#I hope to god I have not been afflicted by long covid

[autogeneity]

asking chatgpt when I will feel better from being sick

[laguera25]

Dear Rammstein,

On March 13, 2020, my dentist called to cancel my appointment. Because of the lockdown, he said, but not to worry, it would only be a few weeks, and then he would fix that cavity. I had no way of knowing then that I would not leave the house for anything other than dental procedures and the renewal of my library card until September 12, 2022.

It wasn't so bad at first. I have never much been comfortable around people; I have the social skills of a turnip and the social graces of a hyena with gout, and it was nice to have an excuse to bunk in with my long-neglected book trove and sit around in my underwear. No being stared at as I trundled along in my wheelchair, no being given pitying looks in the grocery store or stepped around as though I weren't there. No well-intentioned but annoying Christians offering to lay hands on me so God would heal my affliction. Just quiet. Blessed, blessed quiet.

Splendid. Until it wasn't. Until the momentary sense of community ignited by the onslaught of COVID disintegrated into paranoia and conspiracy theories and earnest discussions about whether or not the old and the fragile and the disabled were an acceptable loss if it meant the sacred economy could return to full function and those who "deserved" it could go back to their lives. Until I opened Twitter and saw my fellow countrymen declaring that trying to protect the vulnerable was a waste of time and resources, and that if a bunch of cripples died, so what? Why should they be robbed of their freedom by...wearing a mask. We could just stay inside forever and rot as long as they got to go on their vacations or out to eat. It was sad for the unfortunates, and they felt terribly, but those were, apparently, the breaks.

It should be noted that their heartfelt sorrow for the plight of did unfortunates did not stop them from spewing their awfulness with merry impunity where anyone could see it.

I've always known that my life never carried much value as far as the world is concerned. When your eyes are at asshole level, you see a lot of shit. But to see it expressed so baldly, and by people you respected--and by your grandmother, ab old lioness for has protected you all your life--breaks something inside you, collapses the faint hope that you were wrong, that you are just a crotchety misanthrope who wants to believe the worst. That people are better than you think.

Five months into the pandemic, the local hospital issued an edict that if medically-vulnerable people contracted COVID, they would not be treated, but sent home to live or die as they might. The resources were needed for those "with a better quality of life," i.e., those with lives they deemed worth living.

And I broke. I ate and slept and read, but I was numb and tired and empty and angry. The world didn't want me, so why should I want it? Why should I waste energy on it? I turned off and tuned out and spent my days staring blankly at Youtube videos.

And then, what should happen but that you should announce that the 2021 tour, which was out of my financial reach, was now slated for 2022? And here I was with two stimulus checks of which I had not spent a cent. In 2010, the hope of seeing you at MSG kept my head above the water. Maybe you would do it again.

Instead of moping, I began researching. Organizing. Planning. Weighing options. Budgeting. Who had time to listen to the nasty little ogres on the Internet when there were logistics to consider? For the first time since that phone call, I had hope of doing more than moldering in my rooms so my healthy superiors could live unencumbered by the dreadful horrors of a cloth mask they could easily remove.

I still seethed at the casual cruelty of my fellows, but now I got up and checked for tour news and watched videos of the European leg to see what to expect and savored Jens Koch's stunning photo work that allowed me to see details I knew I would miss in my terrible accessible seats. I had a purpose. A goal. I felt something other than nothing.

On September 12, 2022, I got into my van and made the eight-hour drive to Florida to pick up a friend, and then we made the thirteen-hour drive to San Antonio. It took four days because I'm just not built for endurance runs, and because my stubborn companion refused to believe the air conditioner was broken until we began to sweat to death even with the windows rolled down. Four days of hotels with no accessible rooms despite them being mandated by federal law. Four days of bathing in sinks and pissing in lobby restrooms and eating fast food and sleeping like shit because my body was in rebellion and exhausted from the adrenaline and the wild fluctuations in body temperature.

We pulled into San Antonio on the 16th. Surely I would get a shower now. My reservation was marked as accessible roll-in shower guaranteed. And this was a swank hotel. I could finally regain a little dignity.

Except...

After leaving me to stew in the lobby for two hours after I arrive, an alert bellhop realizes I've been there a while and fetches the manager, who has the grace to look embarrassed and personally delivers the keys. I got to my room, ecstatic at the prospect of a bath, only to find...a bathtub. Which I cannot get into.

I want to cry like a two-year-old. I am hot, dehydrated because it's dangerous to drink when you're not sure you can pee, and filthy. I reek. I know how I must look, like some greasy, slovenly invalid who lacks the awareness or ability to take care of herself. Like someone who should be institutionalized.

I want to protest, but the hotel is fully booked, and I don't want to draw attention to myself. I have driven roughly seventeen hundred miles in in a rolling blast furnace, and I can't risk being kicked out for not being properly grateful. So no shower. At least I can piss in private.

And then it is the 17th, and there is Schneider, and the darkness explodes, and I burst into tears because there you are. I made it. I might stink like a polecat in heat and be sore and dehydrated and exhausted, but you are there, and you are beautiful and magnificent, and nothing else matters, and for two hours, nothing hurts. I weep sporadically from "Armee der Tristen" through "Engel" and again at "Adieu." I'm sure some folks in the section thought I was crazy. I don't care. I was alive. I had rediscovered a sense of wonder I had lost.

Thank you. Thank you, thank you. You kept my head above the water until I found the strength to pull myself out of the despair that threatened to pull me under. You reminded me that there was joy in the world, and wonder, and hope. You gave me a reason to fight even when I don't want to. There can be no greater gift.

No one will ever convince me there aren't wings beneath your skin. Bless you and godspeed, and may you find happiness wherever you go.

[raisingsupergirl]

My Life With COVID-19: Week 1--Say Goodbye to Food

I never thought being a statistic would come with so much baggage. It's not that I thought it would never happen to me. In fact, I thought it already had happened to me. A couple of times. And maybe it did. But none of them were like this. I'm going to try to explain it as best as I can (you know, for science and future generations), but bear with me. COVID brain is definitely a thing.

I guess this story starts on 12/12/20. That's the day that my dear friend passed away. We were supposed to start a Dungeons & Dragons campaign together soon. Him, me, and three other good friends. But that Saturday, I got the text that he had passed away the previous night (not related to COVID, as far as I'm aware). Well, that following evening, those three other friends and I got together to remember him, to process some emotions, and to drink whiskey. The next day I woke up feeling… less than perfect. Of course, I thought it was from lack of sleep and too much alcohol, but it was weird. I didn't drink that much. Not to feel that bad. And there were some weird things, too. My eyeballs hurt (really bad) like I had a fever, but I didn't have a fever. And my fatigue level was through the roof. Other than that, normal body aches and lack of appetite that come with over-indulgence, so I didn't think much of it. Even when I woke up on Monday with persistent symptoms, I just assumed I was getting REALLY old and should never drink again. Yeah, I'm kind of dumb sometimes.

Monday and Tuesday could be characterized by general lack of energy, some mild congestion, and those danged achy eyeballs. And the only food that appealed to me was soup, and only in small amounts. "Just a little cold," I told myself. Even still, I had the good sense to be extra-cautious with my hand washing and mask wearing procedures. Unfortunately, I didn't have the good sense to get tested at that time. Mostly because my insurance doesn't cover testing (which is $150/swab), but also because I was in denial. I needed to work. My patients needed treatment. I was important… irreplaceable. And, of course, I didn't want to have to call my friends and tell them I'd exposed them Saturday night.

Wednesday was more of the same, but I felt even more fatigued. Then, someone else I'd come into contact with the previous week let me know that they'd tested positive. Crap. That's when the pieces started falling into place. And the last one fell as I was drinking a glass of alcohol (elderberry tincture, actually. Which I'd made myself as a COVID preventative… guess I should have started drinking it earlier…). While I sipped, I was actually hanging out with those same Saturday friends, but this time virtually. We were playing computer games. And about halfway through the glass of elderberry goodnes, I noticed that it wasn't nearly as floral or alcoholic tasting as it should have been. I assumed it was getting watered down, but suspicion started creeping up my spine. And by the end of the glass, it tasted like straight water (which tastes like nothing…). Like some infected dummy straight out of a zombie movie, I told no one and went to bed, hoping against hope that I would wake up to the smell of bacon (or anything).

When my alarm went off the next morning, I popped out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. First thing I did? Took a long whiff of my deodorant stick. Nothing. I stuck the toothpaste up to my nose. Still nothing. Brushed my teeth. Foamy nothing. Went to the bathroom. Thankfully nothing. And then it was time to go downstairs, face my wife, and finally say it out loud. "I can't smell anything. It's completely gone." And that's the moment that it became real. No turning back. One rapid test later, and my fate was sealed. My boss started clearing my schedule for the next week, and my mind started racing with all of the people I needed to call. All the things I needed to do. What my life would look like for the next ten days. Even now, I don't know if the virus was effecting my cognition and emotions or not, but I do know that I was a mess.

By the time I got home, my world was spinning. I was angry, ashamed, confused, defeated, and overwhelmed. Mostly overwhelmed. I made sure my wife had pulled our daughter from school, and then I went up to my room. Not because I was quarantining from them, but because I couldn't handle being around anyone, even those whom I loved most (I mean, I'd be spending plenty of time with them over the next week anyway, right?).

Over the next hour, I felt like someone with an STD contacting all of my past… well, you know. I texted, I messaged, I called. Everyone was incredibly understanding. They all wanted to know how I was doing. And it felt almost shameful saying that I felt fine. "Just a little fatigued, eyeballs hurt a little, some congestion. And the no smell thing." It's funny how that didn't dawn on me yet. In the flurry of confusion, I hadn't stopped to consider what life without smell would be like. That revelation would come later. No, right now I was focused on the bigger things. I wouldn't be able to attend my friend's funeral this Saturday. I wouldn't be able to host Portmas (an annual Christmas celebration with those same friends) that night. I wouldn't be able to go to work for over a week. The days would feel like months… Have I mentioned that I'm a bit of a work-a-holic? Yeah, well, there was a BIG part of me right then that thought, "God did this. I wouldn't slow down. I wouldn't quit working. Even when I was sick, I was too dumb to take a step back. So God took my smell away. It's my fault for being so stubborn. And God finally stepped in." Yeah, those are some thoughts that I'll continue to unpack over the next couple of weeks, but for now it's enough to say that my thoughts and emotions were about as confused as my senses.

Speaking of which, my lovely wife made me a can of chicken-n-noodle soup for lunch. And it felt great. Warm, soothing, and satisfying. But with each bite, reality settled in the pit of my broth-laden stomach. It wasn't that I couldn't taste ANYTHING. There was something there. A touch of saltiness and a hint of umami (look it up). My tongue wasn't completely dead… but my nose was. And so, another cascade of confused emotions. More anger. More fear. Google said "most" patients got their smell back in a week or two, but for some it could take up to a year. And a small percentage never got it back. NEVER!? And at best, I didn't know if I could handle two weeks. Honestly, I didn't.

