leadership to God. Josiah is proof that we can do better. Also, Josiah is a great leader for he wanted his people to live life in accordance to the will of God. Josiah showed us that a great leader can make a difference for his people. He did the best he could and his story and his reign were one of the events from the Old Testament that I enjoyed reading. 

There is this famous Filipino saying “Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga” which means that the traits, attitudes, or values of one’s family can be inherited by their children and I have always hated that. It hurts every time people would tell me that I act like this or that because I inherited it from my father because I refuse to be associated with a horrible person. I know that I can do better and Josiah’s story gives me assurance. Just like Josiah, I refuse to inherit the toxicity of my family; where I came from does not define me. I am my own person and I refuse to be associated with those kinds of people; I am not perfect since I have a lot of things to work with in my own life but one thing is for sure, I will do my best not to become the monster I have fought with my entire life. And by God’s grace, I hope I can work on becoming a good person. 

The character that disappointed me: David (2 Samuel 11:1-27, 2 Samuel 12:1-25)

King David was one of my favorite people from the Bible. I love his entire story arc because of how “heroic” it was and I guess his humble beginnings was the first time, if I am not mistaken, the world witnessed an underdog story. I am very fond of underdog stories because their win is an inspiration for “smaller” people like me (just like how I loved the success stories of Miami Heat’s undrafted players). David, I believed, had the “perfect” character arc; he went from being a young shepherd to the King’s musician, to a warrior (after defeating Goliath, single-handedly), then finally becoming the King. His story was like the perfect cinematic experience however, it did not just end with him becoming a King. He ended up committing a sin that God Himself has to call him out through the prophet Nathan. I was disappointed in David because he already had it all yet it still was not good enough for him. I was disappointed with the lengths he went through just so he can get what he wants; he was responsible for Uriah’s death all because he wanted to get Bathsheba (Uriah’s wife) despite already having wives of his own. His action proved that humans, by nature, cannot be content and would always want to have more. However, this story line is more than just a story of how human’s greed can consume them as this also showed us how God’s mercy and grace is abundant. His story further showed us that when a person truly repents, then God can forgive you. This story of his gave us the message that while God is forgiving, He also makes sure that sins are not unpunished (Romans 3:23-24).

The character I end up seeing myself in: Jonah (Jonah 4:1-11)

The belly of a large fish is the first thing that comes to mind whenever I hear the name Jonah. I was familiar with his story but not with the full context of it; I only know that he was swallowed by a fish and then he prayed to God and his prayer was heard so he was vomited out by the fish back to the dry land. I never expected that I would enjoy my time reading his book. Out of the 12 minor prophets’ books, Jonah’s story seems like a “break time” from seriousness because instead of focusing on delivering prophecies, his story focused on his “detours” which eventually led him to obey what God had asked him to do. What makes his story even more enjoyable was that it was created in a satirical way - characters doing exactly the opposite of what was expected of them while God’s own prophet, Jonah, was doing everything you do not expect from a prophet (running away from God and then getting mad at Him). Anyway, after reading the book of Jonah, I had the realization that I am a Jonah too. Jonah’s “tantrums” about not accepting the notion of loving your enemies was exactly what I have been doing. It was difficult for me to comprehend why God welcomes everyone. It was difficult for me to know that even the people who hurt me would also receive the mercy and grace of God. Then I realized that if God’s mercy and grace are not abundant then I would not have been redeemed. Who am I to judge others? I was a sinner too. And if God can redeem me, He has every right to redeem others too. However, it is up to us if we are willing to truly repent and put on the work alongside our faith. In the end, this book teaches us to be compassionate and extend the same grace and mercy that God gives us. God’s love for His people is greater than the mistakes made. If we can truly repent, then we are deserving of God’s mercy. God’s love works wonders. 

The book that broke me: The Book of Job

This book hurt me to the point that I stopped reading the Bible for a while. It’s difficult to praise God while you are in misery. The entire book felt like a reflection of my own suffering so reading it became difficult. It felt as if the more I progressed in the book, the heavier my heart felt. And in the process of reading this book, I started questioning God again.

