#18 Simple Prayers to Offer Up for Your Marriage

[reportwire]

18 Simple Prayers to Offer Up for Your Marriage

In five years of marriage, my husband and I, combined, have moved six times, changed careers five times, brushed off Valentine’s Day four times, recovered from three surgeries, adopted two terrible dogs, and created one child (a boy on the way!).  We’ve gone through more than most couples in our short time. Josh lost his grandfather to liver cancer, and I lost one of my dearest college friends to…

[johnkrrasinski]

dwindling, mercurial high

full masterlist

Pairings: Andy Barber x female!reader 

Word count: 2,733

Warning: SMUT!!! infidelity/cheating, age gap, unprotected sex, dirty talk, angst, lots of angst. (MUST BE 18+) 

Summary: based on the song ‘illicit affairs’ by taylor swift. things changed between you and andy, the man you’d been crushing on for the longest time, after you returned home from college. what was born from a single glance & stolen stares turned into a secret addiction, something neither of you could get sober from. 

a/n: the idea piqued my imagination after watching taylor’s folklore long pond studio session and i wondered what it’d be like to be the third person instead of the cheated one, thus this angsty fic was born. reblog & feedback are always appreciated. 

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You closed your eyes as your back hit the wall repeatedly, you held onto him as tight as possible as you moaned in his ear. The bristle of his beard tickled your neck as he nipped your sensitive spot, causing your head to spin. The coil in your abdomen tightened, so did your legs around his waist, and you clenched around him, pushing him to thrust harder into you, chasing your orgasms. Your wailings grew louder and you cried out his name like prayer as his pace become sloppier.

Time became hazy as you plummeted into bliss while he continued to impale you, prolonging your release as well. You wanted the moment to last as long as possible as you presented your body as a vessel for him to obtain pleasure, the kind that he couldn’t get at home from his lovely wife. You didn’t mind that it took him longer to reach his peak, the comforting feeling of him being inside you was like cozying up to your favourite knit sweater and a cup of hot chocolate whilst it was raining outside.

But rains don’t last forever, and the sun was always around the corner, lurking to appear and scorch the planet once more, waking everyone up out of their comfortable place. And that’s what it was like being with Andy.

He groaned as he released deep inside you, resting his face on your shoulder while trying to catch his breath. He kissed you on the lips, claiming your mouth as you ran your fingers through his hair until he needed air. But you didn’t, because he was the air that you needed. Then he set you on your feet gently and he began putting on his clothes. “It’s stopped coming down, I should head back now, Laurie’s going to come home soon and I told her that I’d be working from home today. It’d be suspicious if I left the house without telling her.”

You nodded, “…okay.” But it wasn’t okay, how much longer were you going to have these clandestine meetings? How could you tell him that you wanted him to stay and hold you close just for once?

He slipped his feet into his shoes and untied the lace. You leaned on your hands against your study desk and watched his flushed state longingly as if you were trying to speak with your gaze and you wanted him to get the message because words would hurt both of you. He put on his coat and swung the hood over his head then stood before you, “are you okay, kid?”

No, how could you even ask me that? “Yeah.” He always asked the same question after every time you both made love but never once did you tell him the truth and he believed you. He kissed you on the forehead and there he goes, leaving you with your tears and fury once more without a single weight in his heart.

How did you end up here? It began last summer after you came back home from college. You were going to work in your father’s law firm once you finished law school and obtained your degree. Your father was a lawyer and had a good friendship with the Barbers since you were little. You even watched Jacob being born when Laurie went into labour. Besides living across from each other and worked in the same field, you were like a big sister to Jacob too. He was always a shy, introverted kid who didn’t make friends easily so Andy truly cherished your companion for his son.

You were always happy being a big sister figure to Jacob, you were both the only children so it was easy to bond over that. But what you’d never admit out loud, was also the fact that yous secretly had a crush on Jacob’s dad. What’s not to swoon over? Andy was extremely good looking, a good father and a loving husband. He was a top lawyer, courteous, soft-spoken and always treated you kindly whenever you came over.

It affected your dating life in high school because, despite all the boys asking you out, you never said yes to them. Because there was only one man that you wanted and you couldn’t have him. Even in college, you tried to forget him and seek for someone else, but even college boys couldn’t live up to Andy.

Three years went by and you finally returned home and were ready to start your career as a lawyer. Law and crimes always fascinated you because you believed that justice wasn’t as simple as black or white, or the good guy versus the bad guy so it came naturally for you to follow your father’s footsteps.

Your father invited the Barbers over for dinner to celebrate your homecoming. Laurie asked you about the college life and teased if you might’ve had dated a few boys and you nervously refuted the question by telling her that you were too busy with studying. Andy sat across you and you tried so hard not to make eye contact with him but you couldn’t fight the urge and you swore you saw him glance at you once or twice and he’d quickly look away once you caught him.

One afternoon, a couple of days after the dinner, when your father was at the court, and your mother was at her boutique, you decided to come over to the Barbers’ house. Jacob texted you earlier about his Physics homework and asked for your help on doing it. You were going to start working at the firm on Monday so you had plenty of spare time at home, doing whatever you wished for. You were bored, you had been reading books and watching Netflix all day so you decided to spend time helping Jacob with his homework.

You knocked on the door and texted him, “I’m outside.” You were a little early than the agreed time so Andy opened the door instead of the person you expected.

“Mr. Barber, hi! Is Jacob home yet?” You tried your best to keep your composure.

“No, he said he was staying for Math. He didn’t tell you?”

“Uh, he must’ve forgotten. He asked me earlier to help him with his homework and I thought I could come by early to hang out, but it’s fine, I’ll just come back later. Thanks, Mr. Barber.”

“You could come inside and wait for Jacob here if you want?” He offered.

“Um, are you sure, Mr. Barber? I don’t wanna be a bother.”

“No, please, Laurie hasn’t come home yet, and I’d appreciate the company. And just call me Andy.”

“Okay, yeah, sure. I’ve got no one to talk to at home yet, anyway. Except for my cat who only comes to me when she’s hungry.”

He chuckled at the joke as he closed the door behind you. “You want anything to drink?”

“Coffee would be nice, thank you Mr. Barber.”

He gave you a look at the nickname. “Sorry, I meant, Andy.”

“You’ve really grown since the last time I saw you, ____. You’ve even gotten good-looking.” He nonchalantly said whilst he was making your coffee. “Milk?”

“Huh?” your heart was beating fast at his flattering words. “Do you want some milk in your coffee?”

“Yes, please.” You gulped, mentally screaming at yourself to keep it together. “Are you saying that I was an ugly duckling, Andy?”

He chuckled, “no, what I meant was, your appearance definitely changed and I like it.” He served the coffee on the dining table where he laid a bunch of papers and a laptop and you tried to maintain your distance despite every cell in your body was begging for you to sit closer to him.

You hoped he couldn’t hear the way your breath hitched so you drank your coffee with shaky hands. He asked you about college or shared some advice in becoming a young lawyer. He also caught you up with stories that you missed while you were away. How he found out Jacob was bullied by this kid in his school and how he and Laurie had been arguing a lot lately.

“I’m sorry about that, Andy. But you two will work it out, what marriage doesn’t have its disputes, right? If you both had made it this far, I’m sure you can make it for many more years.”

“Thanks, ____. Be sure to keep that in mind if a guy starts a quarrel with you, okay?” He sipped his own coffee.

“I’ll have to find a guy first, I guess.”

“Are you not seeing anyone?” He gave you a quizzical look.

“No, just haven’t found the time, I guess.”

“Oh, c’mon. You’re an intelligent and attractive young woman. You should go out and explore.”

“And what if I couldn’t find one that I want, Andy?” You stirred your coffee, unable to look him in the eye.

“What do you want, ____?” He inched his face closer to you, making it hard to breathe. His ocean blue eyes bored into yours, with the kind of look that you never saw before. In this proximity, you could see how his pupils had dilated, filling the rim with darkness lust. And you didn’t question his intentions or what he was thinking but at that moment, you had never wanted him more. And you needed him. You needed him to grant your heart’s greatest desire. Him.

“You,” you voice was barely a whisper. “I want… You.”

“Say it, say it louder.”

“I want you, Andy. I’ve wanted you forever.”

Then as if the time had frozen, he slammed his lips onto yours, nearly causing your chair to fall back if only he didn’t catch you. Andy grabbed your face and kissed you with a burning passion. You shut your eyes, reeling from the swirling emotions in your stomach. It wasn’t butterflies but the whole damn zoo. Andy licked your bottom lip and you parted your mouth for him, allowing his tongue to enter and tangle itself with yours.

You whimpered and you felt Andy smirked at the way your body reacted to him. Andy then stood up and lifted you onto the table, and he slightly pulled your hair back, exposing your neck to him. He began trailing kisses there and his right hand roamed around your body until it reached the hem of your off-the-shoulder top and it travelled to your breast and he toyed with it, pinching the nipple and fondle with the globe.

“Andy…” taking your whimpers as a green light, he moved his hand down to the zipper of your jeans, fumbled with the buttons and he pulled them down just enough for his hand to caress your womanhood. Blood rushed to your cheeks when he felt your arousal. He shoved the G-string aside, allowing his fingers to stroke you.

“If I knew how much you wanted me, I would’ve made a move sooner, baby.”

The coalescence of his voice, his plump lips and his hands touching you all over nearly made you forgot where you were until the act was interrupted by Jacob’s voice from the door, “Dad, I’m home!” Andy quickly stopped his assault on you and let you go. You stood on shaky legs as you tried to smooth over your rumpled top and zip up your jeans.

Luckily, when Jacob found you both in the kitchen, he didn’t suspect anything and you followed him to his room, walking away from Andy as if nothing even happened. And that was the beginning of your doomed affair.

His infidelity carried on for months and none of you had found the strength to break it off. You knew it was wrong in so many ways. You always considered The Barbers as your second family despite your latent feelings for Andy. You’d be letting down so many people if they found out about this affair. Each time you both ran off to find escapism in a secluded place, you were consumed by guilt. Every time you told yourself that you can always stop, that he can always stop, you were choked with words. The desire has rooted itself way too deep and none of you could go back now.

It started in your room and once he’d grown weary of the atmosphere, he’d take you to a motel a little outside of town where nobody really knew who you were and it has now taken you to an empty parking lot. Andy laid on the reclined shotgun seat with his clothes off and his pants around his ankles. You leaned your hand on the window as his cock stretched you open from under.

He loved the way your breasts jiggled with each thrust. You had your shirt lifted just enough to display your breasts for him while your shorts and underwear were thrown off to the backseat. His cock was hitting your G-spot repeatedly, creating tantalizing friction. You writhed above him, screaming his name as loud as you possibly could with your mind disarrayed from his thrusts. He had both of his hands gripping your hips solidly, controlling your move as you rode him.

“After all the time I’ve fucked you, you’re still so tight,” He groaned. He moved one of his hands to breast, pinching the nipple and you mewled from the pleasurable sting. He slid his hand up to your throat, cutting off your airway, suffocating you. Your whimpers your muted but it didn’t stop you from moving up and down on him. His other hand slid under your body, he toyed with your wetness and rubbed your clit, causing you to clench around him. “You gonna cum all over my fat cock, baby?”

His filthy words never failed to arouse you. If anyone had told fifteen years old you that the man you had such admired and respect, though from afar, had a foul mouth during sex, you would’ve told them to piss off because they had no idea what the hell were they talking about, but now you had an explicit, front-row seat view of it, you couldn’t look at him any other way.

The way his cock rutted into you and the way his digits worked you over and over again, while his massive hand made you struggle for air, sent your body into overdrive and you cried out his name as if it was your salvation. Your brain was clouded with ecstasy as he continued to ram into you, chasing his own release.

You lost the power to straddle him and collapsed on top of him. Andy’s hands travelled back into your hips, locking you in place as you were pliable with your prolonged orgasm. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum too, baby.”

Then Andy emptied his seed into you, filling you up with his load, and he groaned out loud in your ear. You both tried to abate your breathing while he was still sheathed inside you. The closeness felt intimate and comforting and somehow it felt like you were committing treachery. Your limbs were intertwined and you didn’t wanna untangle yourself from him because you knew if you did, he’d drive you home and take the less travelled by road and that would be it.

There was no post-sex cuddling or aftercare. There was no murmuring soft words under a duvet and exchanging tender kisses while basking in the afterglow with him. Because that’s all this was, an illicit affair. All there was after a steamy rendezvous were quick showers to wash off traces of each other as if you didn’t even exist and a spontaneously fabricated tale so the other person wouldn’t know where the other one had truly been.

You wanted to throw things at him and scream, don’t you fucking call me kid or baby, I’m neither of those things. You wanted to hate him for the godforsaken mess he’d turned you into, but you couldn’t. Because he had shown you colours you couldn’t see with anyone else and you couldn’t erase the secret language he taught you from your mind despite the idiotic fool that he made you.

And no matter how many times you witnessed him kissing his wife like a loving spouse would and how long he made you wait for a call, you knew damn well that you’d do it all over again for him in a heartbeat.

[brooklynislandgirl]

18. Marriage Proposal {Keni}

In Your Head || {Selectively} Accepting

There have only been a handful of moments in the entire course of her life that she would admit to feeling petrified. The moment when her Master chose her amongst all of the other Padawans. The moment when Kenobi had not. The night before her Trials for knighthood, when her entire future was on the line. Hearing Master Yoda summoning all the Temple’s remaining bodies that weren’t Guardians. The heavy weight of her sabre as they travelled to Geonosis to mount a rescue. She should have been thinking of the safety of the Senator. Instead all she could do was to will Anakin to hold fast.

All of them, cut out from memory and strung together with emotions too vast and varied to define in succinct fashion.  Perhaps terror isn’t exactly the right word for it. The gnawing sensation at her insides, organ and bones alike. The tremour in her limbs that have never know such a thing before. That forces her to take a seat and examine herself critically in the polished stone mirror. It guides her hand to take a tindertwig from it’s small box, strike its head until flame comes to life in a hiss of awakening, and then she sets it to the wick of the candle in there. 

She closes her eyes and blows gently across the blue flame until its ember grows dark again, snuffed out. She watches the ghost of it spiral upward into the air before dissipating to nothingness. But the prayers she utters, hold overs from when she was a very small stripling dwelling in this self-same room, is not to beautiful Bellatrig, the pallid purple orb that had always been her favourite of the three that were looked on. The one whose light she sits in, careful not to be touched by any of the others. Lashes brush her cheeks as she closes her eyes, the flame casting green-glowing light against her lids as she pushes everything else out and away. Privately reaching out for the Living Force, desirous to seek out a certain facet of it. Mental fingers pour through her connection with the cosmos, the souls that are and the ones that have passed beyond. Time dilates and contracts in such a way that it is impossible to tell how long she searches through emotions and fleeting wisps of intangible that pours through her fingers like river water. In that indeterminate time she doesn’t find what she is looking for, and maybe it didn’t exist though she doubts that as deeply as any conviction she holds dear. The best she can surmise in her meditation is that perhaps she isn’t sure what to look for exactly. That she simply assumes she would feel a touch of him ~far removed and much more faint~ and she is wrong.

But it isn’t in her nature to give up so easily. She offers the vast and unfathomable depths of the Force those words she could not speak for she has no real language for them. She offers them into the Force because she would not see this thing asked unless she had the courage to seek what should have been easy to find; permission, given down by the only person who really mattered in the end.