If you haven't lost your sense of smell, I'm sure you think I was overreacting. I would have, too, before it happened to me (Yes, I'm aware of the irony of my blog post a couple of weeks ago). But I want to try and explain the seriousness of this situation to you. Maybe fore some it's not so bad—those who are suffering REAL COVID symptoms. Those fighting for breath and for life. But for those of use who feel otherwise "normal," it's a panic-inducing affliction. For example, I'm a fledgling home brewer. Do you know what all beer tastes like when you have no smell? Like water with a ghost of bitterness on both sides of the tongue. Do you know what straight whiskey tastes like? Exactly the same with just a slight warmth in the chest. And so, my brewing hobby is done. Just done. And cooking? There's no point. Everything might as well be raw cucumbers and unseasoned French fries. Texture and temperature. That's literally the only variation. Well… almost literally.

In my panic, I NEEDED to know what my limits were. I needed to know if I could find any enjoyment from food. And so, I went to the extremes. Cloves, even when eaten straight, had absolutely no flavor. Straight salt registered a little on the tip and back of my tongue. Sugar felt kind of thick on my tongue, and if I tried imagining it, I thought I could taste it a little. Cayenne pepper was a little tingly in the back of my throat, but nothing more. Horseradish did nothing at first and only a little tingling on the top of my mouth afterward (mind you, I ate enough of all of these things to kill an elephant). And finally, I took a bite of a lime. Whoa! That about knocked me over. Imagine not tasting anything for 24 hours and then suddenly biting into a lime. That's exactly what it tasted like. Okay, well, I couldn't actually taste any lime characteristics, but that SOUR sensation registered off the charts. The sensation was both hopeful and frustrating, and those two emotions fit in perfectly with my general disposition.

That night, I was mean. Cranky toward my wife. She made dinner, and I was bitter about it. Airfried shrimp and tater tots with cucumbers on the side. She was TRYING to satisfy my texture and temperature requirements. And she did well. But it was still ash in my mouth, cotton balls in my stomach. And no one seemed to understand my frustration and fear.

But that night, I realized there was something I hadn't considered, too. My family is close. We hug and kiss. We cuddle. And so, there didn't seem to be any reason for me to start quarantining from them now. Besides, both of my daughters already had the sniffles, so the likelihood was high that they already had the virus. And my wife thought that she'd already had it a few weeks before. But… if she hadn't. If she was still susceptible. I wasn't worried about her safety, so much. She's healthy. She works out, eats right, and nurtures her already strong immune system. But, if she lost her smell, too…

Okay, hear me out. This isn't just about food enjoyment or fart detection (yes, my wife giggled at the dinner table because she farted right next to me without me knowing…). It's about safety. Have you ever considered how dangerous it would be to live in a house with a gas stove if no one could smell? I mean, presumably the kids might notice something, but would they understand enough to let us know? I'm honestly not sure I would take that gamble. So here's hoping my wife keeps smelling, because I really don't want to move out.

Oh, speaking of my wife smelling, there's one last revelation I had about anosmia (lack of smell). For an anosmic person to take a shower is truly a selfless act. Think about it.

Anyway, by the time I post this (12/23/20), my quarantine will officially be over. I will have spent a week at home. So I'll definitely have more to tell. But these first few days are enough for now. Stay safe, friends. And don't forget to stop and smell the hot cocoa before you miss your chance.

[ruminativerabbi]

Kindness in the Time of Cholera

I’m still up in the air about the whole thing in terms of where this potential catastrophe may be heading. But what seems beyond dispute to me is that we should be heeding the advice of those wise experts specifically whose counsel is to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. And equally clear to me is that we should be insisting unwaveringly that the government put the responsibility and authority to deal with this looming crisis squarely and solely in the hands of scientists, public health officials, physicians, and epidemiologists…and as far as possible from the hands of politicians.  

One of the most intelligent essays about the coronavirus outbreak that I’ve read, by Donald G. McNeil Jr., was published in the New York Times just this week (click here) and I recommend it highly to you. Basically, he observes that there are two ways to deal with a looming pandemic. There’s the modern method of bringing to bear the full force of modern technology to identify the infected, to perfect a vaccine, to develop new strains of drugs to deal with the already-ill, etc. And then there’s the medieval method of locking the infected inside their own cities, closing borders, forbidding international travel or commerce, and quarantining people who may have inadvertently been exposed to the virus until the danger passes and the infected either recover or die.

The latter approach, the one McNeil calls “medieval,” surely does have an old-fashioned feel to it. And it equally surely features a harshness that will make most moderns uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t work and hasn’t worked. President Benjamin Harrison, for example, apparently successful kept America safe from an outbreak of virulent cholera in 1892, for example, by closing American harbors to any ships arriving from Germany, the epicenter of that particular epidemic in Europe. But, as McNeil goes on to muse, just how possible would that approach be today really? The word “quarantine” derives from the Italian word for “forty” and came to have its current meaning because the Venetian Republic had the very successful idea during the Black Death plague epidemic in the mid-fourteenth century of requiring that all ships arriving in their port be isolated for a full forty days before their crew could come ashore or their cargo be unloaded. But Venice has one harbor and its masters had the ability absolutely to control the comings and goings of boats in and out of their city, whereas it is very hard to imagine that approach being fully successful in our globalized world of highly porous borders and uncontrolled (and uncontrollable) interstate travel. Nor am I only theorizing here. The Chinese actually have turned Wuhan, the city where the virus first erupted into the world, into a single huge quarantine zone. But the virus behind COVID-19 is still spreading dramatically in the world, both inside and outside of China.

The Jewish world has yet another way to combat a pandemic, one that was the subject of a fascinating piece on the Lehrhaus website that I read just last week. The essay, by Jeremy Brown, the director of the Office of Emergency Care Research at the National Institute of Health, concerns a long-forgotten ceremony developed specifically to address the possibility of epidemiological catastrophe: the shvartze chasaneh, literally “the black wedding.” (To read the full essay, click here.) The name, derived from the fact that brides normally wear white to their own weddings, was intended to suggest that the wedding in question is not just the union of an affianced couple eager to wed under a chuppah, but something else entirely—something rooted not in love and devotion, but in fear and community-wide anxiety.

As far as anyone knows, the last time anyone participated in a shvartze chasaneh was in 1918 at the peak of the Spanish flu epidemic. I’ve heard people mention that specific epidemic many times in the last few weeks, but even by today’s standards the numbers are still astounding. Five hundred million people around the world were infected, about a third of the entire population of the world. (Click here for more on that almost unbelievable number.) The death toll is estimated by most authorities to have been somewhere between forty and fifty million people, but some authorities put it as high as one hundred million. Life expectancy in the United States dropped by twelve years after just one year of the epidemic. This was a terrible time, the cataclysmic coda to the orgy of senseless killing that was the First World War. And the pandemic lasted for three full years, from the beginning of 1918 through the end of 1920.

The idea of the shvartze chasaneh itself is a simple one: the community seeks out a single man who is disabled, orphaned, and/or impoverished and arranges for him publicly to marry a similar destitute and handicapped woman. The ceremony takes place, as would any normal Jewish marriage, under a chuppah. But this chuppah is set up in a cemetery—perhaps as a way of inviting the dead to participate in the simchah—and then the community showers the couple with gifts, including gifts of cash, in the hope that this great act of kindness towards the especially needy will somehow avert the plague.

To document his research, Brown uncovered an account of one of these “black weddings” that took place in Philadelphia in 1918 during the height of the Spanish flu epidemic. Citing from a contemporary newspaper account published in the Public Ledger of Philadelphia, Brown reports that one Fanny Jacobs and one Harold Rosenberg were married just behind the first row of graves in the Jewish cemetery near Cobbs Creek, Pennsylvania, on Friday afternoon on October 25, 1918. A certain Rabbi Lipschitz presided; a full thousand spectators showed up to witness the union. And then, to quote the newspaper story directly, “spectators filed solemnly past the couple and made them presents of money in sums from ten cents to a hundred dollars, according to the means and circumstances of the donor, until more than $1,000 had been given.” And the point of the operation was also made explicit in the newspaper account: so that “the attention of God be called to the affliction of their fellows if the most humble man and woman among them should join in marriage in the presence of the dead.”

Nor was this something invented on the spot to deal with the influenza epidemic. The earliest report of a shvartze chasaneh goes back to 1785, when one was performed in the presence of two of the greatest hasidic masters, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk and Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchak Halevi Horowitz (the latter better known today as the Seer of Lublin), and was intended to address an outbreak of cholera. Brown reports that similar wedding ceremonies took place for orphaned teenagers in Jerusalem and Tzfat in 1865 during an infestation of locusts that threatened to destroy the food source for the entire country. (The picture is of the one in Jerusalem.) They must have been quite something to see, those ceremonies: the one in Jerusalem took place amidst the graves on the Mount of Olives and the one in Tzfat took place in the old Jewish cemetery there, where the chuppah was set up between the graves of Rabbi Isaac Luria and Rabbi Joseph Karo, each in his own way the spiritual leader of an entire generation of Jewish people. Other such ceremonies took place in Berdichev in 1866 and at Opatow in 1892, which town Joan and I actually visited last summer. 

The Philadelphia ceremony inspired at least one further attempt to ward off the flu epidemic: on November 11, 1918—the very day of the armistice that ended the war—a similar wedding was held in Winnipeg, duly reported in the Winnipeg Evening Tribune under the headline “Hebrews Hold Wedding of Death to Halt Flu.”

I do not think—at least not yet—that we should consider going this route at the current time with respect to COVID-19. But I do think that we could be inspired—and profoundly—by the idea that underlying our response to what could conceivably turn into a world-wide pandemic should be the same sense Jews of a different day had that one responds to the possibility of disaster by being kind and generous, by reaching out formally and publicly to the most needy, by focusing on the future and not solely on the calamity at hand, and by refusing to abandon our most basic values merely because we suddenly find ourselves negotiating straits that even a few months ago were unknown to any of us. The notion that the correct response to looming catastrophe lies in deeds of compassion and charity is very resonant with me personally. My plan for the moment is to wash my hands carefully and often, to leave the real decision making to the kind of public health experts who actually know what they are talking about, and to try to avert the worst by ramping up Joan and my gifts of charity to the poor and the most needy, and I encourage you to do the same!

[greatnesswithin-blog]

What ADVICE Would Swiss Family Robinson Give On the COVID-19 Pandemic?

In the early 1800s, the Robinsons, who left Switzerland to escape the bondage of government, found themselves shipwrecked in the middle of the Indian Ocean. They eventually found refuge on a remote island, isolated from the known world. Much like the COVID-19 pandemic, the initial change created uncertainty and fear. “How would we survive? There are so many unknowns. What would the future hold?” they thought. They survived, even prospered, by learning to use the resources available to them. They used common sense, ingenuity, and faith in God. We have the same opportunity today.

