#is a high holy 4/13 miracle

[cowardlycowboys]

FAITH POSTING ABOUT HOMESTUCK ON MAIN IN 2024 PEACE ON EARTH IS A 4/13 MIRACLE

[yiga-hellhole]

TFTK CHAPTER 19: TWILIGHT KING'S REVERIE

there's some real utena type shit happening here i think (special thanks to @orfeoarte for the lettering and also the beta reading!!)

CHAPTER 19 IS DOOONE thank you all for your patience. this time we're diving into the depths of zant's mind again. what's he thinking about so soon before (what may be) his final battle? well, read and find out!

AAAAGGHH I'm sooooo excited to drop this chapter!! I've been looking forward to writing it ever since i started making this fic into a full-length, multi-chapter story!! i really hope you'll enjoy it. thanks again to @bulgariansumo and orfeoarte for giving it the once-over!

CW this chapter: Suicidal ideation, self harm, graphic violence. once again past the three asterisk *** mark the chapter gets erotic undertones, but with high plot relevance, i hope you'll give it a look either way!

ao3 mirror

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14

“If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it, too.”

So spoke the colossal face before him. Zant stood there, frozen in a gaping stare as this massive, golden specter hovered before him. He had run to this balcony to shout his woes to the skies, losing himself in flagellant grief, in the fragile hope enough beatings would keep his anguish at bay. Perhaps if he cried out long enough, something would answer. Either something that would, by some miracle, save him from his predicament…

Or, more likely, grant him the willpower to fling himself off the balusters.

Yet, when he raised his face, the dreary ombre skies were nowhere in sight. Instead, there was a swirling, black orb blotting out the clouds, droning deeply to chatter his teeth in their sockets. It swallowed him whole.

After bidding him that promise, the sea around him shifted. From its depths, a shadowy hand surfaced to part the waves. It reached out to him, claw outstretched. Large, sharp enough to impale him with a single prod, yet Zant felt not a scrap of fear. He knew all it would do was fulfill its words. The tip of its finger touched his forehead. Souls touched, one so, so grand, dwarfing his, and chained together. Through this tether, a bolt of power crossed, and shook him to his core.

It was euphoric, a pure, blinding bliss as this being of pure magic entered him. He was his savior, his guardian angel, watching over him in his darkest moment and deciding He would help. With every breath, foggy ambrosia filled his lungs and leached into his veins. It clouded his thoughts, dulled his every sense, and smothered it all with a warm, tingling numbness. He had never felt more full, yet emptier all the same. His every nerve coiled in on itself – had he any breath to utter it, this ecstasy would have unlodged a whimper, to echo into this space of all spaces. Whatever being he had just communed with, it was in him and snaked its way into his every inch. One finger twitched, then another, until his hand moved on its own. With tenderness he didn’t know rested within his flesh, his thumb stroked past his, their, cheek, and rid it of its tears.

In this single second, he felt more divinity than he’d ever had, in all his years praying to his lesser gods in the palatial temple. How he wandered the wastelands clutching and clacking beads in search of a solution to their plights. What he worshiped then were mere vestiges compared to this all-encompassing force, little pieces of holiness his forebears dragged with them in tatters when they were condemned to this dying world. That world that had gurgled its last breath in its septic lungs before they’d even entered it, and hacked and coughed it out as they made their home there. 

This Being – Ganon – laughed within him, His manic glee spreading through him like a rot. There was no doubt about it; true, pitch-dark malevolence had made him its host, a being of pure vengeance that tangled with his own as if by fated embrace. But even as his mind darkened, a faint glimmer shone, kindled there by his own hand.

Hope.

More hope than he had ever felt in his life. This was no mere ancestral spirit. Far more, even, than a curse. This was a God. 

Just as he adjusted to this new force, convulsing and embracing himself, true darkness shrouded him again. When the haze cleared, he did not find himself on the balcony. Instead, he was hovering in the air, looking down at a most familiar scene. There stood Ganondorf, heaving in pain against the Master Sword lodged in his chest, facing two beings of Light that antsily waited for him to die. Zant knew they needn’t wait much longer.

Zant blinked, tilting his head curiously. The man below him winced, but did not perish. Watching the dreadful stillness at his feet, he spoke. “Why did you bring me here again? Are you truly so fond of dying?”

He spoke off-script. The illusion broke, the curtains of their stage torn, not drawn. Ganondorf growled, gazing at his clenched fist that bore a faintly glowing mark, until it did not. “This is the moment I first wished to seize my power back from you. This time I will not fail.”

Zant smiled as he watched his flesh-made God raise his hand toward him. “Once, I may have said you would have to wrench it from my cold, dead hands, but even then, you did not manage it. It is time that you learn, Demon King, that this power is mine and mine alone. As is this vessel. And they shall forever be!”

The illusion broke when he descended, landing before the towering man and grasping the grip of the burrowed sword in his hand. A wet giggle escaped him as he tested the blade, watching as it dug deeper into the gaping wound in Ganondorf’s chest. Ganondorf growled, cutting his laughter short with a fist clenching around his throat, but only enabling his amusement. Such violence begged for retaliation! Both hands wrapped eagerly around the grip and pushed. The master sword sunk deeper into Ganondorf effortlessly, earning him a wheeze of pain, and a once-king before him on his knees.

Zant kicked him over, straddling his chest with the sword before him. His fingers trailed up the blade — just as sharp as he’d remembered it, slicing through his fingertips and blending their streaks of blood. Just that little bit of unity could be indulged, he supposed. 

“No wonder the Ganondorf who torments me now remembers me so little. The piece of him that knew of my vengeance has rested right here, with me, all this time,” he giggled, sentimentally holding a hand over his chest. “And now, here you are. Does it vex you?”

He could only laugh at the burning hatred that glared up at him. Hands grasped over his, attempting to pull the sword out that he so playfully kept pinned down into him. The grip would break his fingers awfully soon, but Zant didn’t care. He had to make this perfectly clear. 

“You have passed your torch, old man, and will walk the living world no longer. The only one to control this body now, is me!”

Zant wrenched himself free and grinned toothily as Ganondorf frantically pulled at a sword that would not move. Odd-angled fingers ignored, he grasped his head in both hands, cackling in pleasure and pain, and twisted.

A dream… A memory? Oh, only if it were.

He awoke in a bed that was not his own, but at this point, it may as well have been. Still sheltered from the sun, he lay buried under the covers, with merely the crown of his head poking past the cloudy white, duck-feather comforter. So dreadfully cold it was in the North this time of year… And how warm he lay here now, with steel knees tucked against his bottom and an arm draped lazily around his chest. The dark beneath the blankets kept him in that fluffy, hardly-woken daze, leading him to think with instincts first, and rationality second. He grasped the hand that laid across his stomach, and with his eyelids fluttering back shut, ran the pads of his fingertips along his beloved’s. No longer as cool as they were during the day… Ghirahim’s skin always warmed, bit by bit, whenever he’d join him for a night, only growing their old frigid when pursuing some pastime or other while Zant lay sleeping.

His thumb quested further, stroking across his glossy nails, before finding the tops of his fingers. Each was diligently inspected, rubbing from knuckle to knuckle. He could visualize those hands behind his eyelids just from touch, by now. How delicate and elegant they were, not a callus in sight, even if he bore the brunt of much labor, and tore through so many in bloodshed. He could drift away again like this, lacing their fingers together, and inching back to nestle closer to him. How much time until dawn, he wondered? 

Lips that pressed into his shoulder shook him into a wide-eyed stare, his cheeks growing hot. His private little moment of affectionate touches was not so private after all… Not when he remembered Ghirahim did not sleep and was perfectly aware of his fiddling. 

Ghirahim hummed, voice hushed as he spoke. “Another nightmare?”

A tight, joint-popping stretch of his spine and legs forced a groan from him, settling him back in his arms soon after. “Oh, not at all. I found myself in the loveliest dream,” Zant yawned.

Ghirahim huffed behind him, unconvinced. “You’re certain? You sounded tormented.”

His hand laid over his, Zant peered over his shoulder, smiling contentedly. “How could anything come to haunt me, when I am protected like this?”

This answer pleased him. “Come to me, my lover,” Ghirahim purred, tugging him closer into his embrace. His fingers now pressed firmly into the supple skin of his stomach – surely, how fiercely such a term flushed him did not pass his notice, clearly felt in the arteries of his gut. “Haha! You asked me to call you such, and now, you fluster?”

A whine escaped him, prompting him to burrow further into his pillow. “To hear it fills me with such glee, Ghirahim-ili. I cannot help it.”

Yet his escape did not prove fruitful. Wherever he hid himself, the heat at his back pulled him back into their intimate contact. Zant was captivated, then, by how warm his core felt, how each churn of energy sent a buzz up his spine that made his face heat up all the brighter. Ghirahim seemed not aware of this, but that enigmatic gem, his heart, his brain, his soul, it made a sound. Like a knife being sharpened, dragged against whetstone as a bow and violin – a crystalline hum. Zant needed only to listen to gauge his mood these days… That is, if the demon could stop being so enamored with the sound of his own voice, to let him hear that telltale song. 

Through his musings, Ghirahim held him, cheekily grasping at his breast in the hope of evoking a laugh in them both. Hands that wished to hold, that wished to be held, made part of something greater than himself. 

Were he to linger in them any longer, he was sure to never rise. How lovely, how adored! His heart fluttered to and fro like a songbird caught in a cage, and his body reacted all the same. Besieged by a fit of giggles, Zant kicked his feet and wrestled his way out of his embrace. Once he sprung free from that iron grip, he launched himself across the bed, stanced on all fours as if Ghirahim might pounce him any moment. If his heartbeat, sending the blood racing through his ears, was to be believed, he would. 

For a moment too bewildered to speak, Ghirahim stared at the grinning creature across him. He grit his teeth in a smirk of his own, before hunching down to prowl towards him. Zant darted from his advance, leaving the sword spirit to thud face-first into the sheets behind him. Sanding down his skills for the fun of it, surely! Else he would have caught him!

Ghirahim huffed, meeting his panting and snickering with a pout. “How juvenile. Pray tell, how old are you again?”

He clawed himself forward twice in a crawl, again playfully scurrying away, until the question prompted him to think. How long since their advance..? What day did he die? 8496 turns of the Twilit Hourglass, three-hundred-sixty-five turns of the Sun in this odd world. Side-by-side, how many days apart, would be… 

Zant blinked in their little stand-still, pulling free from his absent gaze. “Ah. Twenty-nine, as of two weeks ago.”

A quizzical expression crossed Ghirahim’s face. Did such a number mean anything to him, he wondered? Would he think him young or old? But he had little time to pick apart what he might be thinking. For soon Ghirahim grew bored of internal queries, and was upon him in a flash, tumbling the both of them back into the pillows. 

After the protesting squeaks were over with, Zant relented. Now happy to be huddled up with him again, Ghirahim questioned him. “Is the passing of another year not typically celebrated among Twili?”

Zant groaned in thought, squinting his eyes shut. Idle hands drummed on the back splayed across him. “It is, but what a pointless affair it would be. Who would I celebrate it with?”

“What about me,” Ghirahim cooed, prodding a finger at his hostage’s cheek.

“Tracing the days back, I’m sure on the day itself you were once again in my quarters, sharing my company. This, I am plenty content with.”

Such an explanation seemingly bored the Sword Spirit to no end, with how it made him sigh and sink further into the blankets. Zant supposed he was always more of the lavish type, and would not be sated by an answer so sappy and mundane. Perhaps he could think of a gift of sorts to neg him for, but for now…

“We have lingered enough. I would much prefer to dress myself before the sun rises any further. After all, Master needs us to accompany him to the desert sooner than later,” he sighed, nudging at the heavy form atop him to hopefully shake him into action a bit. Zant was perturbed by the gaze that caught onto his. For once, Ghirahim was called to duty and met it with reluctance.

Their arrival at Gerudo Desert was one of eerie calm. Ganondorf awaited them by the gates, watching bemusedly how his chamberlains fussed over the supplies necessary for what would only be a short stay. In warping together, they would have to combine their powers. One hand for each lieutenant, he reached out for them to accept in open palms. A rustle, a chime, a blaring hum – all overlapped in a striking chord. In an instant, the Temple was out of sight.

Zant reflexively wheezed when the new scenery came upon him. Oppressive heat, smothering him from all sides. The dark shelter of his helmet only offered some respite from the dry, sweltering air that crept in through his visor slots. How he cursed the possibilities of an ambush, forbidding him from dressing lightly! 

Permitted by Ganondorf’s advance, the pair of lieutenants turned, watching the Gerudo traverse the sands that led to the city gates mere paces away. To once again be in the desert, watching him march to his goal in this sea of gold, evoked a memory of not long ago. But when the world around him looked far, far different.

—

Weightlessly he hovered in this void expanse, knowing not how long, remembering not how to even care for such a thing. Beckoning again beyond the veil, stirring him from the deepest of slumbers, a shimmer of gold plucked at the strings of his soul. The Sorceress again? It couldn’t be. This was its own power, dark and primordial, of which a mere echo once lingered within Cia. He recognized it, he…

The golden light raced past him now, enveloped him like curtains had been drawn. With a ragged gasp, dry, warm air filled his lungs once more. The tips of his fingers, his ears, his cheeks, all felt red hot with the newly returned sensation of pumping blood. He was alive again. 

Before him, there he stood, fulfilling his promise of centuries past. 

Ganondorf, King of Thieves, King of Demons. 

Yet, this was a different man. The thrum of past power confirmed it. Somewhere, the beaten and defeated fury of an older Ganondorf still weakly snarled from the very void he was just ripped from. A realization struck them both at the same time, causing one to smile, and the other to recoil. Where his supposed God had failed to revive him, his descendant did so without persuasion. 

