#and my life has not provided a ton of evidence for faith in anyone *else* saving me.

[kirby-the-gorb]

[fairuzfan]

Can you help me break down my family's arguments? It's just that they're on Israel's side

And they say that Palestine deserves what is happening

Their arguments are:

"But Hamas started, taking people hostage, raping women and killing children. Israel is just fighting back. If someone did the same to you I would kill their family."

"But the hospitals on Palestine are Hamas' bases"

"But cutting off energy and telecommunications in Palestine is just to prevent Hamas from communicating"

"But Gaza is a place promised by God to the Israelites, Israel is taking what is rightfully theirs"

"But Hamas was trying to make an exchange between the lives of the hostages and Gaza with Israel and Israel did not accept it because Gaza is theirs, and Hamas should have released the hostages instead of exchanging their lives"

Hello, thanks for asking. I'm going to generalize these arguments a little more just to make it more widely applicable.

"Well Israel is just taking revenge/defending itself"

Well a couple things. Taking revenge is not an actual reason for people to attack other people. Just naturally, it's not a good ideology we should ever live by.

About claims that it's defending itself: Israel is a military powerhouse dropping TONS of bombs, I mean literal TONS. To say that anyone is defending someone with that level of ammunition and pure destruction, is just cruel. No one should experience that even in an equal footing type of war. Shouldn't we strive to protect people? Isn't it right to help others?

Now for your specific case, if they're arguing that they would "kill their family" as revenge, I'm not gonna lie, I think you're going to have to delve into that with them and dismantle that idea by emphasizing revenge is never justified.

You should center the humanity of Palestinians and emphasize that they should never experience such horror in their life.

"The hospitals are Hamas bases"

There is absolutely no evidence provided of this other than Israeli propaganda. I'd show them this video, which is a testimony from a European doctor.

There's also this pamphlet they released saying that they "know that Hamas is safe" and still willingly bombs the people of gaza anyways.

You should center the humanity of Palestinians and emphasize that they should never experience such horror in their life.

"Gaza is promised by God to the Israelites"

Why is it necessary to enforce one's religious beliefs on someone else? Why must the Palestinians experience violence in order for Israel to exist? Besides, if it was "promised" to them, does that mean God is allowing them to kill people indiscriminately? Does God, the most loving Being in the Universe, ever condone such acts of horrific violence on people? I speak as a Muslim that grew up being taught that Judiasm, Christianity, and Islam are quite similar religions, so I doubt that any of these religions would condone such large scale violence.

I'm not an expert of actual religious scripture of different faiths, so I can't provide quotes or anything like that, but I'd argue that God's main purpose in our lives is to remind us to love each other.

You should center the humanity of Palestinians and emphasize that they should never experience such horror in their life.

"Hostages—"

I'm not sure what the argument in your specific case is, but I think any argument having to do with hostages does not make any logical sense. Wouldn't Israel want to protect the hostages? Isn't bombing indiscriminately dangerous for everyone, but especially the Hostages?

But even hostages aside, Palestinians shouldn't have to suffer en masse! They've been sectioned off into the largest open-air prison for 20 years! It's just plain cruel to blame them for the genocide they face when they've been victims for 75+ years!

I'd recommend introducing them to this resource that explains the history of Palestinians from around 1948 to now:

There is also this that has scholarly research for and by Palestinians:

Let me know if any of this is useful. Good luck, and thank you for sending this in.

[shaunawritesstuff]

“This Ministry of Giving”

“Thank you God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

  I’ve always wanted to be rich.  You know, just have tons of money in the bank, available to me for whatever, whenever.  Like in the old Disney movie, Pete’s Dragon, “Money, money, money by the pound!”  I know I’m not the only one, here.

  Have you ever thought of giving as a ministry?  I’m not talking about giving here and there.  I’m not talking about giving tithes or giving used clothes to the homeless shelter.  I’m talking about money. And a ministry of giving it.  