As I sit in my bungalow isolated from my known external world, in a place where I wrote the novel “Return to Robinson Island,” I imagine how nice it would be to remove myself (and my family) from the current chaos and go to Robinson Island. Robinson Island is a paradise few have ever seen — clean, peaceful, and thriving.

As I imagine myself on that island, my mind sinks deeper in thought. The world has been shut down (quarantined) now for about a month to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. But as I contemplate today’s realities, I wonder how the Robinson’s, who were wise and humble, would respond to today’s pandemic. What strategies did they apply to turn their crisis into a roaring success that became the envy of the world in 1805–1817? If the Robinsons were able to get a glimpse into the year 2020, how would they respond? What advice would they give?

The Robinsons had their challenges with viruses, sickness, scurvy, scarlet fever, and initially cabin fever. Long before the Germ Theory was discovered, Elizabeth Robinson (Mother) devised her own natural medicines and even encouraged eating diced garlic cloves three times a day. Fortunately, the Robinson’s immune systems were robust and healthy. They were active, and they ate well. They would eat what they coined “God’s Food.” This was food that grew from the earth, the animals of the field, and the fish of the sea. For which they always gave thanks.

In the end, they trusted circumstances would turn out well. Not to say there wouldn’t be bumps and bruises along the way, but they were resilient and faithful. They were “God-fearing” or better said, “God-loving” people who reached toward the heavens in search of answers for their family. They didn’t ask God to take away sicknesses and challenges; rather, they believed that God would give them the insight and inspiration needed to endure the crises successfully.

So, given the Robinson’s experience of radical uncertainty, what perspective and advice would they give the world in 2020 outside of availability of the safe and remote island called, Robinson Island?

FIRST, they would remind people to humble themselves and seek power from above. They prayed in faith and fasted to draw down the powers from heaven. As they read the Bible, they understood that if they, “Draw nearer unto God, God would draw nearer unto them.” Their spirituality gave them much comfort and relief during times of crisis and peace.

SECOND, they would do their best to honor the suggestions from the medical professionals. For example, stay home unless it was necessary to leave. Keep the advised distance within groups. Wash your hands and cover your mouth when coughing. Mother Robinson inherently saw the value of preventing germs from spreading. At times, these changes would frustrate the family, and she would remind her children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren (according to “Return to Robinson Island”) that this was a momentary sacrifice of trading what you want for the moment for what you want long term. The family agreed. She would remind them that in a short season if they were diligent, “This too shall pass.”

THIRD, the Robinsons would be mortified by today’s culture of elevating mother nature over God. Indeed, they believed that the earth is a living entity with intelligence and a spirit — a blessing that was created by God. They believed that all living things are subject to God and natural law. For this reason, they strongly believed in being good stewards of the earth and environment but resisted substituting mother nature for God.

FOURTH, they would encourage cooperation. Watch five minutes of cable news; the Robinsons would be sorely disappointed. Where is civil decorum and respect for each other with differing views? They would invite politicians from all parties to stop bickering, seek a win/win, through shared principles, understanding, and values. The Robinsons would emphasize that when we are divided, it exacerbates the weak and negative aspects of all people. They would plead with politicians to cooperate and serve the greater good instead of one’s political party. Besides, blaming and victimizing never served relationships, families, communities, or nations in a positive and sustaining way. Sadly, in today’s culture, this is probably more ideal than practical, but why not strive for the ideal?

FIFTH, the Robinsons would encourage you (and society) to look at your world differently and take bold moves to anticipate and innovate. In times of crisis, arise opportunities for innovation. The history books are filled with stories where one door closed another door opened, leading to increased knowledge and progress. In times of crisis, necessity forced the Robinsons to innovate. On Robinson Island, innovation took on many forms like finding refuge in a cave after first being shipwrecked to later building the infamous Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse that consisted of running water using bamboo shoots. The Robinsons discovered how to make candles using the wax from Bayberry bushes. For you, at this time, innovation may include the form of using new methods of educating your children from home using the latest technology. Or a company that is having to adjust operations by working remotely. In 1997, Steve Jobs coined the slogan, “Think Different.” In other words, get creative and start thinking like an entrepreneur. There is power in being adaptable.

SIXTH, the Robinsons would encourage increased love and affection toward all people. Love wins. Scripture speaks of a time when mankind will become, “Lovers of themselves.” Particularly, love your family and your friends through actions of service and expression.

The Swiss Family Robinsons loved God, family, and liberty. Originally, their whole purpose for leaving Switzerland was in search of more freedom and liberties. They knew this could only be found in a limited government that gave power to the people and where hard work, ingenuity, and a respect for all people existed — and where one could freely and unapologetically worship by the dictates of their own hearts.

When the Robinsons had the option to relocate to Australia, or back home to Switzerland, or America for that matter, they opted to stay on Robinson Island. When governments sought to settle Robinson Island, they declined. They had become accustomed to being self-sufficient. In the end, they preferred freedom over captivity or comfort.

The message to you is this, cherish this time of quarantine and change. See this time as an opportunity to strengthen the relationships of those you love. Be considerate of other people when you go into public. And probably the hardest thing in today’s culture, delay your judgment of people who see the world differently than you (i.e., this article). Choose to respond thoughtfully with a spirit of seeking understanding rather than mindlessly reacting.

As you find your life disrupted, remember you are in charge of your own destiny. No matter how difficult your circumstance may be or become, you always have a choice in how to respond. In his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl points out that many of those who survived the Nazi concentration camps said that they, “Benefited from the captivity, seeing it as a growth experience.” As horrendous as Auschwitz was, Frankl taught, “Our core drive as humans is our search for meaning…. The way in which a man accepts his fate, and all the suffering that it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity — even under the most difficult circumstances — to add deeper meaning to his life.” Russian Novelist, short story writer, and philosopher, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, once stated, “There is only one thing I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings.” In his Ted talk, David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine Monk, made this statement on being grateful, “Does that mean we can be grateful for everything? Certainly not. We cannot be grateful for violence, for war, for oppression, for exploitation. On a personal level, we cannot be grateful for the loss of a friend, for unfaithfulness, for bereavement. I didn’t say we can be grateful for everything; I said we could be grateful in every given moment.”

You can be grateful for “this moment” by which you have an opportunity to choose. You can choose how to respond. You can choose what to do now. You can choose to be grateful that the COVID-19 will empower humanity to be better prepared and protected in the future. You can choose how to feel by choosing what to focus on at this moment. You have the power to choose your attitude despite times of uncertainty. What’s the consequence of taking advantage of this inherent power given to every human being? The ability to choose your own “self-fulfilling prophecy,” which can be your hopes, desires, and dreams. It all starts with your thoughts! Thoughts drive the law of attraction. Whatever you dwell on, you will attract and magnify in your life.

In the end, what will be said of you during this time? Were you the victim or the victor? Did you choose to bear your afflictions with a cheerful heart or blame some external force as the cause of your unhappiness? Lift your head. Square your shoulders. Be engaged in a good cause. Live with purpose. Be strong. Focus on the good in all circumstances and people. Find meaning from this experience and unleash your greatness within.

To learn more about how to Unleash Your Greatness Within, visit https://www.GreatnessWithin.com or download TJ Hoisington’s podcast on Apple Podcast here: https://apple.co/2V133fb TJ’s mission is to share principled and inspirational content on leadership, high-performance, and happiness. Visit TJ on social media @tjhoisington TJ Hoisington is the author of both Self-Help books and historical fiction books. Read “Return to Robinson Island” or “The Swiss Family Robinson Secret Discovery” — Link: https://amzn.to/2RJX4tc To learn more about Swiss Family Robinson click here: https://www.swissfamilyreturns.com

[dailyaudiobible]

08/15/2021 DAB Transcript

Nehemiah 9:22-10:39, 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13, Psalm 34:1-10, Proverbs 21:13

Today is the 15th day of August, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I’m Brian, it’s great to be here with you as we well, as we’ve reached the center of another month and the beginning of a brand-new shiny sparkly week out in front of us. And so, it's a new week. It's a reset and here we go we’ll live this week and it will tell the story of what we believe through our actions and thankfully we have the Scriptures to inform us and guide us and give us examples. Examples like Nehemiah which is the book that we are in right now. And so, as we begin this new week, we’ll read from the Good News Translation. Nehemiah chapter 9 verse 22 through 10 verse 39.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You that we have the opportunity to greet this new week together in Your presence together in community and as we move into this second half of this month, Holy Spirit come, come into all of the words in the Scriptures that are coming into our minds and going into our hearts, guide and direct our spirits so that the things that need to be planted deep within are and that we are open to You and Your leadership and correction in our lives. We worship You. We love You. We humble ourselves before You, we open ourselves to You fully. Nothing is off limits to You. Come, Holy Spirit and lead us into all truth. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Prayers and Encouragements:

Good morning. I'm praying this morning for healing for those who have called in. For Jaden and Bethesda suffering from COVID and recovering, but slowly. I also am praying for all who are long haul COVID afflicted. For Dr. John whose eye had recent surgery for glaucoma, but maybe bleeding that his, that this could be resolved and his vision restored that his eye would be saved and his vision restored. I pray for those in chronic pain. The two Cindy's and so many others with various afflictions and I pray for those in need of mental clarity and hope in very difficult situations. In Jesus name I ask all of these things be lifted up to our loving Father because nothing is impossible for Him who loves us and because we are His children, all who call upon Him to be saved will be and will be lifted up. It may not be in a way we think should happen or in our timing, but He cares for us. He loves us, Lord, for your mercy and grace and healing power on these and all who listen and call on Your name in Jesus name. Amen.

Dear family, please join me and coming around our dear sister God’s Princess Warrior. We are so sorry to hear of the loss of your nephew, your sister’s son who passed away from a drug overdose, that was 17-years-old. Dear sister, we are so sorry, we mourn with you, we cry with you and we come before the Father with you, knowing that He is the only comforter in this situation, Lord Jesus, we thank You. We thank You that we know that You are moved with compassion. We thank You that you will bring the healing and the peace through this whole thing. We thank You for protecting their hearts from the enemy that would try to pull them down with guilt. Father, we thank You for Your great love for them. We are here with you sister. We are here for you; continue to reach out to us. We love you. Please give your sister Chrissy a big hug for us and our love for us and let her know that we are praying for all of you. We’ll continue to pray in the days ahead too honey, love you.