Whether from his weakened legs, or the force before him commanding it so, he fell forward into a kneel. Ganondorf approached but Zant could not muster the strength to raise his head and witness more than his boots. He felt his fingers shake in their sleeves. With the shouting in his mind, he couldn’t possibly bear to look at both of them at once.

“Shadow Lord Zant, Demon Lord Ghirahim. I have released you from the bounds the Sorceress has placed upon you, and with it, freed you from your imprisonment. From this moment forth, you will follow my every command. Your life is in my hands as the Demon King, and I will snuff it out when I see fit.”

Ganondorf paused, scanning the pair before him with burning eyes. This descendant was forceful. He did not arrive with bribes and promises, he demanded subordination within seconds. 

Seemingly satisfied with the lack of protest thus far, he continued. “The Triforce of Power was stolen from me by the Sorceress’ former half. I enlist your military prowess to assist me in this campaign to seize it.”

Something was missing… Zant realized it, as did the man clawing at the back of his eyes. Only then did the Twili dare lift his face some, to study for an additional spark of austerity, or some telling that he was to be beaten more thoroughly into submission. 

Nothing. There was none at all. Ganondorf glared them both down equally.

How very interesting… This Ganondorf remembered him in name and power only, but not the feud that tied him and his predecessor together for all eternity. Did the shock of death rid him of the memory of his betrayal? Such ignorance could only work to his advantage. If this reborn Demon King needed a servant, he could certainly play the part. What did he have to lose? Arisen anew, he couldn’t let this opportunity to have Hyrule at his feet slip through his fingers again. This third chance could be his last.

The man beside him was clearly much less amicable to the idea. Ghirahim, as he was introduced, had not moved a muscle since surfacing from the gate beside him, his features tightened into a scowl. Zant looked on curiously as the pristine white being burst into laughter.

“Perhaps Cia will be desperate enough to beg for your alliance, but I will not. How low the Sorceress has sunken!”

A peculiar energy buzzed forth from this man, lashing out angrily as his hair bristled and his fists clenched. “You dare to bear the title of Demon King? You are but a mere human! In what realm do demons bow to mortal men!?”

Hands threw up in the air, massive pupils narrowed to slits and his teeth bared in aggression. Certainly an animated character. “It is an insult… A disgrace to my Master! I’ll have your head for such a transgression!”

With a snap of his fingers, a rapier was summoned in the Demon’s hand, but before his fingers could fully curl around its grip, Ganondorf burst toward him like lightning. A swift strike of his fist sent Ghirahim tumbling, skidding through the dust. He came to a halt by the Demon King’s hand, who had gripped his throat with golden-clawed fingers. Sword lost in the dust a few feet away, Ghirahim was powerless against the mighty hand of the Master slamming him into the ground. A choked groan rang from his throat with each impact, his struggles in vain. He was pounded once more into the sand, and Ganondorf held him pinned there, leaning over him with a growl. Ghirahim kicked his legs in a show of defiance, until suddenly, he went still. Even beyond the kicked-up dust, Zant could see it. From his left hand, a faint golden glow shone through his gauntlet – empty but waiting, matching the deep black aura that wafted from him like licking flames. 

“I have no use for a peon that will not obey me,” Ganondorf snarled, pulling Ghirahim closer to his face before dropping him to the ground. “I will not warn you again, Blade.”

Zant followed him with his gaze as Ganondorf marched back to his former place. Their eyes met briefly, gold stumbling upon gold, and in an instant, that familiar scowl drilled into his consciousness. The same man, but not quite… Yes, with such a display of power, he’d decided. It was in his best interests to have this Ganondorf trust him. And so, he smiled at him in return, bowing his head in respect of his Master. Ganondorf grunted and continued his march, setting out for the tents that stood in the shade at the edge of the desert. 

“My home has been ravaged by vermin in my absence, and I intend to reclaim it. I expect you to join me in my tent for reconnaissance. Should you refuse, I will not hesitate to crush you along with the rest of the intruders.”

After nodding affirmatively, Zant turned again to where his fellow to-be commander was left, and found him sat up, panting and clutching his chest. He stared out in front of him but his mind was someplace else. Curiously, he approached him, cocking his head. He could only guess that Ghirahim had a similar revelation to himself, but was taking it far less in stride. 

Tentatively, he held out his hand, offering to help him rise. Someone ought to snap him out of it. “You recognized it too, didn’t you? That power.”

Ghirahim blinked, a haze clearing from his deep, large pupils. Before fully meeting his eyes, he had already swatted his offered hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

Zant straightened himself, towering above the man sitting before him, and retracted his hand to clasp them behind his back. 

A squint locked Ghirahim in eye contact almost too easily, and somewhat nervously, he stammered again to speak. “I did, but… How..?”

Zant broke the trap of his gaze and looked toward the tent, where Ganondorf had just disappeared into. “The very same curse that brought the Princess and her guard dog back for another round, I assume.”

Ghirahim rose to his feet, joining Zant in staring at the tent. He didn’t speak, still, just glared in deep conflict at the sight before him. It was almost pitiful.

And so, Zant decided to take off and kick his plans into motion. “You can do as you wish, but I am hesitant to make an enemy out of the Demon King. I suppose I will meet you on the battlefield, one way or another.”

Quite a few paces he walked alone, his helmet reassembling itself to spare him from the burning rays of the sun. Now thoroughly concealed, he felt safe grinning when footsteps joined behind him, slowly but surely.

“Zant? What’s keeping you?”

In just that split second, the sword spirit seemed to turn into an entirely different being. The Ghirahim he knew then was all points and edges, eager to drive his endless wit under his skin until he had no choice but to bite back at him. And while this urge to annoy him never left him, he was different, now. There was an undeniable softness to him. Words that once would have left his lips in a sneer now warmly lingered with genuine concern, sweetly sticking to his tongue like honey. 

It was a testament to how blades were not merely used to destroy, but also to mend, to cure. Bit by bit, he’d taught a sword how to care.

When Zant smiled at him in return, picking up after him in a rush, the desert sun sparkled in his deep black pupils. Zant joined his side soon after, relishing how his attention did not leave him even once. 

“The heat must have gotten to my head for a moment there,” he hummed. “We’ve come all the way from the North, after all.”

Counting on being out of earshot of their Master, Ghirahim chuckled, jabbing at the Twili with his elbow. “You can survive martial combat, but the climate gets the better of you? It’s embarrassing to wear your weaknesses on your sleeve like this, Zant.”

Zant scoffed. “Ah, yes. As opposed to wearing them with a target on your chest, of course.”

Were they subtle in their dawdling at any point, Ganondorf surely noticed his servants bickering behind him from that point on. With only a brief pause in his gait, he marched to the Palace. The Demon King was off to settle his final arrangements before bidding his most loyal men farewell, for good.

The evening of Ganondorf’s arrival was as celebratory as it was solemn. The governesses were as pleased to see their King in his full power as they took his arrival as an omen. The final stand was at hand, and the strategy briefing of mere hours earlier conveyed that Gerudo Valley would not come out of this battle unscathed. Any bit of leisure and merrymaking was precious, and as such, the wizened Court was masking themselves with as much cheer as they could muster. Ghirahim and Zant, seated at the end of the table reserved for those of higher military ranking, overlooked the governesses squabbling over opportunities to converse with the man who would change their lives for good. In between filling their cups and chattering amongst one another, on occasion, one of the women would rise, and approach Ganondorf’s seat to give him their blessings. To which the King, of course, took to with great warmth and integrity.

Among them was a woman with an empty stare, who gradually darkened and secluded in her own mind as the night went on. Zant recognized her as the head of foreign trade, who left an impression on him as a boisterous, steadfast woman. None of her usual sparks could be seen as she stood up from her seat and approached Ganondorf, who was caught in conversation with the governess beside him. 

“With the Seven to guide me, this ends today.”

Candlelight reflected off a polished surface not there seconds earlier. Taking shelter behind the backrest of Ganondorf’s chair, the Courtswoman pulled a dagger from her robes and thrust it toward the Demon King. 

It was a mess of bodies. Those who cowered in fear, and those who threw themselves at the assailant to wrestle her off of their King. Among the latter were even elderly women of the Court, whose feeble arms tore like paper under the meticulously sharpened dagger, the King’s retainers, and of course, his very own Ghirahim, who bolted toward her the second he smelled steel.

But before an obsidian blade could run her through, Ganondorf himself clenched his massive hand around the Chancellor’s arm. With a sweep, he flung her over the table, sending her skidding across the floor and into the hall’s central corridor. A streak of blood followed her, the ominous sign of falling upon her own blade. Groaning and heaving, but still fueled by rage, she rose in spite of her injuries. Blade in hand, her fierce drive to kill had not yet ceased.

The commotion all around the mess hall soon tested her resolve. As if melting into a single being, the shrieks and cries of enraged troops dawned upon her like a tidal wave, claws and calloused palms reaching for her in a mob’s desire for violence. 

“Halt,” shouted Ganondorf’s thunderous voice, sharp enough to crack air as if it were a thin sheet of glass. He raised a hand, forcing every single being in that hall to freeze on the spot. “None may approach her. We will hold Chancellor Meherat’s trial right here, and now.”

Those who were injured in the scuffle were promptly escorted from the hall, and a deathly silence befell what was once an infernal atmosphere. Though Ganondorf had forbidden anyone from nearing the accused, there was a shuffled footfall in the servants’ entrance, leading to the courtyard… The preparations for her execution were already underway. 

And what a foolish act it was! With the Triforce under his command, no mortal blade could truly harm Ganondorf. No, not even Zant dared dream of such a hands-on approach, now. The consequences of such a fit of passion were unfolding before him, a lesson of their own.

Those left in the mess hall arranged themselves in cold, courtly fashion. The commanding and governing forces seated in their makeshift magistrate, and the crowd of soldiers, their jury. Ganondorf leered, his eyes scanning the room to command its silence. Gazing at the center of it all, the trial commenced. 

An odd tone of pity stained his rigid voice with mockery. “Now, speak. What has clouded your judgment, Chancellor? Only pure madness could drive a woman of your stature to defy her King.”

“The only madness in this room lies within your own Court, Ganondorf,” the Chancellor snapped, resulting in a scandalized, furious heckling from the crowd behind her. She paid it no mind. “All our people wanted was peace – dignity! And you have befouled the noble name of the Gerudo by aligning yourself with demons. Monsters! Your actions are beyond the retaliation for which we rallied behind you. They are annihilation! There is no salvation in the death you rain upon Hyrule. What use is there to be found in a land we cannot thrive in? Every single one of you is blinded by vengeance! I will stand for it no longer.”

Ganondorf straightened in his seat, solemn, yet unimpressed. His countenance was calm, but the racket from the crowd surely could only stem from their King’s inner rage. “Then I take it there were no conspirators?”

“None that had to persuade me, Demon. My sisters are innocent. But mark my words – With every settlement you scorch, every monster you set free on your homeland, our people’s trust in you wanes. The streets of Gerudo City are ripe with whispers of your cruelty. There will be more like me! If I must die to set this example, then I shall face the Heroines with a smile!”

Meherat was manic, burning with conviction, even as the loss of blood rid her of the strength in her legs. Her eyes desperately sought support, or at least recognition in the eyes of the Court before her. Whether she found any, Zant could not discern from this angle.

Ganondorf sighed, crossing his hands before him on the table. His tusks bared, a flash of aggression amidst his air of grave stoicism. “It is a pity, Chancellor. I hoped to grant you a swift death.”

It was thus – Chancellor Meherat was to be put to death. Her bridges burnt, the love of her sisters lost, and the sound of her name condemned. A rich life suddenly thrown away in an assassination attempt that would never have worked, forged as it was in the blinding darkness of despair and twisted justice. All for the sake of peace. Peace. Peace. Peace! What hideous neglect, what decay, and what fetid blood had been spilled for that wretched word! Oh, how she had almost pinpointed the wrongs in this selfish King’s leadership, but as many before her, concluded so terribly misguidedly. A conclusion once shared by a woman of equal beauty, equal love in her heart, and equally bright, amber hair. 

Zant was snapped out of his train of thought by the splinters that jabbed into the underside of his nails. Fresh grooves tainted the dining table at his hands. His eyes tracing the pale wood he’d uncovered, he decided he refused to sit idle, and took the seat of Magistrate.

“If I may, King Dragmire.”

All eyes vested on him in an instant. He ignored the dark scowl already brooding in the shadow of Ganondorf’s bushy eyebrows. “Why not simply… Send her in exile? If it is peace, or dignity, as she says, that she desires, I gladly invite her to seek it with our enemy. Perhaps then she will fully realize how our brutality serves to shield Gerudo against that which the Hyruleans would happily inflict.”

Ganondorf clicked his tongue, but a smirk crooked the corner of his lips even still. “Your offer is as absurd as it is intriguing. I will not risk sending a traitor that threatens my army for the indulgence of a satisfying punishment.”

“I beseech you to consider,” Zant stated, his fingers interlacing on the table before him. “How many of our commanders have been captured, and when has this ever hampered us? All this crucial information they have doubtlessly forced from their throats, and yet, the Triforce is still secured in your palm, My Liege. There is nothing she can tell them that will harm you now, not when Hyrule Castle is so close to falling at your feet.”

Ganondorf narrowed his eyes. Whether he was genuinely considering it, or merely playing along to placate him, was difficult to tell. It kept him talking either way, so Zant didn’t quite care. The Gerudo continued picking apart his plan, perhaps to catch him in a fumble. “Who is to say she will not become a willing collaborator, rather than their prisoner?”

“We have sent spies before, Master, and nearly every single one of them has had their head mounted on a pike. Hyrule will consider her no different, surely.”

Ganondorf scoffed in laughter, “Very well. Guards! Seize the Chancellor. You are to escort her to the desert and ensure she does not return,” he demanded, his hand outstretched in the final verdict, emphasized with a clenched fist. His attention turned to the court member to his left. “Furthermore. Grand Mistress Kotoji, her name is shunned from this day forth. See to the eradication of her records from administrative documents. We will appoint her successor at dawn.”

