#Agag brothers

[anja-the-sane-panda]

Alejandro the Ex (age 24)

Fernando the Organizer (age 22)

Roberto the Rebel (age 19)

BEHOLD, ASSJANDRO AND HIS FAMILY IN THEIR GLORY

Yep! Alejandro (from this fic) is actually the eldest of three brothers!

Their father is the coach for Just Dance sweat mode (whom so far I’m just calling Benji)

I hope to expand on these guys, especially Roberto who has his own separate story.

Any questions you have are welcomed!

[chussyracing]

fresh f1 related news, rumours and bits of information i learned recently

there are rumours about Calderon driving for Andretti in Indycar (she already drove for Indycar but apparently she was afraid of the costs if she binned it so she was very careful with the car)

Dakar added a marathon challenge and m1000 this year for anyone interested

Helmut Marko apparently signed a new 3 year contract with RBR (GPblog says it's confirmed but I don't think so as of the time of writing this)

Wilson Fittipaldi who raced in f1 (and is also brother of emmerson) had an accident over christmas that put him in a coma after a cardiac arrest

again this is unconfirmed but apparently Jeffrey Epstein's list features: Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore, Lawrence Stroll, Jacques Villeneuve, Eddie Irvine and Alejandro Agag (they're just contacts for clarification)

RBR Head of Performance Engineering said that RB20 was developed around April/May and they are already shifting the attention towards RB21

Merc apparently finally moved the driver seat a bit towards the back as Lewis requested for a year or something

[engelspolitics]

Most Dangerous Weapons in Mythology

https://www.grunge.com/607088/most-dangerous-weapons-in-mythology/

Zeus’ Thunderbolt

· The thunderbolt reflects Zeus' personification of storm and sky. In an instant, the sky god could smite an individual dead from afar. It also related how he could ride the lightning instantly and descend from the heavens.

The sword Tyrfing

· The sword was created when King Svafrlami, the grandson of the god Odin, trapped the dwarves Dulin and Dvalin and forced them to make him a sword.

· The dwarves were master smiths and resentfully forged Tyrfing. The sword never rusted, featured a golden hilt, and could cut rocks and iron like butter. To make it even more intimidating, it glowed like fire.

o But the dwarves decided to take revenge by laying curses on the sword. First, every time the sword was drawn, it was destined to kill.

Vishnu’s Sudarshana Chakra

· Vishnu is known as the "Preserver." He is a guardian of men who appears on Earth in the form of various avatars to fight demons and preserve stability in the cosmos.

· this weapon is a discus composed of 108 blades. This design is symbolic of Vishnu's association with the sun and also a representation of the Hindu depiction of the Wheel of Life.

o The weapon can destroy anything and traditionally cannot be used by mortals

Poseidon’s Trident

· Poseidon ⁠— Neptune in the Roman tradition ⁠— had a trident that was forged by the Cyclopes at the same time as Zeus' thunderbolt and Hades' helmet.

· Poseidon's trident probably originated from a simple fishing spear

· The spear could also create an earthquake, shatter rocks, and calm a stormy sea. It is for this reason that Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes.

Sharur the Speaking Mace

· Sharur was the massive mace of Ninurta, the hero-god of hunting and war in ancient Sumeria.

· The most notable use of Sharur was when Ninurta fought the demon Asag (also called Agag), who was a demon of sickness and disease à Sharur worked as a tricorder providing crucial information on the monster

Kusanagi

· Warrior sword; first found in the tail of an eight-headed dragon by the storm god Susanoo. The god then gave it to his sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu, who then gifted it to her grandson, Ninigi, who came to Earth to become the ruler of Japan.

· The sword has been passed down through the years and is one of the three sacred treasures of Japanese imperial regalia; however, the sword remains hidden, so no one has ever seen it.

· Kusanagi has divine powers and is a symbol of national identity to Japan

Arthur’s Excalibur

· Excalibur's origins are unearthly, with some traditions holding that it was forged on the mystical isle of Avallon. The sword has also been attributed with some powers — it purportedly burned so brightly that it blinded enemies. And in the right hands, it was said the be powerful enough to slay heaps of foes.

· Excalibur's scabbard also allowed the wearer to suffer blood loss and not die, and some tales say that wounds did not bleed at all when wearing the scabbard.

Thor’s Mjolnir

· The meaning of Mjolner's name — "Pulverizer," or "That Which Smashes"

· It was originally created by two dwarf-brothers, Brokkr and Eitri, as part of a wager made between them and the god of mischief, Loki.

o However, to win the bet, Loki cheated by biting the dwarves as they wrought the hammer. As noted in "Goddess," the result was a handle that was too short. However, Thor was pleased with it and used it to slay giants

o it could be folded up and stuffed into a small area, which is why Thor usually kept Mjolnir tucked in his shirt.

o The hammer never missed its target, and when thrown, the hammer always returned to its owner. Mjolnir is also red-hot to the touch and it shot lightning

Marduk’s Imhullu

· The most important deity to the ancient city of Babylon was its patron god, Marduk, who was responsible for justice, healing, and compassion and was also a storm and agricultural god

· Marduk defeated Tiamat, the incarnation of chaos, to bring order to the universe and create heaven and earth and co-create humanity

o It is in his battle with Tiamat that Marduk uses a weapon named Imhullu, which means "evil wind" to kill Tiamat

Fragarach the Answerer

· In Irish mythology, the sea god and guardian of the underworld, Manannan mac Lir, wielded the divinely-created sword Fragarach

· Aside from being able to cut through shields and walls, the blade delivered a piercing wound that could not be healed. Thus, Fragarach was dangerous even to the wielder if they didn't know what they were doing

· When the sword was placed to a person's throat, they could neither move nor tell lies àherefore the sword is called the answerer

· He who wielded Fragarach controlled the wind itself.

The monkey king’s ruyi jingu bang

· One of the great stories of traditional China is the Ming Dynasty novel "The Journey to the West." The work is based on the pilgrimage of the monk Xuanzang to India in A.D. 7. Xuanzang is accompanied by various companions, including a monkey, Sun Wukong, also known as the Handsome Monkey King

o He was kicked out of the Celestial court for misbehavior, and Xuanzang and Monkey have numerous adventures fighting brigands and monsters while experiencing moments of Buddhist enlightenment.

· The Monkey King used the Ruyi Jingu Bang to battle his enemies. This was a magical golden staff that he earned after defeating the dragons of the four seas.

· The staff had the ability to change size or fight independently from its user. For example, when the Monkey King originally found it, it was over 8 tonnes, but when it was stowed behind his ear, it was the size of a needle

The Spear of Destiny

· The spear that a Roman soldier used to pierce the side of Jesus’ body

· One well-known example of the use of the lance was during the First Crusade. According to the story, peasant Peter Bartholomew had a vision from St. Andrew telling him to retrieve the lance to use it against Islamic forces. After reporting his vision to Crusade leaders, a search was conducted. Nothing was found until Bartholomew jumped into a pit and pulled out a long iron rod, claiming it was indeed the Holy Lance. It was accepted, and the Crusaders used it to successfully take the ancient Greek city of Antioch.

o Later, Bartholomew was put to an ordeal by fire to see if he was really telling the truth and died in the process, discrediting him in Christendom.

· There are currently three different relics that claim to be the authentic Holy Lance, but none of them claim to have holy powers

[dailyaudiobible]

08/18/2021 DAB Transcript

Esther 1:1-3:15, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Ps 35:17-28, Proverbs 21:19-20

Today is the 18th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we begin some new territory. So, we concluded…well…we read Ezra and then we read Nehemiah. We concluded Nehemiah yesterday and there’s so much in Ezra and Nehemiah for us and we explored that. So, we’re not really leaving stories from the exile, but this is a totally new complexion and it's so wonderful when we arrive at this place, the book of Esther.

Introduction to the book of Esther:

And what we’ll learn is that…well…the story of a Hebrew girl named Hadassah and she was orphaned in the exile, and her cousin, his name was Mordecai. He took her in and raised her as his own. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. And, so, Hadassah, she is in exile in Persia and so they can have a different language and different naming scheme. And, so, she takes on the name Esther, which means Morning Star or Star in the Hebrew tradition. So, what we will find is that the Persian king has a falling out with Vashti, his Queen. She embarrasses him, really humiliates him and rebels against him in a way, and as it turns out she is put away, which is what eventually allows Esther to come onto the scene. A search throughout the land for beautiful maidens that would qualify, like they would if chosen, become the Queen. And as it turns out Esther is beautiful, like stunningly beautiful, gorgeous. And just inside and out has a quiet temperament and is kindhearted and not arrogant or condescending, and she is chosen to be, you know, kind of in the final group where a lot of different women are being given lots of different beauty treatments and cared for and being taught the ways of the palace and how to be before the king and all of the customs of royalty. And Esther was taken into the harem as it were and began to go through all of this and she found favor everywhere that she went, but she kept the fact that she was Jewish a secret. She didn't say her ethnicity and that turned out to be pivotal. We’ll also meet someone named Haman who rose to great prominence, basically second in command in the kingdom. He was in Amalekite. He descended from King Agag. He becomes kind of the antagonist in the story because the Amalekites and the Hebrews have been enemies actually all…all the way back to Jacob and Esau. And it was Samuel, the Hebrew prophet that executed the king Agag the Amalekite. It was the Hebrew king Saul that had defeated Agag but had spared him and then…well…Samuel then didn't spare him. So, much later now Haman’s got this brewing, seething rage towards the Jewish people and he’s risen to prominence in Persia and so he plans the...the extermination of the Jewish people throughout the entire empire. So, this is a short book but it's pretty high in drama. And in the end it establishes a festival in the Hebrew culture that is lasting until today, the festival of Purim. And we’ll find…we’re gonna love Esther. It's a great read. It's a great story. It's a short story but it's a beautiful story. But as we overlay it with our lives there’s so much there. God against all odds is present. Circumstances don't always work out the for the worst or the way that we think that they might. Everybody has a role to play in the story because God brings people into things and assigns them to do things for such a time as this. And, so, let's…let’s dive in and enjoy Esther. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. Esther chapters 1 through 3 today.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for Your word. We thank You for this…this new territory, the book of Esther that we find ourselves in. Thank You for the story of a valiant beautiful woman who rescues Your people for such time as this. And we look in our own lives and look for these scenarios where we find ourselves in a situation and maybe we’re not the Queen and maybe we’re not gonna rescue an entire people group, but there are such times that we are the one that's in the right place to do Your service. Help us to recognize that even as we continue with the story of Esther moving forward tomorrow. Come Holy Spirit we pray into all that we've read we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey guys this is Lazarus calling. For those that have followed me over the years, this is it. Finally losing everything and it's OK. I'm extreme pain. I put off the surgery on my shoulder for two years and now it's beyond bearable. I was near suicidal earlier this week from the pain. On a new pain scale, it’s level 17. So, anybody wants to jump on board with that one come on. I'm just putting together a list of all the things that I have to sell with what I have left and try to figure out a way to make it to a surgery that I can't afford. So…and losing my company, losing everything. So, not sure how to deal with loss but Jesus is there. I can do anything with him. And I'm just trying to reconnect with His fire. So, for those of you who are in pain or loss or whatever, I feel for you. I am there with you. Just know that He's there and when it's dark…I've been dark…He gives you a flashlight and points you in the right direction. So, please keep the faith. I have no idea where I'm going to be, where I'm going to be living, if on the street or whatever, but I'm in his hands and I'm doing His will. So, I give it all up to Him. So, thank you for your prayers. Over the years and I pray I'm around to talk to you in the near future and with a praise report or any report. God bless you all I love you all. Thank you Brian, I’ve loved you for years brother.

This is Peggy in Texas and as a grandmother I ask you to pray for my 15-year-old grandson. He's suffering some from some type of trauma. The doctor has told us this. We do not know what it is at this point, nobody does. He has shut down, he's pulled in, he's evidently feeling very lonely…is…he's alone in many ways in this world and he is filled with anxiety. And, of course, all this leads to depression. Will you please ask our Lord to grant his parents and me…he's staying with me as…beginning in a few hours for now for several days and then his parents are taking a daughter to college. We ask for wisdom, ask for strength ask for peace in the mist of upheaval, please. Ask for direction, that…that we'll all be able to pull together, and the need will be met, that God will be honored. I am 87 and, of course, you can probably tell in my voice that I'm experiencing some anxiety and restlessness and just longing and for help. Anyway, I thank you for praying with me as I pray with you for your concerns. Oh man…heavenly Father, hear us and direct our paths and heal our hearts and our minds and our…our children for His honor in His glory. Thank you for hearing this request. Thank you for praying with me. Blessings. Bye- bye.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Sheena from Saskatchewan Canada. I wanted to send a prayer out to Quiet Confidence in Virginia and just…just letting you know that there's no shame in anxiety and depression. And I get it. But I just wanted to let you know that when the enemy is telling you that you're backsliding or that you're going against your faith it's just…it's…it's not true. And you are strong, and you are loved, and I just hope that I can provide you some encouragement with that prayer. I called in a little while ago, so thank you to those who prayed for my situation with my boyfriend being wrongfully accused of a crime. We’re doing alright this week. We've…we have our next court date which unfortunately isn't till February. So, please continue to pray for us as we prepare for this preliminary hearing. Couple people I want to send shoutouts for, Lorenzo, you’re such a blessing to our DAB community. I pray that as you go back to school that God will grant you strength to continue in your faith and wisdom to do well at your new school. Holly Heart your commitment in praying for all of us is inspiring. Thank you, Lord for Holly and her faith and service to You and the rest of us. And Esther from Kissimmee, I pray the Lord continues to shine on you and to be gracious to you. Your passionate prayers for all of us lift my heart and restore my faith in the world and it makes me want to do better. Thanks DAB family. I'm hoping that I can make this a regular thing, calling in and praying. Have a great day. Love you. Bye.

Hi DAB family this is Jessica from California. Tonight, I'm calling in to say a prayer for Dave from Indiana. Actually, the prayers for his son Lucas who has been a rehab for 28 days because he has an alcohol problem, and he has a wife and two children, and he somehow maybe had a relapse. And I just want to say a prayer. So, here we go. Dear heavenly Father, we just come before You Lord. You know what it is that Lucas is trying to drown and what void he's trying to fill with the alcohol Lord. And I just pray that in his quiet Time Lord that You speak to him and You pour Your love and Your anointing oil all over his mind and his body Lord, that You heal him from the inside out from all that's troubling him, whatever it is that he's choosing to use alcohol as a vice for Lord, that You just…You remove that splinter from his heart Lord and You heal him up Lord. And I just pray this on his father's behalf and also his wife and his children's behalf Lord because this not only affects him it affects his children and his whole family. I just thank You Lord that You are going to do this for Lucas and because he is a praying father and…and that You love him and You have wonderful dreams for him and I just want to encourage you Dave that the Lord healed me from…in Jesus’ name I pray Amen…that the Lord healed me from a drug addiction. And he had to heal me from emotional things first. So, I just pray that he heals your son from any emotional problems that he has. And…and thanks for calling in and putting your faith in the Lord Dave. Have a nice day. Bye.

Hi, it's Tom here calling from the UK just calling to ask for prayer for my left eye. I have a condition called recurrent corneal erosions and basically what that means is that wake up in the middle of the night with really excruciating eye pain. It's red, it's streaming, and I've just got to use eye ointment and eye drops and eye wash and usually it just settles down but for the past two days it just hasn't and my eyes quite swollen and it's just very painful. I'm over in Ireland the moment and it's my godsons christening and I really want to make it for Sunday. It's Friday today but at the moment I'm contemplating going back to the UK to…to get treatment. On top of it I'm also a doctor myself. I'm a surgeon in training and I need my eyesight. And I just really would covet your prayers, that my eye would be healed and that this condition would go and I'm thanking Jesus already for the healing and I just…yeah…I would just really appreciate prayer for it, that this pain would go and that I would get 2020 vision and this condition would just go away completely. So, thank you once again. Take care.

[dalyunministry]

Min. Rutendo Zimbabwe

💗

Good evening brethren. 

As we start let's have our opening prayer:

Father we thank you for this be beautiful day that you have granted unto us ,we thank you for this platform which enables us to share your love and for the word that touches our heart each day anew .As we share more about your love and mercy helps us to grow more spiritually in Jesus name amen.

So my Topic  is "Guard the power that you where given by God jealously ".

Apostle Olusola has taught us to be in one accord as christians sharing as Christ has loved us and needs us stay in unity. So as we stay in united as children of God we need to use the gifts that we where given to expand more in His ministry. As we use the power that was envasted in us by Christ the church grows ,and everyday we win a new soul to Christ. As apostle Olusola have said the the problem comes when we limit God to use us as His instruments and the more we limit God the more the power given to you vanishes and you are left empty. Now how can you survive when the Holy Spirit which is the author of all things is no longer in you.

Listen Child of God you need the Holy Spirit more than anything in life. Sin no more. Leave the dirty works and start a new life in 

Christ. Yes you are a pastor and you believe you are doing the will of God but be wise the moment you think you are clever and start misuse the althourity and power given to you by God the Holy Spirit will no longer be with you.

• Deny the devil and flee away from him. You have been annointed to draw souls to the kingdom sin no more or the Holy Spirit will go away and leave you empty.

Lets look at Genesis 25 :19-34.

Lets see how Esau lost his birthright.

• Esau was annointed by God whilist he was stl in the womb. As the mother bore the children we see the annointing was still with Him. Esau wasn't elevated to see the importance of his birthright he went on to exchange the  birthright with a pot of pottage. As we go on through this Chapter we see Isaac blessing Jacob thinking that he was Esau. Brethren when you exchange your gift win sin the Holy Spirit leaves you empty and what you do next will be nothing in the presence of the Lord.

With sin We see Jacob going away with the annointing ...ask yourself are you not selling the annointing that God gave you in exchange of eathly deadly things. You know yourselves what you doing that the Lord dislikes

Flee away from evil. 

• Let's look at king Saul

2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.

19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

Now you see when the Spirit of God leaves you, an evil spirit enters. Now when that happens you need to surround yourself with those people who are filled with the Spirit of God, you need a revival.