This is Gwenn from California. Gigi, I heard your desperate cry and I was moved by your conflict over the strong desire to stay on track with nursing school and what feels like an inopportune time to be expecting a child. I was in a similar position many years ago. When I was accepted into nursing school, I had a nine-month-old son and I was a four-month pregnant with our second son. But like you I had a lot of support from husband, family and in-laws, so I decided to move forward with school. I didn't know how I would do it since I could only miss three days during the program, but God. God went before me and made a way I had our son during Easter break, which gave me two weeks off, and God used the kindness of a clinical instructor to give me a light assignment when I returned, giving my body time to rest. When I graduated the whole family deserved to be wearing a cap and gown. They loved on those babies and we got through it together. I don’t know the exact path our sovereign God has chosen for you, it may be to postpone school for a year or two, but I do know what seems to be the most difficult and disappointed time right now will soon look like God’s appointed plan as He is working all things out for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purpose. If He placed this desire to be a nurse in your heart He will fulfill His plan. It’s a wonderful career that allows you the flexibility to be at home with your children and the ability to minister to those who are in need. So, just be encouraged. God see’s you and your future. I'll be praying.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family, it’s Doctor John from Jordan, New York. I really need urgent prayer on my eye, the pain has gotten significantly worse and it’s got me nauseated and I don’t even think I can go into work today. So, if you could pray for healing from my right eye, after the glaucoma surgery for relief from the pain, I would really appreciate it. Love you, bye bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is Diana His Dearly Beloved calling from Minnesota soon-to-be from Washington state. I just listened to the August 11th podcast and heard, I think, he said PG from NCI, just a most wonderful prayer for all of DAB family and I'm just so grateful when people do that and I'm just blown away by the prayers of this community and how well people pray, and how God's Spirit moves through, through all of us and very, very grateful for this podcast. I'm calling for prayers. I am in the process of moving from Minnesota to Washington state and I do so this weekend, and I've been dealing with ulcer pain. Mayo clinic found three ulcers and this is after having five surgeries this year. I had a hysterectomy and then I had surgeries for cancer and then a nicked bile duct, it drains and stints and so I guess the ulcers aren’t completely a surprise. I’ve never had them before but they're very painful and I've been on medication for two months and they’re not helping and I’m driving out this weekend and afraid, so I would really appreciate prayers. Thank you DAB family. I love you and I'm gonna keep praying for you. Take care, keep the faith. Love you. Bye.

[keywestlou]

CATHOLIC BISHOPS.....VACCINES SUBJECT TO CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM OF RELIGION ATTACK

Insanity continues to prevail.

The Catholic Church is getting involved in an issue where it has no place. Unless of course it does so in a Christ like fashion.

The issue: Vaccination mandates are subject to freedom of religion attacks.

Those who issued such opinion are the two Bishop groups in the United States: The United Voice of the Catholic Bishops of Colorado and the Washington based Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The two organizations represent 50 percent of American bishops. There is division in the ranks re the vaccine issue as well as many others.

The two Conferences operate on a close basis with evangelical Republicans who operate with the far right politically. These bishops should have become politicians rather than priests attempting to impose non Christ like teaching on the American people.

Jesus and Pope Frances both said go feed my people. I recall nothing from my studies saying get involved in politics.

Expect some lawsuits in the near future claiming vaccines violate religious rights. They will be supported by the Bishops’ organizations and financed by wealthy Catholic laymen who have personal and political reasons for having the lawsuits brought.

Words appearing now with “personal choice” and “parental choice” are popping up. Soon it will be by the Catholic Church with “personal choice” being involved in freedom of religion cases.

One argument by the Bishops is that certain of the vaccines have abortion derived cell lives. In short, cells from dead fetus’s were used in experimentation for the vaccines. Their argument even goes to vaccines not having such cells in them at this time. The cells were only limited to cell use in the beginning.

COVID-19 is a killer. Now numbered in the hundred of thousands. Children now adding to the number on a daily basis.

I have a solution. A serious one.

Since coronavirus is easily contagious and the Delta-variant even more, the numbers of those afflicted will continue to dramatically increase.

There was a disease long ago that was horrendous also. Many lepers were sent to Molokai Island. Father Damien followed to care for them. My suggestion is we find an island for the die hard anti-vaccine, send them to live on such an island, to be accompanied by Catholic Bishops to care for them.

Such more God like than the freedom of religion issues being raised.

Fred is becoming confusing. The type of hurricane that persons should be concerned with. It first was projected to be a tropical storm. It became one. Now it has been reduced in power to a tropical depression. We are told it will return to a tropical storm by the time it hits Florida.

Winds initially projected 60-80 mph. Now, 40-60.

Certain cones has Fred basically coming right over Key West and the Keys. Fred first indicated to travel west of Key West. Now, east of Key West.

Fred first projected to hit Key West next tuesday. Then, this coming friday around 7 pm. Now perhaps as early as tonight.

The projection when Key West hits heavy rains and wind in the 40-60 mile range.

Hurricanes are fickle. Fred is fickle. Not the weather persons. They merely report their findings to provide us with the best information so we can make an educated guess as to what to do.

No one in Key West seems to be concerned about Fred at this point.

All good things come to an end. Steve Thompson’s TACOS ends today. Somewhere in time in the mid 1970’s.

Ballast Key is prominent in his last writing.

Ballast Key at one time was owned by David Wolkowsky. His personal hide-a-way. Time wise probably after Steve visited there, though I am not certain.

Ballast Key is off the Gulf side of Key West 16 miles out. Wolkowsky built a home out there. Brought water and power to the island.

He threw parties for the rich and famous. Kings, Prime Ministers, entertainment celebrities, authors, politicians, etc. The menu always the same: Hot dogs, potato chips and champagne. Provided by one of the richest men in the world at the time.

Steve’s Ballast Key story as it appears in TACOS paragraph 28, the last paragraph of the writing. Steve wrote this book 10 years ago. Perhaps he should finish it. He and Cindy are a wealth of knowledge. They have so much to tell.

All the locals used to go to Ballast Key / And I felt great when they invited me / Six miles out we came to a stop sign / Everyone turned left and followed in line / I didn’t want to seem so formal / But nothing about this seemed very normal / The island was 10 miles out in the sea / With a white sandy beach and a lone palm tree / We pulled he boats right up on the sand / Everyone looked beautiful and tanned / Then everybody took of all their clothes / I looked like a glass of milk from head to toes / I really felt like a geek / And I couldn’t sit down for at least a week / We went there a lot not just that time / But I never got used to that stop sign.

Finis.

Thank you Steve and Cindy.

My attempt at advertising is neither simple nor easy. Sloan is deeply involved.

When I decided we should look into advertising, I placed responsibility on Sloan. I would merely oversee. Sloan began. Almost immediately coronavirus became involved. Sloan became infected and was down for 14 days. Now up and around. Claims all is good. I hope so.

I am not happy with the advertising so far. No one’s fault. Start up errors. The scene is more complicated than I initially thought it would be.

I am unhappy with the same piece of advertising popping up 3 times, the location of the advertising pieces, dating sites, and the quality of those I am advertising. Too gaudy, not in good taste. Not what I wanted.

We have much work ahead.

Until we have the problems worked out, we all must suffer. I opted to jump in because I thought it would work out better time wise. It will, assuming Sloan stays healthy. In the meantime, please bear up with us.

Enjoy your day!

CATHOLIC BISHOPS…..VACCINES SUBJECT TO CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM OF RELIGION ATTACK was originally published on Key West Lou

[kelcikrokks]

I just want to thank God not only for sending His Son Jesus to die for us, but for allowing us to live this long thru 2020. I’m definitely blessed that I got to have housing, clothes, food, & go to school remotely this year. But I know others have not been so blessed. Therefore, I’ve prayed everyday for their well-being & health, especially those working on the frontlines to fight COVID. Y’all the true angels in disguise! To all of u reading this, I just want to say I’m so so SOOOOO proud of u for making it this far. Even just eating & sleeping everyday can be a challenge & you overcame it well. I pray the merriest Christmas & that the story of Jesus’ birth would raise in u Hope, Joy, & the experience that u r Loved. U R LOVED! By this person on the Internet & Jesus Christ! May u feel His Love & see His Smile wherever u go in Jesus Name. Be Joyful in Hope Be Patient in Affliction Be FAITHFUL/PERSISTENT in Prayer Romans 12:12 https://www.instagram.com/p/CJPMVEZDd-H/?igshid=1gs8crjowysb

[life-of-khanoor]

March 17, 2020

As I’m sitting here, in day 5 of quarantine because of the COVID-19, I’ve made a handful of observations. And if you’re wondering why it took me 7 months to finally sit down and talk about, well, since July, there have been a myriad of times when I’ve considered coming here and writing about the thoughts circulating in my head, but I would just stare at the screen and think. Think about everything that’s happened, the changes, the people, the experiences —and how the childhood distress turned into the adolescent affliction and now the adult anguish. I wasn’t ready to address it all, not the insecurity, not the loss or the gain. Simply because it didn’t all make sense, it didn’t fit any sort of sentence — it was just a string of words, driven by happiness or sadness or confusion. I guess I was able to make some sense of it considering I’m here. So anyways, let’s get into the journey to these realizations...

Today, I find that I am a 22-year old that sees her battles not as opportunities to conquer but as tribulations I can’t face — things I would gladly sweep under the rug. (Not for long though, I’m glad to say that I am now consciously making the choice to conquer and fight, not shy away.) So rewind 6 years, and I wasn’t this person? What was different then? Who was I? I’m certainly not the person I was 6 years ago, and although sometimes, I wish I could be, I’m glad I had the opportunity to grow and see the world for myself.  

So after miserably failing the MCAT after putting in almost 18 months of work, I felt LOST. It felt like 7 years of work all went down the drain and I had to start from scratch. I doubted my ability to progress in the world, to impact the world, to get back up with momentum. I felt like a wallflower. Just watching everything and everyone with their plans and ambitions and job-offers and acceptances, and there I was — completely dumbfounded. What was I going to do after college? How could I stay at home after 4 years of living with freedom. I felt hopeless. God it was such a shitty feeling. It was this grey area and I felt like I would never find a way out of it. But guess what, there is something about walking through your fears actually going through the worst thing you could imagine happening to you — that is oddly freeing. It makes you realize that every crisis is an opportunity in disguise. 

So senior year started, and I wasn’t focused on becoming a doctor. I wanted to do everything but that. I looked into the LSATs, into becoming a lawyer or a forensics examiner. Considered becoming a physician’s assistant, all of it. Through this time, I also took the time to enjoy college. A bulk of my sophomore and junior year had been devoted to doing well on the MCAT and seizing any opportunity to better my medical school application. And while those experiences were fruitful, they took away from my college experience. The time with my friends to do the dumb shit you’re supposed to do in college, to go travel and have fun. So, my senior year was dedicated to me finding myself and enjoying myself. I soon realized that my expertise all lay in medicine and that the only real thing stopping me from further pursuing medicine was my self doubt in the face of the MCAT. During this time period, I also met someone that I hope to one day call my husband. So let’s talk about him a little before I dive into the origins of my self doubt. 

So this boy, is love. TRUE love with no contingencies attached. The kind that not only gives you butterflies but also the kind that makes you feel warm inside because he is home. And this is coming from someone that honestly hasn’t experienced that “home” love since the death of her grandfather. It seemed as though he was all the love I never experienced in my childhood and adolescence wrapped up in a well-kept beard and charming eyes. We met on a dating app that I reluctantly downloaded over the summer because of boredom. I never thought much for the app, it was cool but 

I read a couple of years ago, in “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell that the children of parents who teach them to question things and speak up end up being more intelligent and brave. And the children of parents who made them stay quiet and not question things end up staying submissive for most of their life. For the longest time in my life, I was the one who spoke the loudest and questioned everything. But somewhere between my parent’s separation and my transition into a new town — I lost that part of myself. Consistently being told “keep your mouth shut”, “stop talking you don’t know anything”, etc can actually really impact the way you perceive the world around you and yourself. 