“Why do you allow suffering?” Those are the words I often ask God because as a fragile human, it is difficult to comprehend why and how a loving and merciful God would allow suffering in this world – especially when you see that most of the people who suffer are not even the bad ones. Every time I see the world’s biggest criminals, the politicians, living good lives and remaining unpunished for their crimes, my heart feels heavy as I realize how much I have suffered and why God allowed it. I started to think that maybe God enjoys seeing people suffer or maybe he plays favorites. I cannot fully understand why there is a need for God to test our faith when he knows that humans are fragile and cannot handle anything too much. Does testing one’s faith really make them strong? Because in my experience, my suffering did not make me strong, it just left me hurt and traumatized (with a few mental illnesses). Amid suffering, it is difficult to understand God’s greater purpose because our focus is on the pain. But that is expected, right? We are only humans. For a long time, after reading the book of Job, I closed my Bible and just gave myself time to reflect. The pain I felt was something I cannot fully describe and I cannot find the strength to go back to God – long story short, I fell again.

The time I spent away from God was quiet yet empty. I stopped praying and calling to God – it was as if I entered a room to get away from the chaos yet an uncomfortable silence enveloped me and I felt weaker than before. It was during this time that I realized that I am barking at the wrong tree. Why am I blaming God for everything when I am also responsible for my situation? And the biggest person to blame here is my human father (Yeah, I really have to emphasize the human part on this one because God the almighty father is not to blame here). But I guess my “sama ng loob” to God comes from knowing that He can save us from this misery yet I felt His silence more than His love. I can see what He can do for others so why can’t He do it for me too? Why is God not intervening and is just allowing us to suffer? It is crazy because I ended up remembering the famous Bible verses, Proverbs 3:5-6 and Matthew 6:31-32, and it finally dawned on me: despite the difficult circumstances, God had always provided for us. We always have food to eat and we still manage to pay our bills – yes, the crazy housing loan instigated by my stupid human father is still a problem but despite that God makes sure that we can still survive. I just must stand firm in my faith in Him. After all, this is the same God who had proven time and time again that He can make miracles happen: if God can part the red sea for Moses and provide manna for the people of Israel in the desert, if He can do all these miracles, then God can also save me and my family from this ruin – I just have to trust His timing. It will always be God’s timing, not mine.

The book that healed me: The Book of Daniel

If the previous book I have discussed hurt me, this book, the book of Daniel, healed me. I have found a different kind of comfort upon reading his book despite being familiar with his story. Daniel in the lion’s den was one of the most popular Bible stories that I have been hearing being repeatedly discussed in school (I studied in catholic schools) but reading his story, in full context, made me appreciate him more. Daniel became my comfort person. I have found a deeper admiration for him; I wish I can even be just half the person that Daniel is. He truly lived up the life of the faithful for he showed us how a real relationship with God should be. I love how Daniel stood firm in his faith and did not compromise just to not offend people. Sometimes, I am guilty of compromising my faith in God just so I can accommodate the earthly things. It made me ask myself this question: Why am I going to follow what the world says is right? I should live life according to God’s will, not to the world’s standards.  After all, earthly standards, created by humans not by God, would lead you to damnation.

Three words to describe Daniel are wise, courageous, and faithful. I would like to associate him with those three words because of the way he handled things. Daniel was a wise person as God gifted him wisdom. Daniel is courageous for he had the courage to stick to his principles; he did not allow himself to be “defiled” or become “unclean.” Even though Daniel knows that by refusing to eat the meal prepared for them by the King he could get in trouble, he stood firm in his principles. And when the decree to prohibit people to pray and worship God was enacted, Daniel still chose to pray. He did not allow his faith to be compromised. Daniel is faithful for he still praises God even though he was thrown in the lion’s den. He put all his trust in God and in return, God saved him.

Another inspiring thing from the book of Daniel is the story of his three friends, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego, or the three Jewish men who were thrown in the fiery furnace. Just like Daniel, these three men were also captives from Jerusalem and were brought to Babylon. These three men were also like Daniel as they are wise, courageous, and faithful. Because they refused to bow down to the King’s image and worship the King, the three men were thrown in the fiery furnace as a punishment. This showed how they also stood firm in their faith in God and refused to compromise their faith. While they were inside the furnace, someone who “looks like a son of God” joined them. It was not clear if the fourth man in the fire was Jesus, an angel or God himself but the fact remains that they were not alone in their “punishment” I look at this as a symbolism or representation of how God is with us even in our lowest lows just like how he told Joshua: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). Having the fourth “man” in the fiery furnace with them is proof of how God is close to the brokenhearted and provides comfort for us. Sometimes, we just focus too much on the pain that we fail to see how God is with us through it all. 