Sweet Mother. Borrowed Mother. 

Let him say yes. Let his heart be moved, because he is mine. I will be a good daughter. A good wife. There is no place for me in this galaxy without him in it. If you see fit to-

She shatters out of her reverie at the feel of a hand against her skin, fingers caressing gently the arch of her cheek. Soundless and almost a blur her own hand comes up and wraps digits around the wrist there, enough pressure to have broken normal bone for the offence of interrupting her attempted communion with Shmi.

The slow, murderous roll of her kohl rimmed eyes lands her gaze on her father’s features. His own is soft. It is nostalgic and she knows he is for the moment misremembering her as a small child, one far removed from the dreams of becoming a Jedi. Before she had met Anakin. It is not a comfortable feeling and she shies away from it, gaze falling back to the top of her vanity. Slides past the flickering candle flame and to the small stone pot and the brush that lays beside it, waiting for her to pick up and use. Too sacred in the moment, she doesn’t reach out for it. If she did, he would see her hands shaking. He would sense the nervousness arcing across her nerves.

There should be a river of words overflowing her banks but those do not come either as she settles back into her bones. “This should be one of your happiest of days, blossom.”

“Yes, father.” “And you are not, because....?” She hesitates. To admit fear is not what she was trained to do.  Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to... But she could never hate Anakin. There is nothing he could do to ever make her feel that way. So why does it bother her? Because... the basis of that fear is a sense of profound loss. She could survive many things, but never that. Never losing Anakin. She slicks her lips and continues to look her father’s handsome and youthful face despite the century of age that exists between them. She has no words to verbalise what it is that bothers her. Why she sought answers from the Force instead.

It must be the wisdom of parents then that he dips his head in a nod and brushes a thumb across her cheek, before he turns her away from the mirror. He bows his great height, just a shade taller than Anakin, to kneel before her. He picks up the sable brush and dips it into the small pot, coating the fine bristles in the fine bark powder contained therein. He then lifts it toward her oil anointed brow. Her stomach tightens as she less watches him so much as breaks down the motion to it’s constituent ritual parts.

Moreso, how there’s threadbare patches in the tapestry of it. His mother is beyond mortal reaching, so thoroughly steeped in the Force that she could not sense even the smallest fragment. She is certain that there was a womb in which she was grown but has no mother at all. If she did not share so many common features with Reliru, she might have suspected she had been a nursery seedling. Therefore, she was left alone to paint the cartuche down her brow, except that he is doing it for her.  The gifts were not handed from woman to woman, a contract unspoken for their children. Instead she will have to face him and the potential of his rejection. And while she doesn’t doubt Anakin in any way, it is possible, even a little bit, that all these years she’s misjudged the meaning derived from their closeness. Just the spectre of his Senator... There is no turning back from this moment. He begins to scrawl Anakin’s name upon her brow. His breath warms her face and he is far steadier than she could ever be, every bit the battle hardened general and the erudite Prince he has always been, both greater and less than Keni herself. His voice is a low thunder that resonates in the deepest parts of her, edged by the ferally sharp smile.

“What is meant for you, will reach you even if it is beneath two mountains, galaxies apart.”

The ghost tips of the brush sweep across her skin. Not only his name but imparting with it luck, joy and beauty. They would fade into her skin before they return to the Temple, before anyone could see it, but will stain through her layers all the rest of her days. “And what isn’t meant for you, won’t reach you even if it is between your two lips.” Her father’s words raises a mist of green bright as new leaves throughout her entire body. A hue and meaning that pulls out a darker laugh from somewhere in his depths, amused for having caught his daughter in a moment of panicked shame as she scrambles for the words to deny the accusation. He shakes his head. “My little flower, did you think I did not know? From the moment I saw the way you look at him I have known. That you not only love him with the entirety of your being but too that your life together is not as chaste as you would have anyone believe. Physical expression of that love is to be indulged, not shamed into dust easily blown away by the wind. I would say the same to your young man if I did not think he would disintegrate from mortification. He does have a bit of a delicate constitution, does Knight Skywalker.”

Discomfort doesn’t even begin to describe how she feels about hearing this from her father, but at the same time she is also glad he makes no reference to his own husband in the matter. Some things can never be unheard once spoken. Though strangely enough, it bolsters her own resolve. If someone else can point to an expression, a softly intoned word, or Anakin’s very presence in the Force that isn’t coloured by her own bias, then perhaps this isn’t all folly after all. They fall into silence as he finishes the task and the benediction at hand. When he sets the brush down, he takes her hands and brings her to his feet, inspecting her as critically as he would a soldier, as Anakin has done a hundred times with his Clone Troops. Head tilted and hand framing his chin, eyes narrowed in thought. He reaches out. Lithe fingers adjust a few strands of her hair, recentring a few of the flowers braided into it, these even smaller, more simple than those that occur naturally in the dark locks. She has learned to stop hating them from the moment she realised they intrigued Anakin. Enticed him to touch. After a moment, he nods. “He’s waiting for you in the study. And do not fear. The boy would have to be insane to reject you.”

If he only understood.

Squaring her shoulders, almost wishing that she had her sabre at her side rather than a basket, she half-glides and half-marches from her chamber. Anakin had never really been in his right mind, by the standards of anyone in authority. The Council never fails to point it out. Their clan mates. Friends. Everyone believes so, and so... Anakin believes too. Doesn’t seem to realise they don’t bother her at all. The constant motion, both in his body and in his mind. She doesn’t get bothered by his long meditative forays into the Force because she knows he will always come back to her, and they spend most of their time lost within it anyway. All the things he hates and fears and worries will drive her and others away, every flaw he sees in himself whether real or imagined, they are just little things to her that make him Anakin, and therefore she loves. Would miss if they changed, if he changed for her.

Maybe it is because she’s always accepted these facets. Maybe it’s because they are so foreign, so alien as to be the exact opposite. She does not feel things as deeply, except this. She does not feel the urge to never stop, the desire to fly which she believes he associates with freedom. She is still. Rooted. That rings a smile to her lips because that is the very terrible kind of joke he would make, then point out it’s on account of her being a tree and all. Right before he runs the backs of his fingers down her bare arms. Across the small of her back. Groan and gripe as she might, she does think it funny. She just can’t tell him so.

It’s also in the way he can trip over his own limbs, the way his words are stilted and off-kilter and sometimes blur between his languages. It’s the compassion in him that will bleed him dry the moment he lets down his guard. It is the innocence he still keeps despite the worst things he has seen and experienced. Every ounce of her adores this. Every ounce of her craves to bask in the light of his Presence, and be the sheltering shadow that protects him.

Her hand hesitates on the door. Absurdly paranoid that she should knock instead of just entering the study. Absurdly sure that the pounding chlorophyll in her veins announced her to him ten minutes before she actually arrived, because it is doing that. Thundering like marching Troop movements. Pulsing at the edge of her vision. She takes a deep, centring breath.

As she expected, he’s running his fingers along the books on the shelf. Actual ones, not just copies on flimsi or datapads. The leather and velum having withstood decades, words from actual ink telling stories and legends, histories and battles, nightmares and romance. Her father’s collection is extensive, just one of a thousand luxuries. And a snake of jealousy snaps in the back of her mind. She could keep him in the fashion his Senator could, maybe better. After all, they have what the Naberries do not: aeons of selective breeding. Born to command, to conquest, to privileged, not elected.

“Za’lali.”

He turns. It is perhaps that spark of bitterness that spurs her to action. She sweeps into the room, her thin silks whispering across the plush rug at her bare feet, giving him the comeliest of views: long and toned and dusky limbs. Perfectly shaped if smaller than his by a long-shot. Shadows that are suggestive in just the right places, the gown only covering a small margin of her.

She stops a few meters away from him.

And suddenly the traditional speech, the one she has practised and practised until she could recite it by rote in her sleep....fails her.

She dry swallows, but a little of the lump in her throat refuses to go down. She feels as if she’s immolating from the inside out and is genuinely surprised there is no smoke. “...”  She looks down when a second attempt yields only silence.

She looks up at him again and stricken by the look on his face, she tries a third time.  “...Wh-when I look into your eyes, I can see a reflection of the two of us. Of the life I hope we’ll share together. And when we’re apart, it feels as if every light that has ever glimmered is gone, carried inside of you. Because I love you. And I am in love with you. And there is no one in all of the systems in all of the galaxy that I want to be with, for as long as you’ll have me.”

And once those truths spill forth, the rest comes with greater ease. She crouches down and sets the basket before her. “If you accept this as my truth, I promise you...” She unfurls a blanket, soft and colourful, locally woven by women of her city. “That you will always have warmth from the long cold of night.” A New shirt tailored to him, including the arm that isn’t flesh. Thistle coloured and long enough for him not to exactly need pants. “That you will always be clothed in glory and honour.” And lastly, a strange container, that she opens, and fills the room with a mouth-watering aroma. She produces a fork as well. “And that I will nourish our bond with everything I am and will be. This is what I offer. Would you, Anakin Skywalker, allow me to make a husband of you?” 

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Sun Myung Moon’s “Indemnity theology” is fake

Moon used the concept of indemnity to trap followers in his theological system by making them feel a burden of guilt or shame for their own sins, responsibility for the sins of their ancestors, and for their possible descendants – and for their nations. Indebtedness to Moon for his ‘suffering course of paying indemnity’ was additional.

Moon has judged most nations to have failed to support him, or live up to a responsibility or role that he has assigned to a nation in his cosmic drama (Adam nation, Eve nation and Archangel nation, etc.). According to Moon, Christians and many other groups have failed.

Whoever the member is, they will be responsible for sins and failures. 

The way out from under these burdens only benefited Moon: work hard for his 'providence’ and offer years of dedication; recruit three ‘spiritual children’ as a condition to attend ‘the blessing’ to be freed of original sin; liberate ancestors for money; accept whoever Moon (or Hak Ja Han) matched a member to – in some cases it was to secure a visa. 

If any marriage was difficult, it was because the person was paying indemnity for some past sin or ancestral crime, or some providential debt of a religion or nation (a reason could always be conjured up).

Some Japanese women were matched to non-member Koreans who had paid money to get a wife. (Mr. Kuboki, the president of the UC in Japan, even warned that this might happen before the women left Japan for the matching in Korea. They would be paying indemnity for the sins of Japan in “Apology marriages”.) 

_______________________________________

Indemnity in the FFWPU / UC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church

Christian commentators have criticized the concept of indemnity as being contrary to the Christian doctrine of salvation by faith. Radio and television evangelist Bob Larson said, “Moon's doctrine of sinless perfection by 'indemnity', which can apply even to deceased ancestors, is a denial of the salvation by grace offering through Jesus Christ.” Christian historian Ruth Tucker said: “In simple language indemnity is salvation by works.” Donald Tingle and Richard Fordyce, ministers with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) who debated two Unification Church theologians in 1977, wrote: “In short, indemnity is anything you want to make it, since you establish the conditions. The zeal and enthusiasm of the Unification Church members is not so much based on love for God as it is compulsion to indemnify one's own sins.” The Unification Church has also been criticized for saying that the First World War, the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Cold War served as indemnity conditions to prepare the world for the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Indemnity, in the context of Unification Church beliefs, is a part of the process by which human beings and the world are restored to God's ideal. The concept of indemnity is explained at the start of the second half of the Divine Principle, “Introduction to Restoration”:

“What, then, is the meaning of restoration through indemnity? When someone has lost his original position or state, he must make some condition to be restored to it. The making of such conditions of restitution is called indemnity. For example, to recover lost reputation, position or health, one must make the necessary effort or pay the due price. Suppose two people who once loved each other come to be on bad terms; they must make some condition of reconciliation before the love they previously enjoyed can be revived. In like manner, it is necessary for human beings who have fallen from God's grace into corruption to fulfill some condition before they can be restored to their true standing. We call this process of restoring the original position and state through making conditions restoration through indemnity, and we call the condition made a condition of indemnity. God's work to restore people to their true, unfallen state by having them fulfill indemnity conditions is called the providence of restoration through indemnity.”

The Divine Principle goes on to explain three types of indemnity conditions. Equal conditions of indemnity pay back the full value of what was lost. The biblical verse “life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exod. 21:23-24) is quoted as an example of an equal indemnity condition. Lesser conditions of indemnity provide a benefit greater than the price that is paid. Faith, baptism, and holy communion are mentioned as examples of lesser indemnity conditions. Greater conditions of indemnity come about when a person fails in a lesser condition. In that case a greater price must be paid to make up for the earlier failure. Abraham's attempted sacrifice of his son Isaac (Gen. 22:1-18) and the Israelite's 40 years of wandering in the wilderness under Moses (Num. 14:34) are mentioned as examples of greater indemnity conditions. The Divine Principle then explains that an indemnity condition must reverse the course by which the mistake or loss came about. Jesus' statement that God had forsaken him (Matt. 27:46) and Christianity's history of martyrdom are mentioned as examples of this. The Divine Principle then states that human beings, not God or the angels, are the ones responsible for making indemnity conditions.

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Sun Myung Moon The Importance of Prayer April 15, 1979, Belvedere, NY (Unofficial Translation)

“In our Unification Church faith the most beautiful word is ‘indemnity’; through indemnity we can pay the debt of sin. You say to God, “God, there is no one else who could stand such a burden of indemnity. This price of death, I am willing to accept it, since You have chosen me. I can accept it with gratitude to You.” 

When you compare the time you spend without the person you loved with the millions of years your generations will live, your payment of indemnity is small in comparison to the blessing God will give you and your descendants. If you are truly grateful from the depth of your heart—expressing, “God, I will accept and digest this challenge, so I will be ready for the next”—then, God will feel that He has really found an extraordinary child. He will say, “How wonderful my child is!” and His blessing will automatically be yours. Your attitude will decide the amount of blessing.

If an extraordinary grief or tragedy hits you, are you ready to thank God and ask what is next? It is natural that you say you are grateful when good things happen to you and then curse God when unpleasant things happen. With knowledge of indemnity there should be nothing you cannot bear. ...”

_______________________________________

Linda Feher: "When I was a Moonie I didn’t feel free, I felt burdened beyond endurance by indemnity. Indemnity is anti-God because it is anti unconditional love. Indemnity says 'you' must pay for salvation, yours and everyone else’s, including dead people’s salvation. Indemnity totally and completely ignores God’s unconditional love and mercy which is given freely from profound unconditional parental love."  LINK

_____________________________________________

Sun Myung Moon invented a Theology of Restitution and a Theology of Dispossession – Part 1

Sun Myung Moon’s theology used to control members

Total Living Offering, 2003: Agree to sign over your house, land, etc.

Japanese woman recruited and sold by FFWPU to a Korean farmer

[pamphletstoinspire]

Understanding The Bible - A Practical Guide To Each Book In The Bible - Part 13

Written by: PETER KREEFT

THIRTEEN

________

Job Confronts Life’s Darkest Problem and Encounters God Himself

It is universally recognized that Job is one of the greatest books ever written, an all-time classic. It is terrifying, beautiful, haunting, mysterious, tender, yet powerful as a sledgehammer—if only we read it with empathy and openness and not try to “figure it out” as if it were a detective story.

Though bottomlessly mysterious, its main point, or lesson, is very obvious. It lies right on the surface, in the words of God to Job at the end. Only a philosopher (like Rabbi Kushner, in his bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People) can miss the message. If the problem of Job is the problem of evil, then the answer is that we do not know the answer. We identify with Job in his ignorance, not in his knowledge.