The cogs in the machine started turning in an instant. Armed and shrouded Gerudo marched up to drag away the sentenced Chancellor, whose angered cries for the Court to join her cause splattered against the walls of every room she would traverse. The crowd was tense, her claims of more traitors running amok and the possibility that her enervated speech would hatch more of them, doubtlessly sowing suspicion. Surely, Zant’s suggested verdict, and the baffling acceptance of such a bloodless sentence, undoubtedly had a similar discordant effect.

The consequences of which soon beckoned him. As the table returned to a semblance of calm, Ganondorf summoned him with a snag of his eyes and a wave of his hand.

“You are walking a very fine line, Shadow Lord,” Ganondorf growled at him, sheltered by the uproar of the dining hall. “This battlefield is not yours to play games in. High treason, and you set her free? I will send men in her pursuit before sundown.”

“There is no need to worry, Master,” Zant smiled, bowing in submission to have his whispers easily heard. “On her own, without supplies, the desert will claim her before making it even a quarter of the way. Besides, to butcher their once-beloved Sister before their very eyes will give us an ill will from your remaining Court. Certainly, you know this too, My Liege, or you would not have accepted my terms.”

Ganondorf furrowed his brows at him, before leaning back in his seat, contemplating the hall before him in deep scrutiny.

His every breath was a test; Zant knew very well that Ganondorf suspected him. Did he not, he never would have sent the two of them here. Zant was peering into his open grave and awaited the firm-handed push that sent him down there with a grin. Not a shred of his reasoning just now had been a lie, but the plan itself was audacious – essentially an offer to send out a counter-spy scot-free. And yet, Ganondorf agreed with it. What did he have to lose, at this point? Very likely, he would do no worse. 

This Ganondorf was powerful and charismatic. He tore down keeps with his bare hands, wrapped countless court officials around his finger. His own Ganondorf had been lonely and bound himself to him thus – this One was less stubborn, in that way. But in that strength lay a fatal flaw: he was cocky. In taking them to this damned place, to protect a mission that could only fail, surely he thought he was rid of those thorns in his sides.

It was all too merciful. No, he was not soft, he was naive. Clearly, Ganondorf saw neither of them as a threat big enough to dispose of on short notice. So, before he could depart, what else could he do to burrow himself deeper in his ire? What punishments would they evoke? Reduce the number of his troops? Bait out an ambush? Would he see him poisoned, or cursed? Master, what could I possibly do to you, for you to slay me, right here, and now?

Zant would never get his answer. The adrenaline now worn off, Ganondorf had noticed a minor flesh wound by his upper arm and sought to have it treated. Just in case the blade had been poisoned. Bit by bit, the mess hall drained of people, and at some point, Zant had wandered out with some other crowd of them. The metallic clanking of his soles just barely made it past the ringing in his ears. 

Oh, indeed. Ganondorf needn’t worry. Not about Meherat, at least.

As he’d predicted, there she ran. So far away from the city, the gibbous moon and sea of stars shone vibrantly above, joining hands to light the way of this condemned runaway. Three hours since her banishment, and the sands already took their toll on her. Trudging through silky sands filled one’s legs with lead, he knew this intimately by now. Yet, she was making decently good time. Of course, Ganondorf hadn’t listened to his final call and sent an executioner’s party after her the minute his wound was flushed out. To no avail, however. The Chancellor was clever and well-informed, so much so that she’d swerved out of sight of the Demon King’s outposts that scattered sparsely throughout the deeper sand wastes. 

But not out of his. 

With no more rock outcroppings to hide behind, Zant could only shelter in the skies, a black smudge hovering against prismatic blue. But hours in the dark had made her eye too keen. She looked behind her once, twice, just to check, before opening her mouth in a soundless scream and breaking out in what she hoped to be a sprint.

He would not let his Master’s troops take this from him. Wind soared through his helmet, sand whipped up around him, and before he’d known, that panicked face was mere inches from his own, his fingers wrapped tightly around her throat.

“You are a kind woman, Chancellor Meherat – Too good, to survive in our midst. But that is precisely where our predicament lies. Hyrule would listen to you, for good people like you are exploitable, even if the chances of your rescue are slim…” Zant hissed between the two of them, looming over her while squeezing ever-tighter. “Forgive me, forgive me…”

Under the fierce grip of his hands, the Gerudo struggled, clawing at his arms and kicking at his gut with every ounce of might she still had. Before long, she at last grew limp and dropped to the floor, now free of him.

He recalled another being just like her, whose misplaced kindness in the end spelled doom for her people. And though his goals aligned with this one, he could not afford her getting in his way. So swiftly he struck her, his scimitar driving between her ribs, simultaneous mercy and execution.

“May the sands reclaim you, Chancellor,” he muttered in idle prayer, before kneeling down to hide a piece of parchment among her robes. 

He stood there, watching as the desert winds gently buried her, the light of the stars above brought him clarity. Now that he beheld her beyond the fog of his mind, her hair wasn’t as orange as he thought it to be. It was really more of a carmine.

Zant sat at his triptych mirror, begrudgingly accepting the assistance of the morning sun as he applied the black lines to his lower eyelids. His Dagger lingered about him as if he had any input on the matter, but soon found some way to fuss over him nonetheless. Fingers threaded through his hair, scratching pleasantly past the grown-out fuzz at the back of his head.

“I think we ought to preen you a little before we head to battle again, Zant,” Ghirahim hummed thoughtfully.

Finishing up his one eye, Zant puckered his lips, looking back at him through the mirror with a bit of a frown. “Already? Is it so drastic?”

“Your shave is growing out again. Just a touch-up, is all.”

And yet, he couldn’t help but indulge him. His eyes darted between his reflection and that of Ghirahim’s in the mirror, before he leaned back to resume accessorizing his other eyelid with a smirk. “Hmmm… Without Yuga to safeguard me, will I be alright, I wonder…”

“Hah! You doubt my skills, now? Some nerve you have,” Ghirahim sneered.

A dip of his brush in the bottle of pigment. “I wouldn’t dare. Yuga simply is a bit more amicable to my wishes, is all.”

“Only because he can’t stand the pout you give him when you’re uppity. Is this about those odd bangs you insist on growing out? Never did I know why you keep those,” was the response, emphasized by the grasping of his longer locks, which fell through his parted fingers like flowing water.

“... Well, ah,” Zant hesitated. Was such a subject appropriate? If it was, would it anger him? How forward it would be. In any other circumstance mere ethnographic fact, but with the bond they shared, carrying such implications! But perhaps the truth would settle the matter. 

He placed his brush down and rested his hands in his lap in a reserved gesture, avoiding his gaze. “In my people’s customs, that is where I will receive my braid, if I am to be wed.”

Ghirahim perked up at his words, his face subtly tugging at its sculpted features. He quickly retracted his hands to fold them at his chest. Picking at the edges of his gloves, he seemed conflicted as he considered his next words. “Right. Such matters will be of concern to nobility, once the war settles, of course.”

Zant turned to him now, gauging his expression in full. A worry lingered there, of neither wanting to impose nor be imposed upon. Did Ghirahim assume himself to be excluded from potential marriage candidates? To which degree did this trouble him?

Yet this troubled state joined hands with its twin, leaching into Zant’s mind. Though his own wishes on the matter were not quite aligned, to wed another than him could prove more politically efficient, down the line. He could never bear it, Zant decided, to degrade the first to profess his love for him to the ranks of a mere concubine.

So he banished the thought from both their minds, pulling Ghirahim into his embrace. For a moment, Ghirahim flinched, startled that the action could serve as a confession. These fears were quickly cast away when Zant craned his head up to grin broadly at him.

“How you fret over mortal matters! Ghirahim-ili, the red on your cheeks may fool me into thinking you might be of the same flesh and blood as I,” he teased, resting his chin against his chest.

The flush of his cheeks and ear only grew stronger. “If you so intend to mock me, you would do better to do so after fixing yourself. Your cosmetics are completely asymmetrical!”

Zant laughed, freeing him from his grip and turning back to his mirror to resume his daily grooming. “Alright,” he chimed, holding the brush to his cheek with care. “You ought to make yourself scarce either way, Yima Dinifen. My chamberlain will arrive with my breakfast any moment now.”

With just one knock at the door, a jingling of chimes announced a departure behind him, and the white shade in his mirror erased its presence.

And so, their days resumed. After Ganondorf returned to his post in the Temple, the pair were left to their own devices to prepare for the Hyruleans to take the bait. And take it they did, for mere days after the Demon King visited the Palace, the first scouts were sighted scurrying about the desert. Undoubtedly to catch a glimpse of their developing formations! 

Those glimpses would be allowed. The first days were ones of deception, of placing troops haphazardly in a feint, only to slaughter every last vanguard that would come looking from thenceforth. Zant’s hand trailed the map – they would have to route cages for their beasts to each corner of the field. That way, they could adequately trap their foes in the center of the valley, and whittle away at their composures.

So deep in thought was he, that he had not noticed his co-lieutenant joining him in their strategy room, laying a hand on his elbow. “Off in your own little world again? You mustn’t forget to relay your schemes to me, Zant.”

His mind struggled a moment, forcing itself through the barricade of his focus to direct his attention to the one beside him, instead. Yet when he looked upon him, with a gaze so tender yet hiding tantalizing conflict behind a shroud of yearning, that reluctance faded in an instant.

“All in due time, Ghirahim-ili,” he murmured, laying his hand over his. “What do you require from me, to approach me in such solitude?”

To be addressed suchly took Ghirahim aback for a moment. Ah, he knew this look. These were the characteristic signs of a very specific mood of his; where his mind was troubled, but he hoped to assuage it through physical affection. To correct his course elsewhere, where he needn’t think or discuss his woes. 

With their lives treading on such a fine line, Zant wasn’t interested in such avoidant behavior. Ghirahim was snagged on by the question a little too easily.

“With our Master’s true coronation so close on the horizon, Zant, I’ve been occupied with far more thoughts than are becoming of me. You’ve experienced the same, I'm certain.”

“Oh, when do I ever not sit and worry,” Zant giggled. He was tempted to press a kiss to his cheek but decided not to interrupt him.

“As you say,” Ghirahim laughed at his quip. “Among these thoughts were that of my future, but moreso of our past, and what it will come to mean. It’s childish, but I was reminded of the first words of love I gave to you. I thought then to have deceived you in giving you that promise, but now I know it is not so.”

Taking advantage of the loose occupation of his hands, Ghirahim guided his arm, making room for himself in-between, and stepped into his embrace. 

“This love, as you have described it, long I have assumed it as being entirely alien to me. Yet, with every minute I spend with you, Zant, my doubts about this long-held belief grow ever larger. I cannot ignore them now, because the contrary could not be more clear. The way you love, Zant, aligns with my own with every passing day. As does my love grow to resemble yours,” he began to wax, fondly amused by the red tinge he awakened in the Twili’s face. “And I find it perplexing, for us to be connected this way, for in being made of flesh and blood, you and I could not be more different.”

Ghirahim paused, taking a moment to capture his hand and behold their contact. Observing thoughtfully. “What makes us different, mortals and I, is that I know my purpose. The second I was forged, I knew what my existence meant for me, and I delighted in it. Mortal men- humans, I believe, you are listless,” he emphasized, now lacing their fingers. His expression darkened, losing its shine to a sullen face. “Fickle. Because there simply is no purpose but to live. Your myriad of choices blinds you, burdens you, whereas I have none, and I adore the way I am supposed to be. I thought I would never understand that restless sort of existence. But now I do. Master will not wield me.”

To Zant’s mortification, yet soul-stirring delight, Ghirahim grasped his hand tighter and placed it on his chest. In that moment of silence, where both of them held a breath, there was that song again. It chimed and pulsed so strongly he could feel it in the pads of his fingers. Those saccharine shocks resonated through his arm, pressing kisses to every nerve and sinew it tore past, and in its crescendo delivered its fiercest affection to his heart. It was a call, a plea for a matching pulse, saying far more than Ghirahim could ever dare to. Now, guarded as they were amidst the glittering shards of Zant’s mind, he would never have to.

Ghirahim winced as those fingers indulgently dug deeper into the skin of his chest, but soon grew to relish in it. “I cannot promise you my entire self, Zant. The thought alone could shatter me. A piece, however, I can afford.”

With a flourish of his hand, his velvet cape scattered into a glittering whirlwind of diamonds, warm like embers as they brushed by Zant’s skin. As his garment disappeared, Ghirahim leaned back, resting more and more of his weight in his arms, and baring more and more of his most vulnerable places to him. His lean neck, the underside of his chin, and more prominently so, the diamond keyhole at his chest. 

His breast heaved, taking a breath that never reached any true lungs, then dipped back down in a shudder. Zant felt his own chest tighten, his heart pounding to his ribs, as Ghirahim spoke his offer. 

“Reach within me, Twilight King. Take part of me, as you have taken a part of our Master. It is yours.”

***

Zant swallowed. He felt the pulse of his core behind his chest, concentrating at its center. With a jolt of Ghirahim’s body, that ivory surface cracked, revealing at last that silver gem, his hand curled around its facets. Anticipation tightened their bodies, for this contact alone, as profound as it was, would only grow more intense. To breach inside would require magic.

A deep inhale, wind brushing past a dry throat, expanded Zant’s chest. Such a feat could not be done without hurting him. To plunge his hand within him, even if done with utmost gentleness and intimacy, would not leave him unscathed. Months ago now, he’d picked inside the labyrinth of his core, but only ever with a proxy of himself. No, this was much coarser work. He would have to use his magic to pry him open and force his hand through the jagged crevice. To wrench free whatever he offered him.