I have found healing in the book of Daniel because it showed that it is possible to become faithful to God despite of all the pain and suffering in this world. The book made me reflect that it is in learning to trust God more that would help me move past my default “panic mode.” Most of the time, my anxiety heightens because I keep on worrying about everything instead of remembering that I have God by my side. Personally, when things in my life get too much, I tend to “malfunction” instead of making my faith in God stronger; I allow the world’s pain to sway me away from God instead of holding stronger to my faith. And this is why Daniel, as well as Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego’s faith is admirable for they showed us how to stand firm and to fully trust God even if in hopeless situations. I fully realized now that when life knocks you down, it means you are in the perfect position to pray. 

Looking back, I cannot believe I was able to finish reading the entire Old Testament. I had my moments of confusion and hurt but there are also moments filled with love and assurance. The 39 books from the Old Testament, although they can be a bit overwhelming to read, are filled with life lessons which can help guide us as we navigate through life with God. We cannot fully understand God’s purpose for our lives if we do not know the history of God’s relationship with humanity. Also, the books of the Old Testament do not just tell the history of God and humanity, it is also filled with wisdom and prophecies which will always be relevant. And the most important thing is that the Old Testament is a way of introducing us to the savior sent by God to save humanity – His only begotten son, Jesus. I am excited as I move forward to the New Testament. I am excited to finally meet Jesus.

X,

TinaMae

[wolint]

FRESH MANNA

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Proverbs 23:18

Happy New Year! Welcome to the new year!

Welcome to 2024. You made it! Glory be to God.

Tick-tock, tick-tock! The clock is ticking! Can you hear it? It feels just like yesterday we were all shouting “Happy New Year” into 2023, where did the time go? Here we are again proclaiming “Happy New Year” 24.

Did you achieve all you set out in 23? Did you make a dent in those goals and plans? Never mind, there’s still time to get them done. Tick-tock!

A lot of people started 2023 with New Year’s resolutions”. The things they intend to either do or don’t. Sadly, not many see this through. Some don’t even last until the end of January. And here we are again for so many to do another cycle of “Resolution”. Did you know that God changed the calendar just before He freed the Hebrews from Egypt? He made that month of deliverance the first month of the year!

It's good that we all should be born again on the first day of January. Starting with a fresh page. Forgetting last year's struggles, desolation, heartaches, fears, pains, disappointment, everything according to Isaiah 43:18, jump-start the year with new hope, new heart, new outlook and new desires.

If you’re to make a New Year’s resolution, let it be one resolution this year: to anchor ourselves to God’s grace. To chase after God, to seek Him and desire Him above all else. Let’s be like Moses who saw and experienced the glory of God.

It’s always good to start the year with plans and preparation but we must remember that as Psalm 37:5 says, only God can make our plans what they ought to be if we commit them to Him.

The Bible encourages us to examine our lives and resolve to change them if necessary (although not just at the beginning of a new year but continuously). Psalm 17:3 say that we should resolve to keep our speech pure saying: “I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed”.

Ephesians 4:22-24 encourages us to put off our old selves. The “old self” that refused to trust and serve Christ earnestly. But we should be renewed or transformed in the mind according to Romans 12:2 as we study and apply God’s Word and begin to think in new and right ways.

The new year should be a new beginning for us in many ways, especially in spiritual things. Time is ticking, there’s no time to waste in pursuing spiritual goals. We should endeavour to enter and remain in the new year with renewed minds.

So many of us walked the proverbial wilderness in the last year, wishing, praying and hoping that God would do something new for us and God promised in Isaiah 43:19 that He is, and will do something new for us, something unprecedented and wonderful, not just for the new year but always.

We make resolutions that are often too unrealistic, however, so many of our resolutions fail. Resolutions are sometimes wishful thinking, with no way to make them happen but when we plan with God as Proverbs 16:9 states, He directs and establishes our plans and paths, with little or no chance of failure. Even if you made resolutions, who holds you accountable for keeping them? No one! All too soon, we find ourselves falling off the bandwagon. But when we make godly plans, the scriptures hold us accountable to obedience.

We must remember that according to Romans 7:18, the real problem with not being able to sustain carnal resolutions is within us—within our hearts and minds. We’d all like to be better people, but no matter how hard we try, we find ourselves tripped up by our moral failures and weaknesses. Even Paul experienced this: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out”.