• Let's focus at verse 3,9,11

Pastors , Evangelists ,Prophets beware! Follow the commandments! Listen to Lord! Do His Will and Not your Will! Beware brethren! SEE what happened to King Saul because he did not Follow what God has said. Listen and be wise. Follow instructions. That way the annointing grows and we will have the fullness of Christ in you. Guard the power given to you by God jealously. Don't let the devil ruin you. You have work to do ,move ,move ,move expand in the ministry. The harvest is plenty. Win more souls to Christ. It's not yet done expand don't limit God's annointing in you.

• Let's look at Samson: Judges 16:28-31 Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be avenged upon the Philistines for one of my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars upon which the house rested, and he leaned his weight upon them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people that were in it. So the dead whom he slew at his death were more than those whom he had slain during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Esh′ta-ol in the tomb of Mano′ah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Samson was to remain a Nazarite. The Lord has told him mother that she was going to bear a son and that son was to remain a Nazarite ,he wasn't allowed to shave off his hair. Now Samson is fooled be Delilah and he tells her the secret of his annointing. Brethren don't be fooled by the devil. Now Delilah tells the philistines the secret of Samson power and he loses all when he was shaved. Guard your annointing jealously dear brethren. Don't let the devil take away your annointing. Don't be fooled. Be wise. Guard the power given to you by God jealously.

As l conclude l pray that the Lord will use us without any limit in His ministry ,may He forgive us where we sold our gifts unwilling ,may His mercy and unbundant grace be with us now and forever Amen.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

17th January >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Antony, Abbot

    on 

Monday, Second Week in Ordinary Time.

Monday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the feria (Monday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

1 Samuel 15:16-23

Obedience is better than sacrifice. Because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he, too, has rejected you as ruler.

Samuel said to Saul: “Stop! Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” Saul replied, “Speak!” Samuel then said: “Though little in your own esteem, are you not leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD anointed you king of Israel and sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and put the sinful Amalekites under a ban of destruction. Fight against them until you have exterminated them.’ Why then have you disobeyed the LORD? You have pounced on the spoil, thus displeasing the LORD.” Saul answered Samuel:  “I did indeed obey the LORD and fulfill the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought back Agag, and I have destroyed Amalek under the ban. But from the spoil the men took sheep and oxen, the best of what had been banned, to sacrifice to the LORD their God in Gilgal.” But Samuel said:

“Does the LORD so delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices    as in obedience to the command of the LORD? Obedience is better than sacrifice,    and submission than the fat of rams. For a sin like divination is rebellion,    and presumption is the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the command of the LORD,    he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R/ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,    for your burnt offerings are before me always. I take from your house no bullock,    no goats out of your fold.”

R/ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“Why do you recite my statutes,    and profess my covenant with your mouth, Though you hate discipline    and cast my words behind you?”

R/ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

“When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?    Or do you think that I am like yourself?    I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes. He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;    and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God.”

R/ To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

Gospel Acclamation

Hebrews 4:12

Alleluia, alleluia. The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mark 2:18-22

The bridegroom is with them.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Antony, Abbot

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Ephesians 6:10-13, 18

Put on the armor of God.

Brothers and sisters: Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.

   With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 16:1-2a and 5, 7-8, 11

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;    I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.” O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,    you it is who hold fast my lot.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;    even at night my heart exhorts me. I set the LORD ever before me;    with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,    fullness of joys in your presence,    the delights at your right hand forever.

R/ You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

John 8:31b-32

Alleluia, alleluia. If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, says the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 19:16-26

If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have.

Someone approached Jesus and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed.  What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[dailyaudiobiblechronological]

4/13/2021 DAB Chronological Transcription

1 SAMUEL 18-20, PSALM 11, PSALM 59

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. It is what's today, 13th day of April. I am Jill, it's wonderful to be here with you today as we're reading together God's word. We've turned the page in the Bible and we're listening to hear what God might speak to us today, speak to our hearts, speak to our souls, our spirits, our minds through his word. And just maybe we can identify something in our own story in these pages together today. We're reading First Samuel chapters 18 through 20. Today we're reading Psalm 11 and Psalm 59 today. And we are continuing in the New English Translation. First Samuel 18.

Commentary

Again, there's a lot to talk about and we've got to move fast. We're going to go back to yesterday just for a minute. We have talked about God Almighty. We have talked about the fear of the Lord, the reverence living in obedience to God. But can we talk about, just for a second, the human emotion that God clearly felt yesterday, that we fail to observe, that he knows. The way that I see it Samuel finishes King Agag off because Saul refused to kill him. But we see in yesterday's reading that the Lord regretted that he made Saul King over Israel. How often we fail to realize and often say you just don't understand. Well, if God regretted making Saul King, he clearly understands regret. He sends Samuel to Bethlehem because he has selected a king himself. Samuel arrives, he sees each son of Jesse first by stature, and the Lord tells him, don't be impressed by his appearance or his height. He's not it. One by one, the other brothers are dismissed. They get to David, the shepherd, he's attractive, has pretty eyes and a handsome appearance, and he tends to sheep. And the Lord tells Samuel that's the one. After this point, the spirit of the Lord turns himself away from Saul and then sends an evil spirit to torment Saul. Just sit with that for a sec because that's sure to mess up our theology. Saul's servant points out what's happening, and calls for a servant to come play the liar, and whenever that liar is played, it will calm him. One of the servants recognizes David, son of Jesse from Bethlehem. He's a brave warrior and is articulate and handsome for the Lord is with him. This is our introduction for David, meeting Saul David, a very competent, able warrior, handsome man, meeting Saul, insecure, fearful. He's been humiliated by his own people and now God has taken his spirit from him. So David is who Saul agrees to have him come and play the lyre any time he is tormented by this evil spirit. And then we know the story. David kills the giant with the first stone. He packs five, but it only took one. It's also interesting that Saul clothes David with his own armor, you know, sort of like here, let me give you what I have to help you out. But this was so uncomfortable on David that he took it off and he goes sort of all natural warrior shepherd boy. David cuts off the head of the giant and delivers it to Saul. And Saul is curious, whose son are you, young man? And David replies, I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem. OK, that's all yesterday. Today we can guess that David killing the giant only adds to Saul's insecurity, especially since this is the boy that is trying to comfort Saul when Saul is tormented. Saul's son Jonathan and David are bound together in close friendship. They love each other beyond brothers. David comes back from battle. The women start singing and dancing, and as they're playing music, they sing. Saul has struck down his thousands, but David has tens of thousands. And this infuriates Saul. It adds to his jealousy because of his insecurity. So he's going to keep an eye on David from that day forward. And then the very next day, we have Saul's first attempt at killing David. After numerous attempts, David realizes that one way or the other, if he stays, Saul is going to end up killing him. He tells Jonathan they devise a plan. David's fears are realized and David and Jonathan depart ways. The thing that grieves me about their story and their friendship is the result of David needing to flee from someone that he genuinely loves and cares about because of the envy and the jealousy of an insecure man named Saul. And once again, we just come face to face with the question of what have we lost at the hands of jealousy and envy and insecurity and what have we cost somebody else at the hands of those same things? We will see how the story continues tomorrow.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the mirror of your word that causes us to reflect our own hearts, our own shortcomings, our own inadequacies. And it's a difficult view to look at once we recognize it. But the greatest knowledge and recognizing it is knowing that you have the power to change us from the inside out. So once again, Father, we invite you into that process. Thank you for not leaving us, not turning your back on us, not walking away from us in those shortcomings, but coming to our rescue, comforting us, consoling us and healing us and making us new again and again, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit amen.

Announcements

Daily Audio Bible. That's home base. That's the mother ship. That's where you go to find out anything you would like to know on the website. It's the free app if you haven't downloaded it already, if you'd like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, we thank you immensely for your partnership. You can give through mail at PO Box 1996 Spring Hill, Tennessee, 37174. Or you can hit the Give icon up at the top right hand corner of your mobile app. If you would like to call in a prayer request. If you'd like to pray for somebody else that has already called in a prayer request, you can do that by hitting the red circle button up at the top right hand corner of your mobile app. Make sure you hit submit, turn the dial to Chronological to get it off to the right place. Or you can call 800 583-2164. That's going to do it for me today. I'm Jill. We will turn the page together tomorrow. I look forward to it every single day. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line

Hi, this is Saved by His Grace in Happy Valley. I was listening to my family today, and enjoyed all of your messages. Ezekiel, especially I loved the rap you did before and after your podcast. I thought that was awesome and on the Chronological, a woman called in responding to a prayer for our children. And I just wanted to share something. I have a son who's going through some horrible times. His wife had betrayed him and he stayed with her and they have an almost five year old son who I love with all my heart, as well as my other grandchildren. But she has now asked for a divorce and has moved out, and at the moment they're sharing custody of my grandson, but my poor son is in a very dark place. But I heard a message the other day where God said, I know about your lost one's. I know what happened to them and I love them and I am caring for them. So trust me, they are in my hands. I will take care of them. I hope that helps you. It's helping me. I love you all, bye.

Hello, I'm a first time caller who felt prompted by God to call in after hearing the mom who asked for prayer for her daughter on March 29. Sorry it took so long to call in. Your request made me stop what I was doing because you almost could have been describing me. I'm also 27, the oldest sibling single and still living at home. I currently do have a job, but a few years back I was unemployed for almost a year after the company I was working for was sold. At that time, I was exhausted mentally, spiritually and physically. I think the biggest lesson God was teaching me was how much I did not put my worth and value in him. It was so heavily in my job how productive I was in a day and what others thought of me. I'm continuing to learn to see myself, how God sees me, which is his precious child, and nothing can change that. Those years, along with the DAB, and my small group, from church were the catalyst for spiritual growth like I've never experienced before. I'm praying that God breaks through for your daughter in ways that you could not have imagined. While our lives on paper may seem to be at a slower pace than those around us. If it's a pace that is in collaboration with God, it's just right. I also wanted to encourage you. You're doing a good job. I know my mom also felt like she wasn't able to do much, but I'm especially thankful for her prayers, encouragement and support during that time. I know I snapped at her plenty of times out of my own frustrations. So from a daughter to another mother, your prayers and support are so valuable and praying for you and your daughter. God bless.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is anonymous in Tulsa, Charlie Lima Oscar. I pray for this myself personally, and I know that all prayers go up to the Lord and I know that you guys pray. I say you guys, but you all of you, no matter who you are, pray for those of us who pray silently. But maybe this is something I need to ask you guys to pray for. I have I don't know what it is, discernment. And I've had a bad dream. Now I need you to lift up my daughter and and her decision, her her decision making, her concern, her ability to deal with stress. If I say go left, she goes right. If I say the sky is blue, she says it's green. If I say yes, she says no. You know, the thing is, is that in my dream, it was that it was it wasn't a good decision. It wasn't it. It wasn't a good decision. And right now she's got a PO on her ex. And this was allowing her ex to have a custodial right to one of her children that he doesn't ever care to see, when he does have them, he just takes them to his parents and leaves them there. So and we had talked about my failure was I talked about he she shouldn't let him see them at all if he wasn't going to care for them, that was my fault.

[dfroza]

have you ever been falsely accused of wrongdoing?

many people have, just as Paul had been accused of things as documented nearly 2,000 years ago. although at a time before this he was guilty of doing the same until he had a significant change of heart & mind.

in Today’s reading from the book of Acts Paul states his defense against the charges he was being held by:

[Acts 22]

Paul: Brothers and fathers, please let me defend myself against these charges.

When they heard him speaking Aramaic, a hush came over the crowd.

Paul: I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia. I was raised here in Jerusalem and was tutored in the great school of Gamaliel. My education trained me in the strict interpretation of the law of our ancestors, and I grew zealous for God, just as all of you are today. I encountered a movement known as the Way, and I considered it a threat to our religion, so I persecuted it violently. I put both men and women in chains, had them imprisoned, and would have killed them—as the high priest and the entire council of elders will tell you. I received documentation from them to go to Damascus and work with the brothers there to arrest followers of the Way and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains so they could be properly punished. I was on my way to Damascus. It was about noon. Suddenly a powerful light shone around me, and I fell to the ground. A voice spoke: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” I answered, “Who are You, Lord?” The voice replied, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you persecute.”

My companions saw the light, but they didn’t hear the voice. I asked, “What do You want me to do, Lord?” The Lord replied, “Get up and go to Damascus; you will be given your instructions there.” Since the intense light had blinded me, my companions led me by the hand into Damascus. I was visited there by a devout man named Ananias, a law-keeping Jew who was well spoken of by all the Jews living in Damascus. He said, “Brother Saul, regain your sight!” I could immediately see again, beginning with Ananias standing before me. Then he said, “You have been chosen by the God of our ancestors to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear the voice of God. You will tell the story of what you have seen and heard to the whole world. So now, don’t delay. Get up, be ceremonially cleansed through baptism, and have your sins washed away, as you call on His name in prayer.”

I returned to Jerusalem, and I was praying here in the temple one day. I slipped into a trance and had a vision in which Jesus said to me, “Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem fast! The people here will not receive your testimony about Me.” I replied, “But Lord, they all know that I went from synagogue to synagogue imprisoning and beating everyone who believed in You. They know what I was like and how I stood in approval of the execution of Stephen, Your witness, when he was stoned. I even held the coats of those who actually stoned him.” Jesus replied, “Go, for I am going to send you to distant lands to teach the outsiders.”

They were listening quietly up until he mentioned the outsiders.

Crowd (shouting): Away with him! Such a man can’t be allowed to remain here. Kill him! He must die!

Chaos broke out again. People were shouting, slamming their coats down on the ground, and throwing fistfuls of dust up in the air. The commandant ordered the soldiers to bring Paul to the barracks and flog him until he confessed to whatever he had done to stir up this outrage.

Back at the barracks, as they tied him up with leather thongs, Paul spoke to a nearby officer.

Paul: Is this legal—for you to flog a Roman citizen without a trial?

The officer went and spoke to the commandant.

Officer: What can you do about this? Did you know this fellow is a Roman citizen?

Commandant (rushing to Paul’s side): What’s this? Are you really a Roman citizen?

Paul: Yes.

Commandant: I paid a small fortune for my citizenship.

Paul: I was born a citizen.

Hearing this, those who were about to start the flogging pulled back, and the commandant was concerned because he had arrested and bound a citizen without cause. He still needed to conduct an investigation to uncover the Jews’ accusations against Paul. So the next day, he removed the ties on Paul and called a meeting with the chief priests and council of elders. He brought Paul in and had him stand before the group.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 22 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is 1st Samuel 15 that documents another act of war against enemies of Israel as well as the point of rejection of Saul as king:

Samuel (to Saul): Because the Eternal One sent me to anoint you as ruler over His people Israel, listen to what the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “I will punish Amalek because they waylaid Israel in her path out of Egypt. I want you to go down against Amalek and destroy them, everything they have. Do not allow anything to survive; destroy them all—man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

So Saul gathered his forces, and at Telaim he counted them: 200,000 foot soldiers with 10,000 men from Judah. He approached the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley there. From there he sent a message to the Kenite people.

Message from Saul: Get out! Be gone! You showed kindness to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt. Get away from among the Amalekites, or I will be forced to destroy you with them.

So the Kenites left their homes among the Amalekites. Then Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He cut down the entire population with the sword, as God had told him to do, except he captured King Agag of the Amalekites and kept him alive. Saul and the army spared Agag, and they saved the best of the livestock: the sheep, the oxen, the lambs, and the best of all the stock. They kept what was valuable instead of destroying it, and they only destroyed those things they considered worthless.

Then Samuel heard the voice of the Eternal.

Eternal One: I regret that I made Saul king over Israel because he has turned away from Me and from executing My commands.

Samuel was distressed when he heard this, and he cried out to the Eternal One all night long.

Then he rose early in the morning to go and find Saul, only to hear that Saul had gone on to Carmel, where he had erected a monument to himself, and returned to Gilgal. At last Samuel caught up with Saul. When Saul saw him, he greeted him as if nothing was wrong.

Saul (to Samuel): May you be blessed by the Eternal One. I have carried out His commands.

Samuel: Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?

Saul: They brought the best of the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Eternal One your God. But we destroyed all the rest as we were told.

Samuel: That’s enough. Stop talking, and let me tell you what the Eternal told me last night.

Saul: Go ahead, I’m listening.

Samuel: Don’t you remember when you didn’t amount to much in your own sight, but you were made the leader of the tribes of Israel? Wasn’t it the Eternal One who anointed you king over them? The Eternal One sent you on a mission, commanding you, “Go and destroy the Amalekites, who are sinners. Fight them until they are completely destroyed.”

Why didn’t you obey the voice of the Eternal One? Why did you grab the spoils of battle, doing what the Eternal considers evil?

Saul (defending himself): I did what the Eternal One instructed. As He commanded, I went on the mission and decimated all the Amalekites, and I have brought back Agag, their king. It was the people who took the sheep and cattle from the spoil that would have been devoted to destruction and brought them back to sacrifice to the Eternal One, your True God, in Gilgal.

Samuel: Does the Eternal One delight in sacrifices and burnt offerings

as much as in perfect obedience to His voice?

Be certain of this: that obedience is better than sacrifice;

to heed His voice is better than offering the fat of rams.

Rebellion is as much a sin as fortune-telling,

and willfulness is as wicked as worshiping strange gods.

Because you have rejected His commands,

He has rejected you as king.

Saul: I have sinned. I disobeyed the voice of the Eternal One and your instructions because I was afraid of the people. I listened to their counsel instead of yours. So now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I can worship the Eternal.

Samuel: I will not return with you. Because you have rejected the voice of the Eternal One, He has rejected your claims to rule Israel. He is through with you.

As Samuel turned to go, Saul knelt to the ground, caught the prophet’s robe, and held on so tight that it tore.

Samuel: Today the Eternal One has torn the kingdom of Israel from you to give to your neighbor, who is a better man than you. The One who is the Glory of Israel will not recant or change His mind, for He is not like some mortal being who changes his mind.

Saul: I have sinned. But please, do me this honor in front of the elders of Israel and all the people. Come back with me so that I may worship the Eternal One, your True God.