Such a violent act… And Ghirahim trusted him to do it. He wanted him to. No, within his eyes, he saw. Ghirahim would be heartbroken if he didn’t. If he declined this offer, he’d bear the gift prepared for him like a lodged arrow until it festered out from him.

Summoning every inch of will in his body into this one hand, he prepared his incision. The magic such an act required made his peripheral vision turn pink and the sight in his heat pits red-hot and useless. Ghirahim winced when that barrier keeping him – him, his essence – safe from the outside world began to crumble. Yet it did not crack, it simply faded beneath his hand. Zant gasped in awe as his hand dipped beneath this permeable edge, and its disappearance bore to him a sight untold.

Crimson. Not sterile silver but a fiery red. What an astute metaphor it was! Beyond that cold, icy surface, to hide something so burning and true! Within him, a gem of cycling colors tucked carefully into a burning, molten cavity. It was black – no, red, or perhaps a golden, changing every second under the candlelight and the lively fire of his own being. A garnet, a ruby, a brilliant red diamond. He could only liken him, for doubtlessly, he was one of a kind.

“Ghirahim. You’re beautiful.” 

He reached inside, and it was warm. His hand sunk in effortlessly, circling his wrist with a bright white light. By the time his senses figured out whether that inside his core was an icy cold or searing hot, Ghirahim had tipped back, only barely caught by the arm hooked around his waist. Warm pinpricks tickled his skin, filling his hand with static at every twitch and curl of his fingers. Any sensible instinct that would tell him to recoil from the heat was smothered in an instant, snuffed out by the soft groans from Ghirahim that teased him for so much more. His fingers bumped into something. Leather-bound, and long, and… It fit in his hand perfectly.

It could only be a sword. How could anything else rest within his heart?

“Ghirahim,” he whimpered, “you must be certain of this. Once I pull this, you cannot take it back.”

The scabbard in his arms laughed almost belligerently as if annoyed for being addressed. Yet the big, black pupils that met his eyes were fond. “I know.”

Gritting his teeth, overtaken simultaneously by feeling and the burning of his skin, Zant pulled. He keened, for despite the blade being offered to him, it would not be unsheathed without a test of mettle. The very sword began to pull at him – not his flesh, but at his soul, draining him of his magic. It was then that Zant realized that Ghirahim did not trap him, or any of the sorts. The weapon was simply not finished. 

He needed his help.

His magic were like antennae, poking and coiling around the abstract shape of the sword. With every drop of energy that poured from him, he felt it sculpt into being beneath his touch. Double-edged, they decided, but with curvature. Corners and edges to hook rival swords and rip them from lesser hands. A weapon that favored brutality over elegance, but would prove to be both in capable hands. Hands that were now worthy of such a blade, molded into a swordsman by the very forge they stuck within.

Both men cried out in exertion with the final pull at the sword. Ghirahim arched as its pommel surfaced from him, followed by the grip, the crossguard. White-hot and glowing, the blade came free from his chest with a single draw. 

But before he could set his eyes upon it, overcome by his intimacy, Zant pulled his limp body closer and pressed a kiss to his jaw. A piece of him, in his hand, freely gifted, and smithed by their joint efforts. Here he now held his most prized possession. A stream of incoherent Twilit and Hylian bubbled forth from him, singing his praises about his beloved, about their bond. It was time to witness what they made together.

Zant held it before him, watching its prismatic white darken into a deep, all-consuming black, So dark was it that its surface hardly shined, save for its sharpened edges, for little light could leave it once touching it. Interrupting this deep dark was a pattern of glowing cyan, bleeding out from a magenta gem that graced its crossguard. A legendary artifact was made today, fit for the palatial treasury.

The Demon Scimitar.

Ghirahim turned his head to look at his shaking grip and let out a faint laugh. “It is a two-handed blade, you oaf.”

Delighted to hear him speak, Zant turned to his weakened lover, but frowned at his suggestion. “I do not want to drop you.”

“I’m right in your hand.”

Yet, he compromised. Leaning him onto his shoulder, he pulled him back upright. Just as when they lay together, Ghirahim was warm when he pressed his back to his chest. His heart was open, bleeding molten metal into itself. Such a precious thing must be handled carefully. Zant reached forward with both hands now to behold his gift, the sword spirit in his embrace holding himself upright by leaning his arms on his. His legs slumped, but his gloved hands laid gently over the ones grasping at the hilt.

Zant blinked, a smothered sob wobbling his lip, unable to take his eyes off their creation. “Ghirahim, it’s…”

“Beautiful? Breathtaking? The most perfect craftsmanship you’ve ever laid your eyes upon? Of course it is. It’s a piece of me, after all,” Ghirahim waxed, his voice tongue-in-cheek where it would normally be completely serious.

“Yes, Ghirahim, but not so simply,” Zant laughed, peering at the blade past the tender slope of Ghirahim’s neck. “It’s beautiful because it’s us.”

Tears ran down his cheeks. No one had ever done anything like this for him, nor would they ever, for Ghirahim was the only one who could. How he entered this land with vengeance and bitterness in his heart! Now, here he stood, holding the one he never expected to care for. After such years of loneliness, to be then coaxed into comfort, affection, and declarations as mates… How could he do anything but fall in love?

The sounds of his whimpers and the tears dripping on his shoulder drew Ghirahim’s attention. A gloved hand stroked Zant’s jaw, as Ghirahim planted a kiss on his cheek. “As easily moved as ever, aren’t you?”

Zant could only swallow, wheeze out a laugh. Between his hiccups, he took his one hand off the grip. Shaking out this arm, he lowered his sleeve, and bared his wrist.

Ghirahim’s amusement faded instantly. His voice left him in a snap. “What are you doing?”

“Should anyone else be the first to taint this new-forged blade, I would carry my envy for them with me to whatever wretched afterlife awaits me,” Zant spoke coldly, but a maddened spark tugged at his features. “The first blood to feed this sword must be mine.”

Shaking hands were stilled by a perverse drive for this vow, to carve into himself in a clean slice that honored such a blade. Its edge, sharpened so meticulously it shone silver, cut through his skin as if merely lingering in the air. Were it not for the sting of friction, and the dark blood pooling out from him, he almost didn’t notice being cut. A sharp gasp, sucked in through bared teeth, tore through them simultaneously as he stained their masterpiece red. Sated by the cold sweat in his neck, and the comforting, downy feeling that lulled his mind into silence, Zant smiled. Grasping the hilt in both hands again, he held it skyward before them, swelling with pride over the visceral union now proclaimed.

Two pairs of eyes stared at the fresh blood coursing down the sword’s pristine edge, as though the world around it had ceased to exist. There was only them, their embrace, and the pieces of them each had ripped out the other, in their joint hands. Crimson rolled down, staining grey fingers and white gloves alike. Zant sharply inhaled through his nose, but Ghirahim stayed deathly silent. Yet his back grew warmer, hotter, scorching pressed against his chest, and that song from his core returned. By no means a symphony, it screeched in one unanimous tone, his mind set on but one thing. 

In an instant, the blade was dispelled – shared, but Ghirahim’s body, first and foremost – and with it took its gift of blood. Swirling, churning, for as long as it could hold, to leave his trace inside the essence of Ghirahim’s self in near-permanence. It was a memento, a shred to attain immortality, to remain long after his flesh has rotten and his bones turned to dust.

His hands now free of a sword, but within his arms still holding another, Zant was frozen in place. A fierce grip broke him from his self-petrification and yanked him down by the collar. Lips crashed against his, clacking teeth and poking stray strands of hair into his eyes. But for all its aggression, to the Sword Spirit, no show of love could be more earnest. He drew his eyelids to a close and locked him in a reciprocated embrace, only to deprive this dark, stuffy room from any more of their affection. Shadows crept up on them from every corner of the room, hurrying to their master’s command. Shrouded in this black, the rustling of this magic enveloped them, to finally leave the strategy room empty.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Powerful Name Of Christ

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Psalm 102:17 He will hear his forsaken people and listen to their prayer.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+John 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

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SUBJECT: Powerful Name Of Christ

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM POWERFUL THROUGH JESUS

I AM CALLING ON HIS NAME

I AM FREE

I AM LOVING

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THOUGHTS:

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  The power that’s behind the name of Jesus is indescribable. It doesn’t matter what you're going through. When you say his name, everything ceases. Jesus gave us the authority to use his name to cast out spirits and to heal the sick and much more, but it's up to us to use it; some people feel this power, or that his anointing can be bought, and it can’t, his anointing can only be used by his children, a lot of times we don’t use it because either we fill we can't use it, or that it’s for a certain type of people.

 The most amazing story I found in the bible, and by the way, I think every story is fantastic, but the one story I love is when they came to arrest Jesus, and he asked who are they looking for, and he spoke, and they fell back because the power that was upon Jesus, he didn’t have to say who he was people knew by his countenance, because of his presence they could feel the power off of him.

John 18: 4-6 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

 See, the power upon Jesus, and in his name, is POWERFUL; he wants us to use it when necessary. When I started praying for people, laying hands, and healing the sick, my mother said, "Lui, you're not healing anyone. Jesus is, and you make sure you use his name, and every time I pray, I use it because there's no power in my name. It's no power in your name, but it's power in the name of Jesus.

   John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

  This confirms that whatever we ask in Jesus' name, we will do so when we use his name and walk in the authority of the almighty Jesus , everything must bow , in Philippians 2:9-11 says this: Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

  That’s why demons would tremble when they felt his presence. One time, Jesus walked on a shore, and a man with demons in him couldn’t be chained, and the demons from within the man asked what do you want from me? Why are you torturing me? See, the anointing that Jesus has is so powerful demons: sickness can't stay in his midst it must leave.

   Still, Philippians tells us that every tongue will confess, every spiritualist, every atheist, every warlock and witch will have to confess that Jesus is lord; they can deny his power now, they can say what they like now, but when judgment day comes, they will see who is the true God.

  •Luke 4:41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew he was the Christ.

•Mark 5:7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God; do not torment me.”

• Mark 1:24: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”

     The Holy Spirit wants us to know that the gift of healing, casting out demons, and performing miracles isn’t of the old days. It is now; we must take and walk in our authority. We can't do anything without Jesus. A lot of times, we are weak because we don’t eat the word of God, and we don’t use the name of Christ . If you are feeling less and you feel like you are alone, you are not. Jesus is with you, and he gave you the authority to conquer any demonic spirit using his name because of its power in it.

  *** Today, we learned that it is power in the name of Jesus, and when we use it, we are claiming victory through him. The power of Jesus' name will send any spirit back to the pits of hell, but we must be bold every day and pray for the boldness of God so that we can defeat the yoke or chains of the enemy. This week, we also talked about callousness. When we have a callous in our hearts, we can’t walk powerfully in that anointing or power of his name because sin is blocking us from being effective, but every day, we must push forward and tell God that we need him.

  We also talked about keeping the word hidden in our hearts, but to do this, we must read it; that’s why we can use it when we are walking in the light; we can spend our days walking in bitterness, strife, anger ,malice , but those things won’t give us what Christ can, and he will when we study our word to show ourselves approve ,if you are having issues walking in the light give all of your situations to God today, and he will help you walk in the light and the authority he wants to give you. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for everything; we thank you for allowing your son to die for us and to give us life, father we thank you for the freedom and love, and we ask you to continue to help us through our situations, lord we thank you for another week we thank you for the favor and blessings you have blessed us with! Lord, we love you so much, we give you glory and praise, in Jesus' Name, Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ John 16:23-24 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

 

+ John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

 

+ Revelation 19:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 18

1 Thessalonians 2

Psalm 53

1 Samuel 17

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[maggiedanikka]

Superstar (Part 1)

Pairing: Rooster x f!reader, (blink and you'll miss it, unrequited) Hangman x f!reader

Warnings: ANGST, good ending promise

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 19.7k (holy sh*t)

Summary:  “I’m no one special, just another wide eyed girl, who's desperately in love with you.”

OR 

Rooster is sure he's in love with this girl. Only problem is, he's never seen or face or know her name

No use of y/n

Based of off Superstar (Taylor's version) by Taylor Swift

Author's Note: It's me, Hi. This one shot is so freaking late y'all. In all honesty I started writing this August around the time I finished writing Naked, but life and school happened and now here we are. It felt amazing getting to stretch my writing skills again for anything other than research papers, and I'm on winter break so it seems as good a time as any. I'm not going to give anymore excuses, but I promise this is worth a read. This is the longest single piece of work I have ever written. It ended at 65 pages and almost 20k words in my drafts. Its so long that Tumblr won't let post the entire one shot in one post so im splitting it in two, but dw send part will be posted immediately after this is posted. I also didn't have anyone edit this, so I apologize for any grammatical errors (most likely tense consistency bcs i suck at those) I hope you all enjoy reading it as I did writing it and I hope it tide y'all over until I can write the next chapter of Let Me Go. Here is Superstar.

Bradley Bradshaw’s voice was an enigma to you. How could anyone's voice be so hoarse and yet so strong?

As an air traffic controller for the Navy, you’ve heard every type of voice imaginable. The gruff demanding ones from the Air Boss, the shrill screams of pilots having to eject due to a bird strike, the quiet dulcet tones of a shy WSO, and everything in between. 

The first time you heard his voice through the comms, you weren’t exactly starstruck per se, just a bit thrown off.

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off.” 

It’s not like you didn’t know who the pilots flying this mission were. Everyone in the goddamn Navy knew who they were, they were the best of the best. 

You even saw their pictures. And thought some of them were cute (especially the one rocking the Miami Vice Stache). But hearing their voices was different from reading their files.

Though most of the details of the mission were classified, you had a basic idea and knew that there was a good chance that someone wasn’t coming home. 

“This is Dagger 2, asking for clearance for take off”

The voice repeated. You snapped out of your thoughts, the voice was smooth as honey and it had just a hint of fear but yet so heavily determined. Your heart really went out to the poor pilot. 