[gaylejakerman]

Devotion for Session – June 18, 2020

2020 – What a Memorable Year!!

To be honest, when I signed up back in mid-January to do the devotion for this month, I remember thinking, it’ll be a good time to do one because this year, 2020, is going to be filled with many major milestones and magical memories for me and John… and I was looking forward to using those as my platform. Well, it has been a memorable year, that’s for sure! The biggest milestone for me would have to be that I turned 60 years old earlier this month. THAT IS CRAZY! I don’t feel 60 years old… well, I don’t feel like what I think 60 years old should feel!

Oh, and most of you know that John retired at the end of February after serving over 40 years as a professional with the Boy Scouts of America… that was awesome, and I have to say it was the epitome of “perfect timing”… because within just a few weeks of his retirement EVERYTHING changed! I knew that we were going to be spending a bit more time together with this major life event, but oh my goodness, I didn’t realize it was going to be 24/7/365! Thanks to COVID-19 and the stay at home orders mandated by our governor on March 13th, John and I, along with most of you, were “forced” to spend time… a lot of time…together with each other! Don’t get me wrong, I love him very much, but this was a HUGE change for me. I was used to his 60+ hours a week work schedule and his weekend obligations… seeing him usually around 10:00 every night, and maybe early in the morning, if I got out of bed at Dark-Thirty. 40 years of a schedule like that, and then BOOM… we’re together 24/7! I admit, it took some adjustment for both of us, but we are figuring it out and are actually enjoying our time together…now. It’s a good thing too, because our 40th anniversary is this year and we worked too hard to get this far for it to all go south because of a little quarantine! But even with The COVID, and our world in turmoil with social injustice still happening every day, I continue to have hope that this year will be memorable… in a good way! So, I have decided to focus my devotion today on HOPE!

The word hope is found in the NIV bible 167 times. Hope commonly is used to mean a wish: its strength is the strength of a person’s desire. But in the bible, hope is the confident expectation that God has promised, and its strength is in His faithfulness.

I want to share a few bible verses that describe hope, in what I feel is today’s perspective:

Romans 5, verses 3-5, says: “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Hebrews 10:23: states “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Job 5:16 tells us, “So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”

Psalm 9:18 it says, “But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Proverbs 13:12 reads, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

And finally, in Lamentations 3:21-23 we hear, “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

As I mentioned, I feel that each of these verses speak to the world that we are currently living in. We are desperate people right now, looking for answers, sometimes immediate answers to the issues and concerns of today. We are hopeful, yet we are tired of hearing about COVID19 and the restrictions imposed on us. We are hopeful, yet we hurt when we learn of yet another senseless death, wondering what else we can do to fix a broken system. We are hopeful, yet we cry over a loss of a dear friend who fought courageously for years only to die without their friends and family surrounding them. We are hopeful, yet we mourn over all of these things. As faithful Christians we are reminded to be hopeful. Have hope that God will take care of each of us and in the end, everything will be okay. For as it states in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

So, today I encourage each of us to be hopeful. Have hope that God is with all of us and guiding us to a better place, and as any loving father does, protecting us and building a home where we can all live together safely in love and peace.

Now, will you pray with me? “Dear heavenly father, we are hopeful. We hope you hear our prayers and the prayers of all your children, our brothers, and our sisters. Help to remind us that we are a family…your family… all in this together. Lead us to live as you want us to, loving our neighbors as we love ourselves, Lord. Help us to be better disciples. Forgive our sins, those that are without thought and those that are. We know that your son, Jesus Christ, died for us, all of us, and yet sometimes we take it for granted, and we are sorry. We hope that you can help us get back on the path that you have laid before us and guide us to where you want us to be. Thank you for all of the blessings that you have given us, even the ones that we have forgotten about recently. Remind us to be happy and not angry, to be loving and not hateful, and to be always faithful and trust in your guidance. We pray this with the hope that you can bring healing to our nation, and to our world. In your son’s name we pray, Amen.”

Written by Gayle Akerman

Personnel Elder at Wake Forest Presbyterian Church

[gduncan969]

“Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String”

2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.,”

It’s been somewhat of a tough haul this past week.  I am still behaving as a (relatively) law-abiding citizen staying at home in the middle of this pandemic and going to church on Sunday by sitting with my ipad on my lap as we listen to our pastor encourage us with songs and scriptures and a good gospel message but I must confess it’s just not the same as the real thing and I long to get back to normalcy where we can visit each other, hug each other, laugh together, sing together, pray together and eat together.  Still, I’m amazed in these days of quarantine, how  inventive people have become with all kinds of new ideas on how to socialise without actually being together.  Zoomer meetings, podcasts, Twitter tweets, video calls and a host of other means of staying in touch are being used to the full and all are helping to keep us sane in the comfy prison cells we call home but it’s just not the same as the real thing.  Also, there’s an added danger that these new ways of communicating become the new normal, a new way of living together with our friends and neighbours!  Social distancing may be good science but it’s a bad lifestyle in a world already in the grip of another pandemic—loneliness!  My daughter, Susan Tucker, now has a regular Facebook livestream on Sunday evenings at 7.00 where she plays her guitar and sings the old favourite hymns and songs of the church while we all tune in to join her and make requests for our own favourites.  Amazingly, she now has friends from USA, England, Central America, Africa and who knows where else joining in.  That’s wonderful but I miss hugging my kids and grandkids who won’t let me within six feet of them because they are afraid they might infect us with the dreaded Covid-19 virus.  

I have now run out of projects to complete around the house and having walked for miles and miles around the golf course behind our house, I find myself on the edge of what John Bunyan in his book Pilgrim’s Progress called “the Slough of Despond” which I call the mud-hole of self pity.  So, it’s time for me to start counting my blessings and quit feeling sorry for myself.  A song popped into my head as I sat down to write this blog, a familiar song everyone knows from The Sound of Music—“My Favourite Things”:  

       Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens        Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens        Brown paper packages tied up with strings       These are a few of my favourite things...        I simply remember my favourite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

That’s actually good advice whenever we begin to lose track of how blessed we are, especially in the midst of a world pandemic.  My opening sentence above mentions it has been a tough week.  On Monday, we got word that a dear saint and friend from Northern Ontario had died in hospital at age 93.  Dying in hospital is a lonely experience these days since visits are not allowed but thankfully, her daughter and granddaughter were allowed to be with her singing her favourite choruses as she passed into the presence of her Saviour.  On Tuesday, we got word that another dear friend, ill with cancer, had been given only hours to live and his son was appealing for prayer for his dad who is 72. On Wednesday and Thursday Eleanor spent sleepless nights battling pain in her ear, probably from exposure to the frigid temperatures these last few days as we try to maintain our daily exercise routine.  So, with the “Sound of Music” ringing in my ears I got to thinking about “some of my favourite things” like the good times we’ve had with Betty and her family over many decades; about Al, one of the most gentle men I have ever met and 54 years of marriage to the only woman who can put up with me.  As these memories come flooding back, I don’t feel so bad.  Betty’s daughter just related the story of her mom’s first date with her dad, how she told him she had never seen a bear before despite being raised on a farm near Englehart, Ontario.  Steve, her new boyfriend drove her to the local garbage dump, got out of the car and grabbed the first bear cub he saw and brought it up to the window so she could get a good look at her first bear.  I wouldn’t have believed that story if I didn’t know how typical that was of the man I had known for 30 years. They are now together again with the Lord and I’ve no doubt he’s showing her around Heaven.  Also, after much prayer by many these past two days, the doctors are now hopeful that Al may survive for several more weeks so we will continue to pray that those weeks become months and even years.

In 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18, Paul tells us not to lose heart as we take on life’s challenges.  The restrictions forced upon us by this dreadful virus and the restrictions placed upon us by the ravages of time (for all us senior citizens) are a “light affliction which is but for a moment, working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” and so we do not focus our attention on “the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen”.   A pastor friend who was somewhat overweight used to say of himself, “Inside this fat body there lives a thin man”.  Now that I’m well into my seventies, I tell others “Inside this old body there lives a young man”. The outward appearance that others see is not who we really are.  The real question is how do we see ourselves and with what eyes?  To be able to see the “things not seen” we need a different set of eyes and these are given to us by the Holy Spirit.  In our younger days following the Lord, these eyes, yet undeveloped, see the unseeable “through a glass darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12) and so we find it easier to put more trust in our physical eyes but as age takes its toll on our bodies our focus turns more and more sharply to the things that are unseen and eternal.   As the world struggles to find its footing in the midst of this great upheaval, one which is yet to reveal the true enormity of its impact to our natural eyes, we must take to heart that God is at work in our midst turning the eyes of the world on Him.  Let’s begin to get excited rather than worried “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

[artificiary-fr]

Hi, hello, I'm so sorry to intrude- genuinely. But if you feel like you're intruding on people in a group discord- please take it from a fellow RSD person: it's not you. often times people within a group don't know how to 'properly' respond to a share of ideas. most often they wait for a signal from other members. and if someone post something more 'reactionable' after you? then the conversation shifts to that person rather than you. This isn't about 'finding better friends' just... about (1/2)

(2/2) knowing that your friends are probably at least half as awkward as you, and don't know how to respond. If you talk to members individually and they like the idea? Yes!! But if you don't talk to more than one member individually? Know your view is biased. Not negatively or rudely somehow- just. Factually. People with rejection sensitive dysphoria get real fucked up about some... 'nothing' shit sometimes. ... uh. sidetracked 3/3: share your OC's. Talk about the things you love. BE WHO YOU ARE. and find the people that will love you /FOR/ that, not /BECAUSE/ of it.

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

Hey anon! There’s no need to apologize - an ask is never an intrusion (unless it’s like.... aphobic or homo/transphobic or smth but that doesn’t apply here / isn’t the point) - rather, I appreciate it a lot. I put all three of your asks together in one, I hope you don’t mind! I’m gonna answer under the cut as well so my own words don’t take up a ton of space n’ such. I have a rambling problem.

Okay, so. First thing’s first: I really appreciate you approaching me and saying what you've said. I feel like I guilt tripped y’all into it - that’s the real bad downturn of venting about stuff like this I guess, like when people do pay attention due to the topic matter you’ve forced them into it - but either way, I still appreciate it. It’s definitely not an intrusion.

So a little before-note: I myself have been diagnosed with GAD / SAD (generalized/social anxiety disorder) and have suffered from diagnosed chronic depression for... uh... about 8 years? Anxiety for about 11-12 years. I’ve gone to therapy for it for around four-ish years (I think???), but my therapist left her job at the beginning of this year and felt I’d progressed and learned enough coping skills that I’ll be OK on my own with periodic check-ins with someone. I’ve also got untreated/untested ADHD of some kind - my therapist never got around to doing some other tests with me beyond one preliminary simple one. Relevant bc I understand how sometimes it’s not not-listening but an inability to focus. Some background/context, woo!