  (2 Corinthians 9:1, the Apostle Paul mentions this ministry of giving and he’s specifically talking about money.  “I really don’t need to write to you about this ministry of giving for the believers...”)

  We usually think of things like doing nursery, teaching Sunday school, playing on the worship team, cleaning the church, outreach ministry, etc … but is anyone a part of the ministry of giving?  I can see the conversation something like this, “What ministry are you a part of? …. I give money.” …. blank stare… “Cool…”  I mean, really, who says that?  

  I do know one person in my life that does actually say that and as far as I know, does truly give his money when needed.  I also know one other couple that would give you the shirts off their backs if you needed them, but I don’t believe they would say they have “this ministry of giving.”

  Jesus was talking to his disciples in Matthew 10:8 and said, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received; freely give.”

  That’s it right there!  That’s what I’m talking about!  I am so quick to pray for people, to heal the sick, and yes, I’d give you my shirt if you needed it without hesitation… but to give money as quickly and freely as I pray for people…. That right there is a goal! A dream!

(When you get a chance, read 2 Corinthians 9 again and notice “this ministry of giving.”)  

  It’s so easy to say that we can’t “afford” to give… but really, we can’t afford to not give.  I want so much that this ministry of giving would reflect me… that’s why I’ve always wanted to be rich.

  2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God will generously provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

  We don’t have to be rich to give.  This has always been evident in my life.  Even when our family budget (on paper) said that we would be $k’s short, month after month… we’ve always seen the faithfulness of God.  We have always made giving tithes, offerings, missions offerings and whatever else God showed us to give a priority and He has always generously provided all that we need, with plenty left over to share and with even enough for our enjoyment.  

But this!  This “ministry of giving” is definitely a “ministry” I want to join!

  My Prayer:  Lord, this ministry of giving stirs up my heart.  Let it, also, stir up the one reading this.  Enrich us in every way, so that we can always be generous.  Cause us to be the givers, the people you created us to be.  That the needs of believers everywhere would always be met. That the Good News of your saving grace and healing power would be expressed and preached to those who are seeking you.  May your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Lord, be glorified through us.  

In the name of Jesus, Amen!

[lisagintexas]

September 16, 2019

We harvested again on the mountain here from 6:15 am -1 pm with a lunch break. Before going out to the harvest I took a few picture of the camp to share.

This is the tent where we eat and sometimes have meetings.

Here are a couple of pictures of staff housing.

This is a new more permanent building in the works for staff, but it is just a shell and they still need $60,000 donations to finish out the inside. Some of the staff housing becomes moldy in the winter because it lacks good insulation so this is why they are building some better housing. Still just a metal building that will be finished out and two families will live in it.

This is a building with a community hall in it for meetings, and used in the winter for the men to eat in when they come to do pruning. The big tent is taken down in winter. Half the building is used for offices.

Theses are the rows of toilets, women first, then men.

And here’s a picture of the laundry room and the building on the left where many of the volunteers stay.

This is Gunner, the camp dog. He’s great! Chases away wild pigs, somehow knows who is a volunteer and never barks at them, yet barks at anyone else who comes near the camp.

Here’s the entry to the camp with a new sign!

After harvest we got our last load of laundry done, and hung it out to dry on the clothes lines. It doesn’t take long at all for clothes to dry with the dry breeze and sunshine.

We had a celebration dinner and farewell party in the evening. Pretty table decorations, good food, and a glass of wine. Rabbi Yonadav from Har Bracha came by to say farewell. One of the lead men from the Shomron Regional Council came to speak to us. About a year ago the Samarian Regional Council started supporting HaYovel by paying for the tour buses that they rent. This year because Israel is going through elections for a second time they lost their funding. But elections are tomorrow and they hope to start helping them again very soon. It is through the backing of the Israeli government that they receive grant money to help HaYovel.