“Dagger 2, you’re clear for take off.” You said, trying to convey as much sympathy as you could in those words. 

The actual mission itself didn’t last longer than 3 minutes. Working for the navy, you should’ve been used to the high stakes situations that often go hand in hand with these kinds of assignments. But you couldn’t help but sit on the edge of your seat during the duration of the mission.

There were a few initial hiccups, you felt like you were watching a movie as you listened to the daggers communicate with one another. Their nervousness (and to be honest your own) upon seeing the SAMs and your both concern and irritation at Lieutenant Bradshaw’s cautiousness. 

Yes, his by the book and precise flying is part of the reason why he was considered one of the best, but if he didn’t throw that shit out of the window and speed up he will end up getting himself killed. And even though you didn’t necessarily know him, this possibility filled your body with so much dread.

You felt relieved (well only slightly, they hadn’t made it out of the woods just yet) when Rooster finally got out of his own head and sped up. The two miracles were successfully pulled off and the 4 jets had made it past Coffin Corner. Now it was a dogfight all the way home.

You commended just how level headed and pragmatic the pilots were as they evaded the SAMs and attacks that were thrusted upon them. You knew if you were in the same situation you would’ve panicked and blown up by now. Your admiration was interrupted by the mayday call of Captain Mitchell.

A heavy tension set in the control room, everyone was shocked at what just transpired. It was interrupted by the voices of the other daggers. Notably Lieutenant Bradshaw and Lieutenant Trace. 

Phoenix had announced that she and Lieutenant Floyd were heading back to home base, along with Payback and Fanboy. However, you were yet to hear confirmation from Rooster, with the last thing he said went along the lines of going after Maverick. 

You held your breath as you heard Admiral Simpson demanded his return. The control room was met with silence, and you knew exactly what he was going to do. 

It was less than 5 minutes when it was confirmed that Lieutenant Bradshaw’s plane had been shot down after attacking an enemy plane. His beacon went dark. 

Lieutenant Seresin requested clearance for take off but was rebuffed by the Air Boss. You had to take everything in you to not shed a tear.

A thick silence fell over the entire ship. The mission was technically a success but you wouldn’t be able to tell based on the solemn look on everyone’s faces. 

Even after the remaining daggers returned on the ship, no one wanted to leave the control room. The entire ship was at a standstill. 

That was until a beacon marked “Rooster” started beeping on the screen. 

No it couldn’t be.

“Sir, Rooster has gone supersonic.” You told Admiral Simpson with a gulp, trying to contain your hope. 

“An F-14 tomcat has been spotted sir.” Another ATC announced. 

“Maverick.” You heard someone say, not sure who but you did not care at that point. What’s important is that they were alive!

But it was not time to celebrate just yet. Two bogies were spotted alongside the F-14 Tomcat. And everyone knew this meant a dogfight was about to commence. 

The situation looked more and more grim. An ancient F-14 against Fifth Gens? It was unlikely for the two pilots to make it out unscathed yet alone alive.

But by some grace of God (or possibly Maverick’s unbeatable skill, probably both) they managed to take down two bogies. 

Rooster managed to turn on the plane’s radio to contact the ship. You felt relief which was instantly thwarted by the news that there was still one Fifth Gen, directly in front of the plane. 

You knew they needed help. You looked at Admiral Simpson desperately, hoping that he would allow the Reserve Dagger to go assist. But Cyclone seemed frozen and you knew you had to take matters into your own hands.

“Dagger Reserve, are you ready for liftoff?” You spoke into the mic, the other people in the control room looked at you in shock.

“Finally!” The elated voice of Hangman came through the comms.

Admiral Simpson shot you a hard glare, if only looks could kill, you’d probably be as screwed as Maverick and Rooster. But you knew you had to do something. 

“Yes this is Dagger Reserve asking clearance for takeoff.” 

“Dagger Reserve, you are clear for takeoff. Bring our boys home.” You said with a small smile, if you get fired and discharged, possibly thrown into the ocean it’ll be worth it knowing what you did to save the aviators.

Hangman shot down the Fifth Gen with ease, earning him his second confirmed air combat kill. You knew that the other pilots would never hear the end of it. But all you cared about is he saved HIM.

Rooster’s laugh and banter with Hangman might’ve been the most wonderful sound you’ve ever heard. 

Seeing him on the tarmac reunited with the rest of his team had to be one of the highlights of your career with the Navy, if this was the last moment you had in the branch then you were perfectly content. 

“What you did was reckless insubordination! If there was another fifth Gen out there, we would’ve lost 3 of our best pilots and 2 planes worth millions of dollars!” Admiral Simpson had chastised you. 

“I have half a mind to dishonorably discharge you!” You 're ready to accept your punishment with grace. You were however surprised at his next words 

“But your actions saved 2 of our men.” He added with a gulp.

“You are clear from punishment, but DO NOT make this a habit!”

“Yes sir.” You told him with a steady voice.

“Thank you sir.”

“You are dismissed, go join the rest of the fleet.” He told you.

You ran down to celebrate the returning pilots, but so was everyone else. You could only see a glimpse of Captain Mitchell and Lieutenant Bradshaw past the dozens of bodies approaching to greet them. 

But even from where you were standing you could see the beaming smile and bright eyes of the mustached pilot. And from that exact moment you knew you were a goner. 

———————————————————————-

Next time you heard his voice was a few weeks post mission. Apparently he accepted a post to teach at Top Gun. 

You were decently shocked to learn that the team assembled for the mission decided to stay in Miramar. Especially since they basically got their pick of post anywhere in the world. 

But you figured Lieutenant Bradshaw, or rather Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw (remembering his promotion), decided to stay because of his recent reconciliation with Captain Mitchell. 

“This is Rooster asking for clearance for takeoff.” He said through the comms.

“You’re still here?” Shit. You did not mean to say that out loud. 

You heard back a chuckle from the pilot.

“Yes, I decided to stick around Fightertown for a little while.”

“Sorry sir.” You replied grateful that he couldn’t see the blush that was forming on your cheeks. 

“You are clear for takeoff.”

“Thanks sweetheart. Roger that.” You felt your cheeks grow hotter as he took off into the air. 

“ATC you still there?” He asked you once he was at cruising altitude. 

“Yes Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, I am still here.” Hoping that he forgot your earlier words and needed something official. 

“Any reason why you were shocked at my staying?” He asked you.

You gulped at his question. Was this allowed? You’ve never had a pilot ask you a question before that didn’t pertain to instructions, both on the ground and in the air. 

After a breath you answered his question.

“I heard about your promotion, and the offer to be posted anywhere in the world. Just surprised you chose to stay here.”

“Sometimes a family is worth more than any accolade or prestigious post.” He told you. You could tell he really cared about Maverick, but was not sure about the history of that. 

Would asking him be crossing a line?

“Why do you stay in fightertown?” He asks you.

“Not for anything as noble as your reason Lieutenant Commander, just an assigned post.” 

“Well I hope you’re liking Miramar. Actually grew up here.” You were surprised that he was still speaking to you, considering he was in the sky for a reason, and normally pilots didn’t maintain this much conversation with Air Traffic Control.

“I really like it so far, having some trouble with making friends though.” You don’t know why you admitted this to him, especially through comms that other people are definitely listening in to. And especially to a Naval hero who definitely would have no interest in the life of a lowly ATC. 

“Well, consider me your first friend sweetheart.” He responded and he actually sounded genuine. You couldn’t help but smile at the aviator's words.

You were about to respond when you were interrupted by Hangman through the comms. 

“Usually I would encourage this, but you can flirt later, Rooster, we gotta shoot down Mav.”

Your little bubble had been burst as you remembered why you had to clear him for takeoff earlier.

“That’s my cue, talk to you later, friend.”

“Have a good exercise Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw.” You respond with a smile you know he’d never see. 

Your shift ended before they finished their exercise, so you didn’t get to give Rooster clearance to land (or maybe you just hoped to speak to him again). But from what you heard, it was the closest the team got to finally shooting down the infamous Captain. 

You knew that one day they could surpass the pilot, but you were glad that they were able to learn and grow (and stay) a little longer at Top Gun.

In an effort to make more friends you agreed to go out with some of your fellow ATCs that night. Which is how you ended up in a bar on the beach called ‘the Hard Deck’.

Your co-workers were nice enough, and you were honestly glad that you weren’t spending another night with a plate of pad Thai watching yet another crappy Netflix rom-com. 

Imagine your surprise when Rooster and his crew of pilots walked into the very same bar. They went straight to the pool tables and were currently arguing over who got to play first. 

“God definitely has favorites, because they are so fine.” Your co-worker Laura sighs. 

“I wanna climb Seresin like a tree.” She adds.

“I’m more of a Coyote and Payback kind of gal.” Your other co-worker Sara remarked. 

“But I wouldn’t kick Fanboy or Bob out of bed, they look like they know some tricks.” 

She said as she took another drink of her martini. You agreed with their judgements but couldn’t help but only have eyes for one of the pilots.

“Good choice.” Your other co-worker Lia tells you after following your gaze. 

“Bradshaw definitely takes the cake.” 

You blush upon being caught staring at Rooster. 

All your co-workers nodded in agreement with Lia. 

“He’s not as pretty as Hangman but he’s somehow more fuckable.” Laura comments. 

You couldn’t help but feel possessive as the other women also stared at Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw with hungry eyes. 

But it’s not like you had any right to that feeling, he wasn’t yours, he didn’t even know who you were. 

The conversation moved on to other topics, it could’ve been anything from the weather or the latest Naval gossip but you were only half paying attention. You were honestly just glad that they were done ogling a certain pilot. 

You really liked the Hard Deck. It was now clear that it was a Navy spot and it was really cool to see the usually serious people from work loosened up in civilian clothes. 

The night was bustling and while you were glad for some company, you couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. All these women knew each other and had all these little jokes with one another, and you were an outsider that had a bit of a neurotic streak.

You were wondering if this was a pity invite, and you were slowly leaning to a yes but you were already here, might as well make the best of it.

You prepared yourself to jump back into the conversation, when the music from the jukebox had abruptly stopped. And while the men booed, you saw that the women all stopped and stared at the piano. Or rather the person at the piano. 

Lo and behold, Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was seated at the decades old instrument, his fingers expertly playing an old Elton John hit. Of course he would have an affinity for the 80s, as shown by his mustache.

If you thought his speaking voice was beautiful, his singing voice was downright heavenly. He had this low tenor that was so strong and made “I’m still standing” sound sensual. How is that even possible?

Obviously you weren’t the only person that thought so, you saw women dancing in front of him, singing along and obviously trying to get his attention. 

For the other women (and some men) that weren’t, were singing along and staring, were all bewitched at the pilot’s skill. And really, who could blame them?

He had this air of confidence that even the cockiest of pilots could never compete with, he was a superstar. In the air and the ground. 

When he (sadly) finished his song, the entire bar cheered and chanted his name. He did a silly dance and seemed to have no care in the world.

You couldn’t help but fall for him a little more. 

——-——————————————————————

“This is Rooster, in the air calling for Air Traffic Control.”

You just started your shift less than 2 minutes ago and did not know that Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was already in the air.

“This is Air Traffic Control, what do you need, Lieutenant Commander?” You ansered, trying to keep your voice calm, hoping your little crush on the aviator wouldn’t show in your voice. 

“It’s you!” Rooster exclaimed.

“I’m not sure what you mean sir?”

“You’re the ATC from the other day? The one that agreed to be my friend.”

A blush crept onto your face, you were surprised he remembered your interaction. 

“Um yes sir.” 

“You got off the comm lines so quickly the other day. I didn’t get to invite you to hang out with me and meet some other new friends at the Hard Deck.” 

Your heart grew warm. He was serious? He wasn’t just trying to be polite?

“I was at the Hard Deck sir. Saw you there with your squadron.”

“Oh shit, really? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Seemed rude to just insert myself, sir.”

“Plus you seemed preoccupied with your adoring fans.” You said with a giggle. 

“It was an amazing performance.”

“Oh yeah? Are you a fan?” You heard him ask, already seeing his smirk in your mind. 

“Oh yeah definitely! Consider me the president of the fan club sir.” You quipped. 

“So what does the role of “president” entail?” 

“You know, make t-shirts, teach the Rooster 101 class, and of course host the weekly meeting where we talk about how hot and talented Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw is.”

“So you think I’m hot?”

Your face grew warm in response, and cursed yourself for accidentally flirting nonsensically. And prayed to whatever higher power that no one was currently listening to the comm line. 

“Oh um-.” You began to respond.

“No! Sir-…um I just…”

“You know it’s frowned upon to lie to your superiors.” He said in a serious tone.

“Oh no I’m so sorry sir, I didn’t mean to-“

“ATC….”He interrupts, with an inflection at the end of the last letter 

“Yes I think you’re hot Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw” You confessed with a gulp.

He let out a hearty chuckle.

You were completely mortified and you don’t think your face has ever been this hot before. If you thought you didn’t have a chance before, more so now. You were debating whether you should disconnect now and go back to your job (I mean this is technically your job, but not the flirting part). 

You were broken out of your inner debate by Rooster

“Thanks sweetheart.”

“You know you don’t have to keep calling me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw right?”

“You can call me Rooster.”

You were thankful for the subject change. 

“Okay Lieutenant Comma-“

“Sorry, okay….Rooster.”

“Now that’s better.” He said with a slight laugh, you could already see his dazzling smile now.

“How about you ATC? What should I call you?”

“Oh you can call me-“ you began to say.

“This is Lieutenant Finch asking for clearance for takeoff.” You were cut off by the comm.

You sighed, back to real life. 

“I’m sorry Rooster, I got to go back to duty.”

You cut off the comm lines before he could respond.

————————————————————————

Next time you saw him, he was walking down a hallway with Lieutenant Commander Trace by his side. He was talking so animatedly, his hands waving around as he delivered his point.