So Samuel returned with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Eternal One. Samuel then completed what Saul had begun.

Samuel: Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.

Agag was led to him, being cautiously optimistic that the worst was surely past.

Samuel: Just as your sword has taken children from women, so will this sword make your mother a childless woman.

So Samuel chopped Agag into pieces before the Eternal One at Gilgal. Then Samuel went back to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

Samuel never saw Saul again until the day he died. The prophet grieved over the hapless king. And the Eternal grieved, too, regretting that He had ever anointed Saul king over Israel.

The Book of 1st Samuel, Chapter 15 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, October 4 of 2020 with a paired chapter from each Testament along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research:

October 4, 2020

The Bible Stands!

“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psalm 119:160)

Very few books survive very long. Only a few survive past the first printing, and science books especially get out of date in just a few years.

But one book is eternal! The Bible stands! Even its most ancient chapters are still accurate and up to date. Furthermore, despite all the vicious attacks of both ancient pagans and modern humanists, it will continue to endure. Jesus said: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). Even after everything else dies and all the bombastic tirades of skeptics and secularists are long forgotten, the Word endures. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).

Note the oft-repeated testimony to this same effect in Psalm 119. In addition to the comprehensive promise of today’s text, this great “psalm of the word” also contains these affirmations: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven....Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart....The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting:...Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever” (Psalm 119:89, 111, 144, 152). Founded forever, inherited forever, settled forever, lasting forever! God is eternal, and His Word was true from the beginning.

People may, in these last days, arrogantly think they can “take away from the words of the book of this prophecy” (Revelation 22:19), but such presumption will only “take away [their] part out of the book of life,” and the Bible will still stand. “The word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:25). HMM

[madewithonerib]

John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Why is it that the Catholic Church prays through Mary?

It’s not logical for the CC to say they accept Jesus as the only mediator, yet mislead people to think the Holy Spirit led them to pray through saints.

Hebrews 7:25 | Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.

Acts 4:12 | Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

John 16:13 | However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, & He will declare to you what is to come.

Romans 8:26-27 | In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

If you want to discuss this further & how it is possible to pray to someone without worshipping them, I'd be willing to have that conversation.

Do you see how God wants us to honour & pray-directly to Him alone?

John 16:23 | In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.

Revelation 19:10 | So I fell at your feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you & your fellow believers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Hebrews 4:16 | Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy & find grace to help us in our time of need.

It’s like this, we can approach & have communion with God without barrier or need for others to consecrate our supplications to God because Jesus already did that:

1 Corinthians 3:16 | Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, & that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Romans 8:1 | Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  

To pray through Mary/saints is an act of disbelief, as though you doubt the Word of God to be true. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists & that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. [Hebrews 11:6]  

John 4:23 | But a time is coming & has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit & in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him.

Matthew 15:9 | They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

It is dangerous what is happening in the CC, for God requires obedience above all else. We struggle with this, but every aspect of our lives must bend to God’s command—as directed under the guidance of His Holy Spirit, which is our commitment to undergo the entire process of sanctification.

John 16:7-11 | The Work of the Holy Spirit But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin & righteousness & judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father & you will no longer see Me; & in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.  

[2 Timothy 2:21, John 17:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:6]

Ultimately, if we want to see an example of someone who thought to act outside God’s commands, look no further than Saul when he spared Agag. John MacArthur has an excellent sermon equating Hacking Agag to Pieces P2 as God’s requirement for us to kill every semblance of sin/disobedience in our lives.

The reason I’m approaching other believers is because we are living in the end times, & we must love one another by encouraging each other in our faith.

Love does not look the other way when one part of the body of Christ is focusing on man-made ordinances.

It is my hope that you will see the meaning of what is said here & consider who in your particular denomination needs to hear this.

Included below is a video to summarize Biblical rebellion to God, very sobering.

Catechism of the Catholic Church

In communion with the holy Mother of God 2673 In prayer the Holy Spirit unites us to the person of the only Son, in his glorified humanity, through which & in which our filial prayer unites us in the Church with the Mother of Jesus (aka you pray through Mary to reach Jesus)

2674 Mary gave her consent in faith at the Annunciation & maintained it without hesitation at the foot of the Cross. Ever since, her motherhood has extended to the brothers and sisters of her Son "who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties.

Jesus, the only mediator, is the way of our prayer; Mary, his mother & ours, is wholly transparent to him: she "shows the way" (hodigitria), & is herself "the Sign" of the way, according to the traditional iconography of East and West.

RE:  1 Timothy 4:1-5 | The Great Apostasy [Joseph Benson]

Thus sin for which many are represented as being punished, [Revelation 9:20] is said to be their worshipping, τα δαιμονια, demons, that is, angels & saints; not devils, as our translators have rendered the word.

Revelation 9:20 | Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons & idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, & wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. 

For though it be said only some shall apostatize, yet by some in this place many are understood, which is the case also in many other passages of the Scriptures, as Bishop Newton has fully proved.

Giving heed to seducing spirits — Who inspire false teachers that will persuade others to believe them by pretense of some revelation of the Holy Spirit, & thereby cause ppl to err from true faith of the gospel.

The apostle means those gross frauds by which the corrupt teachers, in the dark ages, would enforce their erroneous doctrines & superstitious practices on the ignorant multitudes, under the notion of revelations from God, or angels.

The Divine Council | Bible Project

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings July 03, 2020

Psalm 140

Psalm 140

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, 2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. 3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.Selah

4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. 5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net,[a] along the road they have set snares for me.Selah

6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.” 7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot.[b]Selah

9 Those who surround me lift up their heads;[c] let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 10 Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! 11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!

12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. 13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.

Footnotes:

Psalm 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net

Psalm 140:8 Heb adds they are exalted

Psalm 140:9 Cn Compare Gk: Heb those who surround me are uplifted in head; Heb divides verses 8 and 9 differently

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 142

Psalm 142

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1 With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way.

In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.

5 I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low.

Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

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 141

Psalm 141

Prayer for Preservation from Evil

A Psalm of David.

1 I call upon you, O Lord; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you. 2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 4 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.

5 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head,[a] for my prayer is continually[b] against their wicked deeds. 6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant. 7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.[c]

8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. 9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers. 10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.

Footnotes:

Psalm 141:5 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain

Psalm 141:5 Cn: Heb for continually and my prayer

Psalm 141:7 Meaning of Heb of verses 5–7 is uncertain

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 143

Psalm 143

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness. 2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.

3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead. 4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.

5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. 8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.[a] 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.

11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. 12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.

Footnotes:

Psalm 143:9 One Heb Ms Gk: MT to you I have hidden

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.

Numbers 24:1-13

Balaam’s Third Oracle

24 Now Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2 Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he uttered his oracle, saying:

“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,[a] 4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty,[b] who falls down, but with eyes uncovered: 5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6 Like palm groves that stretch far away, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the Lord has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall have abundant water, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God who brings him out of Egypt, is like the horns of a wild ox for him; he shall devour the nations that are his foes and break their bones. He shall strike with his arrows.[c] 9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

10 Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now be off with you! Go home! I said, ‘I will reward you richly,’ but the Lord has denied you any reward.” 12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the Lord says, that is what I will say’?

Footnotes:

Numbers 24:3 Or closed or open

Numbers 24:4 Traditional rendering of Heb Shaddai

Numbers 24:8 Meaning of Heb uncertain

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Romans 8:12-17

12 So then, brothers and sisters,[a] we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba![b] Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness[c] with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Footnotes:

Romans 8:12 Gk brothers

Romans 8:15 Aramaic for Father

Romans 8:16 Or 15 a spirit of adoption, by which we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit itself bears witness

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 22:15-22

The Question about Paying Taxes

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” 21 They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

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.

[anja-the-sane-panda]

Writer's block is kicking my ass so if y'all want to send questions about the Agag bros feel free to 👍

[potorgaret--inactive]

Day 90 / Mar 30

1 Sam. 15-17

15: God tells Samuel to tell Saul to kill all the Amalekites; not just the men, but the women and children too; and all the animals Saul does so, but doesn't kill the animals or the Amalekite king Agag Seeing that Saul disobeyed his orders, God is sad that he made Saul king; Samuel was angry Samuel went to meet Saul, and he was building some sort of monument Samuel calls Saul out on his sin and other bullshittery, Saul says he's perfectly innocent Samuel says Saul's position has gone to his head and he thinks he can do whatever he wants, without regard to God As Samuel's leaving, Saul tears a bit of his robe, and Samuel turns that into a morality lesson Then Samuel worships with Saul just a little while, for some reason He then asks for Agag, then he chops Agag into pieces Samuel goes back to Ramah and Saul goes back to Gibeah and those two never spoke to each other again

16: God tells Samuel to quit moping and annoint a new king already He tells him that God's chosen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, to be king So Samuel takes a cow and heads over to Bethlehem to sacrifice the cow there He sanctified Jesse and asked him to show him all of his sons Jesse showed Samuel 7 of his sons, but none are the one God chose It turns out Jesse's last son, David, is out being a herder When they call for David, he comes and Samuel surprise-annoints him with a lot of oil

Samuel went back to Ramah and Saul probably developed a severe mental condition, though the text says "evil spirits"... idk it's probably depression, or maybe one of the weird ones like schizophrenia Saul asked for someone who could do music well, because it dispelled the evil spirits His men tell him of David, who's really good with the lyre So David starts playing for Saul and Saul makes him his armor-bearer

David and Goliath So the Philistines and Israel gather to fight again, but this time, the rules are different Enter Goliath, a 7 foot giant who wants single combat with a man of Israel It's simple, if Goliath wins, Israel will be a slave to Philistia; and if Israel wins, Philistia will be the slave For 40 days Goliath offered this fight All of Israel was afraid and Jesse's oldest sons went to fight One day, Jesse gives some food to David and tells him to bring it to his brothers and bring back news When David gets to the battle, he hears of this Goliath guy and decides that he just has to take him on He goes to Saul to ask permission, but Saul refuses David says that he's killed lions and bears with his bare hands before, and this time will be no different; God will save me again So David gets approval and he goes to fight with a few stones and a slingshot Goliath is amused and thinks this is a joke, so he starts trash-talking David David responds with worse talk; this angers Goliath and he comes charging full speed at David Outta nowhere, David hits Goliath in the head with a stone and Goliath drops dead David hurries to Goliath's corpse, draws his sword and chops off Goliath's head All the Philistines are now terrified and they flee Most of the Israelite army chases after them and presumably beat them ... Now the weird part ... When David returns from his victory, Saul asks his captain who this young man is and Abner doesn't know King Saul goes to ask David who he is and David responds by saying "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."[1]

1: Frankly, the canonical Deuteronomistic History (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) are very blatant in their composition. It's incredibly apparent that the authors are stitching together various different stories that often conflict with each other. Atleast in the Torah, the different authors wrote different sections, or retold the same story in their own style, with a few discrepancies. This (DH) just seems like a very few number of people telling different versions of the same story, but pretending it's one cohesive whole. This also might prove that these figures (Samuel, Saul, David...) were real people who did a litany of different things, and their stories are widespread, often share similar plot points, but differ in a lot of details. For a good fictional example of this, there are two different versions of the "Story of Lanre" in The Name of the Wind. You can tell that both derive from the same historical event, share a similar cast of characters and have the same general flow, but the two are wildly different on the details and the ramifications of the details.

i think i've reached the point in depression when you don't eat anything for half of a day

"Blessed be the lord, daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation." Psalms 68:19

[englishchinesetranslations]