Deuteronomy 7:13 says obedience to God’s covenant leads to blessings, everything we need, want and desire in the new year is in God. May it be a wonderful one.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the privilege of seeing another year, thank you for the gift of life. I commit my life and everything into your hands so that you may perfect all that concerns me this year in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shalom

WOMEN OF LIGHT INT PRAYER MIN.

[lesfeldickbiblestudy]

  Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 2 * PART 3 * BOOK 82 THE LAST MESSAGE TO DANIEL - 3 Daniel 11:32 - 12:13 Okay, good to have you all back again after another break.  We’ll pick right up where we left off after the last half hour.  For those of you out in television, Iris wants me to let you know that we still have the one and only book we’ve ever published. We advertise them at $11.00. We still haven’t changed, and we’ve sold thousands of them.  A lot of people use them like a tract.  You’d be amazed how many people buy and just hand them out like a tract. They’ve been a good vehicle.  Okay, thanks, Herb. All right, for those of you joining us on television, again, we’re just a simple Bible study. Most of the time we go verse-by-verse. Somebody asked me one time, how can you get by without using notes?  And I said, “All I do is read.  Who needs notes to read?”  So anyway, that’s the basis of our teaching. We just simply take it verse-by-verse, and then look at some cross references, as well.  All right, we’ll pick right up where we left off, Daniel chapter 12 and verse 5.  I’ve been sitting here waiting and debating in my own mind whether I should come back and do a little more in verse 4, but I think I’ll let it go for now. Daniel 12:5-6 “Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.  6. And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” Now, whenever you read things like this, especially in the Old Testament, and I’ve been sharing this with people more and more lately.  We have to understand that when God was dealing with Israel, the supernatural was commonplace.  Always remember that when we read these things. The scoffer says—who would ever dream of anything like that?  No, not today, because we’re not programmed for the supernatural.  We’re not supposed to be.  But Israel was. All you have to do is go to the very beginning of Israel’s existence.  Joseph was already having his dreams that were supernatural in content.  Coming out of Egypt—a total miraculous removal of several million people with their little ones and their livestock, out of an enemy environment, across the horrors of the Sinai Peninsula.  And, yeah, I feel Mount Sinai was over in Arabia.  And then the miracle, I think we mentioned it in our last taping.  There was probably not a greater miracle in all of Scripture, other than the things pertaining to Christ Himself, than the opening of the Red Sea. I mean, what a fabulous miracle that was: how these several million Israelites and all their livestock are standing on the shores of the Red Sea in a dilemma.  What are we going to do?  And what did God say?  Find driftwood?  Build boats?  He said “Stand still.”  And God opened the Red Sea. Now, that had to be over a period of miles for that many Jews to go across on dry land. Yet the timing was so perfect that all the hosts of the Egyptian army coming upon their rear, now—then the timing—that God opened the Red Sea and the Israelites could go through.  And by the time the last Israelite is going out on the east side of the Red Sea, the Egyptians are coming in from the west.  And when the last Egyptian is inside the shores of the Red Sea, here comes the water again.  And God got every one of them. You know, when I was a kid I used to hunt. And you know, my buddy and I, if we saw three or four ducks or something, we liked to get all of them.  Well, God did.  He got every one of them including the king.  What a miracle!  What a miracle! Well, all through Israel’s history, you see, it’s miracle after miracle after miracle—even coming all the way up to the angelic announcement to Mary.  Did Mary pass out with fear when all of a sudden an angel was standing there speaking to her?  Of course not.  That isn’t all that unusual.  And then you come in even to the Book of Acts.