It sounded like he was gushing about a tail spin maneuver that Maverick pulled off, and god he’s so beautiful. When he speaks it’s like you couldn’t help but listen. Hell! you bet a reading of the F-18 NATOPS would sound like absolute sin coming from his mouth. 

You were so caught up in his voice that you didn’t notice how close you were to passing him.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat as your shoulders brushed against his as you walked in the opposite direction. Even through your thick khakis, you can feel how muscular his shoulders were. Damn this man works out.

“Oops sorry ma’am” he stopped and turned to you. His eyes were concerned that he hurt you from a measly bump. This man could not be real.

“I didn't mean to bump you. And as put together as I seem to be, I am actually a huge klutz and a hazard to pretty girls.” He said with a chuckle and a wink.

You tried to respond to him, but only a squeak managed to leave your mouth. Starstruck that he’s speaking to you for the first time, not through a comm line. 

Wait and he called you pretty! You were now fighting a blush creeping on your cheeks. But to the two aviators it looked like you were not amused 

“Stop bothering her Rooster, she obviously has places to be.” Phoenix chastises him.

“I apologize for my bothersome friend.” She turned to say to you. And all your pathetic shy ass can do is nod.

“See you around! And sorry again!” Rooster says once more as Lieutenant Trace pulls him away and down the hallway. 

———————————-—————————————

Okay, you were not doing this on purpose, well sorta. Sometimes in the midst of your constant daydreaming, your subconscious kinda just takes the reins and dictates your actions. 

Which is how you found yourself coincidentally choosing a work schedule that lined up the most perfectly with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s flying times.

You hoped for another conversation with Rooster, hoping to redeem yourself from your words (or rather lack thereof) during the hallway debacle.

 But the Lieutenant Commander seemed very focused on the exercise that they’ve been working on for the past week and has not been speaking to you as much as of late.

You were of course sad, and you felt a pit in your stomach grow larger and larger each passing day that your conversations started and ended with “you’re cleared for takeoff”.

You almost wish that your stupid infatuation would go away so that you didn’t feel yourself crushed at the end of every single work day. 

But you would catch a glimpse of his smile on the tarmac and your heart would fill with so much longing once again. 

It had been almost a week since your last true interaction with the aviator, you were beyond pathetic at this point. 

At last, he finally called in after he was in the sky. 

“Is the president of my fan club there?” He called into the comms. 

Was he talking about you? I mean who else would he be talking about considering the topic of your conversation last time. 

Unless he talks to all the ATCs like this, flirting with them until they become flustered and red as a tomato. He’s probably done this with Sara, or Laura or even both! The thought filled your stomach with dread. Should you stay silent and pretend you didn’t hear him? Or maybe he actually needs something, it would be unprofessional of you to not help your superior or maybe-

“I know you’re there, I can hear you thinking”  

Rooster has a habit of breaking you out of your anxiety induced thoughts.

“Are you calling for me Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw?”

You heard him clear his throat, expectant.

“Oh I’m sorry, Rooster.” You corrected yourself.

“That’s better” He said with a chuckle. 

“Sorry I’ve been radio silent the past week sweetheart, have had a lot on my mind.” 

“You don’t have to apologize to me! You’re one of the greatest pilots in the world, no need to worry about me.” You assured him, and maybe you were a bit self-deprecating but it was true. 

“No need for all of that ATC, I’m just a guy in a plane. And were friends, remember?  It’s not fair of me to leave you in the dark.” 

Damn. AND he's humble? How can this man be anymore perfect?

“ Thank you Rooster.” You replied with a small smile.

“Sorry again for going ghost, this is a bit of a hard week for me” He continued.

In any normal circumstance, asking for elaboration would seem like prying, but your conversations with the Lieutenant commander have been less than normal as of late. You still had no clue where you got the courage to ask.

“Oh, why is that?”

“Wanna know all my secrets already sweetheart?” 

He somehow managed to avoid the question AND make you flustered. He’s good.

“How about I let you know my stories over dinner?”

You just felt your heart jump out of your chest and into another dimension. There’s no way THE Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you out. 

This had to be some kind of game, one that he’s no doubt played a million times before. Rooster had no shortage of women who wanted him and the fact that he’s asking you out of all people was unbelievable. There was no way. 

“Um like a date?” You ask him nervously.

He chuckles at your response, amused at your edginess. But to you it sounded like the thunderclap before the lightning strike of rejection. 

You just wished he’d get on with it. Hoping he lets you down easy so you can move on from this crush and actually do your job.

“What else would I mean?” He finally responded.

Your entire body felt like a cracked glow stick. You felt bright and overheated, but also cold as ice as you’ve somehow lost feeling in your extremities.

So he was asking you out! You were determined to apologize for every time you’ve said God’s name in vain because if Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw was asking you on a date, then there is no doubt that the higher power was real. 

But the reality of the situation had set in. If he was this quick to ask you out despite not knowing your name, or what you look like. What’s stopping him from changing his mind and moving on to the next ATC or bartender or crossing guard who gave him admiring attention just as quickly?

You came to a swift realization.

It was against your nature and your better judgment, as your heart was beating out the seams to say yes to Rooster’s invitation. But you had to be smart about this.

You had to play the game.

“I’m gonna have to say no sir.”  

You can feel the regret setting in already.

“Wow, I think that’s the first no I’ve gotten in…. That might be the first no I’ve ever gotten.”

Great, now you’ve bruised his ego, you had no idea if this tactic was working for or against you.

“Well, I think dinner might be a little further down the line, that’s if you think you can handle it?” You somehow gathered enough courage to (fake) confidently challenge Rooster.

“Oh is that so?” You can hear the intrigue in his voice through the line. 

“How about a phone number?” He offers amused

“Hmm… maybe THAT  I can agree with.” You responded matching his playful tone.

“In one condition.” 

“Oh yeah? And what is that sweetheart?” 

“Shoot down Maverick in the drill today.”

“Is that it? I can do that, easy.” There was the cockiness the top gun pilots were famous for.

“That’s funny, considering you haven’t been able to do it in the past 3 weeks.” You jested.

“Ouch, first you reject my invitation, and now you insult my skill? Way to kick a man while he’s already down sweetheart.” He grimaced playfully.

“Gotta give you some kind of challenge sir.” You couldn't hold back the giggle forming in your throat. 

“Okay deal, anything to hear that laugh again, outside of these comm lines.” He chuckled.

Oh shit. You completely forgot that you are flirting with Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw though a military operated and very public comm line.

“I was wondering when the two of were going to remember the rest of us can hear EVERYTHING.” You heard the voice of Lieutenant Commander Seresin chortle.

You felt your ears burn red in embarrassment. 

“Getting rejected over comms Bradley? And here I thought you had game.” Captain Mitchell added. Both of them were laughing at their fellow aviator. 

“See what I mean sweetheart? I promise I’m a much better conversationalist when these assholes aren’t around.” Bradley insulted the other two pilots. 

“Don’t listen to him ATC, I’ve known him since he was still in diapers , and I promise you, this is as good as he’s gonna get.” Captain Mitchell remarked to you. 

“Don’t think I’m gonna go easy on him for you either.” He added jokingly. 

“Trust me Captain Mitchell, I’m counting on it.” You replied with equal fervor. Maverick responded with a playful tone.

“Sounds good ma’am, hope I don’t disappoint .”

“I’m going to get into position, You two can join me once Bradley is done with his disastrous flirting.” He added before going radio silent, lifting his jet to prepare for the dogfight. 

“Hypothetically, if I shoot down Mav, do I get your number?” Hangman teased. 

“Walk the walk first, and maybe I’ll consider it.” You quipped, but you knew that the only aviator you’d want to give your number to was Rooster. 

“Good enough for me.” Hangman replied. 

“Watch me beat you Rooster, in the drill and with the girl.” Hangman chuckled playfully before going radio silent, presumably getting into position.

“Double timing me with Hangman sweetheart? Now thats a killing blow.” Rooster smiled, slightly annoyed at your flirtatious exchange with Seresin but happy that it was just the two of you once again. 

“You know how bumptious Lieutenant Commander Seresin can be. I just said it to get rid of him.” You explained. 

“Now for you, I am completely serious. Shoot down Mav and you got yourself a phone number.”

“Yours right?” He asked.

You let out a hearty laugh, one that had caused the other ATC’s currently in the control tower to look at you with concerned expressions. 

“Yes. Mine.”

“You never know, you could very well give me Admiral Bates’ number. I just wanted to make sure.” He replied.

“Plus its always a bonus to hear you laugh.”

This man never seemed to run out of lines. You had to hold yourself back from melting into a puddle in your seat.

“Well lets see what you got then Lieutenant Commander.” Was the last thing you said as he finally went back up to position. 

As much as you wanted to stay tuned into the dogfight like you were a suburban dad cheering on their favorite football team, you did actually have a job to do. 

You were in the middle of analyzing flight patterns and putting together a presentation for your co-workers when you heard the sudden call on your headset.

“Hello, this is air traffic control.”

You were greeted with a loud thunderous cheer. 

“I did it ATC! I shot down Mav.” Rooster howled.

“Is this true Lieutenant Commander Seresin?” You asked Hangman.

“As much as I tried to sabotage him, yes Rooster did somehow managed to shoot down the old-timer.” Hangman confirmed with a groan.

Shit. Now you have to actually give your number to Rooster.

“Soooo ATC, I’m waiting for the magic numbers.” You could already see the victory smirk on his face. 

“Ughhh fine a deal is a deal. But I am not going to give out my private phone number on a monitored line. I’m just gonna have to get it to you another way.”

“Okay fair enough. How are you gonna do that?” Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw queried. 

“Don’t worry about it, just know you’ll get it.”

“Or you know you can just give it to me face to fa-.”

“Goodbye Rooster.” You interrupted and dropped the line before he could continue. 

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

You honestly did not know how you were going to get your number to Rooster. You wouldn’t dare to see him face to face. He’ll take one look at you and know that you were nothing special and he’d lose interest. The only reason he was this enthralled was because you were a mystery to him. 

You could always go back on your deal and tell him you were kidding about the number, but you knew that was an asshole move and you were not the type to break agreements. You had to figure out how to get that number to him without him seeing you. 

At least then you can speak to him and possibly flirt with him for a little longer before he inevitably loses interest..

You were sat in the comm tower, your head resting on the back of your hand, watching Rooster joke around with Mav and Hangman down in the tarmac beside their F-18s. Even from all the way up here you can see how bright his smile was. He was so beautiful. 

You were snapped out of your admiration by the three aviators walking off the tarmac, probably to rest and sit with the other pilots in the hangar. You saw your window of opportunity, in the form of (no pun intended) Rooster’s open canopy on his jet. 

If you could sneak down there and place a piece of paper with your number on his dash then you would have fulfilled your side of the deal. 

If anyone were to ask, you were not a stalker, you were just very observant, especially if you’ve been watching these pilots for the better part of the last few weeks and knew that they were going to spend at least the next 15 minutes in the hangar until they returned to the tarmac. You had to make your move NOW.

You scribbled your number onto a piece of discarded paper.

“I’m taking a 10!” You announced to the control room before running out clutching the note to your chest. 

You quickly ran down from the tower and quickly onto the tarmac, making sure to duck and turn your head away as you passed the hangar (just in case). 

You couldn’t remember the last time you ran this fast, probably not since basic training. You quickly manuevered around all the F-18s until you reached the one marked with the label LCDR Bradley Bradshaw “Rooster”. You’ve never seen his jet this up close, you wanted desperately to run your hand through the marking of his name, to touch something that he has. 

No. You have to remember you’re here on a time-constrained mission, and you had to get out of here not only  before the pilots come out, but also before anyone in the comm tower can spot you down here. 

You quickly flung yourself up the ladder up to cockpit of the jet and trying to place the piece of paper as rapidly and as gently as you could on the dash. When you finally let go of the paper and saw that it was securely in place, you hopped off the tiny ass ladder and started to speed walk back to the direction of the comm tower. 

Your heart was beating a million times per minute and you did it without anyone seeing you. You could see the door to the tower in the distance, and were beelining towards it. That’s until you heard a clear 

“HEY!” Coming from behind you. 

You turned around and were greeted by the suspect face of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He was standing probably a good 25 feet away and slowly walking towards you.

“Who are you? What are doing down here?” 

You had to think of an excuse fast, with as little words spoken as possible. You couldn’t risk him recognizing your voice and telling Rooster. Then all of this would be over too soon. 

“Just routine inspection!” You tell him, making your voice higher and hopefully indiscernible from your normal speaking voice. 

“Goodbye!” You waved at him before sprinting away and around the tower so he couldn’t see that you were going into the comm room. 

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

As much as you'd like to think that you successfully made it down and back from the tarmac completely undetected, you knew that running into Hangman could’ve ended disastrously. You needed to learn to be more careful especially now that your number could possibly already be in Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw’s possession. Which means you have to commit to this game. 

You put your number in his plane almost 11 hours ago and even though the work day has long ended, and you knew that the pilots leave together at around 5pm and would inevitably end up at the Hard Deck for a few hours. 

However it is now nearing 11pm and you still had no notification from anyone other than your mom. No texts, no calls, just email alerts and a few instagram DMs from some old high school friends. 

You sighed as you stared at the clock. Maybe he didn’t see the paper? Or he’s still at the Hard Deck?

You knew neither was unlikely because the dagger squad flew out and ran a few more drills later in the day so was in his jet and all the Navy men (or rather the disciplined ones) promptly left the bar at 10pm to prepare for their early work days. 

He could’ve and should’ve contacted you by now.

But what did you really expect? That he was going to drop everything and call a random ATC that he had a few indecorous conversations with. 

You definitely let this fake confidence build up too much in your head. You had to remember your place. Because who are you other than just a girl, when he was one of the superstar’s of the Navy? The frontliner and the apple of all the admirals’ eyes. 