In his classic Holocaust text, The Sunflower, Simon Wiesenthal recounts the following experience. As a concentration camp prisoner, the monotony of his work detail is suddenly broken when he is brought to the bedside of a dying Nazi. The German delineates the gruesome details of his career, describing how he participated in the murder and torture of hundreds of Jews. Exhibiting, or perhaps feigning, regret and remorse, he explains that he sought a Jew—any Jew—to whom to confess, and from whom to beseech forgiveness. Wiesenthal silently contemplates the wretched creature lying before him, and then, unable to comply but unable to condemn, walks out of the room. Tortured by his experience, wondering whether he did the right thing, Wiesenthal submitted this story as the subject of a symposium, including respondents of every religious stripe. An examination of the respective replies of Christians and Jews reveals a remarkable contrast. “When the first edition of The Sunflower was published,” writes Dennis Prager, “I was intrigued by the fact that all the Jewish respondents thought Simon Wiesenthal was right in not forgiving the repentant Nazi mass murderer, and that the Christians thought he was wrong.”Indeed, the Christian symposiasts did sound a more sympathetic note. “I can well understand Simon’s refusal [to forgive],” reflects Fr. Edward Flannery, “but I find it impossible to defend it.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu cites the crucifixion as his source. Arguing that the newly empowered South African blacks readily forgave their white tormentors, Tutu explains that they followed “the Jewish rabbi who, when he was crucified, said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” If we look only to retributive justice, argues Tutu, “then we could just as well close up shop. Forgiveness is not some nebulous thing. It is practical politics. Without forgiveness, there is no future.”And yet, many Jews would respond to Tutu’s scriptural source by citing another verse, one that also describes a Jew strung up by his enemies, yet who responds to his enemies in a very different, perhaps less Christian, way:So the Philistines seized [Samson] and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. . . . They made him stand between the pillars. . . . Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “Lord God, remember me and strengthen me only this once, O God, so that with this one act of revenge I may pay back the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, . . . [and] then Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He strained with all his might; and the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed during his life.The symposiasts’ varying theological responses, Prager suggests, reflect “the nature of the Jewish and Christian responses to evil, which are related to their differing understandings of forgiveness.” Indeed, the contrast between the two Testaments indicates that this is the case: Jesus’ words could not be more different than Samson’s.Some might respond that the raging, vengeful Samson is the Bible’s sinful exception, rather than its rule; or, perhaps, that Samson acted in self-defense. Yet a further perusal indicates that the Hebrew prophets not only hated their enemies, but rather reveled in their suffering, finding in it a fitting justice. The great Samuel, having come upon the Amalekite king Agag, after Agag was already captured and the Amalekites exterminated, responds in righteous anger:Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” And Agag came to him haltingly. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so your mother shall be childless among women.” And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.And lest one dismiss Samuel’s and Samson’s anger as exhibitions of male machismo, it bears mentioning that the prophetess Deborah appears to relish the gruesome death of her enemy, the Philistine Sisera, who had, fittingly, been executed by another woman. Every bloody detail is recounted in Deborah’s ebullient song:Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the KeniteOf tent-dwelling women most blessed.She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet.She struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet; At her feet he sank, he fell; there he sank, there he fell dead. . . . So perish all your enemies, O Lord!In his At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden , journalist Yossi Klein Halevi speaks with Johanna, a Catholic nun who is struck by the hatred Israelis bear for their enemies. Johanna tells of an Israeli Hebrew teacher “who was very close to us. She told us how her young son hates Saddam. . . . She said it with such enthusiasm. She was so proud of her son.” “I realized,” Johanna concluded, “that hatred is in the Jewish religion.” She was right. The Hebrew prophets spoke in the name of a God who, in Exodus’ articulation, may “forgive iniquity and transgression and sin,” but Who also “by no means exonerates [the guilty].” Likewise, in refusing to forgive their enemies, Jewish leaders sought not merely their defeat, but their disgrace. When Queen Esther had already visited defeat upon Haman—the Hitler of his time, attempted exterminator of the Jewish people—and had killed Haman’s supporters and sons, King Ahasuerus asks what more she could possible want:The king said to Queen Esther, “In the capital of Susa the Jews have killed also the ten sons of Haman. . . . Now what is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” Esther said, “If it pleases the king . . . let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.”Interestingly, the most vivid response in Wiesenthal’s symposium was also written by a woman. The Jewish writer Cynthia Ozick, reflecting on how Wiesenthal, in a moment of mercy, brushed a fly away from the Nazi’s broken body, concludes her essay in Deborah’s blunt but poetic manner:Let the SS man die unshriven. Let him go to hell. Sooner the fly to God than he.During my regular weekly coffees with my friend Fr. Jim White, an Episcopal priest, there was one issue to which our conversation would incessantly turn, and one on which we could never agree: Is an utterly evil man—Hitler, Stalin, Osama bin Laden—deserving of a theist’s love? I could never stomach such a notion, while Fr. Jim would argue passionately in favor of the proposition. Judaism, I would argue, does demand love for our fellow human beings, but only to an extent. “Hate” is not always synonymous with the terribly sinful. While Moses commanded us “not to hate our brother in our hearts,” a man’s immoral actions can serve to sever the bonds of brotherhood between himself and humanity. Regarding a rasha, a Hebrew term for the hopelessly wicked, the Talmud clearly states: mitzvah lisnoso—one is obligated to hate him.Some would seek to minimize this difference between our faiths. Eva Fleischner, a Catholic interfaith specialist and another Sunflower symposiast, argues that “Christians—and non-Christians in their wake—have misread, and continue to misread, [Christian texts] interpreting Jesus’ teaching to mean that we are to forgive anyone and everyone. . . . The element that is lost sight of is that Jesus challenges me to forgive evil done to me. . . . Nowhere does he tell us to forgive the wrong done to another.” Perhaps. But even so, a theological chasm remains between the Jewish and Christian viewpoints on the matter. As we can see from Samson’s rage, Judaism believes that while forgiveness is often a virtue, hate can be virtuous when one is dealing with the frightfully wicked. Rather than forgive, we can wish ill; rather than hope for repentance, we can instead hope that our enemies experience the wrath of God.There is, in fact, no minimizing the difference between Judaism and Christianity on whether hate can be virtuous. Indeed, Christianity’s founder acknowledged his break with Jewish tradition on this matter from the very outset: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. . . . Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” God, Jesus argues, loves the wicked, and so must we. In disagreeing, Judaism does not deny the importance of imitating God; Jews hate the wicked because they believe that God despises the wicked as well.Among Orthodox Jews, there is an oft-used Hebrew phrase whose equivalent I have not found among Christians. The phrase is yemach shemo, which means, may his name be erased. It is used whenever a great enemy of the Jewish nation, of the past or present, is mentioned. For instance, one might very well say casually, in the course of conversation, “Thank God, my grandparents left Germany before Hitler, yemach shemo, came to power.” Or: “My parents were murdered by the Nazis, yemach shemam.” Can one imagine a Christian version of such a statement? Would anyone speak of the massacres wrought by “Pol Pot, may his name be erased”? Do any Christians speak in such a way? Has any seminary student ever attached a Latin equivalent of yemach shemo to the names “Pontius Pilate” or “Judas”? Surely not. Christians, I sense, would find the very notion repugnant, just as many Jews would gag upon reading the Catholic rosary: “O my Jesus . . . lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of thy mercy.”Why, then, this remarkable disagreement between faiths? Why do Jews and Christians respond so differently to wickedness? Why do Jews refuse at times to forgive? And if the Hebrew prophets and judges believed ardently in the “virtue of hate,” what about Christianity caused it to break with its Old Testament roots?“More than a decade of weekly dialogue with Christians and intimate conversation with Christian friends,” writes Prager, “has convinced me that, aside from the divinity of Jesus, the greatest—and even more important—difference between Judaism and Christianity, or perhaps only between most Christians and Jews, is their different understanding of forgiveness and, ultimately, how to react to evil.” Here Prager takes one theological step too many and commits, in this single statement, two errors. The first is to deem the issue of forgiveness more important than that of Jesus’s identity. Such a statement, to my mind, sullies the memory of thousands of Jews who died rather than proclaim Jesus Lord. Yet Prager also misses the fact that these two issues, that of approaching Jesus and that of approaching our enemies, are essentially one and the same: that the very question of how to approach our enemies depends on whether one believes that Jesus was merely a misguided mortal, or the Son of God. Let us examine how each faith’s outlook on Jesus provides the theological underpinnings for its respective approach to hate.The essence of a religion can be discovered by asking its adherents one question: What, to your mind, was the seminal moment in the history of the world? For Christians, the answer is easy: the passion of Jesus Christ, the sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. Or: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son” so that through his death the world would find salvation. Jews, on the other hand, see history’s focal moment as the Sinai revelation, the day the Decalogue was delivered. On this day, we believe, God formed an eternal covenant with the Jewish people and began to communicate to them His Torah, the Almighty’s moral and religious commandments. The most fascinating element of this event is that before forming this Covenant with the Hebrews, God first asked their permission to do so. England’s Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, describes the episode:Before stating the terms of the covenant, God told Moses to speak to the people and determine whether or not they agreed to become a nation under the sovereignty of God. Only when “all the people responded together, ‘We will do everything the Lord has said’” did the revelation proceed. . . . The first-ever democratic mandate takes place, the idea that there can be no valid rule without the agreement of all those who are affected by it.There is a wonderful bit of Jewish lore concerning the giving of God’s Torah, in which God is depicted as a merchant, proffering His Law to every nation on the planet. Each one considers God’s wares, and each then finds a flaw. One refuses to refrain from theft; another, from murder. Finally, God chances upon the Jewish people, who gravely agree to shoulder the responsibility of a moral life. The message of this midrash is that God’s covenant is one that anyone can join; God leaves it up to us.Consider for a moment the extraordinary contrast. For Christians, God acted on humanity’s behalf, without its knowledge and without its consent. The crucifixion is a story of a loving God seeking humanity’s salvation, though it never requested it, though it scarcely deserved it. Jews, on the other hand, believe that God’s covenant was formed by the free consent of His people. The giving of the Torah is a story of God seeking to provide humanity with the opportunity to make moral decisions. To my knowledge, not a single Jewish source asserts that God deeply desires to save all humanity, nor that He loves every member of the human race. Rather, many a Jewish source maintains that God affords every human being the opportunity to choose his or her moral fate, and will then judge him or her, and choose whether to love him or her, on the basis of that decision. Christianity’s focus is on love and salvation; Judaism’s on decision and action.The difference runs deeper. Both the Talmud and the New Testament have a great deal to say about the afterlife. Both ardently assert that it exists, and both assure the righteous that they will receive eternal reward and warn the wicked of the reality of damnation. Yet one striking distinction exists between these two affirmations of eternal life: only the Christian Testament deliberately and constantly links the promise of heaven with ethical exhortation, appealing to the hope of eternity as the incentive for righteous action. For Christians, every believer’s ultimate desire and goal must be to experience eternal salvation. Leading a righteous earthly existence is understood as a means towards attaining this goal. Jews, on the other hand, insist that performing sacred acts while alive on earth is our ultimate objective; heaven is merely where we receive our reward after our goal has been attained. The Talmud, in this regard, makes a statement that any Christian would find mind-boggling: “One hour obeying God’s commandments in this world is more glorious than an eternity in the World to Come.”This difference in emphasis can be seen most clearly by contrasting the central New Testament statement on ethics, the Sermon on the Mount, with Rabbinic writings. Here are some of Jesus’s ethical exhortations:Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.A traditional Jew studying Jesus’s style in delivering the Sermon on the Mount is instantly reminded of the Mishnaic tractate Ethics of the Fathers, a collection of rabbinical sayings that Jesus’s words appear to echo. Consider these parallel passages from the tractate:Fortunate is man, for he was created in the image of God. Fortunate are the Israelites, for they are called the children of God. Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion in pursuit of the will of your Father in heaven.While the common phrases used by Jesus—“fortunate are,” “Father in heaven”—are standard rabbinic utterances, Jesus’s repeated support for his statements—“for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven”—is his own. Such a phrase appears nowhere in the rabbinic ethical writings. Their focus is more on action than on salvation.The contrast extends to differing ways of celebrating holidays. In speaking to Fr. Jim about our respective faiths, I told him about the phenomenon of “Yom Kippur Jews.” Many of my nonobservant coreligionists, I said, show up in synagogue only on the Day of Atonement and so experience a Judaism that focuses only on judgment and repentance. They never experience Judaism at its most joyous moments: Passover, Hanukkah, Purim. “I have the opposite problem,” said Jim. “Some people show up in church for Easter only—Christianity at its most joyous. And so they never think about judgment and repentance.”Both rabbis and priests would appreciate regularly packed houses of worship; but the contrast between the central days of the Jewish and Christian calendars is instructive. Christians celebrate a day when, they believe, Jesus was given his place in heaven and so, at least potentially, was every member of humanity. Yom Kippur, in contrast, is not a day for celebration but for solemnity, a day for focusing not on salvation but on action. Jews recite, again and again, a long litany of sins that they might have committed; they pray for forgiveness, and conclude, time and again, with the sentence: “May it be Thy will, Lord our God, that I not sin again.” While the entire day is devoted to prayer, and to evaluation of past deeds, the concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife is not mentioned once. The only question of concern is whether, at the end of the day, God will consider us sufficiently repentant. Yom Kippur’s climax comes at sunset, during the neilah, or “closing” prayer. After begging once again for forgiveness, Jews the world over end the day with the recitation of “Our Father, Our King,” named thusly because of the first phrase in every sentence:Our Father, our King, we have sinned before You. Our Father, our King, we have no king but You. Our Father, our King, return us in wholehearted repentance before You.We ask God for mercy and for forgiveness, attributes of God that Judaism holds dear. But then our thoughts turn to the utterly evil and unrepentant. Towards the end of this prayer, one anguished, pain-filled sentence stands out: “Our Father, our King, avenge, before our eyes, the spilled blood of your servants.” After a day devoted to prayer, synagogues everywhere are filled with the cry of fasting, weary, exhausted Jews. They have spent the past twenty-five hours meditating upon their sins and asking for forgiveness. Now, they suddenly turn their attention to those who gave no thought to forgiveness, no thought to God, no thought to the dignity of the Jewish people. After focusing on their own actions, Jews turn to those of others, and their parched throats mouth this message: “Father, do not forgive them, for they know well what they do.”The essence of each religion is reflected in its attitude toward the sinner. The existence of hell should be a painful proposition for Christians, who profess to believe that Christ died to redeem the world. C. S. Lewis, in his The Problem of Pain, mournfully admits as much. Yet the doctrines of free will and divine justice compel him to admit that some will not be redeemed.There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specifically, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason.The notion that someone may be eternally damned, Lewis writes, is one that he “detests” with all his heart; yet anyone who refuses to submit to salvation cannot ultimately be saved. Despite this, Lewis adds that even these wretches must be in our prayers. “Christian charity,” he stresses, “counsels us to make every effort for the conversion of such a man: to prefer his conversion, at the peril of our own lives, perhaps of our own souls, to his punishment; to prefer it infinitely.”Here Judaism strongly disagrees. For Jews deny that there ever was a “divine labor” to redeem the world; rather, God gave humanity the means for its own redemption, and its members will be judged by the choices they make. Christians may maintain that no human being is unloved by the God who died on his or her behalf, but Jews insist that while no human being is denied the chance to become worthy of God’s love, not every human being engages in actions so as to be worthy of that love, and those unworthy of divine love do not deserve our love either.This distinction between salvation and decision is evident in the fact that some Christians hold out hope for something that traditional Jews never even consider: that every human being will ultimately be saved. As Fr. Richard John Neuhaus notes, some verses in the New Testament have been said to assert this explicitly (“Will All Be Saved?” FT, Public Square, August/September 2001). Take, for example, 1 Corinthians: “For as all die in Adam, so will all be made alive in Jesus Christ.” Romans states it even more strongly: “For just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.” Pope John Paul II has suggested that we cannot say with certainty that even Judas is in hell.Forget Judas, a Jew might respond. What about Hitler? Even here, Fr. Neuhaus refuses to relent: “Hitler may have repented, turning to the mercy of God, even as his finger pressed the trigger.” Maybe, Neuhaus suggests, Hitler and Mao spend thousands of years in purgatory. Or perhaps, he whimsically says, “Hitler in heaven will be forever a little dog to whom we will benignly condescend. But he will be grateful for being there, and for not having received what he deserved,” just as “we will all be grateful for being there and for not having received what we deserve.”The Mishnah’s view, set down approximately at the time Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans, could not be more different, explicitly singling out specific wicked men in biblical history who will never by saved. And unlike Lewis, the rabbis seem utterly unperturbed that some are eternally damned; for, unlike Neuhaus, the rabbis quite strongly believed that we go to heaven precisely because we deserve to be there. One of the most fascinating differences between Judaism and Christianity is that while both faiths believe in heaven, only Judaism speaks of one’s eternal reward as a chelek, a portion. For instance: “Jeroboam has no portion in the World to Come.” The rabbis saw the afterlife as a function of one’s spiritual savings account, in which the extent of one’s experience of the divine presence is determined by the value of the good deeds that he or she has accumulated in life.This does not mean that the rabbis believed that those with few virtues were eternally damned. The sages believed in a form of purgatory, where those with more sins than good deeds were sent. Damnation was reserved for the frightfully wicked.Jewish intolerance for the wicked is made most manifest in Maimonides’ interpretation of damnation. In his view souls are never eternally punished in hell: the presence of the truly wicked is so intolerable to the Almighty that they never even experience an afterlife. Rather, they are, in the words of the Bible, “cut off”: after death, they just . . . disappear.The Protestant theologian Harvey Cox, who is married to a Jew, wrote a book on his impressions of Jewish ritual. Cox describes the Jewish holiday of Purim, on which the defeat of Haman is celebrated by the reading of the book of Esther. Enamored with the biblical story, Cox enjoys the tale until the end, where, as noted above, Esther wreaks vengeance upon her enemies. Like Sr. Johanna, he is disturbed by Jewish hatred. It cannot be a coincidence, he argues, that precisely on Purim a Jew by the name of Baruch Goldstein murdered twenty innocent Muslims engaged in prayer in Hebron.There is something to Cox’s remarks. The danger inherent in hatred is that it must be very limited, directed only at the most evil and unrepentant. According to the Talmud, the angels began singing a song of triumph upon the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt until God interrupted them: “My creatures are drowning, and you wish to sing a song?” Yet the rabbis also state that God wreaked further vengeance upon Pharoah himself, ordering the sea to spit him out, so that he could return to Egypt alone, without his army. Apparently one must cross some terrible moral boundary in order to be a justified target of God’s hatred—and of ours. An Israeli mother is right to raise her child to hate Saddam Hussein, but she would fail as a parent if she taught him to despise every Arab. We who hate must be wary lest we, like Goldstein, become like those we are taught to despise.Another danger inherent in hate is that we may misdirect our odium at institutions in the present because of their past misdeeds. For instance, some of my coreligionists reserve special abhorrence for anything German, even though Germany is currently one of the most pro-Israel countries in Europe. Similarly, after centuries of suffering, many Jews have, in my own experience, continued to despise religious Christians, even though it is secularists and Islamists who threaten them today, and Christians should really be seen as their natural allies. Many Jewish intellectuals and others of influence still take every assertion of the truth of Christianity as an anti-Semitic attack. After the Catholic Church beatified Edith Stein, a Jewish convert to Christianity, some prominent Jews asserted that the Church was attempting to cover up its role in causing the Holocaust. And then there is the historian Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, who essentially has asserted that any attempt by the Catholic Church to maintain that Christianity is the one true faith marks a continuation of the crimes of the Church in the past.Burning hatred, once kindled, is difficult to extinguish; but that is precisely what Jews must do when reassessing our relationship with contemporary Christianity. The crimes of popes of the past do not negate the fact that John Paul II is one of the righteous men of our generation. If Christians no longer hold us accountable for the crime of deicide, we cannot remain indifferent to such changes. Christians have every right to assert the truth of their beliefs. Modern anti-Christianity is no more excusable than ancient anti-Semitism.Yet neither does this mean that hate is always wrong, nor that Esther’s actions were unnecessary. The rabbis of the Talmud were bothered by a contradiction: the book of Kings describes Saul as killing every Amalekite, and yet Haman, according to his pedigree in the book of Esther, was an Agagite, a descendant of the Amalekite king. The Talmud offers an instructive solution: after Saul had killed every Amalekite, he experienced a moment of mercy, and wrongly refrained from killing King Agag. This allowed Agag a window of opportunity; he had several minutes before he was killed by the angry Samuel. In those precious moments, Agag engaged in relations with a random woman, and his progeny lived on to threaten the Jews in the future. The message is that hate allows us to keep our guard up, to protect us. When we are facing those who seek nothing but our destruction, our hate reminds us who we are dealing with. When hate is appropriate, then it is not only virtuous, but essential for Jewish well-being.Archbishop Tutu, who, as indicated above, preaches the importance of forgiveness towards Nazis, has, of late, become one of Israel’s most vocal critics, demanding that other countries enact sanctions against the Jewish state. Perhaps he would have Israelis adopt an attitude of forgiveness towards those who have sworn to destroy the only democracy in the Middle East. Yet forgiveness is precisely what the Israeli government attempted ten years ago, when it argued that the time had come to forget the unspeakable actions of a particular individual, and to recognize him as the future leader of a Palestinian state. Many Jews, however, seething with hatred for this man, felt that it was the Israeli leaders who “knew not what they were doing.”At the time, my grandfather, a rabbi, joined those on the Israeli right in condemning the Oslo process, arguing that it would produce a terrorist state responsible for hundreds of Israeli deaths. As a rabbinical student, I could not understand my grandfather’s unremitting opposition. He was, I thought, so blinded by his hate that he was unable to comprehend the powerful potential of the peace process. Now, many hundreds of Jewish victims of suicide bombings later, and fifty years after the Holocaust, the importance and the necessity of Jewish hate has once again been demonstrated. Perhaps there will soon be peace in the Middle East, perhaps not. But one thing is certain: we will not soon forgive the actions of a man who, as he sent children to kill children, knew—all too well—just what he was doing. We will not—we cannot—ask God to have mercy upon him. Those Israeli parents whose boys and girls did not come home will pray for the destiny of his soul at the conclusion of their holiest day, but their prayer will be rather different from the rosary:Let the terrorist die unshriven. Let him go to hell. Sooner a fly to God than he.Rabbi Meir Y. Soloveichik is Resident Scholar at the Jewish Center in Manhattan and a Beren Fellow at Yeshiva University. He is currently studying philosophy of religion at Yale Divinity School.

[dailyaudiobible]

08/18/2020 DAB Transcript

Esther 1:1-3:15, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Psalms 35:17-28, Proverbs 21:19-20

Today is the 18th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is joy and an honor to be here with you today around the Global Campfire taking the next step forward on our journey through the Bible this year. And yesterday we concluded the book of Nehemiah, which now brings us one of the great stories of the Bible, kind of an oasis. We’ve been through a lot in our lives like in this year presently is in the last months, but we’ve been through a lot in the Bible too. We’ve experienced just a lot of things including the complete disintegration of ancient Israel and the carrying away of these people into exile.

Introduction to the Book of Esther:

And, so, now we reach this story. It’s another story from exile for. In fact, this story couldn't have happened had they not been, had the children of Israel not been in exile. But this is a story where the Jewish people, there was a plot to completely annihilate them. And it's odd because this story is ancient, thousands of years old and yet there have been these kinds of plots throughout history, including the story of World War II and the extermination of the Jews. So, it's…it's on that kind of level that this plot is hatched in this book that we’re gonna read. And, so, that gives us a little kind of a backdrop at least to understand and this book is called Esther. And it's not a long book we’ll…we’ll read through this entire book in three days but it's full of drama. And it's the story of a Hebrew girl and her name is Hadassah and she's orphaned while she's in exile in Persia, which is where…where we…where we've been in the book of Nehemiah. We’ve been in Jerusalem, but Nehemiah was coming from Persia, from Persian king Artaxerxes. And, so, Hadassah was orphaned, and her cousin Mordecai takes her and embraces her like…like his daughter and they’re from the tribe of Benjamin. And exiled Hebrews often would localize their name or take on a localized name. And, so, Hadassah was given the name Esther and that translates to star or…or morning star in the Hebrew tradition. And as we’ll find out from this book, she is gorgeous, like stunningly beautiful and has a quiet character. And, so, when King Ahasuerus who is thought to be Xerxes wanted to find a replacement queen from the queen that he had banished whose name is Vashti. And we’ll get to that story. He ends up…he ended up choosing Esther, but she kept the fact that she was a Jew secret. And that proved providential because there's another person in Haman and this is the person who wants to annihilate, literally destroy the Jewish people. He was a descendent of King Agag Amalek and the Hebrews and the Amalekites, they were hostile to one another all the way back to….well…all the way back to Jacob and Esau and the prophet Samuel had executed king Agag, if you’ll remember, right, after King Saul defeated the Amalekites in battle. So, there is hatred here and it shows up in Haman's life and in his plot. And it becomes kind of “against all odds”, that kind of a story, kind of an “against all odds” sort of situation. And Esther, the book of Esther, is the basis for the festival of Purim for the Hebrew people, which is still observed and celebrated until this…this very day. So, the story itself, like if we just absorb the story itself, it's a beautiful encouraging story. But as we begin to look at some of the details of the story and apply them to our own lives we begin to see that there is stuff for our lives there, that everyone has an important role to play, that nobody knows that they're not here for such time as this. And such a time as this may be like saving an entire nation, but it also might be like saving your marriage or having the right thing to say at the right time. And, so, let's…let's dive in. We’re reading from the expanded Bible this week. Esther chapters 1, 2 and 3 today.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for bringing us into new territory today as we come into the book of Esther. And as we just kind of begin to get the backdrop of the story, we certainly invite You to lead and guide our thoughts and hearts as we contemplate what we've read. And as this story unfolds may we once again see what we have seen so many times in the Scriptures, against all odds when it seems like all is lost You rescue. And, so, we trust in You, we put our faith in You, and we love You and we worship You and we pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the…it is the website, it is where the Global Campfire is in a community like ours. And, so, be sure to stay tuned and stay connected.