The problem of evil, of suffering, of injustice in a world ruled by an all-powerful and all-just God, is life’s darkest problem. Job offers us no clear solution, no philosophical formula, no bright little concept, but an infinite mystery. God Himself, rather than any idea God teaches, is Job’s answer. He is the God Rabbi Abraham Heschel describes as “not an uncle, but an earthquake”.

Much of the dramatic interest in Job comes from the ironic contrast between Job’s point of view and God’s. The reader is allowed to share God’s point of view too because of the preface (chap. 1), but Job is not. Thus there is a constant irony, a contrast between what seems to Job and what really is. God seems to be on trial; Job is really on trial. Job seems to be questioning God; God is really questioning Job.

Five Levels of Understanding Job

Job is a many-layered book. Peel away surface layers and you find more underneath. Five of these layers are the following:

First, there is the problem of evil. How can a good God let bad things happen to good people? The solution of Job’s three friends is simple: Job is not “good people”. Faced with the apparent alternative between doubting God’s goodness or Job’s, they doubt Job’s. It is a reasonable conclusion, but wrong, as we know from God’s own words describing Job as “a sound and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil”.

Second, there is the problem of the conflict between faith and experience. Job’s faith tells him to expect just rewards; Job’s experience shows him undeserved suffering. One of God’s most important attributes in the Old Testament is His fidelity (emeth, “truth”), His trustability; and Job’s experience seems to prove God untrustworthy. In fact, Job is on trial, not God, and he is proved trustworthy. God plays brinkmanship with him, but Job passes the test. As Saint Paul says of God centuries later, He does not let us be tested beyond what we are able to endure (1 Cor 10:13).

Third, there is the problem of the meaning and purpose of life, expressed in Job’s question to God, “Why didst thou bring me forth from the womb?” (10:18). The question turns a different color when asked from agony. It is here not the philosopher’s detached speculation but the sufferer’s cry, “Why do you let this happen to me?” Job is like a small child’s tear-stained face looking up at Daddy who has apparently let his child down.

Fourth, there is the problem of identity. When Job’s three friends come to comfort him, they cannot recognize him at first (2:12), so disfigured he looks, sitting on his dung heap covered with sores. This is the Job who formerly sat in the city gates solving everyone’s problems and shining forth as an example of justly rewarded righteousness. Has Job lost his identity? Just the opposite: his suffering brings him his deepest identity, as the sculptor’s chisel strokes bring identity to a great statue.

Fifth, and deepest of all, there is the problem of God. Neither Job nor anyone in the Bible ever denies God’s existence (except “the fool” in Ps 53:1). But God’s purposes and God’s character and God’s reliability are the mystery revealed throughout the Bible and throughout Job. The question is not what God is in Himself (the theologian’s question) but who God is to me, to Job. This is the key to open the doors to solve the other problems as well, for it is God who gives Job his identity, his purpose, and his solutions.

Job’s three friends are not fools. Readers often omit reading their speeches and concentrate only on Job, but this is a mistake. Their arguments are very strong. (1) Their faith premise states that God is all-good and all-powerful and rules His world with perfect justice. (2) Their ethical premise adds that justice means rewarding the good and punishing the evil. (3) Their common-sense premise further reasons that rewards are in the form of happiness and punishments in the form of misery, not vice versa. (4) Their experiential premise is that Job is very miserable. (5) Their logical conclusion is that Job is very wicked. They do not argue in exactly that logical form, but with much more poetry and power, but that is the gist of their argument. Job cannot answer it.

Seeing God

The answer the book suggests is, first, that God’s goodness and justice are far more mysterious than we think. Second, our blessedness is also far more mysterious. Long-range blessedness is purchased with short-range miseries. Suffering makes for wisdom, which is the heart of blessedness. That part of the solution is well known to all the sages.

What Job adds to the sages is that the essence of this long-range happiness is the vision of God Himself, whom Job asked to meet face-to-face even if he must die (13:15). We must appreciate the Jews’ deep fear of God and conviction that no one could see God’s face and live, if we are to appreciate the drama of the ending of Job, where God shows Job His face and Job not only survives but is satisfied. “I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee” (42:5).

This ending answers another problem in Job: Why is Job satisfied even though God does not answer a single one of Job’s agonized and very good questions? Job is not a meek, humble, easily satisfied man. He’s from Missouri. Fr. George Rutler is right: we must not speak of the “patience of Job”, but of the impatience of Job.

Job is satisfied by the only possible answer that would satisfy such a man. If God had offered words, Job would surely have questioned those words again, and the verbal battle would have gone on eternally, as it does among philosophers. Instead of answers, Job got the Answerer. Instead of words, Job got the Word. Job got what Saint Thomas Aquinas asked for shortly before his death, when the Lord, speaking from the crucifix, said to him, “You have written well of me, Thomas; what will you have as a reward?” Thomas gave the world’s best possible answer: “Only yourself, Lord.”

God the Questioner

Another problem is that of timing. Why does God hang Job out to dry for thirty-seven chapters? Why does Job have to go through his long and agonizing dark night of the soul? “Seek and you shall find”—but Job seeks and fails to find for a long time. Why?

Because God is the Finder, not the found; the Subject, not the object; the Questioner, not the answer man; the Initiator, not the responder. A God who would have showed up in response to Job’s questions would not have been the true God, but a divine computer programmed to supply the answers if only we press the right buttons. When God does show up, the first thing He says is, “Now it is my turn to ask, and yours to answer.” Just as Jesus hardly ever answers a question directly, but answers the questioner instead of the question, thus reversing the relationship and making the questioner the one who is challenged, so God reverses the roles in Job. Job learns that he is not asking God, “What is your meaning?” but God is asking Job “What is your meaning?” in and through the events of his life. It is true for all of us. Whenever we are led to ask, “What is the meaning of my life?” we are being asked exactly that question by God. We answer it not merely by words or thoughts only, but by deeds, choices, responses to life’s challenges and sufferings.

Thus another problem is solved: for whom does God let Job suffer so? It certainly is not for the sake of the accuser, Satan, who is a mere instrument in God’s hands, like a dentist’s drill. Nor is it for God’s sake, as if God were ignorant of the future and had to set up an experiment to find out whether Job would pass His test of fidelity.

So it must be for Job’s sake.

It must be out of God’s love for Job. This would sound totally absurd to Job on the dung heap, of course, but it is perfectly understood by Job when he sees God face-to-face. God carved out a great hollow place for Himself in Job with all these sufferings. Yet the hole made no sense until God came and filled it, as a lock makes no sense until the key comes.

Speaking Truth vs. Speaking Truly

Finally, there is a deep puzzle in 42:7. God says that Job—who (by his own admission) uttered “wild words” of challenge to God, full of mistakes and even heresies (for example, that God is unjust)—spoke “rightly” about Him, but that the three friends, who said nothing but pious orthodoxies, did not! But everything the friends say can be found in the rest of the Bible. How can this be wrong? Job contradicts it; how can this be right?

The friends spoke the truth, but not truly. Job spoke untruths, but truly. For the friends, God was an absent, indifferent object; for Job, God was a present, involved person. The three friends had a polite correspondence with God; Job had a stormy marriage with God, including fights but no divorce. The biggest difference between Job’s speeches and those of the friends is that they only speak about God, while Job speaks to God. Prayer is the most accurate theology, for God is the I AM, not the IT IS. As Rabbi Martin Buber said, “God can only be addressed, not expressed.”

Job is a Christ-figure. He is a “suffering servant”, chosen by God to suffer not because he is so bad, but because he is so good. And he suffers for others. At the end, God accepts the three friends only because Job prays and sacrifices for them. In Job we see the christological drama of death and resurrection played out not on the hill of Calvary outside the soul, but in a mirror-image of it, a hole in the heart where the words “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” go up as a precious and redemptive offering to heaven. What happens in the Book of Job is the Mass, and Job is the altar.

[untitled5071]

Ditto-A Ghost/Coco Crossover

Chapter 4: I wanted to Forget you

Chapter Summary; Hector really doesn't like being dead.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Hector wished he could say the funeral had been the worst part.

He wished that the fact that he had been denied the customary prayers and after-death visits that had been common back in Mexico was he cause of his restlessness.

He wished he could say that Imelda's steely-and slightly shaky-resolve and forced solemnity as his casket was lowered into the ground had been the cause of his sorrow.

He wished that he could say seeing Coco throw marigolds onto his coffin through silent sobs while clutching her mother's hand-Ernesto's hands on their shoulders-had been his one source of post-mortem despair.

He wished that he could say that nothing was worse than coming to grips with his new..existence when he saw his own remains lowered into the ground.

Dios, how he wished.

No, the worst part was being forced to watch Imelda-sharp features stained with the remains of tears shed unwillingly-raise herself from the couch where she had taken refuge for the night, as she was not ready to face the aspect of an empty bed just yet. Being forced to watch her try to plan out what she would tell Coco and attempt to get her own emotions under control in order to remain strong for her daughter.

The worst part was being forced to watch Coco throw herself onto her mother, sobbing when Imelda told her that her Papa was never coming home again, that there had been an accident, that her father had been careless and stupid. Forced to watch Imelda blink away tears-although in vain-determined to be strong for her daughter and not

The worst part was the desperation, the strain in his voice as he called out to her, and the tingle in his hands as they phased through his precious mi'ija when he tried to comfort her, to tell her it was alright.

"Coco, mi'ija, I'm here, it's okay, I'm not gone! I'm right here! Your Papa's here, I'm here! Please mi'ija, PLEASE! I need you, I need you to hear me! Please don't cry! I'm right here, I'm here!"

His voice grew hoarse, his cheeks were stained, yet Coco continued to cry, only the sounds of her own sobs and her mother's raspy breathing reaching her ears.

Hector had crumpled, wishing and praying to whatever deity that chose to listen that he could turn back time, that he could just ease his family's pain.

No reply came, and Hector was left alone, despite the two weeping girls beside him.

That was the worst part.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Hola Ernesto."

Imelda opened the door, revealing the serious and solemn face of Ernesto. He was wearing a black suit, and he offered a meek and respectful smile to Imelda before entering, a pile of empty boxes in his arms. He placed them on the table, then went to kiss Imelda on the cheeks in greeting. She gave a small smile and accepted, waving him on to take a seat. The table was piled high with items, all of which had belonged to Hector at some point. The man in question-or rather, spirit-was just a mere few feet away, perched on a windowsill and staring at his wife and his amigo. He hadn't seen much of Ernesto since the accident, but he had assumed it was just Ernesto's way of grieving.

"So, ready to get started?"

Imelda nodded and sat, scoffing as Ernesto pulled her chair out for her. Please. Imelda, needing a gentleman to pull out her chair for her?

Fat chance.

Once they started, Hector began to watch intently, slightly surprised the number of his affects that went into the "donate" pile. The "keep" box was a simple shoe box, and it was almost empty.

It was almost as though Imelda was determined to forget about him.

Ernesto held up a pair of concert tickets, ones Hector recognized immediately. Those were the tickets from the concert where he and Imelda met.

"Righteous Brothers, 1983. What's the verdict?"

Imelda took the tickets and looked them over. Hector looked over her shoulder, small smile on his face. He remembered that night perfectly. He had just turned 18, and he met her during one of the slower, more romantic songs. He was bold and felt invincible, so he had bowed and asked her to dance.

After the third time turning him down, she hit him with her shoe.

He couldn't say that he didn't have it coming.

He had laughed through the pain, and walked away cradling is pride as he sung the words of the song to distract himself from the humiliation.

That was, until he had felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Imelda, who offered her hand for a dance.

The rest was history.

Hector smiled, and gave his verdict on the fate of the tickets, although no one could hear.

He said "keep" the same time Imelda said, "Toss".

Hector scoffed, watching as Ernesto shrugged and tossed the tickets into their trash bin.

"Imelda, amor, please! Those tickets were the only thing left from the night we met! Well, save for your shoe. Why are you so determined to forget me?"

Imelda did not hear, but she continued to sort through Hector's possessions, the only occupants of the "keep box" including his wedding ring (so she could throw it out later, as he assumed), his letters home from his trip to Mexico a few years back, and his favorite book of poems from his mother.

That was, until Ernesto reached the songbook and the guitar.

Holding the little red book I question aloft and flipping through it, a smile played on Ernesto's lips.

"Hey Imelda, mind if I-"

He was cut off by Imelda grabbing the book from his hands, fingers running over the worn leather cover with-was that tenderness?-before placing it in the box and shutting the lid.

Ernesto looked shocked and a little annoyed for a second, but one look at Imelda's face shut him up. He tried to take her hand, but she snatched it away, leaving him to give a forced sympathetic smile.

"I know it's hard Imelda, I know, I miss h-"

He was cut off once again, but this time, it was by the sharp screech of Imelda's chair as she stood suddenly, shoebox of 'keep' items in hand. Hector sprang to his feet, arm outstretched as to comfort and assure his wife, however futile the gesture may have been.

"Lo siento, Ernesto, but I have a lot of work to attend to. We'll finish this tomorrow, yes? Please, see yourself out. And thank you for the help."

With that, she marched into her workshop, leaving a dumbstruck Hector and an agitated Ernesto. Out of habit, Hector leaned over to his friend and said,

"Well, can't say I was expecting that."

Before he could realize that his words were left unheard, however, he heard Ernesto mumble,

"She won't miss this"

and stride quickly towards the door, and too late did Hector realize that the object in Ernesto's hand was his prized skull guitar, gifted to him by his wife as a marriage present.

"Hey, wait-"

He was cut off by the slam of the door.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The orange glow of the streetlight beyond the window provided a mystical atmosphere to Imelda's workshop, mixing with the soft yellow of the lamps that adorned the room. Pepita rested in a corner, tail flicking lazily as she dozed. Imelda stitched a new pattern into a pair of cowboy boots, swirls of brown and black creating a whirlwind of care and elegance. The scene was almost picturesque, save for the lanky spirit who had taken refuge in the doorway, legs pressed against his chest as he closed his eyes, just listening to the sound of Imelda's breathing and the periodical ambience of her needle piercing the leather of the boot. The silence was deafening, and Hector thought it would never end.

The slam of fists on wood nearly caused him to fall though the doorframe.

He regained his balance, staring with wide eyes at Imelda, who had rested her head in her hands and let out a sigh. Pepita's ears swiveled, but she did not stir.

"You idiota. You complete and utter idiot".

Hector furrowed his eyebrows and stood, confused. It almost sounded like....

"I've tried so hard. I got rid of your things. I kept working. I didn't pray. Why doesn't it work?"

Hector was certain of it now. He crept over to Imelda, crouching at her side and looking up at her in complete awe and confusion. She was definitely talking to him.

"Why can't I? I wanted to forget you."

Hector's eyes widened slightly, then his face fell as he put his head down. he knew it.

"I want Coco to forget you."

What little hope Hector may have held shattered. No, his mi'ija, his life, she couldn't forget. That would mean he was truly gone.

"But I can't. Dios knows I've tried. All I want to do is forget."

Hector stood, and moved as though to put her arms around her, but pulled away. All he could do was close his eyes. Close his eyes and pretend.

"Please don't forget me, mi amor".

His eyes shot open at the sound of a hiss, and both Hector and Imelda whirled around at the same time, Imelda standing and arming herself with the boot she had been working on. But Pepita wasn't looking at an intruder or a rodent.