You see the clock flashing 11:15pm and you had a shift early in the morning. There was no use continuing to feel sorry for yourself. Some sleep would do you some good, and hopefully avoid the waterworks that would inevitably come.

You were well on your way to slipping into a deep slumber when you heard the loud text tone originating from your phone. 

Unknown Number: Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you today sweetheart. I hope I get the chance soon. Sweet dreams :) 

——————-————————————————————————

There must have been some sickness barreling through the base because the normally filled comm room was empty except for you manning the main desk. 

Being solo wasn’t too bad, as there weren’t too many pilots scheduled to fly today.

Of course one of them being Rooster. 

“Miramar Tower, F/A-18E Super Hornet , 10 southwest at 2,500, inbound for landing “ 

Speak of the devil, and he shall come

“F/A-18E Super Hornet , Miramar Tower, report entering left downwind Runway 24R.” You responded, keeping yourself professional despite feeling the butterflies in your stomach beating your ass upon hearing his voice.

“Report entering left downwind, F/A-18E Super Hornet . . . . “ He responded before adding

“F/A-18E Super Hornet entering left downwind Runway 24R.”

He was all business today, with absolutely no hint of the usual playfulness in his voice. 

“Lieutenant Commander Bradshaw, you are cleared to land Runway 24R.”

He let out a slight growl, one you would miss if you weren’t listening so intently.

He hesitated for a moment before finally responding. 

“Cleared to land Runway 24R, F/A-18E Super Hornet “ 

You saw his jet successfully land and reached for the button to disconnect when you heard Rooster’s voice flood your headphones once again.

“Do you remember what I said about calling me ‘Lieutenant Commander’ sweetheart?” He asks steely.

Fuck, he sounds so sexy when he’s stern. No man’s voice has ever had this effect on you. 

“Yes sir, Rooster.” You said with a longing breath.

You curse yourself for being incapable of being subtle.

“Normally I would say no ‘sir’ just ‘Rooster’, but I’ll allow it. Only because it sounds so good coming from your mouth.”

Holy shit. And you thought you weren’t subtle, you were usually clueless when it came to men flirting but even you could read that loud and clear. 

“You sure you want to be hitting on me over comms SIR?” you said purring 

“Would you rather me come up there sweetheart? So I can do it face-to-face” He said with the same gruffness. You can see him glancing up to the tower as he lifted his canopy and exited his plane.

“I dare you Lieutenant Commander.” You replied matching his salacious tone. 

“Gonna have to teach you a lesson don’t I?.” The connection cuts off as he removes his helmet and rushes up to the tower. 

You couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your pounding heartbeat, there is no way you just invited Rooster up to the comm room. 

It couldn’t have been more than 2 minutes when you heard the door burst open and saw Rooster enter, his skin still glistening from sweating under the California sun. 

He looked like a Greek god, and you had to stop your jaw from physically dropping at the sight of him. 

“Finally done hiding from me sweetheart?” He greeted you teasingly. 

You slowly approached one another. You opened your mouth to respond with a flirty response but the words seemed to be stuck in your throat. 

You didn’t even notice how close you were to him. You could feel the heat radiating off his body. You were staring straight ahead and avoiding his gaze. Choosing to maintain eye contact with the lowered zipper of his flight suit. Giving you a glimpse of the hard planes of his chest underneath. 

Your breath hitched as you felt him grab you by the waist and pull you bodies together. His hands felt so hot on your body and you still couldn’t bring yourself to look up into his gaze.

That is until he placed a hand on your chin and gently pulled it up to look into your eyes. 

“Don’t tell me you’re all shy now sweetheart?” He said with a smirk and he tugged your bodies closer. 

“Where’s all that talk from earlier?” He whispered as he kissed the skin beneath your ear, before moving his lips to your jaw and leaving soft caressing kisses trailing down your jaw, down to where your neck meets your collarbone

Okay, you have definitely lost the ability to breathe, let alone to speak several moments ago. If he wasn’t currently holding you so tightly your legs would’ve given out from under you.

All you could feel was him and all your mind can think of is Rooster. Rooster. Rooster. 

He finally brought his head back up and stared at your lips. He licked his before he finally closed the distance between you and-

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

You woke up in your bed in a cold sweat. 

Holy shit, it was just a dream. It felt so real. 

You could’ve sworn you could still feel his hand gripping on your waist and his hot breath on your ear. 

You glanced at your alarm clock to see that you overslept by 30 minutes! 

You quickly got up and got ready, you swear to God you had never gotten ready faster in your life. But you still managed to be 15 minutes late. 

Your supervisor was not happy. But you were normally punctual so they allowed you this one oversight. As long as you swore to never repeat it again. 

You finally caught your breath and settled in your station. You were relieved that you didn’t miss too much. 

But since you were late Rooster was assigned to a different ATC on his flight plan for the day. 

This did make you sad but in a way maybe it was necessary for today. 

First because you could not possibly hold a conversation with him after the erotic dream that you still hadn't physically recovered from, and second because you were actually becoming pathetic.

You had set 4 simple rules for yourself when you joined the Navy

Stay Focused

Always be punctual

Sleep early to be well rested, and most importantly

Do not get involved with Navy men. 

You somehow managed to break all rules in the last few weeks. 

You had a wet dream that caused you to break your perfect punctuality streak. A dream that was about a certain pilot that caused you to stay up late and has spent the better part of a month distracting you.

For the lack of better phrasing, you really needed to get your shit together.

But when you stepped into the mess hall after a fairly productive half of a day, and saw his face, you remembered just why you were so enamored. 

A smile from him was worth breaking the rules you set for yourself. 

——————————————————————————————-

You were probably home for less than 10 minutes when you heard the text notification coming from the living room.

You wiped your hands on a dish rag and walked out of the kitchen to grab your phone, which you almost dropped upon seeing who the text came from. 

The text last night was completely unexpected and was definitely part of the reason why Rooster somehow made it into your dream. And even though you were half asleep at the time, you managed to save his number under “Rooster ✈️🐔”. 

Which is how you knew you were staring at a text from said aviator. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Missed you today :(

You have been carefully analyzing the text for the last 30 seconds you laid eyes on it. He missed you??? What does that mean? He had your number for the better part of two days and he only managed to contact you when you were almost asleep, and after a day of ignoring him. 

Asking him what he meant would be too obvious and would make you come out as naïve. So you did what any rational woman with a crush would do. Deflect.

You: Do you have a problem with emojis or something?

Rooster ✈️🐔: Huh? What do you mean? 

You: I can’t remember the last time I saw someone use emoticons unironically. 

Rooster ✈️🐔: Are you making fun of me? I personally think emoticons are neat

Rooster ✈️🐔: And I don’t know how to download emojis :/

You felt like a schoolgirl as you felt your face break into a grin at his antics. 

You were formulating a reply when you were interrupted by the screen indicating an incoming call from Rooster ✈️🐔.

You stared at your phone in panic and let it continue to ring. Holy shit he was calling you. At least in text you can formulate a plan and have a carefully crafted response. You did not have that luxury with a voice call. 

But what are you going to do? Ignore it? 

You had to make a decision fast. Okay yes, it will be a little more nerve wracking to speak on a voice call but that's better than nothing right? And you spoke to him all the time over comms, even though technically it is different because those conversations can be hidden under the guise of carrying out your job and you did not have that safety net in this situation.

After a few seconds you thought “Fuck it” and pressed the green button. 

“Hi” You answered with a breath. 

“Oh thank god, you actually answered” He responded, teasing relief in his voice.

“What? You thought I wouldn’t?” You asked him as if it was the most outlandish thing in the world (even you were seriously debating it less than a minute ago). 

“Well lets look at the track record, you rejected my dinner invite, doubted my skill as a world class pilot, left me on read last night, and just made fun of my emoticons.”

“The signs were all pointing there.” 

You bursted out in laughter at his rantings.

“Wow! And now you’re laughing at my misery, a man just can’t win with you can they sweetheart?” He feigned hurt. 

“I’m sorry Lieutenant Commander, I didn’t realize it was so easy to hurt your feelings.” You teased him. 

“AND were back to Lieutenant Commander? You do not pull your punches, do you?”

“I’d like to think we’re past all those formalities, outside of work please call me Rooster, or rather yet, call me Bradley.” He asserted. 

“Sometimes I forget your full god given name is Bradley Bradshaw. Brad Brad. I’m making that your name on my phone” You continued to tease with a giggle.

“Did your parents know what they were subjecting you to?” 

“Ha Ha very funny, unfortunately they were the main ones who made the Brad Brad joke.” He admitted dejected. 

This caused you to laugh again.

“Hey this is not fair! I don’t even know your name to make fun of.” You could practically hear the pout in his voice.

“You know I’m gonna find out your name eventually sweetheart, so why don’t you just give it up now?”

“But where’s the fun in that?”

You wanted to finally tell him your name, you did. But that just opens a can of worms that would lead to reality, which you were not yet ready to face.

“I can’t call you ATC forever sweetheart..”

“Well.. what do you want to call me?” 

“Preferably your name?” He suggested.

“You only get one chance to choose so try again.” You warned. 

“And make it good”

“Okay fine I’ll bite.” He finally gave in.

“Lets see, what to call you….”

“Well you laugh a lot, and most of the time at me, so I think I want to use something related to that.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so easy to make fun of.” You quipped.

“Fair enough. Just know I only let you because I actually like the sound of your laugh.”

You felt the blush creep onto your cheeks again.

“Clock is ticking, and you’re wasting your time flirting. What is it gonna be?” You goaded him.

“Okay Okay, but don’t think I won’t continue later.”

“I have no doubt about it” 

“So something pertaining laughing…hmmm. Giggles?” 

“If you call me Giggles, I’m hanging up and blocking you.” You threaten him. 

He responded with his own laugh, and god if you didn’t love his as much as he claimed to like yours.

“Chuckles?”

“I prefered Giggles.” You grimaced

“Merry?” 

“Too Christmas-y”

“Chirpy?”

“That sounds like a name for a bird or something you’d call your grandma. How are you so bad at this?”

“I’m trying!”

“Try to pick something better than all of those please, and do it in the next 30 seconds or I revoke your naming permissions.”

“Fine…Okay! I got it!”

“Cloud!” 

“Cloud?” You asked

“Yes! Like flying on Cloud 9!”

His selection brought a smile to your face. You pretended to think on it.

“It’s acceptable.”

“Yes!” 

“See? I’m not completely useless, and it fits because I’m flying on Cloud 9 whenever I know you’re my ATC.”

His admission caused your breath to catch in your throat. He really did know how to make a girl feel special, even though you knew you had no actual chance with him in the real world.

“I bet you say that to all the ATCs.”

“Well they are responsible for making sure that I don’t crash into other planes on the runway. Gotta keep them happy somehow”

You laugh at his joke, but holding some sadness because even though he was joking, in a way it felt like it held some truth. 

“But seriously, you have no idea how much joy you brought me yesterday. Both with our conversation and seeing that you actually gave me your number. Which is why I was really sad that you weren’t my ATC today.” 

He sounded sincere, but you tried to keep yourself from taking his lines to heart. 

You smiled. 

“Speaking of your number, how the hell did you get that piece of paper into my dash?”

“There was no one else I saw near my jet except my squad and they were with me the entire time. When did you manage to do it?”

“A girl doesn’t reveal her secrets Rooster.” You jested

“Speaking of secrets, pray tell why it took you over twelve hours to use it?” You asked him, you had to know.

“Yeah, sorry about that late text sweetheart… I stayed out at the Hard Deck with Mav a little later than usual. It was my dad’s death anniversary and I honestly spent most of the day sulking and dreading leaving my apartment.”

“Oh.. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” You responded sympathetically, now feeling guilty at asking such an intrusive question. 

“No worries sweetheart, the minute I heard your voice on comms, it brightened my day, even more so when you gave me your number.”

“So thank you for the boost and the motivation to finally kick Mav’s ass in the sky.”

Your heart felt warm hearing that you had that effect on him, you woul’ve believed his words if you didn’t know better.

“You’re welcome Bradley.” You finally called him by his real first name, admittedly it felt right coming from your mouth.

You both sat in comfortable silence when you were interrupted by the smoke alarm in your kitchen. It hit you that your dinner was left on the stove forgetten during your conversation with Bradley.

“Oh shit, I’m pretty sure I just burnt my dinner. I gotta go before I set my entire apartment on fire.”

Bradley chuckled at your unintentional lapse of memory.

“Okay sweetheart I’ll talk to you soon.”

You ended the call. 

You managed to clear out the smoke out of your apartment, but unfortunately did not save your chicken. 

You had to settle for a frozen hot pocket that had been in your freezer for God know how long, but hey it did the job and beggars can’t be choosers. 

You felt the tiredness from the busy workday hit you and you decided it was a good idea to turn in early. You showered and finished your nighttime routine and settled into your bed with your phone on your nightstand.

Your phone flashed once again to signal a text. Apparently, Rooster had the same idea about an early night. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Goodnight Cloud <3 I’ll talk to you tomorrow

You: Goodnight Bradley :)

——————————————————————————————-

You were honestly pleasantly surprised at how consistently you and Bradley communicated. 

It followed the same schedule. During the days, you were usually his ATC so he would of course flirt with you over comms, and you’d try to maintain come decorum of professionalism, but would eventually flirt black. Persistence is key and Bradley is nothing if not persistent. 

When he wasn’t in the air during work hours he would sneakily text you his little random thoughts he had during the day. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Have you ever noticed how small Hangman’s mouth is?

You: What?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No seriously look at it. His mouth is always scrunched up even when he smiles.

You: Why are you staring at Hangman’s mouth?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: We’ve been stuck in this meeting and he keeps chewing that stupid toothpick, its distracting.

You: Didn’t realize you had a thing for Seresin, Brad Brad? 🤔

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: ???????