Check out the Community section, that's where the Prayer Wall is, that's where there are different links to get connected.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop, that's where resources are for the journey that we are on.

Check out the Initiatives, that’s where some the things that are going on around here. So, yeah, stay connected as we continue this journey, day by day step-by-step. But we are so far into this year now that it should rhythm of our lives as we…as we continue this, but there's so much out in front of us and we need each other so much. And, so, let's stay connected.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link on the homepage. I thank you humbly and profoundly for your partnership. We wouldn't be here if we weren't in this together. It’s the beauty of community. And, so, I thank you. Thank you for your partnership. So, there's a link on the homepage. If using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today, I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

My beloved DAB family I just want you, each and every one of you to know that I am praying for you and as you call in and you request prayer I’m always listening and praying for your needs. May the Lord bless you richly. I would like to answer Jesse from Washington state. He called in and asked for prayer for his employee, Yami, who witnessed a stabbing and he’s asking for divine protection for his family as well as the victim’s family. And Jesse I just want you to know that I am praying for you my brother and I am praying for your request. And I pray Psalm 91 and that’s the Psalm of divine protection upon this family I’m praying. And, so, God bless you my brother and keep calling…calling in. This is Angel from California.

Good morning everybody it’s Barb calling from Alberta Canada. I am just calling in again to ask for prayer for my kids but for all kids, I guess. My kids aren’t kids, they’re…they have kids of their own already of course but, you know, I just really see this struggle within them, this pulling away and I know that it’s an attack from the devil but they are being pulled away by questions and wrong thoughts I guess or…or wrong ideas and just so many things come against them, you know. And I feel like that I could have laid a better foundation when they were growing up and I am just so sorry about that, that I didn’t. And I often pray God just please don’t make them pay for my mistakes. But I also know that God is faithful and that He hears our prayers and I just feel like if I have this family praying for them too that there’s nothing that can come up against that. So, I really appreciate any help that you guys can give me on this.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family I’m about a five-year listener first-time caller and I’m calling to ask for your prayer for my sister Joanne who is suffering from a severe liver problem. She has not turned the corner toward recovery yet and she’s suffering greatly. And in addition, her husband also is currently being diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening problem. She has three grandsons, one of which can manage to keep his life going. The other two would…would need help. But anyways, I live 600 miles away so I’m here visiting to see everything that’s going on and…and try to help as much as I can. It’s a dire situation and I know that prayer works. So, I’m asking you to pray for Joanne and Bob and her sons and for God’s will to be done because He’s a good God and He’s a loving God and He will make all things new. I appreciate this community and it’s been really lifesaving for me and I ask and thank you all and I did want to mention I know there’s lots of healthcare…I’m a healthcare provider myself and I know there’s lots of them working hard for COVID patients, but there’s lots of other patients out there that need prayer. And, so, thank you all so much and God bless you.

Hi DAB family this is Truly Thankful Taylor from the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. Val from Vegas today is August 15th so you may be calling in to give us an update. I just wanted to tell you that I am thinking about you my sister and praying for you and just be…stay strong and know that God is with you and that you’ve just been on my heart. And also Running Desperately to Jesus, I heard your call in again and I am praying for you. You have constantly been on my heart. I’m praying for your relationship with your grandson and everything going on but especially when you’re reaching out about your fleshly desires and your sinful desires to want to give into temptation. So, I want to pray for you now. I also want to encourage you to pour into God’s word, read it, let it wash over you. Even more, listen to our podcast here at the DAB over and over if you have to. Put worship music on and just soak in God’s presence. And then also James chapter 4, just really read on that and especially just submit yourself then to God, resist the devil he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Let me pray for you sister. Dear heavenly Father God we just come to You now. God, I pray for my sister Running Desperately to Jesus. I pray over her life Lord Jesus. I pray right now God that You would give her strength, give her endurance Lord to resist the enemy, that in Jesus name he has no authority, that her fleshly desires Lord would put to rest, that she would only long for You, that You would be desperate for You, needing You at every place and completely submerging herself in her relationship with You Lord Jesus. Put Your angels around her to protect her and keep her safe, keep her away from those thoughts, away from those desires and give her strength. We love You Jesus we thank You. We pray all this in Your name. Amen.

Hi, my name is Sonny I just wanted to call in to ask for prayer. My wife and I are missionaries in Italy and we’re currently in furlough. And during our furlough, my wife, we found out that she had cancer Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so we are dealing with that now. We’re currently staying in Florida right now. The…yeah…if you guys could just pray for us that we would continue to have wisdom on how to move forward, but also just deity in our marriage, that Satan and all demonic principalities would be kept at bay from our marriage, and…yeah…just for healing, that my wife Amanda would be healed. So, thank you. Thank you for this community. I listen to you guys…well…Brian I listen to you every day and it’s…it’s very encouraging. I thank God for your guys ministry and this community. Love you guys. Bye.

Hi, DABbers what’s going on? It’s Val in Vegas. I just wanted to say I love you guys. Keep rolling. Please don’t give up. Keep pushing forward. God’s got this.

I want to thank you father for all that you’ve done the gift of your word your spirit your son for still waters green pastures and restoring my soul and for giving me this opportunity to gracefully grow old and even though giants still inhabit the land you’ve made room for me __ and allowed me to stand and even though I’m completely surrounded by terror I’m also at peace in spite of all error you’ve stretched out my tent cords and smoothed out the riffs enlarged my territory and showered me with gifts I want to thank you father for all that you do and for giving me this opportunity to live life anew

blindtony1016@gmail.com

I’d like to give a shout out to Michelle Cole from Los Angeles, know that you are thought of often and prayed for daily. And also wanna you know that I recently read the article that was done on you in the New York Times about the wonderful work you do on the blackish show. I pray that this year will be the year where you will receive final receive the worldwide…worldwide recognition that you deserve for the many fine shows that you costume work on especially blackish. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow. Keep it flowin’ y’all. All right bye-bye.

[dwdelaney-blog]

sherriffs -

Mental illness frame

Forced “medication”

They are not acting in good faith – I’m not addicted to anything – not suffering from any mental illness – never have been - they are trying to find legal excuses for harassment – they didn’t think they’d get busted

that's why they used the fibro - no marks - it's about the legal - they are going after the criminal intent element -

They need people to lie in order to cover their tracks – but the people they used for the whisper campaign have said who told them to lie about me –

I’m not an addict – and I’m not depressed or crazy – or autistic – or whatever – I’ve got a large group of people intentionally making my life miserable and have for a very long time

Consider also the scsa practice of essentially ignoring the harassment – doesn’t apply to fed charges - because cover is blown – mentioned the names – hall – sgro – lary – anyone that actually knew me - (I’ve filed numerous fed complaints) –

What we’re seeing now is the group of people I don’t know – coming out of the woodwork as heat is raised on them to explain any links to me

Spitzer of GU gone days after I linked him to cellini at SLU

Costa excommunicated days after first mention in fed complaint

been trying to get this into court since 2004 – see “Galveston” site

note esp usccb – H&K – timeline – locations – terr frame – arson frame – noonan – they are trying to cover their tracks –

they wanted someone they could frame up for terr – like ivins – when that fell through they went back to addiction – mental illness frame -

Ron Wojcicki

Ron and ed are brothers –

sarah is ed’s daughter

Ron - Spi dio – uis assoc chancellor – shg coach – shg dir dev -

Ed – uis chancellor – lrs/cis – hanson Infosys – pecori – raj -

Sarah – spi media - ilga gop spks – ilsen gop spks

1986 shg baseball – wojcicki as coach

Chris Steil

Jeff Borski

Rich Minder

Mike Staab

Donnie Hurrelbrink

88 – baseball –

steve weinhoeft

Jeff sauer

Jj Borski

Dave saladino

Jeff swaney

Tom kelty

Addiction frame as cover -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaney21

smear campaign – whisper campaign -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneylieyouna

background facts – re addiction

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyaddiction

background on addiction – intervention theory -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaney12

facts deny intervention theory -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyanswerstogoodsamaritan

shg – links to spi caths –

kjell at immac – see immac site

see also blessac site for parishioners

cellini – hade – ift –

kjell – Giordano – Hostetler – spfld consulting

note also roscetti as coach – not listed – swim links -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyshgcoaches

weinhoeft as scsa – xa Schmidt – milhiser –

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyscsa

Borski – LHS - coaching – security – mendenhall as schools HR - Petersburg pd – green auto -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyborski

hurrelbrink – ankle injury – butter placed on stairs – fibro injury – hall residence

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyhurrelbrink

saladino – shg coaches – epa hazardous substances – 183 FW

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysaladino

pecori – hanson -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneypecori

see also elston as eng -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyelston

elston as cmdr civ eng

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaney183civeng

wojcicki at lrs sports video - realtime video editing - rendering

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneylrscis

steil – fam – sfd – xa nuc plant frame – kelm -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysteil

steil – Caruso fam – liuna – sfd ops for OT -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysteilextensions

staab polk -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyifdscambo

polk at jax prison

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneycorrections

swaney – fau – ftl -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyshgfootball

enlow – caths -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyenlow

kelty – Houston admin – logan - fustin

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaney55

Houston – tcb – hawrelak -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyhawrelak

hawrelak - sahba

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysahba

leonard – zeman links – spi caths link to spk – GU law

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneystfrancis

gauwitz as shg IT guy -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyplunkett

gauwitz – Peoria – schock – ibt and liuna -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyschock

gauwitz – ibt – clatfelter – jc65 peoria – coli -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyclatfelter

clatfelter - contri

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneycontri

clatfelter – Sherman mayor -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysherman

clatfelter – timm links -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyfuelspecialist

llcc - burge – Sherman fd – poe mgr - http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyburge

Ronriggle – llcc ad – libri – schaive – scrp – xa uis riggle volleyball -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyronriggle

see generally – caths – list of links -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneycaths

spk – how I got there – Kaiser – perry – zito - cellnet

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyspkattys

west - mcdevitt -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyspkgop

Carlson – gallatin bracewell – HOU – west – mcdevitt -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneycarlson

aluminum – hotubtom – Hurwitz – maxxam - txgop

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneykaiser

malta – oc – pattern – boykin – dod – pnac – cheney - kbr

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneypattern

bunn – oc – and see sd lincs -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyocbunn

caths – enlow – lrs – cis -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneyenlow

smarjesse is caths dio – spks – xa ihpa – smarjesse -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneysmarjesse

see also terr frame – as exaggerated external threat

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneypowergrab

legal cover – usdoj – agag -

http://sites.google.com/site/dwdelaneydojhenhouse

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JUNIORS ARE KEY FOR INEXPERIENCED GRIFFIN

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Friday, March 28, 1986

Author: Jim Wildrick

When Old Mother Hubbard got to the cupboard, so we're told, she found it bare. The baseball cupboard may not be bare as

Ron Wojcicki

takes over as Griffin High School coach,

but nobody can accuse the Cyclones of having it overstocked with experience, either. Griffin was 24-13 under Rick Piatchek last season and has just two experienced position players back -- outfielder Dave Haller and second baseman Chris Steil, although Rich Minder saw considerable duty late in the year. Add to that the fact that Haller is on crutches and won't play the first two weeks, and there appears to be cause for some concern. But Wojcicki approaches the season with optimism, cautioning not to equate experience with talent/potential. "We're not going to go out and beat people 12-10," he said. "The games we win will be 4-2 and 3-1. We're gonna have to make things happen with the hit and run, stealing a base and playing good defense. "We're going to have to rely an awful lot on juniors (more juniors may start than seniors). The sophomores were 17-3 last season. I realize there's a world of difference between that and varsity ball, but I think anybody who thinks playing Griffin will be a cakewalk is mistaken." WHEN HALLER (.263 last season) recovers from a hamstring pull, he will patrol left field and lead off. Steil (.227) returns at second base and will bat in the third spot. Shortstop appears set with junior Robbie Fix ("really smooth and good, soft hands," said Wojcicki), while Minder (.352 in 54 at-bats last season) is at third and "has looked very good defensively," said the coach. The catcher and first base spots are not nearly as settled. "(Juniors) Mike Bolin and Joe Robinson are battling at catcher," said Wojcicki. "Mike has a good, strong stick and will hit with power, while Joe will hit with more consistency. They're about equal defensively. "First base is wide open. Paul Manca has a good glove and bats left-handed. Mike Staab has shown a good bat, and Jim McMann has been a super contact hitter. And we've toyed with the idea of putting Jeff Borski there when he's not pitching." Junior Chris Bax and senior Franklin Ferguson are vying for the right field spot, while juniors Donnie Hurrelbrink and Dave Manfredo are center field candidates. "Hurrelbrink has the good wheels," said Wojcicki. "He'll outrun some balls out there. Manfredo is a good all-around athlete. While Haller's gone, we'll probably start Manfredo in left." WOJCICKI INHERITS A pitching staff that is minus three who pitched the most innings last year. But again, he sees more than a little potential in the presence of juniors Borski and Tim Hull. Borski, who shut out Lanphier in City Series play last season, was 3-2 as a sophomore pitching varsity ball, striking out 36 in 29 innings. On the negative side, he finished with a 6.27 earned run average and walked 24. Hull had no decisions in his 9 2/3 innings of varsity work and was 6-2 at the sophomore level. He fanned 13 but had a 7.21 ERA in varsity action. "They're definitely our No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers," said Wojcicki. "Jeff will throw smoke, but he's also got a nice breaking ball and has been working on a knuckleball. He has a tremendous desire to win and gives you 100 percent all the time. "He also has better control than he showed last year. At times he tended to overthrow and tried to strike everybody out. We feel pretty good about our defense, and he has to learn to use the people behind him." Of Hull, Wojcicki commented: "He has a nice sharp breaking pitch. That's his out pitch, though he can bring the ball, too. When he's on with his breaking ball, he can be awfully tough. He's been fooling around with a split-fingered pitch, but he's not really comfortable with it yet." The No. 3 spot belongs to to first-year senior Matt Folder, with Bax and Minder among others figuring in the plans. "Matt's a big kid (6 feet 4, 200), and he's a left-hander," said Wojcicki. "He throws pretty hard, and he's got a decent breaking ball. He has had some problems with control, but that's not always all bad. It doesn't hurt to be a little wild." Griffin is likely to go to No. 3 and then some in May, when the Cyclones have 17 games scheduled (not including potential make-ups) in the first 20 days of the month.

GRIFFIN ROSTER Name Pos. Cl. x-Franklin Ferguson OF Sr. x-Dave Haller OF Sr. x-Paul Manca IF Sr. x-Kent Robinson IF/P Sr. x-

Chris Steil IF Sr. x-

Jeff Borski P/IF Jr. x-

Rich Minder IF/P

Sr. Matt Folder P Sr. Ed Kern OF Sr.

Mike Staab IF

Sr. Chris Bax OF/P Jr. Mike Bolin C/IF Jr. Robbie Fix SS/P Jr. Eddie Gresham IF Jr. Tim Hull P Jr.

Donnie Hurrelbrink OF Jr.

Jim McMann IF/C Jr. Dave Manfredo OF/IF Jr. Joe Robinson C/IF Jr. x -- letterman GRIFFIN SCHEDULE (C - Chamberlain Park, L - Lanphier) Saturday -- At Decatur MacArthur (2) 1 p.m. Wednesday -- Riverton (C) 4 p.m. April 5 -- Jacksonville (2,C) 4 p.m. April 10 -- Maroa-Forsyth (L) 4 p.m. April 15 -- At Quincy 3 p.m. April 16 -- Williamsville (C) 6 p.m. April 18 -- Danville Schlarman (2,L) 4 p.m. April 19 -- Lincoln (2,GHS or LLCC) 11 a.m. April 21 -- Southeast (C) 6 p.m. April 24 -- Lanphier (L) 6 p.m. April 25 -- Chenoa (2,C) 4 p.m. April 28 -- Springfield (L) 6 p.m. May 1 -- Southeast (L) 4 p.m. May 2 -- At Petersburg Porta 4 p.m. May 3 -- At Morton (2) 11 a.m. May 5 -- Lanphier (C) 4 p.m. May 8 -- Springfield (L) 4 p.m. May 9 -- At Chatham Glenwood 4:15 p.m. May 10 -- Washington (2,C) 11 a.m. May 13 -- Decatur Eisenhower (GHS or LLCC) 4:30 p.m. May 16 -- Stephen Decatur (2,C) 4 p.m. May 17 -- Joliet Catholic (2,C) 6 p.m. May 18 -- Joliet Catholic (2,L) 1 p.m. May 20 -- Mount Zion (C), 4 p.m.

MAKING THE PITCH FROM MUSIC MAN TO MONEY MAN AT SHG, RON WOJCICKI STILL . . .