Zach Waller did a recap of all the we have heard and accomplished the last three weeks. It truly is amazing how many people talk to us and share in some way. Just an amazing experience to hear and learn from all of them. Zach also shared some of our accomplishments as a group. In three weeks we gave over 2000 hours of volunteer work, we harvested 90 US tons of grapes and about 1 ton of olives. Today we harvested an amazing 18 tons of grapes with the relatively small group of people we had in the vineyards.

What joy it is to be apart of the restoration of this land and to be a part of fulfilling a prophesy that was written 3000 years ago. It was said today that God’s plan will happen for Israel regardless of what happens in the political realm. Politics may cause it to go slower, but it will still happen! We are living in a significant generation. The world does not recognize what is happening here in the holy land. But being here and a part of it all is the most amazing thing! I know that what the prophets have said will come to pass. It can take generations or can happen very quickly. But which ever it is, it is fun to be apart of what we see was prophesied so long ago even if we are at the very beginning of it. But you never know, things can happen very quickly. Time will tell and we will stand with Israel and bless Israel in our generation!

Tomorrow we go home. It is bittersweet! I miss my family...of course especially my grandkids!! I love my life at home with all my family and friends, my work and home life. But I so love being here in the holy land. I cannot explain why I love it...it just feels like home. I love being apart of what’s going on in this land. It’s like being a part of something that really has meaning in life. The Jewish people are amazing in how they live their faith. Their love for God is evident in everything that they do. I love seeing the restoration of the land here and I want to be apart of it. I live and breathe Israel through podcasts when I am home and look forward to my next trip.

I’m so excited that HaYovel has the opportunity to soon start planting lots of trees in the land. There is a company that is partnering with them who buys and owns lots of land in Israel and will be providing trees for HaYovel to plant. There are also plans hopefully in the not to distant future to help the land become fertile through livestock. I am so excited to see these processes help turn the land of Israel into a restored land. So much of it is still desolate. But God promises to make it a beautiful land again and to be apart of its restoration is my desire. How amazing that it is occurring in my generation!

Please pray for the restoration! Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! Elections are tomorrow, and it is my hope and prayer that a government is formed that will bring more righteousness and sovereignty to the land of Israel. But, no matter what happens, God has promises for his people and his holy land and they will come to pass!

[piratequeenofpixies]

“Gods Reborn”

This is a short story I wrote last August using a prompt I found on Pinterest. Unfortunately, I was unable to pinpoint the artist behind the prompt, but if anyone knows, feel free to message me or comment, and I’ll credit :) Also, I apologize in advance for the wonky formatting. I’m posting this from my phone and copy-pasting from a Google document, so I’m not sure what exactly went wrong but clearly something did. Enjoy!

Note: there is a brief note of gore towards the end of the story.

Writing Prompt: “You wake up. Everyone has disappeared apart from you and your best friend. What does the world feel like?”

-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

Morning dawns outside, but I would never have known it aside from the harsh glare of the alarm clock’s red numbers. The savage glow crowns Ainsley’s blonde halo of impossibly-straight hair with a glaring reminder of our situation. While she slept peacefully through the night--snoring like a stump-grinder--I got maybe two hours of z’s due to my inability to resign myself to the world’s imminent demise. It just seems like such a waste. A waste of life, of potential, of power.

A waste of humanity.

I groan, stretching, and roll out of the cramped space to land on my feet on the cool stone floor. Heading towards the hallway and, beyond it, the small bathroom, I take a moment to consider the gravity of our situation.

“Self-Proclaimed ‘Prophet’ Insists the World Ends Friday, August 13,” headlines still blared just days ago, mocking the elderly man who had genuinely believed in the truth of his words. It had been his fervent belief, in fact, that had convinced me to do my own research, and even now I share in his faith. All the signs point towards the destruction of the physical world: my hours of researching apocalyptic texts in the local library, the numbers of religious sects suddenly pushing tracts and scriptures into pedestrian’s hands in a last-ditch effort to save souls, my deceased Uncle Simon’s prediction that the apocalypse would occur exactly four years after his death--it all matched, and because of it I feared for my life, and Ainsley’s. It was why I had the nuclear-proof bunker built, why I dragged Ainsley thirty-nine miles beneath the earth’s surface, why I used the entirety of my hoarded bitcoin--twelve years’ worth--to purchase the latest experimental tech in hopes that, somehow, we might be saved.