Peter’s in prison.  Well, who comes and opens the door?  An angel.  Well, you see, that’s the supernatural that we’re not accustomed to today. All right, so now the same way here.  When we speak of two personalities standing on the river and speaking on the river, don’t be surprised.  It’s a supernatural thing.  And the same way as soon as the miracle of the Rapture has taken place.  Even the beginning of the Tribulation cannot happen without the supernatural power of God bringing Israel and the Arab world together in a treaty.  It could not happen today.  I don’t care how many great men would try it.  It’ll never happen until it’s time for the anti-Christ to come.  So, always remember this: that in Israel’s dealing with God, the supernatural is commonplace.  All right, look at the verse again. Daniel 12:6 “And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”  Now these are not pleasant wonders.  These are horrible wonders.  It’s the final judgment of God on God-rejecting humanity.  All right, then the other one said: Daniel 12:7 “And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by him that liveth forever that it (this period of time) shall be for  a time (one year), times (plural.  For two years, for a total of three), and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”  Now, I’m going to take a little time here.  Didn’t intend to do this, but let’s go back again to pick up the timing of these seven years.  Maybe we should go back first. Let’s go back a minute to Daniel chapter 9, just in case we’ve got some listeners out there that have just tuned in and they’ve missed these previous programs.  I’m sure there will be some.  And it never hurts to repeat, anyway.  Come back to Daniel chapter 9, where we have the proclamation of a 490-year period of time prophesied on behalf of the Nation of Israel.  Now, that’s down in verse 24. Daniel 9:24a “Seventy weeks (of years or 490 years total) are determined upon thy people (Now see, there’s an instance, again—Israel is still out in unbelief, and God doesn’t call them my people.  But to Daniel He can say thy people.) and upon thy holy city, (Jerusalem) to finish the transgression, (in other words, the work of the Cross) and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,...” Well, you see, there’s our timeline that we put on the board in the first half hour.  Exactly, repeated again—coming out of the Old Testament, in would come Christ’s three years of earthly ministry, His crucifixion—death, burial, and resurrection—His ascension. Then in would come these final seven years—the worst of which will be the last three-and-a-half, triggering the Second Coming.  I should put that up there, I guess, so that people will know what we’re talking about.  This is the Second Coming at the end of those seven years. He’ll come to the Mount of Olives, and that will usher in, of course, the King and His Kingdom. All right, so all the Old Testament speaks of it in that line.  And like we said in that first half hour, there is not one mention of the Church Age.   Okay, go on down to verse 27.  Four hundred and eighty-three years of the 490 will be fulfilled at the time of the Cross.  All right, but we’ve got seven years left.  We’ve only fulfilled 483.  There’s 490 total.  We pick up those last seven in verse 27. Daniel 9:27a “And he (The prince that shall come up in verse 26, which is a reference to the anti-Christ, or the son of perdition, or all the other terms that Scripture puts on him.) he shall confirm (or make) the covenantwith many for one week (seven years): and in the middle of the week…” So, isn’t this Scripture an amazing thing—that from the very time that we see the first mention of the time, the seven years, it’s immediately split in half.

  Right from day one the Scripture divides these seven years into half and half.  All right, so here it is. Daniel 9:27b “…in the middle of the week (at the end of three-and-a-half years) he (this anti-Christ, this son of perdition) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,…” Now, you remember when we were looking at this several programs back, I asked the question—how can you stop something, if it hasn’t started?  So we know from this verse, that Israel will have a Temple rebuilt as a result of the treaty, and they will enjoy Temple worship for three-and-a-half years.  Then at the end of the three-and-a-half years, the anti-Christ will go in, up there, I think, on the Temple Mount.  He will go into that rebuilt Temple and defile it and turn on the Nation of Israel like they’ve never been persecuted before.  It’ll be awesome.  All right, here is the basis of our seven years. Daniel 9:27c “…and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to stop, and for the overspreading of abominations (That is the wickedness that’s going to come on the planet.) he (the anti-Christ) shall make it (the Temple) desolate, (and it’ll remain desolate) even until the consummation,…” Of those seven years. All right, now then, just to pick up again—I think we did this way, way back, but come all the way up to Matthew 24, once again.  We looked at it in the first half hour.  Matthew 24 verse 15 and here the Lord Jesus Himself starts at that mid-point.  So, He, too, is looking at the seven years in two sections: the first half and the second half.  All right, verse 15, we know it’s the middle, because He speaks of what the anti-Christ has just done at the Temple. Matthew 24:15a “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,…” Now, I do that emphatically to impress on everybody that the Lord Jesus Himself puts the stamp of approval on Daniel’s book.  That’s why we can take it as authoritative as anything can be.  All right, now He says, when you see that happen-- Matthew 24:15b “…(whosoever readeth, let him understand:)”  Now then, from verse 16 through verse 20, we have a description of this escaping remnant of Jews out of the area of Jerusalem and Judea to a place of safety. Now, we don’t know where it is.  A lot of prophecy people think it’ll be the city of Petra, over there in Jordan.  And I won’t argue the point.  We’ve been there, and I’ve looked at it in that light.  Yeah, it could be a very good place for them to encamp.  Because not only does it have all the caves and so forth in the limestone mountains, but there’s also a huge, flat desert area where they could encamp. Now you’ve got to remember, supernaturally God is going to protect that remnant of Israel, wherever they are.  Now, lest you think that’s a stretch, go back to Egypt—because a lot of these things in this seven-year period are almost a “de ja vu” of Pharaoh and the plagues of Egypt.  Now, if you remember, at the end of the fourth or fifth plague, God put an invisible fence around Goshen; where Israel, of course, lived, and the plague did not touch them.  Now always remember that.  That’s where it first started.  I think it was the plague of the flies. I’m not sure. But whatever it was, not a bit of that plague entered in to where the Jews were living, and Egypt was decimated by it. Well, He’s going to do the same thing for this last half of the Tribulation.  Wherever Israel is led, God has a place prepared for them, as we’ll see in Revelation.  There’ll be an invisible protective wall around them, and none of the horrors of the Tribulation will touch them.  And that’s going to be a supernatural, supernatural event.  But it’s going to happen.   All right, so now the Lord speaks of these surviving Jews who will flee to the wilderness.  Now, we’ll go on quickly.  We’ve done it many, many times, but verse 17:  Matthew 24:17a “Let him who is on the housetop…” Who I’ve always referred to as probably the