Her emerald eyes bore into Hector like a bullet.

He cautiously strode over to her, eyebrows furrowed as he crouched in front of the feline. He stared into her eyes, an intense stare that seemed to be unbreakable.

That was, until Hector blinked and Pepita scampered away, yowling.

Imelda tensed, shoe raised and ready to strike. Neither she or Hector moved. After a moment of careful consideration, she called out,

"Lo juro por Dios, if you are here, I'll..."

Hector's eyes lit up, and he found that he had lost the ability to speak for a moment in his excitement. Yes, he's there, he has been the whole time, finally someone-

Imelda lowered her boot and forcefully shook her head.

"No. That's stupid. Of course not. Of course he is not here."

With that, she returned to her work, oblivious to a wilted Hector, standing in the middle of the workshop, feeling more drained and dejected than ever.

"Believe me, Imelda, I wish I wasn't".

[christianmenatwork]

Pray, Forgive, Fear Not-Selah36-CMAW115

S

From Justin Camp, Wire Devotional

[ 1 min read ★ ]

The Lord is my helper; I will not fear—Hebrews 13:6

We have an enemy, brother, and he is a liar. He “fills the world with lies” (John 8:44 MSG). He doesn’t tire of his work . . . and he is clever. He reserves certain lies, holding them, waiting for the right time and for the right men. For he knows that some of his lies are more persuasive at certain times and under specific circumstances. 

  As we stand now, looking out at the expanse of a new year, he knows it’s time to whisper fear into the minds of men. He’s whispering, to those who’ll listen, to be afraid of what trouble might be coming. He’s whispering this lie now because he understands our nature. He knows we like control. He knows we like to know what’s next. He knows it’s difficult to feel “in control” when facing the uncertainty . . . when anything, really, might happen. And so, he knows it’s time to take advantage.

  We confront a choice, therefore. We can accept his lie, shoulder the fear, shrink back and focus on survival by returning to things that offer us just a little comfort—work, food, alcohol, pornography, distraction, withdrawal. Or, we can reject his lie, spurn his fearmongering, hold tight to the promises of God, and move forward—trusting that no trouble will surpass God’s ability to protect us and care for us.

  “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’” (Romans 8:15-17 MSG)

  First Light the bait of Satan- 12/16

The Bait of Satan 

  Lest satan should take advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his baits.

2 Corinthians 2:11 

  The bait of satan is the title of a popular book written a few years ago. It is also a revelation of great truth found in God's Word. We learn from the Word that the enemy of our soul that is hell bent on our destruction uses "bait" to capture us in order to steal, kill and destroy us. Being a fisherman, I am well aware of how effective the right bait can be in capturing a fish! The bait that is spoken of here in Second Corinthians is no doubt his favorite and most effective weapon used to wound and damage people, families and churches. It is the bait of bitterness, or as it is called in the Bible; unforgiveness. Personally, in thirty-five years of ministry I can testify that this is the satanic tool that has done the most harm to people where I have pastored. It is the tool that is currently dividing our nation. No doubt it is the evil ones "go to" weapon. The Bible admonishes us not to "be ignorant" of his diabolical working in this area within our personal lives and to reject every attempt of his to inject thoughts of bitterness into our thinking. Most of his schemes would never trip up the average believer. Being tempted to steal, murder, lie, abuse drugs or steal someone's mate would be so repulsive to saints that they are useless against them. However, the bait of bitterness is justified by many believers and ensnares them. That is why we are warned to live with a constant vigilance against any attempt of the enemy to bait us into a hard heart against anyone. I have seen so much damage done with this one tool. Let’s determine we will not become prisoners of satan by receiving accusations from hell against others. Let’s refuse to justify our bitterness by calling it "hurt" or anything else that allows it to remain. Let’s call it what God calls it and be free from the bondage that it guarantees. Often, I am asked "how can I forgive them after what they did"? That's a great question. The Bible has a great answer! The living God will never ask me to forgive anyone more that He has forgiven me. I was damned in my sin against God. Guilty without excuse. But, in the greatest act of forgiveness in history He not only forgave me, but He made His Son stand in for me at my cross and accept my punishment. I can forgive because I have been forgiven!

  Thank you, Father, for the power of forgiveness to keep me free from the bondage of bitterness and torment that is afflicting so many today. I praise you that a forgiven man can afford to forgive!

  First Light 11/26/20

        Why Pray?

  "Don't ever stop praying with great earnestness, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving."

Colossians 4:2 

Does anyone struggle with prayer? Do you ever struggle with finding time to pray? Do you ever wonder if your prayers make a difference? Let’s be bold and ask the question here. Why even bother to pray? Should I pray simply because I'm expected to? Do I pray to keep God happy? The truth is that most believers give very little to prayer. Heck, the average preacher in America prays very little. What difference does it make anyway? Let me bring out a great truth from scripture regarding our praying. We are called by our Father to pray many times in the Bible. Today's scripture calls us to pray earnestly and never give up. Me praying doesn't make me a "good Christian". Its not a question of my goodness. Its a question of His goodness. In what I fear may be an oversimplification let me pose this thought; why would a good Father call me to pray of He wasn't going to do something? Would He require me to spend time in prayer knowing He was not going answer? That prayer was just some form of Christian discipline He puts me through for some unknown purpose? A thousand times no. If He is as good as His Word says He is, anything He calls me to do will certainly have a purpose and great benefit. I cannot imagine telling my children to ask me for something knowing my answer was no. That would be warped. Truth is that He says He will give you what you ask for quicker than you will feed your children when they ask for dinner. "If you being evil compared to me will give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him"? I am convinced by His Word and His Spirit that He greatly desires to answer our prayers when prayed boldly in faith. I simply cannot imagine Him commanding me to do something just so He can ignore me. He will do what He says He will do. It’s that simple. "Call on me, I will answer you, and show you great things you have never seen before". I have a feeling (actually a revelation from scripture) that our great struggle to pray comes from an unholy devil that knows what happens when God's people pray in faith and humility. He knows how good our God is. That's why he does everything in his evil power to hinder us from praying to God. Do what he may, he won't stop me from calling on the Most High. I know how Good God is.

  Father, knowing how you are, I declare as David did, "in the morning I will lift up soul to you in prayer". Thank you that you will hear me and answer

  From Pastor Richard Geiger, Torah Teaching on 11/21/20

  Witchcraft tries to conjure events with our words, not including God

Prayer is a relationship, meditating and relating, communing with your Lord

We press in to know Him better

Luke 18 - unjust judge 

We survive in this world of deception in His presence

PUSH - pray until something happens 

Prayer needs to flow from a life of obedience

  E

Rita, wife of Joe Albright, who wrote book “Liberating the Bruised”. In the Preface of his book Joe talked about how he was an alcoholic in the early part of their marriage and said this about his wife Rita

“When I was drinking Rita

L

So he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them, “See that you do not become troubled along the way.”

Genesis 45:24 - NKJV

  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Luke 3:12-14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%203:12-14&version=NKJV

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Check out this episode!

[carolap53]

October 27, 2020

When You Aren’t Sure if You Should Stay          LYSA TERKEURST

Lee en español

“Be gracious to me, O LORD , for I am languishing; heal me, O LORD , for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O LORD — how long?” Psalm 6:2-3 (ESV)

I love today’s passage because it’s a prayer first offered up by someone who knows the pain of languishing. That’s not a word I use often, but it’s the perfect word to describe what I felt during the years of great pain and uncertainty about my marriage.

Many people ask why I stayed and fought for my marriage after my husband’s affair. The answer to that is as complicated and intricate as trying to understand what makes the ocean pull back and stop at the shore. There was a season where it wasn’t reasonable or responsible to stay, so there were long stretches of separation in our journey. Much like when the ocean doesn’t respect the boundary of the shoreline and hurricane conditions force evacuations.

But then the shoreline became safe again. And I had a choice.

To say I wrestled through fears of being hurt again are an understatement. There was also so much pain and damage done that it felt like trying again was harder than walking away. Our journey had lasted so long with many dashed hopes along the way that I just didn’t know if I had anything left to give.

So, I gave the only thing I could — and that was time.

I made the decision to let some time pass and just observe how committed Art was to pursuing healing, whether or not I was open to him pursuing me. And I sought wise advice from people who had been through life-altering heartbreaks and were now walking in healing.

Maybe you’re standing on the shoreline of your own difficult circumstances trying to figure out what to do. Here are three statements that were truly helpful in my own journey:

1. “Trust is built with time plus believable behavior.”

My counselor taught me this, and it took the pressure off me to feel like I had to figure everything out. I just had to pay attention to choices Art was making, what the Lord was saying to me in my daily time in His Word and how my own healing was going. I was honest during this season about both my progress and my setbacks. My emotions got triggered and I often wanted to talk about what I was experiencing. And honestly, the very best gauge I had was Art’s reaction. If he was patient and understanding, it built my confidence that his heart was in a tender place.

2. “He will either be in recovery or relapse.”

A wise friend of mine who knew how addictions can complicate healing situations shared this with me. It isn’t as clear-cut in some situations, but for me, I could tell by his daily choices. The choices someone makes often point to the habits they are establishing for their life moving forward. Healthy choices become habits that become healthy patterns that become a healthy life of recovery. My part in all of this is to always be honest about what I’m seeing … health or unhealth? Recovery or relapse?

3. “Lysa, what do you ultimately want?”

This simple question also proved incredibly helpful during this season. My answer was that I wanted to be able to enjoy simple moments again. And if that’s what I wanted, I had to make choices that fed peace into my life rather than constantly jumping on the emotionally charged opportunities that are often presented in moments of relational crisis. I didn’t do this perfectly, but I did do it intentionally. I intentionally chose not to take the bait Satan offered me to say cutting remarks, pile on shame or present myself as the one who made better choices.

Forgiveness is a process. Healing is a long journey. And after time had passed, I realized it was possible to heal together. But I’ll never ever criticize another person for choices they made that were different than mine when placed in the same horror and heartbreak as me. And certainly, if it’s not possible or safe to stay … you can feel like you have no choice at all. But, always remember, reconciliation and redemption are not the same. Even if your situation doesn’t allow for relationship reconciliation, redemption with God is still yours for the choosing.

So, my dear friend, if you find yourself in a situation today where you feel like there’s nothing else to give but time, I know that painful ache all too well. That’s why I don’t want you to miss these words near the end of Psalm 6, after David’s honest cries about his troubles: “The LORD has heard my plea; the LORD accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:9, ESV).

God hears your plea.  God accepts your prayer.

And whether it’s redemption with reconciliation or not, God will breathe life into the shattered pieces of your story and create something new and more beautiful than ever before. In His way. In His timing.

God, thank You for working on my behalf even when I feel at the end of my own strength. I trust You to bring beauty from my story even when the pieces of it feel so broken. Thank You for carrying me through this day and through this season. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:  Psalm 34:18, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (NIV)

[gospelmusic]

DEVOTIONAL: Catholic Mass Reading: 3 June 2020 - The Resurrection Of The Dead

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Wednesday June 3, 2020 Weekday (9) Vestment: Red Today’s Rosary: The Glorious Mysteries Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyr. (Solemnity in Uganda) FIRST READING “Rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.” The beginning of the second Letter of Saint Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:1 -3.6-12) (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control. Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but take yours share of suffering for the gospel in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. The word of the Lord. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 123: 1—2ab.2cdef (R. 1a) R/. To you, O Lord, have I lifted up my eyes. To you have I lifted up my eyes, you who dwell in the heavens. Behold, like the eyes of slaves on the hand of their lords. R. Like the eyes of a servant on the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the Lord our God, till he show us his mercy. R. ALLELUIA John 11:25a.26 Alleluia. I am the resurrection and the life, says the Lord; he who believes in me shall never die. Alleluia. GOSPEL  “He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mark 12: 18-27) At that time: Sadducees came to Jesus, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.” Jesus said to them, “Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong.” The Gospel of the Lord. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Today’s Reflection Today we live with a distorted understanding of the resurrection. The interpreters of Scripture during the time of Jesus thought the resurrection was just a simple continuation of earthly life even to the point that a resurrected person would keep the same wife or husband. Fr. Henri Nouwen in his book Seeds of Hope wrote: “I think love – deep human love, does not know death… Real love says, ‘Forever’. Love will always reach out toward the eternal. Love comes from that place within us where death cannot enter”. To understand the idea of resurrection according to Jesus, the people should know the Scriptures and experience the power of God acting in them. The scribes who came to discredit Jesus with the question, neither knew God nor the Scriptures. Personal Devotional Sing with us, “into my life 2x, come into my life, Lord Jesus, come into stay…” - Tell Jesus about the heavy loads crushing you. - Ask for mercy for the times you took your troubles to other gods. - Invite Jesus into your life and family. Let Us Pray Mary my Mother of Perpetual Help, with trust in you as my spiritual mother in the family of Christ Jesus, I implore your maternal intercession, inspired me by the example of your life and faith in the name of Jesus, I think of you at that moment when, full of faith and trust, you accepted God’s call to be the mother of His Son. Help me, your child, to accept with joy my own calling in life in the name of Jesus. When you learned that your cousin Elizabeth was in need you immediately went to serve her and offer your help. Help me, like you, to be concerned for others in the name of Jesus. I think of you, Mother, at the foot of the cross. Your heart must have bled to see your Son in agony. But your Joy was great when he rose from the dead, victorious over the powers of evil. Mother of sorrows, help me through the trials and disappointments of life. Help me not to lose heart. May I share with you and your Son the joy of having courageously faced all the challenges of life in the name of Jesus, Amen

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You may also like our gospel worship songs page which contains, the best, coolest and hottest Nigerian Gospel Songs, and Foreign Gospel Songs. Whatsoever is the mood, we've got you covered. Do you feel like dancing, rejoicing, shouting, screaming, or you're filled with jubilation because of the Mighty things the Lord has done? Then look no further, cos our gospel praise songs page, containing the hottest Nigerian and foreign praise songs collection, was prepared specifically for you. Peradventure you need the lyrics of the songs you are downloading now, just downloaded, or have downloaded before, our lyrics page is the best place to look. What more could be more helpful and entertaining than seeing the lyrics of your most favourite  song before you, as the music unfolds unto the climax. Hey we've been there before, and still encounter it from time to time when the vocals get lost in the cloud of heavy orchestration.

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Are You a Classical Music lover, our classical music page, contains the best of classical songs, composed and written by composers like G. F Handel, Bach, Joseph Haydn, etc. As you listen to your best gospel song, you may also want to get some more insight and knowledge about the word of God, from eBooks written by God's servants, or you may want to learn something new or build yourself up in some way. Then our eBook Page is the right place to look. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); You may be in need of entertainment, and probably want to watch a video too. We understand that as well. You can get entertaining video downloads from our video downloads page.