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, May 23, 1996

Author: JIM WILDRICK STAFF WRITER

The license plate tells it like it is: "Woisme 1." The car belongs to Coach Wo, a k a Ron Wojcicki , the baseball coach at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School. His is not an unusual story. Heck, schools name their band director varsity baseball coach all the time. And a coach winning the state tournament in his second season is commonplace, too. Then the baseball coach is put in charge of fund raising, though he has no previous experience in that field. Music man Wojcicki passed the baton, became money man and is director of development at SHG. But let's start back where it all began. Wojcicki served two years as freshman-sophomore coach under Rick Piatchek before being named head man. He remembers well his first day on the job. "They introduced me to the team as the new coach and you could almost hear the snickers," Wojcicki recalls. "You could almost hear the kids thinking, `The band director is our new coach? We've sunk to a new low here.' " That was a decade and 210 victories ago. It also was a state championship and three straight state tourney appearances ago. Wojcicki, a St. Louis native who landed his first teaching position at New Berlin, became a coach without having played competitively in college. But that didn't mean he wasn't a student of the game. Ask him how he formulated his coaching philosophies, and Wojcicki says his ears have been crucial. "By listening a lot," he says. "I talk to a lot of people, go to a lot of clinics. It's amazing what you can learn just by listening. My dad always said it's better to be thought a fool than open your mouth and prove it." There's nothing foolish about the SHG program or Wojcicki's approach to the game. But there have been some things that seem borderline silly in retrospect. Like the dropped fly ball that made all the difference when the Cyclones won the state championship in 1987. Then there was 1988. The ledger shows Griffin finished 20-20 that year, but the final loss didn't come until the quarterfinals of the state tourney, a 4-2 setback to Chicago Marist. Griffin/SHG was a perennial power in the late '80s, and Wo says talent wasn't all there was to it. "Today, there is something of a (Chatham) Glenwood mystique," Wojcicki says. "There was a Griffin mystique back then. I mean, we'd show up to play and be two runs ahead before the first pitch was thrown." Wojcicki became director of development at SHG in the fall of 1991. "I got wind that Father (Robert) Erickson (then in charge of development) was leaving and I felt I had reached the point where I needed another challenge. "I liked the school and wanted to do something more to help. Sister Kathleen Anne was about to become principal, so I called one day and asked for an appointment. "She didn't know why I wanted to see her. It turns out she thought I was going to tell her I was quitting. I told her I'd like to be considered for the development job, that though I had no background in that area that I thought I could still do something to help the school." Leaving the music behind was not easy for Wojcicki. If you doubt the importance of music in his life, consider that he still remembers Sept. 4, 1957, as the date he took his first piano lesson. And his college courses at MacMurray consisted of 71 hours of music. It would seem now that a musical ear would not be as important to Wojcicki as a big set of choppers, with which to put the bite on people. "We're involved in a variety of projects," he says with a smile. "Just today, for instance, we're bringing sixth-graders in for a visit to let them see what we're all about. And we work with alumni and so forth." But . . . "The bottom line in this office is the bottom line. Our job is to bring in funds for the school," he says. So serious is Wojcicki about that job that he took a leave of absence from baseball during the $2 1/2 million Capital Campaign of 1993. "That was very hard," Wojcicki says. "There just weren't enough hours in the day to do justice to both jobs, so Jim Torricelli took over baseball and did an outstanding job." The Cyclones will always play aggressively under Wojcicki, who may utilize the suicide squeeze more than any three coaches you know. And there will always be discipline. There are those who say Wojcicki is not the easiest coach for whom to play. He smiled at the suggestion. "I had a kid come up to me this year and say, `Coach, it's not as bad as they say. Everyone always talks about how many rules you have, but it's not that bad,' " Wojcicki says. "Look, anyone who tells you he doesn't want people to like him is lying. Yeah, I'd say I'm a pretty strict disciplinarian. I'm well aware not all the players like me or all the parents, for that matter. "If you can't accept that, you can't coach. That's just something that comes with the territory. I try to be honest with everybody." Jeff Borski, one of the stars of the 1987 championship team, recalls Wojcicki as a demanding coach but a fair person. "Everything was by the book," Borski says. "It was very fundamental. You were expected to get the job done. If a guy reached, you had to move him to second. Moving runners up was what it was all about." Borski's star status didn't preclude his getting on the wrong side of his coach a time or two. "I never had a real problem with him, but I do remember him not starting me in a game as a punishment," Borski recalls. "Donnie Hurrelbrink and I were late for batting practice one day. We lived out on the north end, got caught behind a train and showed up for 3:15 batting practice at like 3:18. "So we didn't start the next game. I was mad, I'll admit. I was the type of guy who was never late. If it wasn't for the train, I would have been there in plenty of time. But with coach Wojcicki, at least you knew what to expect. The rules were the rules." How much longer can folks expect to see Wojcicki's lanky frame in an SHG baseball uniform? "That's crossed my mind. I don't think the end is in sight," he replies. "My family (wife Karen, son Brian and daughter Lauren) is extremely important to me, and my wife has as many extracurriculars as I do. For the three months of baseball season, we leave each other a lot of notes. I couldn't do the job if she weren't so understanding. "I haven't reached the point yet where I feel it's time to get out. I'm still getting a lot of enjoyment from watching them grow, not just as baseball players but as people. I get a kick out of watching them develop." Which is only fitting for a baseball coach-director of development.

Caption: Wojcicki became director of development for SHG in 1991. "The bottom line in this office is the bottom line," he says. "Our job is to bring in funds for the school." Ron Wojcicki has coached SHG baseball teams to 210 victories and a state championship over the last decade.

WOJCICKI STEPS DOWN . . . FOR NOW SHG BASEBALL COACH TAKING LEAVE OF ABSENCE

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Friday, January 8, 1993

Author: JIM WILDRICK STAFF WRITER

For at least the 1993 baseball season, Sacred Heart-Griffin High School's baseball program will have a new leader. Ron Wojcicki , who has coached the Cyclones the past seven years, is taking what amounts to a leave of absence because of increased duties as the school's director of development. And that means Jim Torricelli, a Springfield High School graduate who has been on Wojcicki's staff the last three years, will serve as head coach for the coming season. "Come late spring or the end of the school year, I hope to be able to make an assessment of whether I'll be able to come back based on my work load," Wojcicki, 41, said Thursday night. "A lot of days last year, I'd go back to work after baseball and work till 11 or so. But the way the job looked, it looked like I would be able to do it (continue coaching) this year. "It wasn't an easy decision. It's something I enjoy doing, and giving it up -- even temporarily -- comes with regret. But it's something Sister Kathleen Ann (SHG principal) and I have been talking about the last month. We knew we had to make a decision by the first of the year or so. "If I thought the job wouldn't ease up down the road, I would just step aside completely at this time, but there are indications the load may lighten up." Wojcicki notified his players of his decision Thursday. And while he says he won't be a stranger at practice, he made it clear it's now Torricelli's show. "I talked the situation over with Jim, and he said he'd be more than happy and honored to take the job on an interim basis for now," said Wojcicki, whose job entails overseeing all school fundraising activities and special events. "I still want to try to stay as involved as I can, just coming to practice and being an extra pair of eyes. I have all the confidence in the world that Jim will do a good job, but I want to help him out however I can. Still, it will be his team, his game, his program, his shots to call." Wojcicki's team won the Class AA State Tournament in 1987, the first of three straight state appearances by the Cyclones. o BUSCH BOUND: For the third straight year, SHG will play at Busch Stadium against St. Francis Borgia of Washington, Mo. Wojcicki said the Cyclones are scheduled to play Borgia, whom they have beaten twice, on May 16. The game will follow that Sunday's game between St. Louis and the Florida Marlins and will start around 4 p.m.

WOJCICKI DENIES RETIREMENT RUMORS

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, April 2, 2000

Author: PAUL KEUP STAFF WRITER

Rumors have Sacred Heart-Griffin High School coach RON WOJCICKI retiring at the end of the season. Wojcicki, however, plans to stay. "I guess I'm kind of glad you asked me that only because I also heard that two years ago," Wojcicki says. "It's not my last year. I think people are kind of guessing it's my last year because my son (BRIAN) is a senior. They figure because he's a senior, it would be a good time to leave." It is not the first time Wojcicki has heard this type of rumor. "It's the same thing with (SHG football coach) KEN LEONARD," Wojcicki says. "When his son, DEREK, graduated two years ago, everybody said Ken was leaving with him. I've already heard that because Ken's youngest son is a junior."

SHG coach leaves with good memories

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, May 7, 2000

Author: BUFORD GREEN STAFF WRITER

Sacred Heart-Griffin High School baseball coach Ron Wojcicki will soon be leaving his post to go into the private sector after 19 years at the school. He will be departing with a host of good memories. Wojcicki announced Thursday that he has resigned as SHG director of development and baseball coach, a few hours before his Cyclones went out and snapped a seven-game losing streak with an impressive 11-1, five-inning victory over a strong Southeast club in the City Series. "I told the team that that was real Cyclones baseball,'' said Wojcicki. "As coaches, we can only put them in the position to win. That was really nice to see last night.'' SHG has at least three weeks left under Wojcicki's tutelage before he ends a period of 16 years, two as junior varsity coach and 14 as varsity coach, with one year off in the middle. After the win Thursday, Wojcicki's teams were 287-168. His stay at the school got off to an impressive start. After two seasons as junior varsity coach, Wojcicki's second varsity team captured the Class AA state title in 1987, culminated with a 9-1 victory over Barrington in the title game at Lanphier Park, to finish 37-4. "That was a special group of kids,'' recalled Wojcicki. "I had coached those seniors as freshmen and sophomores and knew them well personally and ability-wise. We made it back to state the following two years, losing in the quarterfinals both times. In 1988, we started postseason 16-19 and finished 20-20, and in 1988 we were 24-12. In '88, people kept asking what was wrong, but I kept saying there was nothing wrong, that we were playing a very touch schedule. "Those three years were among the highlights, but I guess I think about highlights of individual kids who went on to start at four-year schools, and we had players like Jeff Borski, Andy Thompson, Andy Danner and Mike Pilger play some professional ball. "I think some people think of Sacred Heart-Griffin athletically as football and volleyball, but people might be amazed at the number who have left here and went on to play college baseball. Right now, we have six former players at Lincoln Land (Community College), four at SCI (Springfield College in Illinois), one at Kentucky Wesleyan and one at Illinois Wesleyan, as well as another at Rose-Hulman. That's really pretty typical. I am very proud of the players I have had the opportunity to coach. They have taught me a lot and I hope I have taught them some.'' Wojcicki will start work for the LRS computer firm in Springfield in mid-July. It was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. "I want to stress that there was absolutely no problem with the school. I am leaving with good thoughts, and that's what made this a difficult decision. After 10 years as band director and nine years as development director, it is tough to leave.''

Caption: Ron Wojcicki is finishing his 16th and final year with the SHG baseball program.

Wojcicki 87/88

GRIFFIN CLAIMS STATE CROWN

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Saturday, June 13, 1987

Author: Jim Ruppert

A season that looked like it would end in sure nightmare two weeks ago concluded as an impossible dream Friday night at Lanphier Park. Griffin High School, down to its last out in the first game of the regional before a dropped fly ball opened the door for an extra-inning victory, captured the Class AA State Baseball Tournament title Friday night with a 9-1 victory over Barrington, trying to become the first team to repeat as the state baseball champion since Des Plaines Maine won back-to-back crowns in 1958 and 1959. "People keep saying maybe we were destined," Griffin's second-year Coach Ron Wojcicki said. "We got some luck. We got some breaks. But this is a good group of ballplayers." The Cyclones finished 37-4 and won the school's second state baseball title. The 1964 Griffin team, coached by Dick Murawski, beat Skokie Niles 6-5 on a suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the seventh inning. These Cyclones claimed the second state baseball title in city history -- Griffin was second in 1982 and Springfield was second in 1985 -- in much less dramatic fashion. Griffin scored eight runs in the second inning and let tournament most valuable player Jeff Borski do the rest. The eight runs in one inning set a Class AA State Tournament record. The key blow in the second was Mike Bolin's leadoff home run on an 0-1 pitch. It was the third home run by Bolin, who picks his spots well. His other two homers came in Griffin's City Series title game victory over Springfield and in the 10th inning of what turned out to be a 7-6 Griffin win over Lincoln in the first game of the sectional. "The thing I'll remember is when we were lining up before the game," Wojcicki said. "Joe Handley (an assistant coach) said to me, `Did you see Bolin's eyes?' Bolin was ready to play. All that we needed was some spark." The Cyclones scored the next seven runs after two were out. Following Bolin's homer, all-tournament designated hitter Jim McMann grounded out to third, the only time in 11 tournament appearances he didn't reach safely. McMann's .857 batting average (6-for-7) set a state tournament record. Chris Bax then got the first of his three singles, and Donnie Hurrelbrink walked. Robbie Fix struck out for the second out, but No. 9 hitter Ed Gresham then singled to load the bases. Terry Williams' infield single drove in Bax, and Borski 's bases-loaded walk made it 3-0. Dave Manfredo then singled in the infield, and when third baseman Byron Bradley made a bad throw, Gresham and Williams both scored. Barrington Coach Kirby Smith then removed losing pitcher Brian Hynds in favor of James Wambach, and Bolin walked to re-load the bases. McMann's bloop double between right fielder Tony Mensik, secondbaseman Brett Plaskas and first baseman Doug Raymond drove in runs No. 7 and 8. "The home run got us going," Wojcicki said. "The double is what did them in." When asked if he thought things might have been different had McMann's ball been caught, Smith looked at the scoreboard and said: "It would have been 5-1 instead of 9-1." Griffin had, indeed, cornered the momentum. "They hit the ball, we made some mistakes," Smith said. "That's the way the game goes. "They hit a home run, we walked a couple guys, had a couple miscues . . . there were a couple ground balls we could have caught . . . that's the way it is." Griffin's march to the title was not marked by eight-run innings. It was a scrappy team that specialized in killing you softly. The big inning surprised even Wojcicki. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd get eight runs in one inning against Barrington," Wojcicki said. "And couple that with the thought we'd hold Barrington to one . . . no, we never thought that would happen. "We watched Barrington this afternoon. We knew they were good. Look at the averages . . . .490, .451, .419 . . . " But Borski was able to cool the Broncos' bats if not render them useless. He retired the side in order in only the second and fourth innings, but he permitted just two runners past second base, both in the third, when Barrington (31-5) scored its run. But by then the Cyclones were in charge. The Broncos got two hits in the first inning, but a double play started by third baseman Robbie Fix got Borski out of trouble. In the third, Borski struck out the first two batters -- he finished with five strikeouts -- but with leadoff man Brett Plaskas at bat, catcher Bolin dropped a foul popup for an error, and Plaskas got his second of four hits when given second life. Adam Sobocienski then singled, and Mike Bradley's single delivered the only run. Cleanup hitter Dan Wilson, who came in with a .451 average and as the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year, then grounded out to shortstop to end the inning. "We were going to stay with Borski as long as we could," Wojcicki said. Borski then retired nine of the next 11 batters he faced while the Cyclones scored their ninth run in the fourth on a single by Bolin, a walk to McMann and a single by Bax. In the seventh, with most of the crowd of 2,145 on its feet, Borski walked Marty Brauch leading off. He then got pinch hitters Scott Hopkins and Chris Thompson looking at strike three. Plaskas singled, but the end came when Sobocienski grounded to second baseman Dennis Kracik, who flipped to shortstop Manfredo at second. " Borski pitched a very good game," Smith said. "We came up a little bit short. " Borski 's the MVP of the tournament. That's a fine team." It was the first time since the tournament came to Lanphier Park in 1979 a city school has won the title. A home-field advantage? "It didn't hurt them," Smith said. "We felt that way," Wojcicki said. "I'd like to say the crowd surprised me, but no, it didn't surprise me. Griffin supports its teams." ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Five Griffin players were named to the team, selected by the media covering the tournament: Borski as the pitcher, Fix as the third baseman, Hurrelbrink and Williams in the outfield and McMann as the designated hitter. Three Barrington players were on the team: second baseman Plaskas, outfielder Mike Bradley and catcher Wilson. Galesburg's Guy Goodman was the first baseman, Belleville East's Brian Gibson was the shortstop and John Velino was one of the outfielders, and Burbank St. Laurence's Frank Jablonski was the other pitcher.

Caption: Class AA state tournament Most Valuable Player Jeff Borski , right, celebrates championship with Griffin teammates. Story about Griffin's semifinal win is on Page 15.

Wojcicki

LRS – hanson infosys – UIS student development - Video editing - Video frame – tx – galv – pedophile – bertolino – arson – tx frames – arson – gov perry -

LRS – wojcicki – hanson –

pecori – shg – coaches – lrs/cis – ruby

shg baseball coach – hanson/pecori

LRS sports – uis dir dev – student affairs

Xa mohanty – as sysadmin

raj mohanty is the network engr for hanson

he was a roommate at uis in 95 –

mentioned pedophilia and infants –

note also will vautrain is hanson – knew roommate Oscar in 96 – roommate was ING – gay rumors – openly hostile

LRS sells a digital video editing product – alteration of moving images – video – 3d – real time rendering -

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/Raj/Mohanty

1.    Raj Mohanty

Director Of. Operations at Hanson Information Systems, Inc.

Springfield, Illinois Area | Information Technology and Services

Director Of. Operations at Hanson Information Systems, Inc.

Levi, Ray & Shoup gives new dimension to sports play reviews

Division of company lands 3D MVP contract

By TIM LANDIS

BUSINESS EDITOR

Published Sunday, December 30, 2007

This is serious sports business. A spinning, crashing, virtual 3D running back breaks through the line, employs a little deft footwork and a burst of speed, and in a matter of seconds, he's dancing in the end zone.

SJ-R.com Video: LRSSports 3D MVP football software

OK, it's a gearhead's video-gaming dream.

But it's not one you're likely to find on even the widest of wide-screen televisions anytime soon or projected on the wall of your teenager's basement game room, surrounded by bags of chips and crunched-up soda cans.