The fact that we aren’t yet dead is the only thing preventing a mental breakdown on my part. Yet. A very, very important word. A word I cling to with all my might, using it to focus on a future where we emerge from the ground, gods reborn in a new, restructured world.

I have studied, stressed, striven, and staked all my hopes on this bunker and the tech it contains. Ainsley, on the other hand...well, she’s just chilling in the hopes that when it becomes clear that we aren’t going to die, I’ll let her go back up to the earth’s surface to mingle with the rest of humanity.

Who will almost certainly be dead, but whatever.

When it comes to the end of the world, the only thing more valuable than survival is hope, of which Ainsley has buckets.

Hopefully I can keep us alive long enough that she can do something with all that hope.

…

We eat dinner in silence, Ainsley out of boredom and me out of growing desperation. None of my expensive technological purchases, meant to provide surveillance of the earth’s surface, have panned out yet beyond providing Ainsley with plenty of “proof” that I am wrong, but I am confident that soon, we will be supplied with irrevocable evidence in my favor. Seeing as this confidence--which Ainsley calls “selfish” and “arrogant”--is meant to keep us alive, I refuse to back down and return to the surface.

…

“Something’s wrong with your satellite feed,” Ainsley tells me in a irritated voice around nine p.m. It’s the first thing she’s said to me since before dinner. “I can’t hear the t.v. over that static.”

I sigh and head over to fix it. I’ve been sitting at the table for hours, made immoveable by my disgust for the waste to come.

“Something’s interfering with the signal,” I mutter, swatting at the cords and wires dangling from the surveillance monitor. There’s a reason I hired someone else to set all this up.

The monitor display has gone blank, pixels quivering in various shades of grey. It’s also producing an almost-unbelievable amount of white noise. I smack the side of the monitor twice in quick succession, and the noise stops, but the display remains the same.

“There,” I breathe, relieved, and turn towards the couch just as Ainsley gives a little gasp.

“Brianna--satellites are crashing into Earth!” she squeals, horrified, and I can only gape at her, bemused.

“That’s impossible,” I finally say, coming around the ottoman to join her on the couch in front of the t.v. “They would be incinerated before they even got close. Besides, the space-trash net is supposed to keep them away from Earth.” In reply she only points to the t.v.

On screen, a news anchor chatters away, her cheery clothes and too-bright makeup in sharp contrast with the gravity of her words.

“...the breach in the net is suspected to be due to the recent addition of several large new satellites, of the latest experimental line by StarStruck Space Surveillance, Inc., which were recently acquired by apocalypse fanatic Brianna Moore. Last seen driving towards the southeastern corner of Libya, where she allegedly had a contractor build her a ‘nuclear-proof’ shelter many miles underground, Ms. Moore has been declared guilty of involuntary manslaughter by the majority of world leaders in her needless endangerment of innocent lives. Brandon, will you tell us about the satellite damage?”

While the male news anchor picks up the script, the news station’s feed cutting away to a map of the world, Ainsley and I stare helplessly at one another, speechless.

“So, when you had that space contractor put the satellites in orbit...he didn’t close the breach?” Ainsley asks, and I can only shake my head slowly.

“He was supposed to,” I whisper, horror shaking my voice.

In front of us the map on the t.v. gradually floods with red silhouettes of satellites as the millions of tons of space junk humans have contained for over a century hurtles through the atmosphere and towards earth. One hundred and three years have passed since the Soviet Union first set Sputnik I in orbit, and now Earth is taking the toll of one hundred and three years��� worth of space junk. That much space junk could spell the end of humanity.