Anyway... I felt like I’d heard the term RSD before somewhere (can’t remember where) - but I didn’t know what it was at all. So I looked it up! I try not to attribute mental illnesses or afflictions to myself unless I’ve been diagnosed, but based on what I was reading, I just kind of went “...oh.” Next time I have a therapy check-in, whenever that might be, I wrote a note about it to maybe bring up or talk about it.

But on the other hand non-RSD, it’s like.... normally, and in the past, I’ve been able to shrug this kind of stuff off. Does it sting/hurt a bit? Sure, and I’m sure it would for most people! In this case though it’s something that’s just been building and building and building for a few months now, with multiple people in multiple groups, both one-on-one, in discord servers, and IRL. The servers just happen to be most relevant because of the covid isolation. So it’s like a... straw on camel’s back, rather than everytime situation. Does that make sense? I’m rambling, sorry. If that’s still RSD, cool! (...ish!) I’m still gonna bring it up either way. I’m just unsure if the compounding still like... counts or not?

TL;DR for there - sounds like what RSD seems to be, but instead of overnight or every occurrence, this little breakdowns been building for months from multiple sources. Unsure if that’s still RSD or not, bc I also have GAD/SAD.

Anyway continuing on.

I’m sure it wasn’t meant like that, but the bit about “ if someone post something more 'reactionable' after you? then the conversation shifts to that person” kind of hit different in a really big ouch sort of way.  I get where you’re coming from and what you meant by it, definitely! It just sounded kind of like a.... hm. “If someone else posts something more interesting than you, of course conversation will shift to them.” Which... is exactly part of what’s been hurting so badly ahaha. Nobody wants to be ostracized or treated like they don’t exist - especially if it wasn’t long after they talked in the first place. Nobody wants to share their happiness or excitement and then be deemed “not interesting / reactionable enough”. Y’know?

The problem with the talking to more folks in groups one-on-one to share is that’s where the possibility of RSD falls aside and my diagnosed GAD/SAD takes over. I get scared sharing one-on-one because I’m afraid people are gonna call me stupid or shut me down or even then pretend I don’t exist bc it hasn’t been the first time - especially IRL. Talking to people or making friends is really really hard. And when that fear gets reinforced it just.... snowballs.

It’s kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

But anyway, god, I just wrote a rambling essay, which yikes for a whole other reason bc once I start I just don’t stop, eh? Sorry, Anon! I’ll go ahead and quit while I’m ahead, but I just want to reiterate - I really appreciate you sending me this. It was really nice of you, and I appreciate that you shared your own experiences via having RSD and how that can affect how things look - especially since it gave me something to look into.

Thank you. <3

[garudabluffs]

157 Comments*  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/10/opinion/its-possible-flatten-curve-too-long/?p1=Article_Feed_ContentQuery

“I just happened to pick up and read Doug Preston’s (2017) The Lost City of the Monkey God’s, just finished and it’s sadly very timely. Spell binding account of the discovery and exploration of a lost culture deep in the jungles of Honduras. What is finally determined as the likely cause of the death and destruction of these people are the pandemics, small pox and other pestilences, brought from the old world to the new by European explorers. It is calculated that 90% of the Indian populations of Central America and parts of Mexico and southern US were wiped out by these European diseases because of the lack of genetic and immune system defenses by the indigenous population. Ironically most of the team of archaeologists, film makers and the author himself, contracted leishmaniasis, a serious parasitic disease, common in the tropics, but virtually unknown in North America, where cases have recently appeared in Texas and Oklahoma. Due to the advancement north of its carriers habitats, wood rats and sand fleas, due to global warming, this disease will continue to spread. Dr. Fauci is quoted, “You got a really cold jolt of what it’s like for the bottom billion people on earth.” It is clear, that what goes around, come around. -Boston Globe commentator

amazon.com 1 * reviewer “Most interesting part was the end telling about the incurable parasites the treasure hunters which can be deadly and are now afflicted with for life.  Basically it's an overly detailed one week  search of misery  finding a few pots.  Moral to this story is to stay out of jungles.”

* The only way this ends: herd immunity      It has a bad rap, but in the long run it’s our best hope.               APRIL 11,2020

“Because while there is still a lot we don’t know about COVID-19, including exactly how many people are or have been infected, epidemiologists believe that this virus won’t begin to disappear until a far higher percentage of the population — at least 60 percent — develops immunity. If that doesn’t happen with a vaccine, it has to happen through exposure.”

It’s easy to forget that if a disease can’t be contained — and it’s too late for that in the COVID-19 pandemic — then there’s only one possible ending to the story: We must collectively develop immunity to the disease. In lieu of a vaccine, that means most of us will need to be exposed to the virus, and some unknowably large number of us will die in the process.

This is the simple, scary math that Harvard epidemiologists Marc Lipsitch and his colleague Yonatan Grad have tried to convey in a series of recently published papers: If each person infected with COVID-19 disease in turn infects three more, as we now think, then in order to bring the disease to heel, Grad says, two of those people must already be immune. “If one person can only spread the disease to one other person, the virus is no longer an epidemic,” he says. Two-thirds of the population of Massachusetts, by the way, is 4.5 million people.

But the fact remains that herd immunity isn’t merely a possible strategy. In the long run it’s the only strategy. The question, then, is how to get there responsibly.”

[dailyaudiobible]

07/10/21 DAB Transcript

1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14, Acts 27:21-44, Psalm 8:1-9, Proverbs 18:23-24

Today is the 10th day of July, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible, I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we round the corner on another one of our weeks. And yeah, we’ll read today and then we’ll release, will be done with this week and continue moving forward. We’ve been reading from the English Standard Version this week, which is what will do today. We've been working our way through the Book of 1 Chronicles, as well as the Book of Acts which is what we’ll continue to do today. And so, 1 Chronicles chapters 9 and 10.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word. Here we are we've successfully reached the conclusion of another full week together. It's a day-by-day occurrence in the weeks go by and Your faithfulness is ever apparent. We look back to yesterday and You were there. We look back to last week and You were there. We look back to last month and You've been there all the way we look through our lives and see how the guidance of the Scriptures that You have always been at work and will always continue to Father us and to love us and we love You, we adore You, we worship You. There is none like You and even saying that is ridiculous. There is none even close. The only thing that is close is that Your Spirit is within us and You are empowering us to bring good news and light into this world and so often we squelch that. So, Holy Spirit come, thank You for Your patience and kindness toward us. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is where we find out what's going on around here and you can get there by using the well, the web dailyaudiobible.com or using the Daily Audio Bible app which also gives access to all of the pertinent things that are that are there like the Daily Audio Bible Shop that has resources that we have crafted and created over the years specifically for this Community and specifically for the journey that we are on together as we take the journey of a lifetime through the Scriptures. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop whether you’re looking for written resources, books to take the journey deeper and further or just fun stuff for our Daily Audio Bible Journal and all of the different things to write with and enjoy as we, as we tell the story of God's faithfulness in our own hand as we journal our way through the year, a year in the Bible. And what a journey it is when we look back over our notes, over those fieldnotes that we've jotted down over the course of the year. Things that happened that we forgot about but we have hindsight now we see God's faithfulness in all of it, such a worthwhile thing to do and such a beautiful thing to do in your own penmanship, even if it's atrocious it's your own hand with your own hand you wrote the story and that's beautiful. So, check out those resources that are the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There is a link on the homepage. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.

And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement you can hit the Hotline button in the app 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.

Prayers and Encouragements:

This is Trusting God in Texas and I just wanted to thank His Little Sharie for praying for those of us including yourself, who have trouble walking. I have been praying for you since I heard you first speak a couple years ago. I heard you recently talk about having to walk into church with a walker. I know what it’s like to have people look at you because you don't walk well and that you need help walk. I’ve had trouble walking my whole life and even though my Long Walk will consist of the Long Walk for me in the parking lot to the door of my clinic I still pray when I do my Long Walk. I have my husband help me walk and I have a cane. But I wanted to read one of my favorite verses, passages in the Bible and it comes from Isaiah chapter 40 and it says He gives power to the weak, this is 40 verses 29 through 31 He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might he increases strength even you shall faint and be weary and young men shall utterly fall but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. God bless all of you who are doing the Long Walk today and we will be praying with you and for you. In Jesus name.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible community this is Diane Olive Brown calling from Newberg, Indiana. And it is July 7th but I’m reading July 6th 2021 and it is 7:04 a.m. central time. And we’re gonna take our Long Walk but I just wanted to say thank you Brian, thank you so much. I started with you and now I’m with Daily Audio Bible Chronological and Daily Audio Bible Kids and I love you so much because you understand me, always spoke healing into my heart, always spoke love. And I began with you and now my husband and my granddaughter are joining me and I just want to say thank you for loving me just the way I am. And I remember the times that were most crucial to me. You would speak something just for me. I don't think you knew it but I want to say thank you and today, I'm going on my Long Walk however it turns out, I’ll report, I’ll send a picture or a short video because this is my Community and I’m all caught up. It took me a long time but I’m all caught up. And I love you guys, I love you.

Good morning DABers. I just want to pray this morning for every request and praise report that we’ve received thus far. Thank You Jesus for hearing the heart of Your people. Lord, we are crying out to You because You are the heart fixer and the mind regulator. And we just want to bless Your name. There are families that are broken Father God, but You bless the broken and save us to be in Your kingdom. We hear the cries of men, literally crying for their position for their heart and their pain. Father God, You are the Balm in Gilead to make the sin sick whole. I would pray for those who are in their bed of affliction who cannot move who are having such a traumatic time with cancer, COVID 19, with all the ailments the devil seems to through at us but Father God You still continue to bless us in our weakness because Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. Lord, it’s just refreshing to hear Your people around the world around the globe, cry out to you in this time that we’re living in. But help us to seek Your face earnestly. Forgive us oh Lord and cleanse our heart, make it pure. Lord, thank You for who You are and who You’ve been to every single one of these DABers throughout their life. Just help us to get a closer walk with You. So that when …

Daily Audio Bible thank you for your ministry it has taught me how to believe in God and I’m so proud and happy for you. I hope that China’s new baby is doing well. And Tyler and Christian, I pray their fine too. And Max, who is probably in college now is doing well, I can tell. And Ezekiel, wow, I’m so amazed at how well he reads, like, I just, it gives me a dynamic understanding of how God works. Thank you for your ministries once again and I hope to see you next time. Bye. Okay we did the community walk, we’re gonna walk again this afternoon. Do you want to say something about that? So, yeah, my grandma just told me we’re going for the community walk and we will have a lot of fun going on this community walk and I feel like talking about how our community has helped us. But my favorite of all the communities is Daily Audio Bible. And my favorite part in that is Daily Audio Bible for Kids. Thank you once again and I look forward to seeing you in person. Bye.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family this is Renzo in Florida and I just want to pray for somebody that I heard on the July 7 recording. I just want to pray for one woman that’s saying that like her family is just going through a lot of like, problems, especially like, to point where there is guns involved. I just want to please pray. Father God I just know that all things are possible through You God. Let the Holy Spirit indwell in all of them. God just let, that you could just take away this escalation. Let there to be restoration in this home God. Completely heal them, guide and protect her as she tries to make peace. God let them to realize that as Christians we can’t be like that, that we can’t start drama, we can’t start stuff and that escalates to that situation God. And help them to realize, let them to have a fatherly loving rebuke from God and let them to be able to understand that they need to stop and fill them up with Your Holy Spirit and fill them up with Your presence and let them to repent of what they’re doing. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. And I just wanted to pray for, I heard somebody that was just struggling with I think mental illness or something like that and just depression and stuff like that. Father God, I just please pray for that person that was struggling with mental illness and depression God and just completely heal them, protect them and guide them and let them to be guided by the Holy Spirit fill them up with your presence, overwhelm them so much that they just have peace, peace that surpasses all understanding. And let them to take refuge in you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. God Bless you guys, I’m praying for you. Jesus loves you. Bye.