wealthy, retired people living on their penthouses or whatever, and they are warned to not even take time to go and find something that they would like to hang on to of their possessions.  The main thing is to get out of Jerusalem. Matthew 24:18 “Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.”  All right, we always look at this as the working class. Whether it’s professional people, whether it’s physicians, or university people, or whether it’s business people.  These are in the working area.  The income people.  And He says to them, do not go back and get your clothes. Because you want to remember, at the time of Christ and the time that Scripture is written, Israel was an agrarian nation.  Ninety percent of the people made their living herding sheep and farming, and orchards and so forth. Only a small percentage were business people.  So, that’s why the term here is “let him who is in the field.”  It’s an indication of their working class.  All right, so they are instructed not to go back and get extra clothes. Then you jump into another segment.  Now the reason I do this over and over and over, is because so many people think there’s only one remnant of Jews in Scripture, and that’s the 144,000.  No, there are two remnants.  This is the remnant that will become the seed-stock of the Nation of Israel in the Kingdom.  Now, if you’re going to have seed-stock, and I use that word, I think, correctly, you have to have male and female.  They’re going to reproduce.  They’re going to have families. Well, you see, the 144,000 are all young men.  So it just doesn’t make sense that they are the remnant that’s going to re-establish the Nation of Israel.   This is the remnant that will do that.  It’s a cross-section.  You’ve got men and women and children and babies.  See? All right, read on. Matthew 24:19 “And woe unto them that are with child, (See?  Little ones that haven’t even been born yet.) and to them that are nursing…” Mother’s who have already got one or two kids at their side.  So, you’ve got a whole cross-section of a society right here in these few verses. And these are going to be the Jews escaping to that place of safety.  All right, now then, Jesus—we’ve already looked at it—in verse 21 Jesus announces: Matthew 24:21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” It’s going to be awful. Beyond human comprehension. All right, now let’s pick up—since we’re dealing with it—let’s pick up this escaping remnant clear back in Revelation. And we can also depict the language of the three-and-a-half years as Daniel used it, and that’d be Revelation chapter 12, Honey.  Revelation chapter 12 and, for sake of time, drop down to verse 5.  The first three verses just establish that the woman is a symbolic picture of the Nation of Israel. Revelation 12:5a “And she (the woman, Israel) brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron:…” Now, that’s the way Scripture works.  That’s speaking of the Kingdom when He will establish His rule and reign of the nations, which is still future.  Now, it will be a rule of iron because of its absolute authority; but it’s going to be a benevolent rule. In other words, there will be nothing that will hurt.  There will be nothing that will cause sorrow or turmoil. So, even though it’s an absolute rule, it’s a righteous rule, as we see back in Isaiah 11 and other places.  It’ll be a Heaven-on-Earth existence. Now, I can’t repeat it often enough, because, like I say, most of Christendom never hears this.  But in this coming thousand-year Kingdom over which Christ will rule and reign, Israel will be the major Nation.  That goes back to Deuteronomy 2—you will no longer be beneath, you will be above.  You’re not going to be the tail; you’re going to be the head.  You will not borrow, you will loan. Israel is going to all of a sudden make a complete inversion of where they’ve been all through history, and that’ll be because their King is the Messiah.