Which means that the end of the world...is my fault. A chill runs down my spine. Whether or not this ends for the better remains to be seen. Still, I can’t help but feel the slightest stirring of hope deep in my chest.

...

Minutes transition into hours as we stare, struck dumb by the carnage on-screen. Ainsley’s cried for a while now, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs as the news feed displays the map of a world bleeding to death. Live footage showcases destructive missiles of space junk hurtling into Earth at lethal speed, crushing cars and houses, shops and people. One commentator, reporting live from the capital of Brazil, is speared through the chest from behind by a skidding satellite antenna before they can switch feeds, spattering the camera with blood. It is then that Ainsley jumps to her feet and flees, racing towards the restroom with one hand covering her mouth.

“Monitor, close channel,” I say boredly, shifting to a more comfortable position on the couch and stretching my legs out to rest on the ottoman. “Play classical music.”

Soft music begins to play, Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” filling the air with gentle rhythm and harmony. I relax and close my eyes, relieved to have the overly-negative news feed out of sight and mind. I don’t need that kind of gloom clogging up my otherwise-clear thinking; it would just be a drain on my mental resources. No, far better to ignore it and look instead to the future, when humanity can finally get a fresh start. No more baby steps, no more thwarted progress because “ethics,” just a blank slate and a world of potential.

…

I had to force Ainsley to stay in the bunker once it became clear that the apocalypse I anticipated was actually coming to pass. Somehow, with all her hope, she seems to think that we could have actually done something to stop it, to save humanity. But of course, I know better. While I was horrified at first, it was mostly at the thought that, perhaps, the satellites’ metal would shred the earth to pieces, and our bunker with it. Once I knew with a certainty that that would not occur, I was able to relax. I’ve thought well ahead, too. We have a seed bank, several long-lasting batteries, access to an underground spring, everything we could possibly need. I was even able to procure several hundred cryopreserved embryos and the experimental incubators in which to nurture them, so that humanity will not die off. Even once we die of old age, humanity will live on. But until then, who’s to say we will not discover another bunker, with other survivors? All the better.

I think of the future, of our future, and am glad. We survived. We triumphed. Even the apocalypse couldn’t stop us. And now, soon, we’ll emerge onto the earth’s surface once again. We can repopulate the earth, enjoy our salvaged lives, rejoice in the new growth of a world we thought, for a short week, might be obliterated. With no access to the outside world, we can be sure of nothing, and guess at little more. But we will survive and triumph once more, as is humanity’s legacy, forever overcoming the obstacles placed before us.

We are humans.

We are gods.

…

When we finally step out into the sunlight again, the Sahara Desert’s sand is covered in grey hulls and silver spines, splinters and fragments of the satellites humanity relied on so heavily. Great hills and mounds of trash metal cover what used to be a starkly beautiful place, and Ainsley’s eyes are wet as she stares forlornly at our surroundings.

“We will rebuild,” I say confidently, meaning to comfort her, but she merely turns away. She doesn’t understand. Little matter, I think. She will see. She will know.

As it sets, the sun casts a swathe of scarlet blood across the metal terrain, bathing us in a violent red light. The color of a world sacrificing itself at our feet.

We are the gods now.

And nothing can stop us

-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-

Note: the MC’s POV is not my own. I don’t think destroying humanity is the answer; I merely was struck by an idea and decided to roll with it.

So, what do you think? I welcome feedback on my works so feel free to ask, message, or comment with tips/constructive criticism! :)

[idreamofteeth-blog1]

Masters in Oral Health Sciences

Let me start off by saying this program saved my life and restored every ounce of faith and confidence in myself as a student. Doing this program has been the most rewarding part of this journey and has made me feel competent and up to par with everyone else.

So if anyone is on the fence about maybe starting a Masters program like this, I highly encourage it. It is worth every penny and you’ll be one degree richer by the end of it :)

So what is Oral Health Sciences? (I’ll be referring to it as OHS from now on and in future posts). Well at my school, this Masters program lets you take actual dental school courses, in the dental school, with the dental students, taught by the dental school professors, and you get to take the same exams as the dental students. Not only do you feel like an actual dental school but this is the most accurate indication as to whether or not you’ll be ready for dental school in the near future. This was the main reason why I wanted to do this program. 