"My job is to report we're getting predictable, and don't you think our opponents know that?" said Travis Martinsen, simulating the thoughts of a simulated coach watching a 3D MVP post-game simulation.

Prior to joining Levi, Ray & Shoup of Springfield two years ago, Martinsen was the "technology guy" for the Cornhuskers of the University of Nebraska. His job basically was to break down game video into high-tech bits and bytes that football coaches could use to analyze the smallest detail of individual plays.

LRS, a consulting and technology company founded in Springfield in 1979, recently signed an exclusive deal with 3D MVP to market the sports technology company's Play Visualizer software to professional and collegiate sports programs.

The NFL's Baltimore Ravens became the first team to purchase the software. The cost is $50,000 to $150,000 per station, depending on the program.

Football and basketball teams are the primary marketing targets, though the software can be customized for other sports.

LRSSports has marketed digital video-editing programs to professional, collegiate and high school teams for a decade. The primary product lines, Ultima and Gamer, allow users to store post-game data for play analysis and "tendency reports" on opposing teams.

LRSSports manager Ron Wojcicki said the

3D MVP programs take that high technology to another level by allowing coaches to

view individual plays and players from any angle in 3D.

Even skin colors and uniform colors can be manipulated.

"In the old days, we would hang the game films on nails, and say, 'This is the frame we want to see,'" said Wojcicki, who coached junior varsity and varsity baseball at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield from 1984 to 2000, when he joined LRS.

But advances in technology have contributed to the intense competition for an edge come game day — although old-fashioned clipboards still can be seen on the sidelines at professional and college games.

"It is illegal to use video and other electronic equipment in the course of a game on the sidelines," Wojcicki said, although the NBA allows coaches to review video at halftime.

In September, the NFL fined New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick $500,000 for the team's use of a video camera to spy on an opponent's defensive signals. The team also was fined $250,000 and had to give up a draft pick next year.

The primary uses of virtual software are training, scouting opponents and game-strategy sessions without risking injuries to players. Digital simulation also is used by the military and in medicine.

Ravens players even wear three-dimensional goggles to analyze their reactions to specific plays and from a variety of angles.

"Coaches will spend hours watching the first and second steps of a back," said Martinsen.

The programs also allow coaches and players to crunch the numbers on opposing formations — to determine, for instance, if opponents tend to run or pass in certain situations.

"There are no guarantees, but you can see that 80 percent of the time if they're in this formation, they're going to run," Martinsen said.

The primary difference between the 3D sports technology and high-end video games is that coaches can manipulate players to run virtual plays from beginning to end.

Wojcicki and Martinsen said the next step is probably a helmet or other high-tech headgear that will allow athletes to step directly into simulated 3D game situations, without the need of terminals and video screens.

"It'll be a total virtual reality, where the player can put a helmet on and go into a room and practice," Martinsen said.

But even the biggest fans point out that virtual reality software is simply a teaching tool. There's still plenty of room for old-fashioned repetition and on-the-field, in-your-face practice, as well as human error, come game time.

"Does this form of training actually work?" Ravens assistant offensive line coach Greg Roman asked during a Baltimore Sun interview.

"There's always good technology to throw at a problem, but it doesn't mean you solve the problem. Just because your shoe can now tell you how far you ran as an athlete doesn't mean you run better. It's just a tool, so it still comes back to how it's used, how it's implemented."

Travis Martinsen West Coast Account Executive

A sales representative with football experience or video editing familiarity is a necessity in this industry; Travis has them both. He played football for Portland State University and was a graduate assistant for three seasons following his playing career. During his time as a graduate assistant, his duties included all video responsibilities.

Prior to joining LRS® Sports, Travis gained video experience as the

Assistant Video Coordinator for the

University of Nebraska.

Travis came on board with LRS Sports as a Video Solutions Consultant, where he helped guide the development of our products. He transitioned into sales in 2008 and is working alongside coaches on the West Coast.

PHONE: 217-725-2810 EMAIL: Travis.Martinsen@lrs.com

404 is atl – Gregory – gingrich - noonan

KEVIN CORNWELL Eastern Account Executive

If you want to talk with a rep who understands software AND sports, then Kevin’s your man. Having worked for IBM for 10 years after attending North Carolina State University, Kevin knows his stuff. Not your stereotypical IBM-er, Kevin played football and wrestled during school and

now runs marathons

and participates in triathlons.

This guy is the best of both worlds – sports and technology.

Kevin joined LRS® Sports in 2001 and works with schools up and down the East Coast.

PHONE: 404-825-2030 EMAIL: Kevin.Cornwell@lrs.com

Bankers welcome record car sales - Volume of loans zooms in summer

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA) - Thursday, August 4, 2005

Author: PERALTE C. PAUL

Kevin Cornwell hadn't planned to buy a new truck when he took his Chevrolet Blazer in for routine maintenance. But the 35-year-old Smyrna salesman left the dealership owning two -- the Blazer and a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe. His enticement was General Motors' wildly popular pay-what-employees-pay promotion, which cut about $5,000 from the Tahoe's sticker price. Cornwell and thousands of other new car buyers have been a boon to Detroit automakers, whose discounts successfully lured shoppers into showrooms. U.S. automakers sold a record 1.8 million cars and light trucks in July, up 16 percent from the same period last year. But the pay-what-we-pay discount has been beneficial to bankers as well, who say they are seeing dramatic increases in auto loans, which can make up to 15 percent of their total loan portfolios. Charlotte-based Wachovia, for example, said auto loan volume rose 28 percent nationwide in June. In Georgia, volume was up 42 percent. "It's a pleasant surprise," said Bill Linginfelter, chief executive officer of Wachovia's Georgia operations. Once July's results are tallied, he expects Wachovia's auto loan volume in the state to have jumped an additional 30 percent. Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks, the nation's fourth-largest auto lender among banks, said auto loan volume jumped 30 percent in July, the best showing in 18 months. Alpharetta-based NetBank said it financed $49.7 million in new auto loans in June, up more than 28 percent from the same month in 2004. The Internet-only bank said the June results were its best since it began offering auto loans in April 2003. GM, the first of Detroit's Big Three to launch the sales come-on, ended the wide-scale promotion Monday but will keep the offer on select 2005 models until they sell. Ford is continuing its promotion through early September. DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group is expected to keep its offer through the end of August. Japanese automakers, who generally have had fewer difficulties, didn't offer the same deals. But that didn't stop some of them from posting record sales gains in July. Mark Pregmon, senior vice president of consumer lending at SunTrust, said he expects the loan trends to continue even if there is a slowdown in auto sales. That's because Detroit automakers did away with the zero percent financing deals that were so popular two years ago. To spur sales after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, domestic automakers hawked zero percent loans through their financing subsidiaries. Only the most creditworthy consumers qualified for that deal, but the Big Three also offered beneficial interest rates for other would-be buyers -- usually better than what banks offered. But automakers borrowed money to fund those promotions. Since March, Standard & Poor's and other firms have lowered credit ratings on the debt Detroit automakers are carrying, making it more expensive for them to finance these loans. "They've got all the debt they can handle," SunTrust's Pregmon said of the automakers' financing subsidiaries. "They can't afford it." Indeed, GM, the world's largest automaker, said last week it will sell $55 billion of its car loan portfolio to Bank of America over the next five years. "One of the key reasons banks are seeing better loan volume is that the big auto companies cannot be aggressive on loan pricing since they saw credit ratings cut back," said Christopher W. Marinac, a banking analyst with FIG Partners in Atlanta. "Lower credit ratings mean higher cost of debt when Ford and GM issue debt securities. So, the banks are now seeing better volume."

Dan Sullivan Northeast Account Executive

Dan comes to LRS Sports with 12 years of college football coaching experience at seven different schools. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Loras College in 1997. Dan then had stops at Drake ’98, Lafayette ’99, Illinois Wesleyan ’00-’01, Southwest Minnesota State ’02, and The University of Chicago ’03-’04. His coaching career concluded at

Eureka College where he was the head football coach from ’05-’08.

Dan joined LRS Sports in 2009 and now works with coaches in the Northeast. He earned his B.A. degree from Loras College in ’97 and his M.S. from

Illinois State University in ’01.

PHONE: 217-303-6327 EMAIL: Dan.Sullivan@lrs.com

Sales mgr for LRS sports

RON WOJCICKI

Ron Wojcicki Director of Development Phone: 217.206.7075 wojcicki.ron@uis.edu

I am responsible for identifying potential donors to help the four colleges:

Business and Management Education and Human Services Liberal Arts and Sciences Public Affairs and Administration

I am also responsible for Student Affairs.

Through my work, I want to maximize the experience that the UIS students enjoy both in and out of the classroom. With public funding diminishing, more emphasis is placed on private funding for both endowed and current use scholarships. There continues to be a need of financial support for faculty, academic departments and facilities as well as the many activities for the students.

Education

      MacMurray College (Jacksonville, IL) – Bachelors of Music in Music Education and Piano Performance

      University of Illinois (Urbana, IL) – Masters of Science in Music Education

Two professors who had a profound influence on me were Dr. Henry Busche at MacMurray and Dr. Charles Leonard at Illinois. Both taught me through their words and actions to be well grounded and balanced in life. They also confirmed that education is truly a lifelong and very rewarding process.

Work Experience

      New Berlin, IL School District – Band Director

      Griffin/Sacred Heart-Griffin High School (Springfield, IL) – Band Director, Baseball Coach, Director of Development

              Levi, Ray & Shoup (Springfield, IL) –

              Sales, marketing and manager in the Sports and EOM divisions

              Hanson Information Systems (Springfield, IL) – Sales and marketing

Why I am excited about being at UIS

I believe in the value of formal and informal education. I believe that the goal of UIS becoming one of the top five small, public liberal arts universities in the United States is achievable. There is certainly a niche market for this. Being associated with the University of Illinois infrastructure and the capital city of Springfield makes it a very attractive institution of higher education to attract students from not only the state of Illinois but also the country and the world. I believe the new leadership of the university will make this possible.

Personal background

My wife, Karen, is a special education teacher in the Rochester School District.

We have two children: Brian, an attorney in Chicago, and Lauren, a physical therapy graduate student in Peoria.

Ed wojcicki

Ron and ed

are brothers -

Wojcicki is spi dio spks – note daughter as cross spks -

Xa smarjesse in peoria –

UIS assoc chancellor

Writes book about “acting in good faith” –

where main character suffers from depression

Xa mental illness frame – still pushing the cover – after all this time

OBITUARIES: Luke Joseph Wojcicki

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, October 7, 2010

ST. LOUIS, MO – Luke Joseph Wojcicki , 89, of St. Louis, died Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 in St. Luke's Hospital in Chesterfield, MO. Survivors include his wife Bernice, of St. Louis; five sons: Ted, St. Charles, Mo.;

Ron (Karen), Rochester;

Steve (Sue), Merritt Island, Fla.;

Ed (Sally), Springfield;

and Frank (Julie), Denver; nine grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Sarah –

is spks for CROSS

Bernard Schoenburg: There will be new faces on Springfield Park Board

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Thursday, November 18, 2010

Author: Bernard Schoenburg staff writer

At least a partial changing of the guard is on the way at the Springfield Park Board. Two incumbents — WILLIS "BILL" LOGAN and JIM FULGENZI — are not seeking new terms. And at least two candidates for those jobs have emerged — TED FLICKINGER, retired president of the Illinois Association of Park Districts, and

SARA WOJCICKI ,

press secretary for

Illinois House GOP Leader TOM CROSS. Logan, 66, is finishing two decades on the board. He is a former director of community development for the city of Springfield and is now a co-chair of the mayoral campaign of former Springfield Mayor Mike Houston, for whom he worked at the city. Logan also headed the Springfield Housing Authority and worked on housing programs under Gov. JIM EDGAR at the state's commerce department. "I think I've accomplished a lot over a 20-year period," Logan said of his time on the park board. "It's time for some different kinds of voices now that may be needed." He called the development of Dreamland Park on the Springfield's east side a "great venture." Southwind Park is open, and though it's not all finished yet, he said, it will prove to be great for the city. He also said bike trails and dog parks are new additions popular with their users. Logan remains involved in the community, in part as vice president of the Citizens Club of Springfield. Fulgenzi, 42, is completing his second four-year term on the park board. He's a real estate broker and homebuilder. "As much as I love what I'm doing there, it's a volunteer position," he said of the park board. "I'm sure that you've read the news that my business is more challenging now than in recent years. It requires more of my time." Fulgenzi is also the married father of three young children. A Republican as is Logan, Fulgenzi said politics "really doesn't come into play much on what we're doing." He gives lots of credit to the founders of the older parks in the city, including Washington, Lincoln, Iles and Enos, because their foresight has made life better for local residents for generations. He says the city still needs to emphasize setting aside land for parks, which now number more than 40 throughout the district. "The more green space we have, the more opportunities we have for the community," he said. Flickinger, 66, said parks are "kind of in my blood," after his half-century of working in the field. "It's a volunteer job, but I think with my background and experience ... I can add a lot of expertise to the team, to the board," Flickinger said. Flickinger has undergraduate and master's degrees in parks and recreation administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and a doctorate in natural resources management from Ohio State University. He was a regional director of the National Recreation Park Association before spending 30 years as president of the Springfield-based Illinois Association of Park Districts. Flickinger has been on the board of the Springfield Parks Foundation, and said he would work for better communication between that foundation and the elected board. He'd like to see more programming in the parks and hopes to make such programs self-sufficient. "Recreation is a lot of different things to different people," Flickinger said. He said he would work closely with other organizations. In Rockford, for example, park board leaders meet monthly with organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Y to ensure all are working together. Wojcicki, 31, a former reporter for WICS-TV, has worked for Cross since 2009. She's also a Republican precinct committeeman. "I think this is a great opportunity to get more involved in the community," Wojcicki said. "I grew up in Springfield and lived only a block away from Iles Park and now live just a few blocks from Washington Park. ... If I am elected, I plan to work very hard to represent the residents of Springfield and help make the parks and other programs the board oversees the most efficient and best they can be." The president of the park board is elected separately from the six trustees, whose terms are staggered. Three trustee seats are up this year.

Ed/sarah –

University of Illinois Alumni Association sets dinner

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Monday, October 24, 2005

The University of Illinois Alumni Association will sponsor an Alumni Celebration Dinner on Friday, Nov. 4, starting with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium lobby, Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Alumni, friends of the university, and members of the community are invited to attend. Celebrating the campus's 35th anniversary,

father and daughter

alumni Ed and Sara Wojcicki

will host the candlelight dinner. Alumni achievement, service, and loyalty awards will be presented to Donna Sollenberger, Mary Rechner, Trudy Malkey, Peggy Mayfield and Denise Yates. Also featured will be reminiscences of 35 years of campus life, displays of campus memorabilia and musical entertainment by alumna Becky Watts, Joan Sestak, Denise Yates, Ann Collins, and Barbara Burkhardt.

The 'corruption tax' - Governor's mistakes prove costly to taxpayers

Illinois Times (Springfield, IL) - Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Author: R. L. Nave

Being a national laughingstock has been bad enough. Sadly we've gotten used to the leadership vacuum that exists among state elected officials. But now Gov. Rod Blagojevich's most recent legal troubles are really starting to hit Illinoisans where it hurts: in the state treasury. Long before Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were taken into custody and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and other crimes, Illinois was already struggling financially. The governor's arrest only made money matters worse. "It's not just causing uncertainty; it's causing real money problems," says Sara Wojcicki ,

a spokeswoman for

state Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias.

Bernard Schoenburg: Quinn aide: Collaboration is key

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, March 8, 2009

Author: THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

… New job for Wojcicki SARA WOJCICKI , 29, of Springfield, will be the new spokeswoman for House Republican Leader TOM CROSS of Oswego. A longtime television reporter, including for WICS-TV in Springfield, Wojcicki joined the press staff of Democratic state Treasurer ALEXI GIANNOULIAS in February 2008. Crossing the partisan line isn't often seen among staff, but Wojcicki said her experience as a reporter helps. "Being in the news business I came to respect people on both sides of the aisle," Wojcicki said. She considers the move a switch from "working for one really good person to another."

TIME FOR A CHANGE / SPRINGFIELD'S CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER TAKES ON A NEW LOOK

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, September 15, 1985

Author: Sandy Hoefler

Time and Eternity, the weekly newspaper of Springfield's Roman Catholic Diocese, has taken on a new name, logo, and, for the first time in recent history, a layman editor. Starting with the Oct. 6 issue, the name of the 46,000-circulation paper will change to the Catholic Times. Its new logo includes a map of the state of Illinois with a darkened area denoting the 28 central Illinois counties in which Catholic Times circulates. A cross next to it separates the words "Catholic" and, in much larger type, "Times." Editor Ed Wojcicki took over the newspaper in mid-April. One of his first tasks was to look for a new name. The newspaper's eight-priest editorial board, in consultation with Bishop Daniel Ryan, thought it was time for a change. "The name really didn't suit the direction they wanted the paper to take," Wojcicki said. The paper, which began publishing in 1896, was for years called the Western Catholic. The name Time and Eternity was adopted in 1977, when the late Bishop Joseph McNicholas headed the diocese. Newspaper readers submitted about 350 suggestions for a new name. Some suggested versions of the same name, and some readers wanted to keep Time and Eternity. Six entrants suggested the Catholic Times. One thing was definite from the outset, Wojcicki said: The word "Catholic" was to be included. There wasn't "any great philosophical reason" for the editorial board's feeling that the paper should be identified as Catholic, Wojcicki said. "They just thought it was a good idea." The name change perhaps symbolizes a variety of recent alterations in the appearance and substance of the tabloid, which is published weekly on Thursday. Ryan and diocesan leaders were interested, for starters, in making the newspaper a more professional publication. "It's significant they hired a person with a college degree in journalism," Wojcicki says. And Wojcicki, a former editor at both the Galesburg Register Mail and Monmouth Daily Review Atlas, has carried that news background into the pages of the Catholic newspaper. Some of the changes have contributed to a significant increase in the number of "letters to the editor" submitted to the paper. And some of those letters have been highly critical of Wojcicki. But that's what Wojcicki wants -- the letters indicate that people in the pews are reading. And they are reading about issues: abortion, world peace, the farm crisis, Live Aid, terrorism and the Beirut airline hijacking. Even Jerry Falwell's allegation that South African Bishop Desmond Tutu is a "phony" was the subject of a recent Wojcicki column. There is no liberal or conservative twist to his columns, Wojcicki says -- although one reader wrote to say he thinks Wojcicki is a communist because of his views on South America. Wojcicki, however, says the subjects he writes about "are going to vary." For instance, one column was written about a friend who had died. Wojcicki's columns do tend to deal with the moral or Catholic perspectives on issues, and he adds: "I don't want to duplicate what other newspapers are doing." The newspaper as a whole now puts more emphasis on news analysis and on profiles of people in area parishes -- not just the daily record of the diocese that readers had been accustomed to seeing. This week's issue, for instance, features a front-page story about a heart transplant recipient from Bethalto, near Alton, and the community support he received. A page 3 story featured a "faith profile" of a Taylorville couple. Another week's front-page story focused on the controversial implementation of a diocesan rule on the offering of wine during communion. As time goes on, Wojcicki hopes to reach even more into the diocese for stories, both news and features. There also will be a greater emphasis placed on readers and on opening up a "dialogue" in the newspaper. Wojcicki is offering a guest column to readers, a forum for their opinions -- to show, for one thing, that it's "OK to have differences in opinion." One goal of the newspaper is "to help the diocese and help the church do its mission," Wojcicki says. To do so, "We need to talk about the issues and the trends." Wojcicki, the first non-priest in recent memory to run the diocesan newspaper, graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism in 1976. During his stints in Galesburg and Monmouth over the past nine years, he also wrote freelance religion stories for magazines and the United Press International wire service.