[concerthopperblog]

ConcertHopper's Favorite Metal Albums of 2020 So Far

With the year a bit more than half over, everyone here at Concert Hopper is feeling the sting of having no concerts to hop to. But our little band's metalhead contingency is feeling it especially keenly. There's just something about the energy at a crowded metal show that can't be replicated. Fortunately, there have been a lot of great albums released this year. And, as metal is arguably the most sub-genred style in the world, we didn't present one person's list of mid-year favorites as we did with our Americana Albums, but five albums from three different Concert Hopper contributors. As you will see below, not only did we not agree on the five best, we didn't agree on any of them. So pick the sub you like best and find a new album to bang your head to.

Xerxes Tzolis- Editor in Chief

As you can see, Xerxes metal tastes run toward the sludge, stoner, and doom metal genres. He manages to pull a good mix from those areas for his list, presented in chronological order by date of release.

Haunt – Mind Freeze (01/10/20): I have not been able to catch Fresno’s Haunt live until The Speed of the Wizard Tour hit Atlanta in 2019. That fateful night, I was able to witness firsthand the heavy metal awesomeness that is Haunt. Haunt’s latest release, Mind Freeze - Shadow King Records, is the third (3rd) LP to come from the band since 2018. This record really hits home with thunderous tracks like, “Light the Beacon”, “Divide And Conquer”, “Mind Freeze”, “Fight or Flight”, and “Have No Fear”! Just sit back with some good headphones, turn up the volume as loud as you can handle it, and then let Haunt do the rest. You will be playing air guitar within seconds. Also, it is worthy to note that Haunt will released their fourth (4th) LP, Flashback, sometime in July (2020).

Candlemass – The Pendulum (EP) (01/23/2020): Swedish Doom Metal titans, Candlemass, fresh off of their Grammy nominated LP, The Door to Doom, has now released a new EP entitled, The Pendulum – Napalm Records. Candlemass solidified their ranking in the doom metal pantheon many years ago. And when Candlemass releases new material that also keeps progressing so does their dedicated and loyal fan base. They even brought back their original vocalist, Johan Langqvist, to lend a hand with The Pendulum. Some of my personal favorites are “The Pendulum”, “Sub Zero”, “Aftershock”, and “Porcelain Skull”. Now keep in mind that every song (save for “The Pendulum”) is considered a demo for their upcoming LP which is likely to be released sometime in 2022 or 2023. They do say good things come to those who wait.

Old Man Gloom – Seminar IX: Darkness of Being (01/23/2020) & Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning (05/22/2020): Originally, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, but currently calling Boston, Mass. their home. Old Man Gloom is a sludge/doom/extreme metal band that is compiled of members from Isis (the band), Converge, Doomriders, Cave In, Mutoid Man, and Sumac. That pedigree gives this band enough musical credentials in the metal world and rightfully so, after releasing not one but two solid pieces of work in 2020. Old Man Gloom picked right up where they left off with their 2016 release, The Ape of God, with two stellar LPs: Seminar IX: Darkness of Being & Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning - Profound Lore Records. After listening to both LPs, I feel that these are both fitting tributes for Caleb Scofield, who is the former bassist for Old Man Gloom who died suddenly in 2018. Some notable tracks to check out are “Heel to Toe”, “Death Rhymes”, “In Your Name”, “EMF”, “Wrath of the Weary”, and “Calling You Home”. R.I.P. Caleb!

Elder – Omens (04/24/2020): Elder is a four piece progressive heavy/doom/stoner metal band that has been a particular favorite of mine ever since their debut split with Queen Elephantine in 2006. Since then, they have gone on to release one (1) live LP, two (2) EPs, and five (5) LPs including their most recent release, Omens – Armageddon Label. As time has gone on, each release from Elder shows the bands maturity and progression the juggernaut that they have become today with tracks like; “Omens”, “In Procession”, “Halcyon”, “Embers”, and “One Light Retreating”. Coming in at just under 54 minutes long and only five (5) tracks, each song helps guide the listener to escape into Elder’s riff-filled reality.

Witchcraft – Black Metal (05/01/2020): Now it’s time to round out my choices for Top Metal Albums (so far!) from 2020 with one of my favorite doom metal/occult rock bands, Sweden’s very own Witchcraft. Black Metal – Nuclear Blast is Witchcraft’s first new album in four years, which incidentally, is a deviation from their previous material because the entire album is acoustic. There is something eerily, magnifying and raw about Magnus Pelander’s (vocals/guitar) vocals when he starts off the first track, “Elegantly Expressed Depression”, with the lyrics “I swear I saw death standin’ in my hall / Casting her black shadow on my white wall / I reek of death from inside my soul / I’d never thought I’d lose you on a whim.” Other notable tracks include “Sad People”, “Free Country”, “Sad Dog”, and “Take Him Away”. If you dig this LP, check out Witchcraft’s discography consisting of six (6) LPs (including Black Metal) and seven (7) Singles/Splits/EPs.

Chris Griffy- Album Review Editor As will become abundantly clear from his list, Chris' metal tastes tend to run almost exclusively toward the European progressive/folk/power/symphonic metal niche. While there were some great albums produced outside those confines (Khemmis, Testament, and Candlemass especially), his list hews pretty closely to his favorite genres.

Demons & Wizards- III Damn is it nice to hear Demons & Wizards again. The supergroup consisting of Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kursch and Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer has returnd with III. Demons & Wizards has stretched outside their power metal comfort zone and released an album that, while not as good as the generational genius of Touched by the Crimson King, is still an outstanding listen. Album highlights include “Wolves in Winter”, “Dark Side of Her Majesty”, and “Diabolic.”

Nightwish- Human:II:Nature While Floor Jansen has been Nightwish's vocalist since 2013, Human:II:Nature is only her second studio album with the band, there being two live albums in between. This album continues bandleader Tuomas Halopainen's recent obsession with nature and science begun on Endless Forms Most Beautiful and should be well-placed to capitalize on Floor's increased American profile from what seems like a thousand YouTube reaction videos and her genre-hopping appearance on the Dutch program Beste Zangers. Songs like “Noise”, “Shoemaker”, and “Pan” are showcases for Jansen's powerful vocals, as well as a long overdue feature lead for multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley on “Harvest.”

Archon Angel- Fallen Anyone who knows me well knows that Zak Stevens era Savatage is my metal sweet spot. So I was excited to hear Stevens' new project with Secret Sphere guitarist Aldo Lonobile, who met while recording as guests on the new album from Timo Tolkki’s Avalon. The results didn't disappoint. Fallen is kind of the mid-point between the cinematic prog of Savatage and the more grounded work of Stevens' follow-up band CircleIICircle. Unfortunately, hearing the band is all you'll get to do as, after Stevens wrapped up his winter commitments with Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they managed one concert (the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise) before COVID shut down the touring world. Highlights include the title track, “The Serpent”, and “Rise.”

Conception- State of Deception 2020 is the year of the great vocal return. But while there have been places to hear Zak Stevens and Hansi Kursch, fans of former Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan have been without as the artist was retired until 2018, when he reunited with his pre-Kamelot band Conception. State of Deception is everything a Khan fan could have hoped for, a return to his Black Halo and Poetry for the Poisoned vocal form, with a new (old) cast. Highlights include “Anybody Out There”, “Of Ravens and Pigs”, and “Waywardly Broken.”

Ad Infinitum- Chapter 1: Monarchy The award for debut of the year goes to Ad Infinitum. Chapter 1: Monarchy is a symphonic metal fan's dream. The band wisely lets the bulk of their work ride on the more than worthy shoulders of Swedish vocal powerhouse Melissa Bonny. Capable of belting a siren's song like Simone Simons one moment and growling like Angela Gossow the next, Bonny's vocal gymnastics are anchored by some great hooks on songs like “See You in Hell” and “Marching on Versailles.”

Richard Davenport- Concert Hopper Metal Prophet The most well-rounded metalhead among our ranks, Hopper's resident Metal Prophet chose a wide-ranging list of releases as his favorite. Unfortunately, an unexpected illness prevented him from sending in the write-ups of his choices, but we still wanted to include his selections.

Lamb of God- Lamb of God

The Amity Affliction- Everyone Loves You... Once You Leave Them

The Acacia Strain- Slow Decay

Code Orange- Underneath

The Black Dahlia Murder- Verminous

Let us know your favorite metal albums in the comments!

[martinwilliammichael]

Fwd: A letter from Bishop Athansius Schneider

Inboxx

Patricia Murray

21 Mar 2020, 20:34 (2 days ago)

to bcc: me

Hi Everyone,

I don't know whether or not you have seen this article.  It is well worth reading.God Bless,Patricia

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Carole Duncan <

dincan@aol.com

>

Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2020 at 20:08

Subject: A letter from Bishop Athansius Schneider

To: <

dincan@aol.com

>

Dear Children of Mary,

Some comforting words from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, it is so beautiful, I need not add anything to it.  It is long but is perfect for this great time of crisis.  have also included the prayers the good Bishop suggested for saying at home.Amar A Dios,Carole Duncan

“We Glory in Tribulations” – Living the Faith When Public Worship is Prohibited

Bishop Athanasius Schneider March 19, 2020 4 Comments

“We glory in tribulations” (Rom. 5:3)

Millions of Catholics in the so-called free Western world will, in the coming weeks or even months, and especially during Holy Week and Easter, the culmination of the entire liturgical year, be deprived of any public acts of worship due to both civic and ecclesiastical reaction to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). The most painful and distressing of these is the deprivation of Holy Mass and sacramental Holy Communion.

The current atmosphere of an almost planetary panic is continuously fueled by the universally proclaimed “dogma” of the new coronavirus pandemic. The drastic and disproportionate security measures with the denial of fundamental human rights of freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, and freedom of opinion appear almost globally orchestrated along a precise plan. Thus, the entire human race becomes a kind of prisoner of a world “sanitary dictatorship,” which for its part also reveals itself as a political dictatorship.