The first semester you’re taking 2 dental school courses: Dental Physiology and Dental Biochemistry. The second semester you have the option of taking either Dental Microbiology or Dental Pathology. On top of actual dental school courses, you’ll be taking Master school courses related to dentistry and the sciences, so we were enrolled in courses such as Evidence Based Dentistry, Head & Neck Anatomy, Infectious Diseases, Prevention in Dentistry, Biomedical Information, etc. So as you can see, all these classes are geared towards dentistry and to keep you interested on the career path.

And the best part is this: if you got accepted and decided to go to the same dental school that we did our Masters in, you were exempt from taking those courses as a first year student thus making the transition into dental school that much easier. As you can tell, this program already had a ton of perks in my book.

Ok so now lets talk about the rigor of the courses.

BOY WERE THEY HARD!!!! First semester is always a challenge for everyone. We were literally taught how to study correctly and everyone was still finding their own little techniques and habits that worked for them personally. We had tutors available, alums of the programs who were now dental students as support systems and TA’s, etc. We had every resource imaginable provided for us but, we were taking actual dental school courses and they were as hard as you can imagine. Our program director and every staff and faculty at the dental school were amazing. Not one person was discouraging and if you were struggling, they told us it was okay to struggle and were always there with open arms to help you figure it out. That was def new to me because I did not like my advisors from undergrad that much so I really appreciated this new environment. 

Personally, coming in with a degree in Molecular Cell Biology, I did not find Biochem & Micro difficult. What kicked my butt initially were Physio and Anatomy because I never took those courses in undergrad so I had zero background in those subject matters. But I kept at it. I went to every review session, had tutors, watched and read extra videos and supplements, and with my new study skills and a deeper motivation and drive, I eventually began to get it. And that was the best feeling in the world. So lesson number two I need everyone to keep in mind:

YOU ARE CAPABLE. YOU ARE COMPETENT. SOME PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND THINGS FASTER THAN YOU BUT IF YOU KEEP WORKING HARD, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SUCCEED AND GET IT.

And I cannot preach that enough. In the beginning of the physio course, I was so nervous and doubted myself to the point that I would blank out while reading which caused me to not comprehend a thing I just read. That wasn’t good!!! It wasn’t because I wasn’t smart enough, it was because I was scared. So let me tell you all that a little bit of confidence will go a long way in this type of schooling. These classes are designed to be hard, to challenge you, but they are not impossible! Physiology is broken down into two semesters at this school (Physio I & Physio II) and I got a B- the first semester but I got an A- the second semester!!!! And that is what hard work and confidence will do, it’ll give you the grades you want so keep working at it. 

This year has been the most rewarding year for me. It’s been a year of many ups and many downs but overall, the good has severely outweighed the bad. I have cried many nights, I have thought that I wouldn’t make it through but here I am, out alive.

I have made AMAZING friends, future colleagues and got so blessed with such amazing advisors and professors. I have woken up every day for the past year determined, motivated and happy to be in this program. It was another way in for me, for every one of us doing this program, and I was so genuinely happy, even when it seemed impossible.

Academically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally I grew and I can now say that dental school will be less daunting because I did this Masters program. Doing a Masters program is not something to be ashamed of. Getting more education, another degree is only something to be proud of. You will gain endless knowledge that I cannot even begin to describe. At least for me, it has been the best thing I’ve invested my money in and have gotten so much out of it. So please, if you think you would benefit from a Masters program like this (I believe everyone can!), do it!!! Don’t let anyone or anything stop you!

**If anyone would like detailed study tips, please message me and I can detail my own. I think they’re pretty good and has helped me get almost all A’s my second semester so again, more than happy to help :)