Caption: Ed Wojcicki , right, editor of the newly-named Catholic Times, in front of the office at 514 E. Lawrence with assistant editor Dave Hylton.

LATIN MASS PROPOSAL STIRS DEBATE IN DIOCESE

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Sunday, March 6, 1988

Author: Michael Murphy

Traditional Catholics were within inches of reviving the Latin Mass in Springfield last month, if only on a limited basis. But last-minute hesitation by Bishop Daniel Ryan has put the return of the centuries-old service in doubt. Ryan briefly supported a proposal last month that would have lifted the pre-1962 Mass format from its liturgical grave. Faced by mounting opposition from local clergy, however, Ryan cancelled a trial Latin Mass that had been scheduled for last Friday. The controversial issue now has been referred to a diocesan advisory council, where proponents of what is called the "Tridentine Mass" fear the issue will languish, if not die. "There are some people, especially people in the diocesan bureaucracy, who just do not want to see the Tridentine Mass restored," says Michael Key of Springfield, a leader of local Catholics unhappy with changes the Mass ceremony has undergone since the mid-1960s. "A lot of people want the old Mass back, and they won't give it to us," adds a Springfield priest, who asked that his name not be used. "What are they afraid of? If people don't want the old Mass back, it will die a natural death." Ryan himself touched off the latest furor over the return of the Tridentine Mass. In response to a request from Key, Ryan scheduled just such a service for 6:30 a.m. Friday at Villa Maria Center, with himself as celebrant. "There was a request, and he granted it," says Ed Wojcicki , communications director for the Springfield diocese. "But after some questions were raised, (Ryan) decided to cancel it and bring it to our Presbyteral Council." Key himself was among those who questioned Ryan's initial decision. His appeal, seeking future Latin services at a parish church rather than the small Villa Maria chapel, was among the concerns Ryan cited in a Feb. 16 letter explaining the postponement. Sources say the cancellation also was prompted by loud complaints from diocesan priests. They became especially vocal, the sources say, after proponents of the Tridentine Mass asked the priests to circulate petitions among their parishioners. Among the questions raised, some "were about the appropriateness" of encouraging any kind of return to Latin Mass, says Wojcicki. Ryan "also had concerns about the general solicitation of people to petition for this." Disputes about the merits of Catholic services in Latin versus English have simmered on and off since the Tridentine Mass, a creation of church reformation in the late 16th century, was scrapped by former Pope Paul VI. To the dismay of many longtime Catholics, the sweeping reforms of Paul VI turned priests around to face their congregations during Mass. At the same time, the so-called "vernacular" Mass had Catholics throughout the world begin praying, not in Latin, but in their native languages. The Latin Mass' nostalgic appeal has waned in the intervening 26 years, church officials say, and the "new" Mass liturgy has the support of the vast majority of U.S. Catholics. Says a Springfield pastor who is opposed to the neo-traditional movement: "In the old days, people at the Mass didn't understand what was going on. They sat in church and prayed the rosary at Mass, for goodness' sake. Some of these people say the old Mass had more `sacredness,' and that's what they want to go back to. "I don't see any reason to go back, really. To me, it would be going back to a time of ignorance." But even as a generation of believers grew up without bilingual Catholic missals, some of their elders still equate the Tridentine Mass with Catholicism at its zenith. They say their church suffers from the loss of important links with a glorious past -- pointing to sharp declines in the ranks of priests and nuns as one example. Key, who was an Episcopalian before converting to Catholicism two years ago, says his yearning has nothing to do with nostalgia. Until last year, when he attended a Tridentine Mass out of town, he had no idea what he was missing. "What I came away with was a sense of sacredness, a sense of reverence, a sense of awe that was present at the Tridentine Mass -- much more so than I ever got at a `vernacular' Mass," he says. The fact that Key was able to find a Tridentine Mass continues to amaze some Catholics. They were among many caught by surprise four years ago, when Pope John Paul II cracked open the door leading to the past. John Paul, using what is known as an "indult," allowed bishops to schedule Tridentine services on certain isolated occasions. While most U.S. bishops have blocked all such renewal efforts, a few have approved Latin Masses for the first Friday or first Sunday of each month, Key says. Only people who sign petitions in advance can attend the Tridentine services. Some say that requirement -- like scheduling the local Mass for remote Villa Maria -- is meant to discourage widespread support for Latin Masses. Wojcicki says the chapel at Villa Maria (the former Immaculate Conception Seminary on West Lake Drive) cannot accommodate a large crowd. It was chosen not for its size, he says, but because it met the requirements of the 1984 papal order. "The indult states that the Tridentine Mass should not be celebrated in parish churches except in extraordinary instances," Wojcicki says. "That's why (Ryan) set it up for Villa Maria." The Rev. Stanley Milewski of Sacred Heart parish, who helped Key publicize Ryan's original decision, says only one parish returned Tridentine Mass petitions after the tentative Feb. 21 circulation date. Thirty-five people in that parish, Our Saviour's Church of Jacksonville, signed up to attend the Tridentine service, Milewski says. Milewski would not comment on Ryan's original decision to hold a Latin Mass, or on the bishop's subsequent change of heart. But another local priest, commenting on condition of anonymity, says Ryan's intent was clear. "Scheduling it for Villa Maria at 6:30 on a Friday morning, come on," he says. "They might as well have had that Mass at 4 o'clock in the morning in Cicero, Illinois." Wojcicki disputes contentions that there is hidden meaning in Ryan's quiet decisions -- first to schedule the Latin Mass, then to cancel it. Ryan's concern was that his approval might be misread, says Wojcicki. "The bishop is interested in supporting the parishes in implementing the liturgical reforms of the 1960s," he says. "If he approved this, the bishop didn't want it to be seen as us being somehow opposed to (those) liturgical reforms." To solicit broad-based input, Ryan will ask the diocese's Presbyteral Council to review the Latin Mass question and make a recommendation to him. The issue will be on the agenda March 21, when the advisory panel, comprising 20 priests from throughout the diocese, holds its next meeting. Milewski, a supporter of the Tridentine Mass, is not a member of the council, Wojcicki says. The council may reach a decision immediately, he says, or name a committee to solicit outside views on the issue. Wojcicki, who also serves as editor of Catholic Times, the diocesan newspaper, says Key first made his request to Ryan at a luncheon the newspaper held last October for contributors to its letters-to-the-editor column. Key wrote a follow-up letter to Ryan. The bishop's reply in early February listed the approved date and site of the first Tridentine Mass, Key says, and indicated that parishioners could petition for similar services on subsequent first Fridays. Key says he wrote to Ryan again, asking that the subsequent services be held in a parish church. He was "really devastated," he says, when Ryan's Feb. 16 letter revealed that last Friday's Mass was off. "I'm not sure what's going on," says Key. "I hope this is good news. I hope they're going to consider putting this in a parish church. "The irksome thing is, we had a taste of it, and then it was yanked away."

Caption: The Latin missal, the official source of the Latin Mass, is at the heart of the struggle over the revival of the Latin Mass in Springfield. Local clergy are divided over whether to resurrect the pre-1962 service.

PRIEST BEING SUED BY WOMAN WHO SAYS HE FATHERED CHILD

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Tuesday, July 10, 1990

Author: PAT ENGLAND and SEAN NOBLE

A former Taylorville priest is being sued by a parish member who says he forced her to have sex and fathered her 16-month-old daughter. Erin Clark says in the suit that she was the victim of "an indecent assault" by the Rev. Mike Poterucha, at the time assistant pastor or parochial vicar at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Taylorville. Poterucha began counseling Clark in the summer of 1985 because of problems in her marriage, the suit says. Clark, the mother of five other children, eventually "became emotionally and psychologically dependent" on Poterucha, the suit says. Poterucha assaulted Clark on July 5, 1988, according to the suit. Clark's daughter was born on March 10, 1989, the suit says. The suit asks the court to find that Poterucha is the father of the girl and to order him to pay child support and medical expenses associated with Erin Clark's pregnancy and delivery. The suit says the girl has a disease called Angelman's syndrome and will require extraordinary expenditures for her medical and educational needs. In addition, Erin Clark's marriage has "deteriorated significantly" because of the incident, the complaint says, and she will need marriage and psychological counseling in the future. The suit alleges that Poterucha's relationship with Clark was not his first with a female parishioner, but gives no further details. Clark's suit also names three Roman Catholic churches, the Catholic Diocese of Springfield, and Springfield Bishop Daniel Ryan as defendants. All either knew or should have known of Poterucha's "previous attraction to female parishioners" but failed to supervise him, warn parishioners, dismiss him as Clark's marriage counselor, or reassign him, the suit says. The three churches are St. Mary's; Mother of Dolors Catholic Church of Vandalia; and St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church of Effingham. Poterucha was ordained May 25, 1985, and assigned to the Taylorville church. He was made pastor of the Vandalia church in 1988, but last year was granted a leave of absence "for an undetermined amount of time," according to Ed Wojcicki , spokesman for the Springfield diocese. "Priests request leaves (of absence) for any number of reasons," Wojcicki said. "I can't comment on leaves because they involve personal reasons." Wojcicki declined to comment on the suit, saying neither he nor Ryan had seen it. The Rev. Richard Peradotto, pastor at St. Mary's for three years, said, "I'm familiar with the situation . . . but I don't care to comment." Poterucha now may be "in Minnesota somewhere," according to the

Rev. Leo Enlow, pastor of St. Anthony's.

The Effingham church was Poterucha's home parish before his ordination, but Enlow said he had no idea why it was named in the suit. In addition to the paternity count, the suit accuses Poterucha of assault and battery and clergy malpractice. The complaint, filed in circuit court in Springfield, seeks damages from Poterucha and the other defendants.

UIS names Wojcicki associate chancellor

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Saturday, November 24, 2001

Author: DOUG POKORSKI STAFF WRITER

Ed Wojcicki , publisher of the public affairs magazine Illinois Issues for the past nine years, has been appointed to the

newly created position of

associate chancellor for constituent relations

at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Wojcicki will assume his new post Jan. 1. A national search for a new publisher at Illinois Issues, which is produced by UIS, will begin in December. In his new job, Wojcicki will report to and advise Chancellor Richard Ringeisen on matters relating to all branches of government and will serve as liaison with the U of I Government Relations Office. He also will advise Ringeisen on campus and university policy issues and will represent him on campus and university committees. He will coordinate Ringeisen's responses to issues that are brought to the chancellor's office related to various campus constituencies including parents, students and friends of the university. "As publisher of Illinois Issues, (Wojcicki) has accumulated a storehouse of knowledge about how government and higher education work and has established ties with many public officials," Ringeisen said in a statement. "That knowledge and those relationships will greatly benefit him and this institution as he carries out his new responsibilities." Before coming to UIS in 1992, Wojcicki was editor of the Catholic Times, the official newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, for seven years. He previously served as editor of the Daily Review Atlas newspaper in Monmouth and as marketing director of Security Savings and Loan in Monmouth. In addition to being publisher of Illinois Issues, Wojcicki has been director of the UIS institute publications since 1996. That unit publishes public affairs books and other material for UIS. He directed the award-winning Illinois Campaign Finance Project at UIS from 1994-97. He also directed the university's Illinois Civic Engagement Project. He is the author of the book "A Crisis of Hope in the Modern World" and a board member for a number of civic organizations. Wojcicki has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and is completing a master's degree in political studies at UIS.

Smarjesse link

WOJCICKI NEW ILLINOIS ISSUES PUBLISHER

State Journal-Register, The (Springfield, IL) - Saturday, May 2, 1992

Ed Wojcicki , editor and manager of the Catholic Times newspaper, has been named publisher of Illinois Issues magazine. Illinois Issues is cosponsored by Sangamon State University and the University of Illinois. Catholic Times is the newspaper of the Springfield Roman Catholic diocese. Wojcicki replaces Mike Lennon, who left SSU and the publisher's post in February to take a new position at Wilkes College, in Pennsylvania. "We are pleased to be able to attract someone with Ed's outstanding qualifications," SSU President Naomi Lynn said. Illinois Issues is a magazine of government and public affairs published monthly since 1975. Wojcicki's appointment was announced Friday at the semiannual meeting of the magazine's board of directors. The meeting was held on the U of I Chicago campus, where the magazine's editorial offices are located. Wojcicki has been with Catholic Times since 1985. During his tenure, he oversaw an annual budget of $600,000, and the paper's advertising income increased by nearly 400 percent. The paper garnered eight national awards in the past five years, the only awards it has won in its 96-year history. Wojcicki previously spent five years as editor of the Daily Review Atlas, Monmouth. He also has done free-lance work for the Chicago Sun-Times, the Christian Herald, The State Journal-Register, Illinois Times and

Peoria's Catholic Post. He is the author of "A Crisis of Hope," published last year by Thomas More Press of Chicago. He was a contributing author to "Of Human Hands: A Reader in the Spirituality of Work," also published last year. Wojcicki has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, where he graduated cum laude in 1976. The Springfield resident is married and has two children.

SJR – march 2011

… * “Acting in Good Faith:

The Life and Legacy of Henri Nouwen,” presented by author, journalist and University of Illinois Springfield administrator Ed Wojcicki , 10:30 a.m., Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 745 Woodside Road. Despite his faith, Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest, discovered he was not immune from spiritual conflict and bouts of depression. Wojcicki corresponded with Nouwen for 10 years and serves on the board of the Henri Nouwen Society. For more information, visit www.aluuc.com or call 585-9550.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

14th December >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Saint John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor 

    on 

Monday, Third Week of Advent.

Monday, Third Week of Advent

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the feria (Monday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

Numbers 24:2-7,15-17

The oracles of Balaam

Raising his eyes Balaam saw Israel, encamped by tribes; the spirit of God came on him and he declaimed his poem. He said:

‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened. How fair are your tents, O Jacob! How fair your dwellings, Israel! Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens by the banks of a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters! A hero arises from their stock, he reigns over countless peoples. His king is greater than Agag, his majesty is exalted.’

Then Balaam declaimed his poem again. He said:

‘The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes, the oracle of one who hears the word of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High. He sees what Shaddai makes him see, receives the divine answer, and his eyes are opened. I see him – but not in the present, I behold him – but not close at hand: a star from Jacob takes the leadership, a sceptre arises from Israel.’

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 24(25):4-6,7a-9

R/ Lord, make me know your ways.

Lord, make me know your ways.    Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:    for you are God my saviour.

R/ Lord, make me know your ways.

In you I hope all day long    because of your goodness, O Lord. Remember your mercy, Lord,    and the love you have shown from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth.    In your love remember me.

R/ Lord, make me know your ways.

The Lord is good and upright.    He shows the path to those who stray, He guides the humble in the right path,    He teaches his way to the poor.

R/ Lord, make me know your ways.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia! The Lord will come, go out to meet him. Great is his beginning and his reign will have no end. Alleluia!

Or:

Psalm 84:8

Alleluia, alleluia! Let us see, O Lord, your mercy and give us your saving help. Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 21:23-27

'I will not tell you my authority for acting like this'

Jesus had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, ‘What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?’ ‘And I’ replied Jesus ‘will ask you a question, only one; if you tell me the answer to it, I will then tell you my authority for acting like this. John’s baptism: where did it come from: heaven or man?’ And they argued it out this way among themselves, ‘If we say from heaven, he will retort, “Then why did you refuse to believe him?”; but if we say from man, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So their reply to Jesus was, ‘We do not know.’ And he retorted, ‘Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Monday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

1 Corinthians 2:1-10

The wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory

Brothers, when I came to you, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God.    But still we have a wisdom to offer those who have reached maturity: not a philosophy of our age, it is true, still less of the masters of our age, which are coming to their end. The hidden wisdom of God which we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known, or they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory; we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man, all that God has prepared for those who love him.    These are the very things that God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 36(37):3-6,30-31

R/ The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.

If you trust in the Lord and do good,    then you will live in the land and be secure. If you find your delight in the Lord,    he will grant your heart’s desire.

R/ The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.

Commit your life to the Lord,    trust in him and he will act, so that your justice breaks forth like the light,    your cause like the noon-day sun.

R/ The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.

The just man’s mouth utters wisdom    and his lips speak what is right; the law of his God is in his heart,    his steps shall be saved from stumbling.

R/ The just man’s mouth utters wisdom.

Gospel Acclamation

Matthew 5:3

Alleluia, alleluia! How happy are the poor in spirit: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 14:25-33

Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple

Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. ‘If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.    ‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish.” Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.