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[taken-in-hishands-blog]

21 Ways to Stay Married.

1. Hold hands whenever you can. We do and always have. We’ll clasp hands when sitting next to each other on the couch, while we’re driving along in the car, and when we’re out walking. A simple connecting that goes a long way. 2.  Pray for him every day. Faithfully. What better gift than to offer up a prayer for him? Ask God to bless him, protect him, and work in his life. 3.  Look for the many ways to love on him. Small gifts and thoughtful gestures.  Those little things that say, I love you and I’m thinking of you. 4.  Make friends with people who’ll encourage your marriage. Surround yourself with those who will support and pray for you both as you grow together. 5.  And avoid those who pull against you. If they were friends, I’d ditch them altogether. It’s harder with extended family members, but I’d dodge those as much as possible too. 6.  Go to the Word of God for the best marriage counseling.You can get good advice from others, but there’s no replacing the loving, powerful Truth to be found in Scripture. 7. Cultivate your friendship. Marriage isn’t merely a business deal. 8.  Never give up on each other. People go through difficult seasons and we get to persevere through them. Don’t let go. 9.  Confess your sins to one another. Doesn’t help to smooth it over; instead repent and ask forgiveness. 10.  Forgive each other freely.  11.  Be patient with him. Love is long-suffering, remember? 12.  Show him respect.  It’s in the Bible. And it’s what he needs. 13.  Leave off with the complaining. It only drags the both of you down 14.  Focus on those things which are true, pure, and lovely.  15.  Put your love above all things.  16.  Let the little annoyances go. Is it really worth bothering about? Probably not. 17.  Keep the home fires burning. Intimacy is still important. 18.  Stand by your man. You’ll probably find loyalty toward the top of his list. 19.  Make loving him your priority. Over your job, your friends, your extended family.  Even over your children. 20.  Give him – and yourself – room to grow.  No one is ever “done” growing. 21.  Decide you’re going to stick together.   With God’s help, you’re going to stay together throughout the years.

[standtoreason93]

Two “Don’ts” and One “Do” to Make You a Better Spouse, Parent, Friend, and Christian Ambassador

By Greg Koukl

I started this piece intending to do something I’ve never hazarded before—offer advice about marriage. But I changed my mind, sort of; I have lengthened my reach.

First, I have no expertise in marriage. Far from it. After 21 years of experience, I still know almost nothing about the topic. Second, through my many mistakes, I’ve stumbled upon a triad of tips that I’m convinced will increase goodwill in any marriage but will also improve harmony with everyone in your life—spouse, children, siblings, friends, etc.

There’s a reason these tips will make a difference for you, married or not. Christian ambassadors are on duty 24/7 with every person they encounter. Arguably, the most powerful tactic to increase your influence is good old-fashioned kindness. That’s why Peter tells us to defend the faith “with gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet. 3:15).

Common kindness takes many forms, but I’ll limit my focus to three principles since a triplet is simple to keep track of. Plus, it’s personal for me. These are the ones I’m focusing on—for a long season, I suspect—so I can be a better husband, father, friend, and ambassador. There are two “don’ts” and one “do.”

Don’t Pick at Small Stuff

Here’s the first one: Don’t pick at small stuff. Relationships—especially close ones like marriages—are delicate things, easily bruised. There are enough weighty issues to confront. Don’t waste effort on inconsequentials. It’s not worth it. It’s a terrible habit of mine, and I need to constantly repress the impulse to correct trivial mistakes.

If your wife says, for example, “That gray car rolled right through that stop sign,” don’t tell her it wasn’t gray, but brown. If your husband refers to your cat as “he,” and it’s female, don’t take issue (cat gender is meaningless to men). If your kid says you’re driving 85, don’t say you were only going 82. It’s still speeding. You get my point.

Sure, sometimes precision is important, but in mundane matters, it generally isn’t. Usually, perfect accuracy is not critical, so let it go. Don’t draw attention to the mistake. Petty corrections create a negative environment that can launch useless squabbles.

Solomon said to abandon a quarrel before it breaks out (Prov. 17:14). That’s good advice. Every time you have an urge to correct someone, ask, “Is that actually necessary? Will it really matter? Does it change anything significant?” If not, don’t do it.

Most menial corrections are small darts that don’t draw much blood. Never mind. Little wounds add up and slowly degrade relationships. It’s not gracious to correct someone for no good reason. Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s unkind.

Don’t Retaliate

Here’s the next one: Don’t retaliate. Our strongest instinct is for self-preservation, so it’s natural to lash back when we feel threatened. But this is precisely what we are not allowed to do. At least five Scripture passages forbid it.*

Of course, committed Christians don’t blatantly return evil for evil, especially in close relationships; we implement our reprisals in subtler ways. To be painfully candid, on self-examination I have realized that virtually every device my seasoned Christian heart devises to respond to hurt is a cleverly disguised, subtle attempt at retaliation.

There is a better solution. Bless instead. Overcome evil with good. That is not an easy alternative, but I read this sage advice once a week to remind me of its wisdom:

When you decide to return good for evil, you’re choosing to stop yanking on the rope of conflict and making the knot so tight it can never be untied. By simply dropping your end of the cord, you loosen the tension and preserve the possibility that the still-loose knot might somehow be untangled by the two of you. [Paraphrased from Lee Strobel’s Outrageous Claims.]

Simply put, don’t tighten the knot. Bless, do not curse. Measure your own motives when you react to hurt. Is your response a true blessing or a clever retaliation in disguise? Let David’s prayer be yours: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me” Ps. 139:23–24.

Show Gratitude

Finally, show gratitude. Lots of it. Paul Tripp wrote that lasting joy is the product of constant gratitude. There is a special grace in being grateful, in simply saying to those close to you, “Thank you. I appreciate that. You did a good job.”

The simplest way to develop gratitude is to express gratefulness, so be alert for every opportunity to show appreciation to others for what they have done. Catch them doing something right. Find the good and fuss over it. “If there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,” Paul said, “dwell on these things” (Phil 4:8).

When I was a kid, my dad had us all thank Mom after dinner for the meal she’d cooked. Soon, it became a habit for us. Now, at the end of each day, I take a knee by my bed and quietly thank God for the good—and the bad—He’s given me that day. As Paul put it, “In everything give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18).

Being grateful is a virtue. It is a kindness returned. Ingratitude, however, is an ugly vice and robs both giver and receiver.

So here’s the simple formula: One, stop finding fault in little things. Two, don’t return evil for evil. Three, be lavish with your gratitude. Not too complicated, and it will improve every one of your relationships, especially your marriage.

___________________

*Rom. 12:14–19; 1 Pet. 3:9; 1 Thess. 5:15; Prov. 20:22, 24:29

[dustydahlin]

Worshiper - Your New Identity in Christ

Subject: This article will address your new identity in Christ as a worshiper. From a study of Col. 3:16-17, this article will attempt to give you clear, actionable steps toward having a deeper relationship with God - through better understanding your identity as a worshiper.

 ​

This has been a fun, frustrating, exhilarating, and exhausting study. The struggle of this study has been trying to mine the depths of an endless excavation site. To present a study on one’s identity as a worshiper requires studying worship. To study worship demands a look into the nature, aseity, and character of God. This, as you can imagine, leads one to look into the concept of mankind being created in the image of God. After the anthropological study is complete, one may then proceed to dive into the cultural and historical practices of worship by the Jews. It is only appropriate, after that, to look into the New Testament Scriptures on worship. Identifying the New Testament Scriptures of worship will demand that you compile a list of ways that worship (under the New Covenant) has changed, shifted, or been divinely redirected. This list will force you back to the Old Testament where you will get distracted with all the shadows and types of worship that were prophetically intended to lead us to the New Testament where we see the fullness of worship being satisfied by the work of Jesus. And then, if you give a mouse a cookie, you will eventually end up with a study on worship and our identity as worshipers.

But in all seriousness, this has been a challenging study because our Inspired Text proves worship to be no simple, unimportant, or insignificant thing. Worship is deep. Worship is profound. Worship is inextricably tied to the very fabric of our humanness. Our identity as worshipers is equally deep.  

So before we jump into this teaching on our new identity, let me briefly offer some Biblical examples of worship in an attempt to define worship. In both the Old and New Testaments worship has been conveyed as the heartfelt expressions of song, praise, thanksgiving, and musical accompaniment. In both halves of the Bible, Scripture clearly presents worship as being sincere expressions (and inspired outbursts) of praise. From the Psalmists to the Apostles, worship is something that is corporately and individually expressed in song. In Psalm 66:4 it says, “All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.’ Selah.” Also, Psalm 96:1-4 declares, 

“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; 

sing to the Lord, all the earth! 

Sing to the Lord, bless his name; 

tell of his salvation from day to day. 

Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvelous works among all the peoples! 

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; 

he is to be feared above all gods.” 

The Apostles have, also, described worship as the singing of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God...” (Col. 3:16-17). It is clear that worship is connected to expressions of song and praise.  

But that is not the only description of worship in the Bible. Worship is also described as service (Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia). It is the hard, but rewarding, work of serving God. In the Old Testament, the priests and Levites are described as worshiping God by serving in the tabernacle/temple (Exodus 40:1-38; Lev. 8:1-36; Isaiah 19:12; etc.). It was understood that everything the Priests did in their service to the temple was considered worship. Sacrifices... Cleansing rituals for themselves and the people... General maintenance at the temple/tabernacle... Lighting the lamps... Setting out the showbread... Their “regular” duties... Their “ordinary” practices... Everything they did was considered worship. It is understood as service in the New Testament, also. In Rom. 12:1, the Bible describes our spiritual acts of worship using the Greek word for “service” (Λατρεία - latreia). Like in the Old Testament, worship is described as a lifestyle of service to God. This is seen even more evidently in one of the most quoted passages on worship in the New Testament. Col. 3:16-17 says this, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (See 1 Peter 2:9 for additional references to service being worship.) 

Worship is also conveyed as being the reading of the Word (Deut. 31:11-13; Joshua 8:33-35; Neh. 8:1-8; etc...).

Worship is described as being silent before the Lord (Deut. 27:9-10; Hab. 2:20; Psalm 62:1-2, 5-7).

Worship includes prayer (Acts 16:25; Psalm 51:1-17; Luke 2:37; 2 Sam. 7:18; Isaiah 56:7; etc...).

Worship is described as expressed through bowing and prostration (Exodus 34:8; 2 Chron. 20:18; Gen. 17:3; Mar. 3:11; etc.).

Worship is communicated as being devoted (often even to false gods) (Deut. 8:19; 1 Chron. 29:2-4; Exodus 22:20; Matt. 6:24; etc).

Worship is seen as a heartfelt response to the Presence of God (Psalm 22:23; Psalm 102:15-16; Hosea 3:5; etc) …  

Fear of the Lord 

Fear and trembling 

Awe and reverence  

Unrestrained shouts of Praise 

Weeping and morning 

Silent reflection 

So many inspired descriptions of worship lead us to question why we would limit our understanding of worship to only being the song and music. Furthermore, it causes us to ask the question of how does one define worship? What is it?! Perhaps the best definition of worship I have heard is this: “Worship is an outward expression of an inward reality" (unknown). In other words, worship is any (and all) outward expression that demonstrates the object of your affection. What does this mean? This means prayer is an act of worship. Fasting is an act of worship. Singing praises. Serving the Lord at church. Restraining from profanity. Mopping the floors. Raising your kids. Driving your car. Acts of obedience (large or small). Reading Scripture. “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord...” This is worship. It is expressing our affections for the Lord in everything we do! In both the scholastic theological and spiritual formation realms, worship is understood as encompassing the entire scope of Christian living. Everything! 

Charles Spurgeon says, “All places are places of worship to a Christian.” There is not a place we can go where we cannot, nor should not, serve the Lord. He is the object of our affections. He is the One we esteem the most. We are to practice, regularly, expressing our gratitude, our adoration, and our appreciation for our Savior. This is something we can do anywhere. On a very practical level, we can start by practicing a militant thankfulness. 1 Thess. 5:16-19 tells us, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” 

Now that we have briefly covered what worship is, let us look at who is identified as a “worshiper” in the Bible. This might surprise you! From the front of the Book to the end of the Book, the Bible clearly describes humankind as worshipers. Man and woman. Jew and gentile. Slave and free. Christian and non-christian. From Cain to the Philistines. From the pagans to the Jews. From the Canaanites to the Babylonians. From the worship of God to the worship of idols. Mankind has been inherently created to worship! It is obvious that within the intricacies of our DNA we are worshipers. There will always be some object upon which mankind will place their affections. We serve and devote our time and our money to the things we value most. If you turn to social media, you will see the worship of philosophies and ideologies. You will see the veneration of political agendas. You will see people expressing the affections of their hearts for something. From worshiping and serving their sexual appetites to expressing their love and devotion to the object of addiction.

God crafted this in us that we might be drawn to worship Him. The problem was the fall. In the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve introduced sin and death into the world, the world was launched into a tailspin. The Bible states, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Our identity as worshipers was corrupted by sin, and now we worship things that do not deserve our affections. In our fallenness, we worship our careers, our wives, our theological frameworks, our preferences, our sport, our ideas of marriage, our code of ethics, our cars, our homes, our scientific presuppositions, etc. We are worshipers, and we will worship something.  

The difference between our worship and the worship of the world is that we worship something eternal – Someone that is worthy. The Object of our worship is the invisible, personal, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immutable God. We express our affection for a God that would give Himself for His people. We serve and obey a God that created the heavens and the earth. The God Who created an escape plan from a temporary world that is scheduled to go up in flame like a match-stick. We serve Jesus Christ. He alone can save us. He alone can help us. He alone can heal us. He alone can deliver us. He alone can comfort. He alone can bring fulfillment and lasting satisfaction. He alone can work the impossible! This is the difference between our worship and the worship of the world.  

Now staying true to our goal for this series, I will attempt to answer the questions of “what does this say about God and what does this say about us." 

 Theological Implications - What does this say about God?  

He is to be considered the most treasured and precious commodity in our lives. He is of more worth than anything else in this life.  

Rev. 5:9-14 says, 

“And they sang a new song, saying, 

‘Worthy are you to take the scroll 

   and to open its seals, 

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God 

   from every tribe and language and people and nation...’ 

Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 

‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, 

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might 

and honor and glory and blessing!’ 

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 

‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’ 

And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” 

There is only one God – one thing – that was able to accomplish the impossible work of salvation. And there is only one God who can perfectly accomplish the ultimate and final movement of redemption on earth.  

This reveals a God who is of insurmountable worth. He is the Object to be obtained at any cost. He is the most valuable and treasured Possession to be had. He is greater than any amount of silver or gold. God is precious and to be treasured above all else.  

Psalm 36:7, “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” 

1 Peter 1:18-19, “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 

 Lastly, being designated a worshiper of Yahweh also reveals something of relationship. There are a vast number of passages that connect a personal relationship with God to the worship of God. Look at the contrast here in Deut. 4: 28-29. It says, “And there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Compared to the worship of inanimate objects, God makes himself available. He is a personal God. He is living and active. He is able to respond to the cries and prayers of His people.  

Also, it shows a relational partnership. We get to work with God in this world to accomplish His will. Our worship includes serving God. This reveals a God who is personally involved in the lives of his people and the world. This emphasizes a relationship and partnership with God in administering His love, grace, and mercy to others. We do not just sing songs of worship to our God; we serve God and serve with God in accomplishing his plans.  

1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 

Col. 3: 15-17, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.”  

God has drawn us close that we may worship him by serving others, wherever we are.  

 Practical Expectations - What does this say about us?  

What expectation does this inspired identity statement place upon us? Firstly, it describes people who have undyingly placed the entirety of their affections and joy upon God. Jesus once said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:21). Being worshipers of the one true God reveals a people who have treasured God above all else.  

Not just on Sundays. Not just during the worship or the reading of the Word. We treasure God and seek to express our gratitude for him everywhere we are. Again, Spurgeon states, “All places are places of worship to a Christian. Wherever he is, he ought to be in a worshiping frame of mind.” It is not merely that we would reflect upon Him, and meditate upon Him, passively. It is that our passion for God should drive us to restlessly seek Him.  We get to regularly engage in our relationship with God.