An important side-effect of this new “sanitary dictatorship” that is spreading throughout the world is the growing and uncompromising ban on all forms of public worship. Beginning on March 16, 2020, the German government issued a ban on all forms of public religious gatherings for all religions. Such a drastic measure of strict prohibition of all forms of public worship was unimaginable even during the Third Reich.

Before these measures were taken in Germany, a governmentally ordered prohibition of any public worship was implemented in Italy and Rome, the heart of Catholicism and of Christianity. The current situation of the prohibition of public worship in Rome brings the Church back to the time of an analogous prohibition issued by the pagan Roman emperors in the first centuries.

Clerics who dare to celebrate Holy Mass in the presence of the faithful in such circumstances could be punished or put in prison. The world “sanitary dictatorship” has created a situation which breathes the air of the catacombs, of a persecuted Church, of an underground Church, especially in Rome. Pope Francis, who on March 15, with lonely and halting steps, walked through the deserted streets of Rome on his pilgrimage from the image of the “Salus populi Romani” in the church of Santa Maria Maggiore to the Miraculous Cross in the church of San Marcello, conveyed an apocalyptic image. It was reminiscent of the following description of the third part of the secret of Fatima (revealed on 13 July 1917): “The Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow.”

How should Catholics react and behave in such a situation? We have to accept this situation from the hands of Divine Providence as a trial, which will bring us a greater spiritual benefit than if we had not experienced such a situation. One can understand this situation as a divine intervention in the current unprecedented crisis of the Church. God uses now the merciless world “sanitary dictatorship” to purify the Church, to awaken the responsible in the Church, and in first place the pope and the episcopate, from the illusion of a nice modern world, from the temptation to flirt with the world, from the immersion in temporal and earthly things. The powers of this world have now forcibly separated the faithful from their shepherds. The clergy is ordered by governments to celebrate liturgy without the people.

This current purifying divine intervention has the power to show all of us what is truly essential in the Church: the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ with His Body and Blood and the eternal salvation of immortal souls. May those in the Church who are unexpectedly and suddenly deprived of what is central start to see and appreciate its value more deeply.

In spite of the painful situation of being deprived of Holy Mass and Holy Communion, Catholics should not yield to frustration or melancholy. They should accept this trial as an occasion of abundant graces, which Divine Providence has prepared for them. Many Catholics have now in some way the chance to experience the situation of the catacombs, of the underground Church. One can hope that such a situation will produce the new spiritual fruits of confessors of faith and of holiness.

This situation forces Catholic families to experience literally the meaning of a domestic church. In the absence of the possibility to assist at Holy Mass even on Sundays, Catholic parents should gather their families in their homes. They could assist in their homes at a Holy Mass broadcast on television or the internet, or if this is not possible, they should dedicate a holy hour of prayers to sanctify the Day of the Lord and to unite themselves spiritually with the Holy Masses celebrated by priests behind closed doors even in their towns or in their vicinity. Such a Sunday holy hour of a domestic church could be done for instance in a following way:

Prayer of the rosary, reading of the Sunday Gospel, Act of Contrition, act of Spiritual Communion, Litany, prayer for all who suffer and die, for all who are persecuted, prayer for the pope and the priests, prayer for the end of the current physical and spiritual epidemic. The Catholic family should also pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays of Lent. Furthermore, on Sundays, parents could gather their children in the afternoon or in the evening to read to them from the Lives of the Saints, especially those stories drawn from times of persecution of the Church. I had the privilege to have lived such an experience in my childhood, and that gave me the foundation of the Catholic faith for my entire life.

Catholics who are now deprived of assisting at Holy Mass and receiving sacramentally Holy Communion, perhaps only for a short time of some weeks or months, may think about these times of persecution, where faithful for years couldn’t assist at Holy Mass and receive other sacraments, as was the case, for instance, during the communist persecution in many places of the Soviet Empire.

Let the following words of God strengthen all Catholics who are currently suffering from being deprived of the Holy Mass and Holy Communion:

“Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4: 12–13)

“The Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3–4)

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7).

In the time of a cruel persecution of the Church, St. Cyprian of Carthage (+258) gave the following edifying teaching on the value of patience:

“It is patience which firmly fortifies the foundations of our faith. It is this which lifts up on high the increase of our hope. It is this which directs our doing, that we may hold fast the way of Christ while we walk by His patience. How great is the Lord Jesus, and how great is His patience, that He who is adored in heaven is not yet avenged on earth! Let us, beloved brethren, consider His patience in our persecutions and sufferings; let us give an obedience full of expectation to His advent” (De patientia, 20; 24)

We want to pray with all our trust to the Mother of the Church, invoking the intercessory power of Her Immaculate Heart, that the current situation of being deprived of Holy Mass may bring abundant spiritual fruits for the true renewal of the Church after decades of the night of the persecution of true Catholics, clergy, and faithful that has happened inside the Church. Let us hear the following inspiring words of St. Cyprian:

“If the cause of disaster is recognized, there is at once found a remedy for the wound. The Lord has desired His family to be proved; and because a long peace had corrupted the discipline that had been divinely delivered to us, the heavenly rebuke has aroused our faith, which was giving way, and I had almost said slumbering; and although we deserved more for our sins, yet the most merciful Lord has so moderated all things, that all which has happened has rather seemed a trial than a persecution.” (De lapsis, 5)

God grant that this short trial of the deprivation of public worship and Holy Mass instill in the heart of the pope and the bishops a new apostolic zeal for the perennial spiritual treasures, which were divinely entrusted to them — i.e., the zeal for the glory and honor of God, for the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and His redeeming sacrifice, for the centrality of the Eucharist and its sacred and sublime manner of celebration, for the greatest glory of the Eucharistic Body of Christ, the zeal for the salvation of the immortal souls, for a chaste and apostolic-minded clergy. May we listen to the following encouraging words of St. Cyprian:

“Praises must be given to God, and His benefits and gifts must be celebrated with giving of thanks, although even in the time of persecution our voice has not ceased to give thanks. For not even an enemy has so much power as to prevent us, who love the Lord with our whole heart, and life, and strength, from declaring His blessings and praises always and everywhere with glory. The day earnestly desired, by the prayers of all has come; and after the dreadful and loathsome darkness of a long night, the world has shone forth irradiated by the light of the Lord.” (De lapsis, 1)

March 19, 2020

+ Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana

A sample of prayers for the Sunday domestic holy hour

The Perfect Act of Contrition:

“Oh my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell; But most of all because I have offended Thee, My God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, To confess my sins, to do penance, And to amend my life. Amen.”

(Baltimore Catechism)

Prayer for making a Spiritual Communion:

“At Thy feet, O my Jesus, I prostrate myself, and I offer Thee the repentance of my contrite heart, which is humbled in its nothingness and in Thy holy presence. I adore Thee in the Sacrament of Thy love, the ineffable Eucharist. I desire to receive Thee into the poor dwelling that my heart offers Thee. While waiting for the happiness of sacramental Communion, I wish to possess Thee in spirit. Come to me, O my Jesus, since I, for my part, am coming to Thee! May thy love embrace my whole being in life and in death. I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee. Amen”

Prayers of the Angel of Fatima:

“My God, I believe, I adore, I trust, and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not trust and do not love Thee. Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. And through the infinite merit of His Most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.”

The Universal Prayer (attributed to Pope Clement XI)

Lord, I believe in you: increase my faith. I trust in you: strengthen my trust. I love you: let me love you more and more. I am sorry for my sins: deepen my sorrow. I worship you as my first beginning, I long for you as my last end, I praise you as my constant helper, and call on you as my loving protector.

Guide me by your wisdom, correct me with your justice, comfort me with your mercy, protect me with your power. I offer you, Lord, my thoughts: to be fixed on you; my words: to have you for their theme; my actions: to reflect my love for you; my sufferings: to be endured for your greater glory. I want to do what you ask of me: In the way you ask, for as long as you ask, because you ask it. Lord, enlighten my understanding, strengthen my will, purify my heart, and make me holy. Help me to repent of my past sins and to resist temptation in the future. Help me to rise above my human weaknesses and to grow stronger as a Christian.

Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am: a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those under my authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out toward others. Make me prudent in planning, courageous in taking risks. Make me patient in suffering, unassuming in prosperity.

Keep me, Lord, attentive at prayer, temperate in food and drink, diligent in my work, firm in my good intentions. Let my conscience be clear, my conduct without fault, my speech blameless, my life well-ordered. Put me on guard against my human weaknesses. Let me cherish your love for me,

Keep your law, and come at last to your salvation. Teach me to realize that this world is passing, that my true future is the happiness of heaven, that life on earth is short, and the life to come eternal. Help me to prepare for death with a proper fear of judgment, but a greater trust in your goodness. Lead me safely through death to the endless joy of heaven. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn and prayer to Our Lady, the star of heaven

Stella caeli exstirpávit,

quae lactávit Dóminum

Mortis pestem quam plántavit

Primus parens hóminum.

Ipsa Stella nunc dignétur

sídera compéscere,

Quorum bella plebem caedunt

Dirae mortis úlcere.

O piíssima stella maris,

A peste succúrre nobis.

Audi nos, Dómina,

nam Fílius tuus nihil negans te honórat.

Salva nos Jesu, pro quibus Virgo Mater te orat!

℣ In omni tribulatióne et angústia nostra.

℞ Succúrre nobis, piíssima Virgo Maria.

Oremus: Deus misericordiae, Deus pietatis, Deus indulgentiae, qui misertus es super afflictione Populi tui, et dixisti Angelo percutienti Populum tuum: contine manum tuam ob amorem illius Stellae gloriosae, cujus ubera pretiosa contra venenum nostrorum delictorum quam dulciter suxisti: praesta auxilium gratiae tuae, ab omni peste, et improvisa morte secure liberemur, et a totius perditionis incursu misericorditer liberemur.

Per te Jesu Christi Rex Gloria, Salvator Mundi: Qui vivis, et regnas in secula seculorum. Amen

The Star of heaven, who breastfed the Lord, extirpated the plague planted by the first parent of men.

This star may now deign to restrain the stars who with their wars kill the people with the mortal cruel ulcer.

O most pious star of the sea, deliver us from the plague. Hear us, o Lady, for your Son, who denies nothing to you, honors you. O Jesus, save us, for whom your Virgin Mother prays!

1.                  In all our tribulations and anguishes,

2.                  Succour us, o most pious Virgin Mary.

Let us pray. God of mercy, God of love, God of forgiveness, you have compassion over the affliction of your people and you said to the Angel who was striking your people: Stay your hand out of love of that glorious Star, at whose precious breasts you sweetly sucked to remedy the poison of our trespasses. Grant the help of your grace and we shall be surely and mercifully delivered from any plague, of unprepared death and of any perditious attack. Through you, Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, the Savior of the world, who lives and reigns forever. Amen.

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Kind Regards,

Patricia Murray

"Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest".  Mt 11:28