But all of the other nations of the world will be operative.  All right, now where was I? Revelation chapter 12, the woman here is the Nation of Israel.  But now remember, you haven’t got the whole Nation. You’ve only got a third. Remember in the first half hour this afternoon, we went back to Zechariah chapter 13 and found that one third will escape death.  All right, I think that’s this segment that’s going to flee out to this place of safety.  So, verse 5—I should have finished that verse.  I’m sorry. Revelation 12:5-6a “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: (but a benevolent) and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Speaking of Christ when He came and went back to Glory.) 6. And the woman (this escaping remnant of Israel) the woman fled into the wilderness, (Now, we don’t know which wilderness Scripture is talking about.) where she hath a place prepared of God,…”  Now, take that slowly.  What does that mean?  Wherever God is going to leave them, He’s already got it all ready.  In other words, He’ll probably have places of abode where they dwell out of the heat of the desert sun.  He’s going to have all of the infrastructure that they need for sanitation and all these things.  It’s all going to ready for them. And let God be God.  He doesn’t take ten or twelve months to do something.  He can do it instantly.  But, it’s going to be ready for them when they get there. Revelation 12:6b “…where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her (or supply all her needs) there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.”  Which is how long?  Three-and-a-half years.  Twelve hundred and sixty days and forty-two months, or three-and-a-half years.  All right, let’s drop all the way down to verse 14.  Now, this is the way Scripture works.  And unless you know how to study, you’d never figure this out. Now, we’re dealing with this escaping remnant fleeing out of the area of Jerusalem—men, women, children, nursing mothers, expectant mothers—a whole cross-section.  All right, verse 14: Revelation 12:14 “And to the woman (this escaping remnant) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, (The one that the other verse said was prepared of God.) into her place, where she is nourished (or fed, or provided for in every need) for one year plus two years plus a half year, (for three-and-a-half years) from the face of the serpent.” That is from Satan and the man anti-Christ. All right, now just to show you that what I said a moment ago had more clout to it than you had any idea—that the exodus out of Egypt was almost a forerunner of this for the escaping remnant.  Come back with me to Exodus chapter 19.  Now, I know for some of you, you’ve heard this over and over.  For some of you, maybe you’ve never heard it before. And if you haven’t, you’d like to have it repeated.  So, that’s why we do it.  Exodus 19 and they have just come out of Egypt, and they’re encamped around Mount Sinai, and Moses goes up into the Mount.  Verse 3: Exodus 19:3-4 “And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; 4. Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, (I explained that already a moment ago.) and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” Now stop.  Has anybody ever told you that they sprouted wings and flew from Egypt to Sinai?  No, of course not.  What did they do?  They walked.  The Scripture is evident, how they walked with all their herds and their flocks.  But I have to feel it was some sort of a miraculous, speeding-up somehow or other, as only God can do.  Because they had to stay ahead of Pharaoh and his army, and they’re on horseback. So whatever, it doesn’t mean that they flew, but it was a supernatural working of God that they somehow covered the territory, probably in less time than would be ordinary.  But that’s all that you can put on it.

Now the same thing, then, in Revelation 12:14—the same scenario as they’re fleeing Jerusalem.  They’re either going to be on foot or maybe in vehicles, or whatever, but however they go, God is supernaturally going to enhance their travel.  And let God be God.  Let Him do it any way He wants. All right, now if you’ll come back to Revelation 12 verse 15.  Now again, here you have to kind of interpret a little bit.  And I just use common logic.  We know that the anti-Christ is now ruling from Jerusalem under the power of Satan.  So immediately, when he hears of this group of Jews fleeing to whatever place they’re going, he immediately sends out a command to have some military organization pursue them. Whether it be a battalion or a regiment or a company, I don’t care what. But he’s going to send some military operation to pursue these Jews, just like Pharaoh and his army pursued the Israelites in the Exodus.  All right, now look what happens. Revelation 12:15 “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood (And I maintain it’s a military command.) after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.” Or whatever he’s telling the military to do—to either mow them down, machine guns, or bomb them or whatever—destroy them. But you see, about the time that military contingent catches up with the tail-end of the escaping Jews, God does another miracle.  He opens the earth. Well, you remember, He did it back with Korah in the Old Testament?  All right, so that whole anti-Christ military operation will sink into the opening earth.  All right, now I’m down to seconds.  So, when he hears what happens, verse 16. Revelation 12:16 “And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood (or this military pursuit) which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17. And the dragon was angry with the woman, (That is, with Israel.) and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”