And lastly, it describes people who worship/serve God by serving others. As stated earlier, being a worshiper is synonymously linked to service. So much so, you could even substitute the word worshiper for servant. This identity statement instructs God’s people to express the inward reality of our affections for God by looking for every opportunity to minister to others.  

Gal. 6:9-10, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” 

Eph. 6:8, “knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.”  

We serve God by serving others. This is not a pointless and purposeless service. God lives. All our worship, all our service, all our hard work means something. This worship is unlike the worship of self, or fame, or Lamborghinis. This is the only worship with a promise. The promise of a life-giving, peace-promoting relationship with the Almighty! A practical application of Worship can be as simple as making the conscious effort to make yourself available to be used by God in every moment of your day. 

We can fixate our life’s pursuit on fleeting and temporary objects, or we can enjoy the practice of worshiping God. We can make every effort to make ourselves available to God. We can “be renewed in the spirit of your minds” and make the conscious efforts to acknowledge the presence of God with us in all moments of our day (Eph. 4:23). This spiritual exercise will lead us to know how to express the joy, love, and gratitude that glorifies God.

Additional Resources:

Militant Thankfulness: An Essential Practice to Experiencing a Full Spiritual Life

ESV Bibles 

Whispers: How to Hear From God

Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words

[historic-homosexual]

Pls pls pls do all the oc questions!!

jokes on you I was already doing that and planned on just putting it out there but now I can use this as an excuse,,hah someone wants to know thisI’m sorry for how long some parts got, I noticed how much I wrote on Célestin and tried to keep it down from then but that didn’t completely work,,,And actually I dare/tag you to do these too. I know that ain’t normal proceedure w ask memes but I do a thing called what I want

1. Your first OC ever?

I think my first oc was your typical mary sue, named Angel, whom I used for basically every fandom I got in then. I’ve since reworked her because I couldn’t leave her the mess she was lmao

2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?

Not really, tho I have to admit I have some that I’m especially fond of, but that’s still like half of my ocs

3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?

Not a full character but a friend of mine made the design for Charlie years ago

4. A character you rarely talk about?Sadly that’d also be a couple of em, for example Eleonore or Otávio or my monster ocs

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?

That’s a difficult one…Brist is pretty worked out and good so maybe him, or Eligos bc I’m proud of their design

6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?

I’d never noticed it before this but Seth and Elijah oh geez

7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?I have a bunch of ocs that are part of my own work, which I refer to as ‘Golden Empire’

8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!

I privately rp w @spokoystviye, namely our ocs Regulus and Adelais. We used to do Gregory and Jason too but ever since we worked on the time it plays in that’s stopped lmao.

So Regulus it is: Regulus Whitlock, living in France during the French Revolution. He’s originally from England, where he grew up the son of a Blacksmith. Regulus is exceptionally tall for the time he lived in, very soft hearted and believes in “dressing like a gentleman,behave like a bastard”. Most part of his life he works as a Blacksmith from his shop, that he took over from his father after the man died. Regulus took on a ‘side job’ as a hunter, smart, a good shot and with a great need to help people. But he’s of too good nature, ending up taking in a Vampire of all things, despite better judgement, not able to leave the woman to her death.

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?

I don’t think I could give an oc to a random person, that is one that I’ve worked w a lot. Just making a design and such for the purpose of giving it away in the first place would be fine

10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?

Gerwyn is relatively complicated to draw solely because his base design is full body armor lmao. Besides him maybe Susanna and Nathanael since their design is hard to make it look accurate especially without colouring it

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”?

Seth, definitely, he’s the most positive and sweet of all my Ocs

12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot

Both @bruhchantite and @spokoystviye have ocs I love, like Bruhs Arcana Oc Nien, whom I like a lot, and Leander has Adelais who’s a sweet baby deserving protection [also Adelean is hot shit]

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs? There are quite a few I’d say lmao

But most of them I’d consider more violent than troublemaker, so Jonathan probably (whos still violent but who was a troublemaker even before that)

14. Tragic Backstory

Gregory and Annora have a tragic backstory as well but I’m gonna go w Célestin rnTw: Rape, Abuse, Homophobia

Célestin Villeneuve grew up in France to very religious parents with strict views.  Célestins mother had unhappily carried out Célestin, having gotten pregnant at a very young age. Both her and her husband being strong believers, they considered abortion a sin and kept the child. Her own parents threated it like a shameful secret, making their daughter and her boyfriend marry, despite them being 16 at the time. They moved to the next town, where they were unknown and had everyone belive that they were both adults, their child concieved properly, after marriage and willingly.

Not having finished their education properly, Célestins father lied in order to get a job, his wife mroe than willing to keep up his tales, in fear of being ridiculed by the community. Appearance and what others thought of them became the most important thing to Célestins mother early on, drilled into her by her own parents.Célestins father craved to be popular and keep his image in the town.

They were active in church and his father insisted on going to every sunday mass, prayers before lunch and his child confessing his sins to him.Punishment often consisted of simple bread and cheese and water for meals, a swat ont he back of his head if it was particularly bad in his parents eyes.

Célestin had always been a perfect child, smart and following his parents wishes, sitting in church, firm in prayer.He considered his parents treatment right, and, as he kept from sin, was confident it would never get any worse.However, he was gravely mistaken.As he got older, Célestins parents would get worse in their punishment, afraid their child would sully their image, as they themselves had, with the early pregnancy.

Things reached a peak when Célestin discovered he was gay. Knowing it to be a sin, he told his mother, asking her for help to free him of this condition, telling her he’d accept the punishiment if it’d only make him right in God’s eyes again.

His mother was shocked, less so because of her sons sexuality, but more so because she had seen the violence raging in her husband and was well aware that he would no longer keep the punishment to a few slaps.Talking to her husband that night, when Célestin was asleep, she attempted to sway her husband, who was as she had expected, beyong angered.

He however knew of her fear for being casdt out of the community and explained that not punishing and correcting such behaviour would result in Célestin believing it was normal and flaunting it around for everyone to see. Riddled by fear, Célestins mother accepted her husbands preposition as what would happen to her son.

While Célestin had expected punishment, nothing would have prepared him for what would come for him as his father would drag him out to the field each day anew, whipping him until his back was bleeding. His wife was fobidden to tend to her sons wounds and was often standing by staring into nothing while her son begged for forgiveness.

Célestin learned how to poorly tend to his own injuries, some getting infected at the lack of proper treatment. To his own shock no beating did help to cure him as he had desperately hoped to happen to stop the violent treatment. Unsure where to turn, and why God would have him suffer like this, despite all attempts and prayer, Célestin went to the church to confess and ask a pastor for help.The man was shocked and appalled at what he heard and even more so at the fact that Célestin was under the impression that this was right.

For the first time Célestin was told that he was treated terribly, and that he had done nothing to deserve this. He went away with odd feelings in his mind and the first seeds of doubt. Attempting to help, the pastor went to talk to Célestins parents a few days later, when Célestin himself was in school, trying to sway them in their ways, telling them that they surely had to know that he had to report such behaviour.

When Célestin returned from school, he found his mother crying adn his father angrier than hed ever been. They’d not taken the pastors warning to take their son away to their heart, seeing their fault in their actions but instead saw nothing but the ridicule they were about to face, as well as the authorities coming up. Célestins father feared to loose his job, and face, more than he feared for his sons life. He beat Célestin again before dragging him into his parents room, where a middle aged woman was waiting that was known throught the town for offering any kind of intercourse for the right money.

Saying that there was only one way to truly fix him, Célestins father forced his son to have sex with the prostitute, watching with a belt in hand to make sure the intercourse was actually carried out. During it he would often ask his son if he was still filthy, wanting to do this with ofther men and woulod generally insult and hummiliate him. Whenever his son would answer with crying or begging his father to stop this, he would simply pay the woman for yet another round.

When it was finally over, Célestin was left laying in his parents bed, listening as his parents were having dinner in the kitchen.Filled with shame he declined everything when the authorities came knocking at their door the next day, nodding of his fathers claim that he had made it all up.

The pastor attempted to speak to Célestin but when he asked to see the boy the evening, he and Célestins parents found his room empty.Célestin had ran away.

15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?

Gosh I love it I wish I could do it more. I feel if u actually have some else to chat ocs with it leads to ur oc getting more and more fleshed out

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?

I think Helva would take the cake on that one

17. Any OC OTPs?

Regulus/Adelais, Caspian/Nadia, Hunter/Piper and Araan/Dorian,,,,If I can be honest, I hardly have the amount of Oc ships as I would lmao,,,my ocs do function on their own but there are so I’d just love to ship lmao

18. Any OC crackships?

Not really any, I shortly thought about just taking a random oc from u/Leander and pairing them randomly w one of mine for the laughs of it.But then I felt it would maybe be inapropriate to do that lmaoo

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)

While all my Ocs mean a lot to me I chose Brist for this because he’d the first Oc I made for a game, fallout new vegas, which I love a lot. He pretty much develpoed all by himself while I was playing, and is really fleshed out now. I’m super fond of him somehow.Here are a couple of things about him:

Brist was born 2225, the son of  caravaneers, somewhere on their travels and therefore does not know where exactly he was born. Deciding that raising a child at such young age while traveling would not work well, they settled near the ruins of Ashton and Hopeville, where a small community was build.Brist spend his childhood in the Divide and soon began traveling alongside his father, keeping the community flourishing as the only connection between it and the rest of the land. When the Divide and the road paved by Brist came to attention of the NCR, they cooperated to protect the supply line and keep it open for other traders. With that done and his home taken care of, Brist left the Divide to travel further, exploring New California as a drifter.  

Brist came to enjoy the life of a Drifter, occasionally taking small jobs and living from day to day up until returning to the divide a last time, making a delivery that would cause his home to be destructed.Not knowing of what had happened, Brist returned into the Mojave desert, further traveling New California before joining the Mojave Express.2281 he was hired to deliver another important package, once more without knowledge of what it would cause, and was shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings.

He doesn’t sleep too much, and he’s not at all picky about where. He prefers having some sort of mattress but if he’s tired and there’s none he’ll sleep on the floor.

Brist is an Courier and Explorer at heart, determined to finish his jobs, power through them. Even if that might result in physical pain or poisoning. Brist has the constant need to be on his feet all the time, traveling, looking around or doing things for people and he often does not sleep, eat, shower or talk during these travels. Sometimes he’s so focused on the road ahead that he misses the explosive traps right in front of him.

He notices that he is doing this, and he can sometimes be heard muttering to himself how he’ll see a doctor in the next town and so on, but those good intentions always get lost along the way. Brist hates missing traps and such, but he doesn’t quite see that those thigns could easily be avoided if he’d be more careful.

He is suffering from Radiation Poisoning, he could easily be treated for it at the early stages but he literally does not care enough to see a doctor or get some RadAway. He keeps delaying it in favour of missions and traveling and stuff

20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?

Charlie sings, more for herself actually, than for anyone else but she’s quite good at it. She’s constantly humming when she’d focusing on something and sometimes doesnt even notice when she starts singing along to songs. She simply loves music a lot and lets herself be taken along by the songs. Has no real preference for genre but she likes happy go lucky songs most

21. Your most artistic OC

Richard aka Dick. He’s at tattoo artist and leaves cool little doodles everywhere. Especially great with colours. The most colorful the better

22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how?

There aren’t really any, since my ocs arent popular or anything. Someone did sometimes, but it was more forcing their ideas or their own thoughts w their own ocs on mine,,,

23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?

Gregory, as you see below has changed quite a bit. While the overall design is the same, now he looks  as nasty as I imagine him to be, a lot less soft.Character-wise my ocs didn’t change drastically

Only the fact, in Gregory’s case, that he got more fleshed out, and the time he lives in changed, to the 50sI’m trying to not write to many long things here lmao.Especially since just u and Leander will read this and Leander knows himst and Regulus already.

Dr Gregory Thomas Landon was born 1911 to Sybill and Raphael Landon. While the first world war almost went by without having any impact on the family, Raphael was pulled into war when America joined in 1917 and died in combat.

With her husband gone and her son just 6 years old, Sybill took a job as a secretary to make sure of her and her sons survival.Sybill had grown up the youngest child (of those who had survived) out of 5, always too smart and abitious for a woman in her time. Her father was Doctor and she would often sneak into his office room to look through notes and books on human anatomy and patient records.She had written down what she believed could be links between illnesses,behaviour and anatomy, finding the greatest interest in the still very new field of psychology. Of course her father wanted to hear nothing of it, Sybills oldest brother being the one ment to inherit their fathers office and place as a doctor.

But Sybill had never stopped being interested in psychology, following the work of Edward Titchner, whod brought psychological studies to America, as well as the rise of ‘structuralism’ ,as close as possible.Unlike Titchner, who excluded the study of children, Sybill wondered if it was the childs mind that should be studied to find the roots of all things. Perhaps it was bitterness above all that drove her to the treatment of her son in the following years. Sybill had lived her life knowing that she had no possibility whatsever to porperly study psychology and work on her theories. But hearing about Margaret Washburn, the woman that had been able to become a psychologist, Sbyill turned anger and disappointment to her son, whom she viewed as the reason she had to stay at home and be a mother isntead of trying to achieve what Ms Washburn had.

Quickly she realized however that she did not need a title or be thought by a Doctor to test her theories, deciding to conduct them on her son, who had kept her from fullfilling her dream. While Gregory was not the perfect research object, already six years and not a infant, who Sybill believed to be the ideal stage, she attempted to see if continous infliction of pain would change her sons behaviour.

She was especially curious if such pain inflicted on the brain would influence Gregorys personality, perhaps causing of curing misbehaviours and such. Gregory would grow up very intelligent but withdrawn, hardly finding kinship with people his age, spending his time reading. Like his mother before him he became interested in the human mind and, unlike Sybill, was able to study, earning him a Doctorate in both psychology and psychiatry

While he remained living with his mother he would sometimes roam the university campus, especially after long nights of studying, observing the people around.

It was there that he, at age 19, that he met a young woman that had been wandering around, lost and visibly pregnant. Seeing her caused a deep shock in Gregory as she resembled his mother in looks like no other woman he’d even seen before. Unbeknowns to his mother, Gregory had suffered great damage from her treatment of him, which had lead to violent thoughts and great apathy. Had the girl not approached him, she would have lived but she decided to ask him for help, ending in her death.

This remained the only unplanned murder commited by the Doctor, who hid her body, laying awake at night, working out what to do with her. He had carefully opened her up, not focused on her death as much as on causing her pain for as long as possible, but as he hadn’t been very ecperienced yet he had made quite a mess. The young woman would turn to the first in a row of women that caused Gregory to perfect his work and disposal of the bodies.

World War Two brought a sudden end to the Doctors murder streak. Age 30 when America entered the War he was pulled into it as a medic, despite not being properly trained as a Doctor 

However his talents that he had perfected during his murders had been of great use during the war that had only led to Gregory becoming even more cold to death and gore. Returning from the War he was offered a position at a instiution, as the need for Psychologists arose.

However Gregory saw no great interest in treating shell shocked patients for too long, he instead chose to focus on the psychiatric field, working in an asylum from then on. Gregory is, while extremely smart, speaking four languages and being a Doctor, unable to form any bonds with people.

He’s terribly arrogant and aware of his intelligence, viewing it as a superiority to other people. He suffers from antisocial personality disorder/ psychopathy and is addicted to nictotine.

He’s a very cleanly person, almost to a point of it being an obsession. He smells of Nicotine, Disinfectant and a neutral perfume.

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?

Oh geez, well I’d rather meet an oc of mine thats like, one of the chill ones. Maybe someone about my age.

Someone like Friedrich or Violet. It’d be easiest to talk to them, and I know they are super nice. Meeting Brist, Araan or Caspian would be cool too tho, so many stories and questions there

25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)

There used to be the joke that Friedrich is basically a tall, muscular version of me. Funnily enough I now have the chin beard as well, and I’ve discovered that I’m as much of a nerd and work focused person as he is. Still while we share some similarities, we’re p different still lmao

26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will?

Not really, only changed things to be more accurate and stuff but that aint against my will or anything

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song? Nope

28. Your most dangerous OC?

There are a couple, such as Cenric (being a crazy, megalomanic, narcisstic, manic Emperor), Gregory and Jonathan (literal serial killers), Crya (cannibalistic monster) and Eligos (p much does body disposal). 

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going?

Eddy and Dick, they would tell each other because they’d go together lmao. Paula would want to and just before going there she’d chicken out of it

30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection? Quinn, he’s tall and grown up but he loves small and cute things

31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)

Friedrich II:Would have a super cool layout that he coded himself, and would offer the theme for people to use, as well as giving people tips on how to easily do cool things w their themes.

His icon would’ve been fairytale themed for a while until he posts his first selfie for pride month, then it’s a picture of him with a pride flag. He’d reblog peoples art of fairytales, and he’d especially love peoples new interpretations of them

Would reblog thing about rats and post pictures of his own rats with cute captions. Reblogs peoples selfies during pride and other pride days ( like trans day of visibility n such), always adding super nice things in the tags.

He posts his first selfie during pride and it gets quite the reblogs and people asking to see more (half of them are thirsting after his body) Declines the request to post full topless pictures because he says that his blog is sfw and he doesnt want to mix fairtales, rats and codes with nudes.

He would have a nsfw blog tho,,,hes horny He’d give it to those over 18 that’d ask, reblogging gifs and stuff there and yeah thats where he posts topless pictures.

32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?

I’d like to say Brist because that would be funny as hell and he would actually explore everything, pretty unfazed by what is going on. But honestly Annora is already living a horror game pretty much, that is with loosing her parents, fighting for survival,being used by the revolution group as a ‘chosen one’, and especially because she has to encounter the wandering twins, which are creepy as heck. She’s a fighter against will but she pulls through and shes careful enough not to do something stupid.

33. Your shyest OC?

That’d be sweet, pure Charlie

34. Do you have any twin characters?

Oh yes, Eddy and Dick; Jae-Eun and Jae-Hyeok; Nathanael and Susanna

35. Any sibling characters?

There’s a lot coming your way

Cenric and his younger sister Annora

Sadira and her older brother Arshad

Gregory actually has a halfbrother that’s not really developed, named Maximilian 

Charlie and her younger sister Paula

Olivia and her older brother Bill

Arthur and his younger brother Jonathan

36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?

The above mentioned Adelais who belongs to Leander, is let’s say semi-paired w Regulus

Established girlfriends Sadira (who’s my oc) and Elizaveta (who is his)

Violet (mine) and Cole (his) sweet young love

And an AU Version of my oc Echo is the ex of Ninas OC Crem

Charlie used to be w the oc Amy of a friend but idk if that’s still a thing

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human

There are a few, like Myka, Viida, Amodis,Brist, Rovhen and Araan but I think I’ll go with Cyra

Cyra, or ‘Venus Cyra’ is not as developed as some others here so not to worry about too long of a text,,,,I hope

Cyra is meant to exist around the 50s funnily enough, just like Gregory, which I really didn’t intend lmaoShe is,a s the question suggests, not quite human, despite maintaining a relaticely human appearance for most of the time. Cyra lives in a house in the fictional Bloomstreet, which has been declared haunted decades ago because of a man living inside of it that took great joy in messing with his neighbours.

Crya believes herself to have lived in the house all of her life, with no memory as to how she got to come there and why she can’t leave it.In truth it’s told that she moved in with her grandmother when Cyra was just a baby, having lost her parents. If you were to believe the whispers and legends the old woman was very poor, hardly able to keep the small house for her and her granddaughter.

She would wear the same old clothes she had arrived in, the young girl wearing a worn out dress with a pale blue bow. Legends say that they were so poor that the grandmother couldn’t afford to buy much more than bread and water.

A police man came to their door one day because the old woman hadn’t been able to pay for her house anymore. Desperate, it’s said that she hit the man across the head as he had bend down to say hello to Cyra, who looked famished and sick at that point.

Not sure what to do with the body and knowing that her granddaughter needed more than bread to survive and grow, she went to butcher the man and cook him into stew for herself and her granddaughter to eat. As she saw that Cyra became more healthy and stronger at the meat consumption, the old woman, desperate and hopeful to keep her beloved granddaughter alive, fully turned to cannibalism.

It’s said that the grandmother died a couple of years later of old age but legends have it that she is still in the house as well, a half dead monster. Cyra, having eaten human flesh all her life is said to have turned into a wendigo like creature,fully turning into a gruesome beast during the nights, to feed on the flesh of people that dare to enter the haunted house.

She is called Venus in some tales because a man claimed to have seen her one day, watering the roses in the lawn of the house, more beautiful than anything he had seen all his life, calling her ‘a sight like the goddess Venus herself’

Cyra isn’t fully aware of these legends, but she is aware of her monsterous nature, that she is unable to control. She believes she was cursed to stay in this house, a monster taking her place during night, leaving her with the remains of peoiple and the ravaging craving for human flesh.

She loved taxidermy and moths, and tending to flowers.

38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?

Irina is a professional ballet dancer so I’d say she’s the best out of my Ocs

39. Introduce any character you want

Alright, because I’ve tought about them recently, I’ll cheat a bit and introduce two ocs: Susanna and Nathanael, whom I mentioned somewhere above briefly as ‘The Wandering Twins’

They are part of my Golden Empire universe and are the heads of one of the groups that build after the collapse of most of what we know of the Earth.

They play a part in Annoras journey to find her brother as both a danger to avoid/defeat, as well as potential allies. Susanna and Nathanael are twins that are both about 1,90m tall and are constantly veiled, having stapled veils to their faces and necks.

That adds to their ghostly,creepy appearance. You could describe their group as a cult,as it is religiously motivated and their followers are devoted to Susanna and Nathanael, who they call ‘Mother’ and ‘The Priest’

That could come fromt he fact that Susanna wears the traditional headwear of a nun, while Nathanael looks somewhat like a Priest and carries a bible around. Christianity is considered an old and outdated religion in the times that GE plays in, practiced by a very small amount of people before the collapse. It’s generally thought of as outdated and outlandish, with stories too wild to be real.

However some of the old text have been recovered or been carried on over generations by those that remain firm believers in the Christian God. Susanna and Nathanael were raised by such a family and spread their belief to vulnerble and scared people after the collapse that latch onto it as a form of explanation easily.

The Twins view the collapse as a sort of apocalypse brought by God to punish Humanity for their sins, they believe that they must attone and suffer now as Earth was made their purgatory. If one is firm in belief and enough suffering is done, so they say, Heaven will open up and they will be taken by God to heaven, forgiven and able to forget the horrors they went through on Earth.

They expect that suffering to be done by their followers, who all walk barefoot, some of them having blinded themself in order to see nothing but God in their lifes. Susanna and Nathanael as well as their group wander in order to spread their message, taking in new followers if they prove their faith by stripping themselves of their footwear and walking through the ruins of cities with them until their feet bleed.

Only if they are willing to shed blood for their sins will they be taken on and be bathed and baptized in a river and dressed in simple gowns.It is considered the highest honour to be veiled just like Susanna and Nathanael. They seem to be able to appear out of nowhere and have a settlement in the woods that they return to.

40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!

I love developing oc things w my friends, its always a lot of fun and I wish I could do that more. Especially nice was cosplaying Gregory and Jason w Leander,,,cosplaying ocs is rad af, would love to do that again

41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)

Yeee, mostly you and Leander actually, but a couple of others too. Let me see if I can show u a favourite oc art from u and from Leander

@bruhchantite listen,,,this is so fucking cute, I love seeing our kids all together. All art of them is always so happy and positive. I love every piece u did of em but this one especially bc,,,bringing star wars into it??Power move

@spokoystviye okay listen you made soo many great pieces but this one,,,this one idk maybe its because I love Brist so much but,, this is simple yet amazing. I love the small light play u got in here and just how u drew Brist,,,thats me boy!!!

42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?

Cenric, I’d say. He thinks of himself as a god after all. I think he’d like the imagery of it all

43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess

Oh geez well,, I generally make my ocs older than me, like most of them are in their late 30s/40s, I have more ocs heading 60s than I have heading 20 lmao. My ocs are more often male than any other gender and more likely to be lgbt than straight. I like nice and clean looks, Leander can tell a great deal about how much I care for a clean look lmao. Most of my ocs have their life in order, and most of them are on the taller side

44. Something you like about your OCs in general

I put thought into my characters,so I think that makes them interesting and fun. And I try very hard to havbe them make sense and be time/lore appropriate.

45. A character you no longer use?

I did drop some Ocs a bit ago that never got much work and that I didn’t think interesting enough to work on. Sadly enough I don’t do as much w my ocs as I’d like to generally.

46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?

Nope, I’m generally kind to my characters lmao

47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child?

both Nina and Leander did and I think it’s v sweet hell yeah

48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure

Charlie and Caspian, truly good and pure, and positive

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes

Seth would definitely love memes. So would Kylan but he’d like the really weird ones best. Eddy and Dick would constantly send memes to each other, effectively annoying everyone else. Paula would like memes when they are already outdated

50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you want

Generally special universe oc seem to be more interesting than like,,basic universe ones but I wannt quickly talk abour my OC WilliamI love him okay? He’s from Russia, where he grew up in a tightly knit family. He’s a childrens Doctor and was married to Nahia, who’s an ER Doctor. They met in med school and got along super well, they both were used to the whole early marriage idea and marrying someone you like so they did just that. They both always wanted to have children and kid. It’s very important for them to be there for thgeir child despite their jobs. William is such a dad, he loves his child so much, he’d do anything for em. He and Nahia are best friends, even after the divorce, which happened after long talks because they had noticed that something was off. It led to William confessing that he thinks he might be gay and they ended up divorcing because it turns out yes he is. William probably would’ve stayed w Nahia, also for their childs sake but she wouldn’t hear anything of it. He’s a very kind man, calm and I love the thought of him being able to explore who he is even at his age. He’d be so new to everything,,sobs,,angel

[romancatholicreflections]

21st January >> Sunday Homilies & Reflections for Roman Catholics on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B.

Sunday Homily

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Gospel reading: Mark 1:14-20

vs.14 After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God.vs.15 “The time has come” he said “and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.”

vs.16 As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen.vs.17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fisher of men.” vs.18 And at once they left their nets and followed him.vs.19 Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John; they too were in their boat, mending their nets. He called them at oncevs.20 and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he employed, they went after him.

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We have four commentators available from whom you may wish to choose . Scroll down to the name of the commentator.

Michel DeVerteuil :     A Trinidadian Holy Ghost Father, late director of the Centre of Biblical renewal . Thomas O’Loughlin:  Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales, Lampeter. Sean Goan:                    Studied scripture in Rome, Jerusalem and Chicago and teaches at Blackrock College and works with Le Chéile Donal Neary SJ:         Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger and National Director of The Apostlship of Prayer.

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Michel DeVerteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels www.columba.ie

General Comments

On this Sunday, we begin the continuous reading of St Mark’s gospel, which will be interrupted during Lent and Easter but will eventually take us to the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem in November of this year.

The journey begins in Galilee, the northernmost province of Palestine. This is where Jesus lays the foundation for his work of salvation. You might like to stay with this context of the passage – the humble beginnings (even in relationship with the rest of Palestine, Galilee is on the periphery) of what was to become a mighty work which has still not been completed.

The passage is in two sections: – verses 14 – 15: this first section is a summary of the preaching of Jesus; – verses 16 – 20: the call of the first disciples. The first section is short, but every word is precious. Stay with the context of “after John had been arrested,” remembering the enormous impact that the Baptist had made on the whole country, and gauging from that the traumatic effect of his arrest. Yet, what seemed to be the end of a movement was the beginning of something new.  Take “the kingdom of heaven” in a down-to-earth way, as an expression meaning the kind of society which would correspond to what God wants. “Is at hand” means that it is within our grasp.

This second section is a may seem artificial at a first reading, but it is the classical story of the moment of grace, sudden and yet totally natural in the sense that it seems to happen so easily, like a ripe fruit falls in our hand. The two calls are clearly meant to be similar – St Mark is telling us that this is how a call always works out.

Prayer Reflection

Lord, we thank you for the changes that have taken place in our world. They happened so suddenly and unexpectedly – yes it is always how moments of grace happen. Like when John the Baptist was arrested and it seemed that the movement of religious renewal in the country had been blocked, but that was the occasion for Jesus to go into Galilee and proclaim the Good News from God. So it was in those Eastern European countries and countries where violent regimes take control People just knew that a new era was at hand, they must change their ways of thinking and acting, and trust that something great and wonderful was in store for them, even if for a while there is suffering. Thank you, Lord.

“Some would consider our hopes utopian. It may be that these persons are not realistic enough, and that they have not perceived the dynamism of a world which desires to live more fraternally.”  …Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio

Lord, the role of the Church is to preach the good news of God to the world, and the good news is that the Kingdom of Heaven is within our reach, if only we repent and believe that it is possible. Lord, we pray for all the preachers of the gospel, especially those who give homilies at Sunday services. Teach them not to be abstract in their preaching, but to proclaim the Good News of God as Jesus did – as new possibilities which are at hand. They must of course preach repentance – but not as an imposition from outside; rather, as good news within ourselves, good news which we can trust.

“To destroy human power nothing more is required than to be indifferent to its threats and to prefer other goods to those which it promises. Nothing less, however, is required also.”  ...R.H. Tawney Lord, your Son Jesus knew how to break the power of evil. When John was arrested, he went into Galilee and preached the good news that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

Lord, in the modern world we are accustomed to calculate things before coming to decisions. We have feasibility studies, computer printouts and charts. Eventually we think that personal relationships can be planned too, like choosing a marriage partner or a friend, picking those we want to work with us on a project. But we cannot plan those decisions. These things work by a kind of instinct, like Jesus walking along the Sea of Galilee and seeing two fishermen casting a net in the lake and then saying to them, “Follow me” and they left their nets and followed him.

Lord, when we want to start some work, we like to start with the spectacular. Teach us the way of Jesus, that when the time for action comes we should go to the periphery of life and choose a few companions, letting the kingdom grow from there.

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Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for the Year of Matthew www.columba.ie

Introduction to the Celebration During this coming year we are going to read our way through the gospel preached by St Mark. And today we hear about Jesus’s first actions in inaugurating the kingdom of God. He proclaimed the good news that we should repent and begin life afresh; and he gathered about him the first members of his new people. Here, now, today, we are gathering as that new people, gathering around him and listening to him in the Liturgy of the Word; and then with him we are going to offer thanks to our heavenly Father in the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Homily Notes

1. There is a strange surprise in today’s gospel if we just look at it for a moment. Right at the start we hear Jesus’s great message: begin life afresh and believe in the good news that God loves us. This is exactly what we should expect: the story of a great prophet’s teaching should begin with his core message  Then, immediately after that, we are not given any further explanation of this teaching., but we are told abour how he recuited his first followers. We have all heard this so often that we forget that this is really strange, but it is.

2. For most people today, whenever they hear talk about Jesus, their first reaction is to say that he is a great religious leader, a prophet, or a teacher who said many wise things about how people should lead their lives. This is nothing new: many at the time of Jesus looked on him in just this way — a figure to be compared with Moses or Elijah or one of the prophets. To many in the first years of Christianity as it spread around the ancient world, it seemed as if Jesus was simply a Jewish equivalent of a Greek philosopher: a wise man offering advice on how to live life well. Similarly today, many compare Jesus with the Buddha, Mahatma Gandhi, or some well-respected wise leader.

3. The basic idea in all these comparisons is that what we are seeking a wise teaching by which to live our lives. Alas, for people on this quest, very little of the gospel can be considered such ‘teaching’: indeed, this year, when we read Mark’s gospel, we find that 37% is taken up with the account of the final days in Jerusalem. It is all about Jesus’s life and death, not about how we should live our lives.

4. Anyone who looks on Jesus as just a wise teacher will be very surprised that what they think is a book of his teachings, a gospel, moves from his message directly to the comparatively ephemeral matter of his organisational arrangements.

5. But the fact that this way of looking at Jesus is in the air around us must prompt us to remind ourselves about a few matters that are often so taken for granted that they are forgotten.

6. Jesus is our teacher, but he also the One sent by the Father to build up the new community. This is why Mark moves immediately from the core teaching to the call of the first members of this new people.

7. Jesus not only teaches us the way to the Father, he unites us to himself within the church in order to present us to the Father.

8. To follow Jesus is to not only listen and agree with his message, but to be willing to work with others he has called to build the kingdom.

9. Mark preached his gospel to help us know who we are as a people — those who have chosen to become one with Jesus in baptism; he did not imagine that he was writing down wise religious sayings.

10. For the people of the gospel, to hear the call of Jesus to start life afresh is also to hear the call to follow him as his community.

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Sean Goan Let the Reader Understand www.columba.ie

Gospel Notes

With this gospel we have the beginning of the proclamation of the good news in Mark. Jesus is portrayed as discerning that the time is right for people to respond to the preaching of the kingdom. The essence of his message is simple: it is time to repent and believe. Behind the word to repent there is a much stronger meaning than simply ‘Be sorry and start again.’ Rather Jesus is looking for conversion, a change of mindset and attitude that will leave us open to God and allow us to trust that the news really is good. The radical response of the two sets of brothers shows something of what is intended, they leave their nets and they follow. The road they are taking will bring them to places they never imagined and will show them that following Jesus is a constant challenge to put themselves entirely into God’s hands.

Reflection

Both readings today warn us about the dangers of being self-obsessed. The parable of Jonah speaks very clearly of the dangers involved in imagining that we are better than everyone else. Such an attitude blinds us both to the goodness in others and the graciousness of our God whose mercy reaches out to all.

Paul is trying to get across to groups, who are trying to outdo each other in terms of their Christian virtue, that they don’t have to go making radical changes to their lifestyle in order to be faithful to the gospel.

It is much more important that in the ordinary details of their daily life and relationships they are guided by the love of Christ.

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Donal Neary SJ Gospel Reflections www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

The Ordinary

There’s something very ordinary for a fisherman about washing nets. Daily work, done with some drudgery but knowing that it is essential for a good catch of fish which would feed the family at this time Jesus called his first apostles.

There is something sacred about the ordinary. About bathing a child, loving a spouse, daily employment, family time and all that goes to make up our days.

In the middle of all this God can surprise us and call us into his service. Our expectation is sometimes different – that we need long times of prayer to find God, or read about him, or do big things for him.just as  the smallest things are done out of human love, God is found in the ordinary.

The old Irish spirituality had blessings for everything – for milking a cow, cleaning and dusting a room, visiting the sick and many more. there were prayers for meals, for a safe journey and a happy death. Our Irish spirituality found God as much in mountains and people as in the church, and often more so.

Maybe the disciples remember in difficult times the way they were called in their ordinary work, and found their ongoing call to follow the Lord in the ordinary of their lives for the rest of their lives.

Give me O Lord a love for the ordinary; remind me how ordinaryyou were for so much of your life. Amen.

[thecoolnewkid]

The New Year had just begun and the town was extremely quiet and time seemed to move rather slowly. Though the population was already at a minimal, the holidays always made the town seem like a ghost town. It was a mildly hot Friday and the clouds were threatening to cover up whatever little sun that was appearing. I turned on the television and went immediately to the weather channel in anticipation to find out what the weather will be like for the entire day. To my disappointment, the man in the cheap suit on the BBC channel went on to admit that there may be signs of heavy rain in the evening. I turned off the television and went back to my room to prepare for the day that I had planned. I stepped outside and I was hit by a heavy heat wave and for a second, my mind drifted back to the fifth grade on the playground where I had my first kiss. It was scorching hot, much like today and I don’t reckon I did the kissing quite right, but I was younger than. I got into the car and began driving down the empty road, heading towards the mall to get my hair done. Upon arriving at the salon, I realized I was a bit early for my appointment, so I stayed outside and decided to call my best friend. The phone rang for a short while and she finally answered on the seventh ring. I never could understand why she always picked up only after the seventh ring; until I remember the story she once told me about when she was seven and how she spent Christmas with her best friend and how the number seven will always be embedded in her mind. Me: good morning love Her: hey Thabang Me: I’m coming to pick you up later at 18:00. Is that okay? Her: as though I even have a choice. 18:00 can’t work though. Let’s try 18:00 Me: you’re an idiot Her: but I’m your idiot She immediately hung up the phone before I could respond. And she always did that. She will cross a certain threshold, and leave without giving me a chance to respond to it. And I will be left on the other end of the call thinking to myself that if thoughts could travel, if the mere act of what happens or what is said in your thoughts could somehow be transported to the person the thoughts are about, would you want to know? Would you want to know what goes on in my mind when I hear your voice or when you say things like ″ I’m your idiot ″. Or how my mind fixates on the notion of being anything close to resembling being yours. Or even how I’ve never done drugs before but on a lot of occasions I find myself needing a fix of you. How I’m always looking for my next drag because I’ve heard about how addictive these drugs become and I know nothing but the high you give me. My barber called from outside and I came rushing inside and set on the leather chair. I looked at myself in the mirror and I wondered how people look at themselves in the mirror every morning and are happy with what they see starring back. Because its 11:09 on a Friday morning and I’m starring at myself and nothing but hate is felt. I don’t see anything that is attractive or remotely worth looking at and maybe that’s the reason why back in the fifth grade when I had my first kiss, the girl turned around and ran away and never spoke to me again. Or why the boys in school ball into laughter whenever I walk past them and the girls make funny faces and point fingers whenever I drift past them. Or maybe it has little to do with what people think of me, but rather what I thought of myself. And if I’m being quite honest, I didn’t like the reflection starring back at me. I didn’t spend much time at the salon. I got my haircut done in exactly thirty-seven minutes and I headed back into town. I parked by the CBD and headed for the Masa hotel where I requested to speak to the manager upon my arrival. I set down in the corner of the cafe and awaited the arrival of the manager. The sun stopped shining and the clouds began to cover up the sky and leave a gloomy feeling. I set alone for a short while and the manager came shortly. I looked up at her and I thought to myself, if love at first sight was to ever exist, it would be right now in this exact moment. She was beautiful even in uniform and I wanted so badly to complement her but I didn’t know if that was appropriate or not, so I kept quiet. I offered her a seat next to me and I’ve never been one to fall for the simple act of sitting down, but she had a swagger about her that made you care about the act of sitting down. There was an awkward silence in the atmosphere for a short period because I was still shook by her beauty. She realized this and gave a genuine smile and started talking to me. We exchanged words for a few minutes and I began explaining to her why I am here. I explained to her that it was my best friend’s birthday and I was here to do a surprise dinner for her. I gave her all the details of what exactly I wanted to happen and she set and took notes of everything. She was smart without being mean and she was far too kind to be living in this cruel world. We talked back and forth for an hour, planning everything right to the second because I wanted this to be perfect. I gave her my number and she told me that she would call once everything is set and I should leave then. I left the CBD and drove straight home, trying to beat the lunch time traffic. I arrived at home shortly after ten minutes and headed straight to my room to rest. I set on my bed and I expected sleep to come naturally, but it didn’t. I set there on my bed and thoughts began to drift into my mind and I so badly didn’t want my mind to drift to those places so I took a sleeping pill. Four hours went by and I was awoken by the rain hitting my bedroom window that I had left open. Luckily, no rain had entered my room so there was no need to panic. I began looking through my wardrobe, in search of something to wear. Upon selecting something, I grabbed my phone and texted you that I’ll be over at yours in twenty minutes. There was slight traffic on the way to your house, but I turned on the radio and the music made the traffic a little bearable. I got to your house at 18:02 and rang the door bell. I entered the house and I was met by your little brother who came running to hug me. I picked him up and walked to the kitchen where I found your parents and greeted them whilst you finished getting ready. You came out of your room a few minutes after my arrival and it was then that I realized that if I didn’t believe in love at first sight before, I certainly do now. I thought about how I’ve seen you in jeans with no make-up on and how I’ve stood there in my tux and been your date for the prom and how I’ve been blessed to have seen you in white, but I’ve never seen anything quite like you tonight. I looked at you and the only words that I could string together were ″ you’re an idiot ″. And you laughed uncontrollably and I so wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of my life. We said bye to your parents and I promised your little brother id come visit him again soon. Upon the car ride to Masa hotel, I asked you to put on a blind fold and I remember the way your eyes popped out because you didn’t quite understand why you should be putting on a blind fold. You’ve always been stubborn but tonight you didn’t ask questions and put on the blind fold. We arrived at Masa Hotel under seven minutes and I parked in front of the hotel. I quickly ran inside to see how everything was set up and I swear it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever encountered. The room was lit with fluorescent lights and it seemed to brighten up even the darkest rooms. There was a crowd of people that accumulated in the lobby and whispers of a proposal were in the air. I couldn’t help but laugh at all the rumours that were being whispered. I met up with the manager and we exchanged a few words and I abruptly told her how beautiful everything looked and she looked back at me and grinned as though she knew the compliment was already coming. I ran back to the car and walked you up the stairs and into the hotel. I took off your blind fold and you couldn’t stop laughing until you looked around and gazed to the floor where you saw a couple of papers pasted to the floor with writing on it. You stood there with immediate shock and confusion because you didn’t quite understand what was happening. You looked up at me and only then did it register what was happening. There were twenty pieces of paper aligned on the floor, all with personal messages about things that I like about you. You began to walk, and as you did, you began to read the pieces of paper. You read the first paper that read Happy Birthday Your Smile Your Laugh Your Hugs You’re selfless You’re endlessly beautiful Your support Your advice Your confidence Your faith in me Your pure heart Your courage Your humility Your lame jokes Your modesty The nicknames you give me Your mahogany eyes The way your presence excites me Your Prayers For being my best friend For staying even when I didn’t deserve you. A bigger crowd had now evolved and everyone looked on in anticipation wondering if I really am going to propose. There were a few whispers in the air about how young we were to be getting married. And I quickly thought to myself. Why is it that there is a time frame to marriage? Why is there a fixed period to when you are supposed to get married? If two people are passionate about each other and they know what they want and the universe has conspired against for them to be where they are, why does it matter their age? Because I’ve seen fifteen year olds become millionaires and I’ve seen seven year olds save someone from a burning building. Why did their age not come into play then? Why didn’t society question their age when all of that was happening? Upon arriving at the last paper, it turned into a private room that I booked for the night where there was a candle lit dinner just for the two of us. I looked over at your face and you looked so sincere and so happy that I vowed to spend the rest of my life giving you more days like this. You were shocked without being scared and you were excited without being all over the place. We set down at the table and you looked over at me, words unable to come out of your mouth. I looked into your eyes and I saw all the words that you could ever need to say and I looked back at you and smiled and told you that it’s okay. We looked over our menus and ordered our food that we barely touched because you were still shocked over all of this and I’ve never been a fan of food anyways. Evening turned into night and the silence around the hotel quieted down and it seemed like we were the only ones accompanying the place. We talked politics, movie rates, town gossip and in the middle of all these conversations, I couldn’t help but feel a worry. I wasn’t quite sure what the worry was about because I might have just pulled off one of the best surprises this entire town has witness and I’m so glad I got to experience it with you. But I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming flood of worry and sadness. We set at the table for a while until the manager came and told us to set at another place because she had to clean up and set up for the next day. We moved to the next room where there were couches positioned in a corner and it was exclusive. The rain began to come down hard and in the midst of all that was happening, I caught a glimpse of you looking into the distance and at the rain and I thought about how sometimes in life, when it looks like this is the start of something, it can actually be the ending of it. We set there in silence and we both knew there wasn’t a need to say anything because we both enjoyed each other’s company and we were comfortable enough with each other to sit in silence and enjoy it. The rain continued to come down heavy and you looked at me with these eyes that I don’t think there’s any word in English to describe them. They weren’t happy eyes. But nor were they sad eyes. They were just eyes that looked to tell more than words could ever describe. Her: Thank you. Me: What for? Her: For this. For everything. For being what you are. And it was only then that I realized that this sounded more like a goodbye than an actual sign of gratitude. Me: Thank you. Her: What for? Me: For Four amazing years.

- excerpt from a book I'll never write

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings July 11, 2020

Psalm 20-21

Psalm 20

Prayer for Victory

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.Selah

4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God. 8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.

9 Give victory to the king, O Lord; answer us when we call.[a]

Psalm 21

Thanksgiving for Victory

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your help how greatly he exults! 2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips.Selah 3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head. 4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him— length of days forever and ever. 5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind. 11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.

13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

Footnotes:

Psalm 20:9 Gk: Heb give victory, O Lord; let the King answer us when we call

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 110

Psalm 110

Assurance of Victory for God’s Priest-King

Of David. A Psalm.

1 The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

2 The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes. 3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains.[a] From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth[b] will come to you. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”[c]

5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter heads over the wide earth. 7 He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.

Footnotes:

Psalm 110:3 Another reading is in holy splendor

Psalm 110:3 Cn: Heb the dew of your youth

Psalm 110:4 Or forever, a rightful king by my edict

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 116-117

Psalm 116

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”

12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 117

Universal Call to Worship

1 Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Deuteronomy 34

Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab

34 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.

9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Romans 10:14-21

14 But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15 And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all have obeyed the good news;[a] for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.[b]

18 But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for

“Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”

19 Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says,

“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.”

20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say,

“I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”

21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

Footnotes:

Romans 10:16 Or gospel

Romans 10:17 Or about Christ; other ancient authorities read of God

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Matthew 24:32-51

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he[a] is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Necessity for Watchfulness

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day[c] your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves[d] their allowance of food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. 51 He will cut him in pieces[e] and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes:

Matthew 24:33 Or it

Matthew 24:36 Other ancient authorities lack nor the Son

Matthew 24:42 Other ancient authorities read at what hour

Matthew 24:45 Gk to give them

Matthew 24:51 Or cut him off

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.