You: You just said his mouth is distracting

You: Its okay Rooster, just say you wanna kiss him, the tension between you is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I don’t want to kiss Hangman >:( 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You wanna know who I do wanna kiss though? 

You: Let me guess…..

You: Bob! 

You: Or better yet, Cyclone 🤪

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: No :(((

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: I wanna kiss you

You: Let’s Play 8 Ball!

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ha ha you’re hilarious

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: If I beat you then can I get a kiss?

Read 2:13pm

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Ouch :(

On weekday nights where he didn’t go to the Hard Deck, you would have your nightly phone call at 7:30pm sharp where you would both stay on the phone while you both cooked dinner. You would catch up on the little things during the day that you didn’t text about and just mostly got to know one another.

You can admit that yes, what initially drew you to Rooster was his beautiful smile and his skill as a pilot. But the more you spoke to him the more you saw not just Lieutenant Commander “Rooster” Bradshaw. But you also saw Bradley.

You quickly saw that he was kind, humble, and so caring of others. 

“Hey Cloud,  I’m sorry for calling you so late.” You noticed his tone was more solemn than usual and checked the time, it was nearing 8pm.

“It’s fine Bradley, you’re not that late.”

“What’s wrong?” You asked him.

“Payback and Fanboy flew into a jetwash today….”

“They had to eject.” He answered dejectedly

“I heard about that. Are they okay?”

 Laura told you about the incident a little earlier, she was the ATC for the flight. The ear-splitting static that hit her headset after the aircraft collided with the ground was enough to shake even the most experienced ATC. So you couldn’t imagine being the pilot and the WSO in that situation. 

“They’re at the hospital overnight for observation. I stuck around to make sure they were okay.” 

It was very strange for you to hear Rooster so despondent. You knew he cared about his friends, and he would do anything for them, but it felt like there was more to the situation. 

“You’re very thoughtful for that Bradley.. I’m sure they appreciated it”

“It was my fault, Cloud.” he confessed. 

You were taken aback at his admittance, but you would’ve heard if there was someone that was directly responsible for the accident, it involved aircraft worth millions of dollars after all. 

“They flew into my jetwash.” 

“Bradley, that wasn’t your fault, you couldn’t have controlled their flight path.” You tried to reassure him.

“But I shouldn’t have been so reckless!” He exclaimed. 

“If I wasn’t so busy trying to outdo Coyote, I wouldn’t have almost hit a bird strike and had to slow down, and they wouldn't have gotten caught in the wash.”

You didn’t want to tell him he was being irrational for blaming himself for a situation that was clearly out of his hands, you knew there was something more there. 

“But they’re fine right? Everyone is okay. No one was seriously hurt.” You explained to him.

“Yeah no one got hurt….THIS time.” 

His statement piqued your interest, you were getting somewhere.

“What do you mean?” 

He sighed, finally letting go of the pretenses. 

“That’s how my dad died.” He confessed.

In a way you knew about LTJG Nick Bradshaw and his untimely death during his Top Gun training, but none of the sordid details. It felt disrespectful to dig into Rooster’s family without him knowing. 

“Oh..” You couldn’t think of what to say. 

“He and Mav flew into a jetwash and when they ejected…my dad hit his head on the canopy. Dead on impact.”

You kicked yourself for thinking he was being irrational. Now all his self blame and his aversion to throwing caution to the wind while flying finally made sense. It also made his relationship with Maverick a lot clearer to you. 

On one hand, you were thrilled that he was confiding in you. But on the other hand you were also heartbroken for Bradley, he lost his dad so young and as much as you wanted to hug him, and let him cry on your shoulder, you couldn’t. 

“Were you close?” You settled on asking him. 

“We were, he’s the reason why I worked so hard to be where I am now.” He reminisced. 

“I’m sure he is very proud of you Bradley. You are not only an incredible pilot, you are also an selfless, caring, and incredible man.” You reminded him. 

“He would give all the credit to my mom.” He lightly chuckled. 

“She raised me alone after my dad died.”

“She never remarried?” You asked

“No, she said that dad was her soulmate. She would never find another man like him.”

You can tell how much love Bradley had for his parents, and the love they shared for one another. 

“It sounds like they were really in love.” You smiled 

“They were. My dad would always serenade my mom. He loved the 50s and the 60s so everytime he saw a piano he would wail out ‘Great Balls of Fire’ while my mom would act embarrassed, but she would eventually sit on his lap and sing along.” 

“That’s beautiful Brad, they really were soulmates.”

“I hope I can find a love like theirs someday.” You sighed dreamily. 

“Who knows? Maybe you already have.” He responds softly.

A comfortable silence settled between you for a few moments. 

“Hey Cloud”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime Bradley.”

You noticed that it was now getting late and exhaustion was starting to take over your body.

Bradley seemed to notice this as well.

“Do you think I can sing to you Cloud? Like my dad used to with my mom?” 

“I would love that Brad.” 

You slowly fell asleep to the sound of his voice singing ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You’.

And like that, there was no denying, that you’re falling even deeper.

——————————————————————————————-

You don’t know how much longer you can keep this up. It has been months since you and Rooster started talking regularly and you couldn’t help falling in love with him a little more everyday. 

The problem is, you knew that his patience was wearing thin, as he was asking you more and more frequently when he can see you face to face or even know your real name.

You knew you owe him all of that, but how could you tell him? When you know in your heart that once he sees you and knows you. He would know you weren’t worth his time. 

That realization kills you because he means everything to you. You’ve shared your hobbies, your stories, your dreams with him. 

How can you go on living without him in your life once you know the feeling of him being there. 

He has planted himself a permanent spot in your heart, and once he’s gone, there will be a gaping hole left in his wake. 

He was being as kind and as patient with you as he could, but you couldn’t blame his growing anxiety about your identity. 

It also didn’t help that you were constantly under the scrutinous eyes of Lieutenant Commander Seresin. After he caught you on the Tarmac, he seemed very suspicious of you. Like he knew you were up to something but just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

Luckily you’ve been able to fly under the radar around him. Yes he could be a little ignorant and too much of a flirt for his own good but he was smart as a whip and you knew that if anyone could figure out what you were doing it would be him. 

You were currently sat with ATCs in the mess hall, on the other side of the room from where the dagger squad has decided to congregate. You were trying to subtly sneak glances at Bradley. 

He looked particularly handsome today, his sandy hair was slicked back and his tanned skin glowing. He even had his signature Ray Ban Caravans on. You normally hate when people wear sunglasses indoors but he made it work without looking like an asshole. And it looks damn good on him. 

You sighed and as you moved your focus away to not arouse suspicion you noticed Hangman look at you with narrowed eyes. You pretended not to notice. 

Your attention was diverted by the vibration of you phone signaling a notification. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Is potato salad supposed to be green?

You smiled when you saw it was a text from Bradley

You: Depends, do you normally eat 2 week old potato salad?

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Mav said it was okay :(

You: Mav also thinks anything not cooked in a microwave is gourmet.

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Okay fair, its going into the trash. 

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: You know what is gourmet though? ;)

You: Mav

Brad Brad ✈️🐔: Not funny :(

You tried to hold in your laughter to no avail and it was loud enough for the other ATC s to look at you in confusion. 

“Sorry, just saw a funny meme.” You explained, the ATCs accepted this explanation and went back to their previous activities. 

You looked up again to catch another glimpse at Rooster when you saw Hangman staring at your phone in your hand with wide eyes. Then looked down at Rooster also smiling down at his own phone, and then back at you. 

You could see the wheels in his head turning, and then he made a face that made it clear that he connected the dots. 

Oh shit. You had to get out of here.

You quickly packed up your food and sat up, not bothering to say goodbye to your fellow ATCs. 

You ran out the mess hall and down the hallway but before you could turn the corner a hand pulls you back. 

You are now face to face with Lieutenant Commander Seresin. He looked at you for a few seconds 

“You’re Air Traffic Control right?” he asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes sir I am.” You said trying to disguise your voice the same as you did on the tarmac. 

“Don’t play games with me honey, I know that’s not your real voice.” You gulped 

He still had a grip on your arm so you couldn’t run even if you wanted to. Curse these Navy men and their workout routines. 

“Tell me your name, and that’s an order.” 

You were sweating under his gaze, you’ve never felt more panicked in your life.

You tell him your name in your real voice. 

He finally released his grip on you and also seemed to drop his serious demeanor. 

“I knew there was something about you! You’re the ATC that old chicken has been flirting with over comms aren’t you??”

You nod looking down at your feet. Damn it, there goes your whole relationship (if you can even call it that) with Rooster, because Hangman is definitely going to rat you out. 

“You see, Rooster was telling the squad that he was in love. And so of course we ask him who she is.” 

“But how surprising was it when he said that not only has he never seen her face to face, he doesn’t even know her name.” 

He was now pacing up and down the hallway. 

“Then I remembered that day where he bet you your number if he shot down Mav, he magically got a piece of paper with a number on his dash seemingly coming from nowhere.” 

“But it wasn’t a magic trick at all, was it?” He asked you rhetorically.

“No sir.”

“Exactly! Because I caught you sneaking off the Tarmac moments before Rooster jumped into his plane and happily announcing that he got your phone number.” 

“I saw your face, so you are both the ATC over comms and the girl he talks to,  the one he says he’s in love with.”

You looked up shocked at his statement.

“He’s in love with me?” 

You looked up from the ground with hopeful eyes. 

“Yes he is.” Hangman tells you matter of factly. 

“You’ve presumably been talking to Rooster for months, but you've yet to meet him in person, let alone even tell him your name.”

“What game are you playing here?” He asks you

“It’s not a game, I do care about Bradley.” You sighed. 

“So then what is it?” 

“Sir, can we not please talk about it here?” 

You anxiously look around and see that people were now in the hallway exiting from the mess hall. And god forbid that Bradley was one of them. 

“Fine.” 

“Meet me at the Hard Deck after work.” 

——————————————————————————————-

 You were seated at the bar in the Hard Deck, your left leg bouncing anxiously.

You checked your watch, 5:47pm. Hangman said to meet him here right after work and you basically sped off the base to get to the bar on time.

You’ve been nursing the same beer for the past almost 30 minutes. You couldn’t focus on anything but the sound of your heart beating in your chest.

What was taking him so long? Did he forget? Did he already tell Bradley?

A million more questions swirled in your head. But you knew that if Hangman didn’t show up you were basically screwed.

Your self pity was interrupted by the booming sound of naval aviators strolling through the entrance, with one of them being Bradley and of course Hangman.

You were simultaneously trying to avoid Rooster’s gaze, while trying to catch Hangman’s attention.

When you finally caught his eye, you gave him a panicked questioning look. He gave you a subtle nod while continuing his conversation with the rest of the squadron. 

The crew made their way to their usual spot in the back with the pool tables. Hangman excused himself from the group nodding towards you.

You kept your eyes on him as he made his way to you. 

“Jimmy, can I get a beer?” Hangman asks the bartender.

“Lieutenant Commander.” You greeted him as he sat on the stool directly beside you.

He returned the greeting by saying your name.

“So let’s just get this out of the way. Did you tell Bradley?” You asked him, feeling a large brick settle in your stomach. 

“You can relax.. I didn’t tell Bradshaw.” He replies

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Relief flooding your body.

“But don’t think that you’re off the hook, you have some explaining to do.” Hangman added.

“What do you want to know sir?” You swallowed nervously.

“First of all, who are you exactly?” 

“I’m no one, I’m just an ATC.” You told him, looking down at your hands.

“Well you’re clearly not ‘no one’ if you’ve caught Rooster’s attention.” He rebutted.

“You’re little avoidance tricks might work on Rooster, but they won’t work on me.”

“And I know all your excuses for not meeting him are complete bs.”

“So why are you hiding from him?”

Now that’s the million dollar question isn’t it? It has been months since you started talking to Bradley, you spoke to him every single day, and fell asleep to the sound of his voice every night. Why were you hiding from him?

“I-.....I don’t know.” You confessed to Hangman. 

“Then whats stopping me from getting up and telling Rooster who you are?” Hangman asked you with a raised eyebrow. 

You stared at him, the words lost in your throat. 

“Nothing then I guess..”  He got up and started his way to the back.

You pulled his arm back similar to how he did to you earlier that day. He looked at you and your hand on his arm. 

“Please don’t…I beg you.” 

He sat back down on his stool giving you a questioning look but gave you the time to get your thoughts together. 

“I never intended for it to go on this long or this far..” You explained. 

“Bradley is so important to me. I knew he was special the first time I ever heard his voice.”

“It was during the uranium plant detachment from a few months ago. I risked my whole damn career to save him.” 

“I released the dagger reserve without Admiral Simpson’s approval.” You continued.

“That was you? You gave me clearance that day?” His eyes finally lost the skepticism and was replaced with admiration. 

“I did, everyone in that control room was completely frozen. I couldn’t just let them die.” 

“But that doesn’t explain this whole situation you have going on with him.” He questioned

“That was the last I expected to ever see of him, but you all decided to stay here in Miramar and I made the mistake of speaking to him a little too long over comms.”

“That’s to be expected honey, Rooster is a big ol flirt.” Hangman chuckled.

“Well not as a big of a flirt as me though.” He winked at you. 

He was trying to ease your worries and you appreciated that from him. Especially since he thought the worst of you less than 10 minutes ago. 

“And of course you and Mav have heard how he got my number over comms and thats currently where we are now.” You finished.

“Okay so thats the backstory, and you clearly care about him and he cares about you.”

“So it still doesn't answer why you haven’t told him who you are.”

“Think about it this way Lieutenant Commander…”

“You, Phoenix, Payback, Coyote, and Rooster. You are some of the most important and most revered people in the Navy short of the Admirals.” 

“You are the first in command, you are the best of the best in the entire world.” 

“What do I? A low level ATC, have to offer Bradley?.”

“I am just me, and he is who he is. I could never be a person whos good enough for him.” 

“But didn’t I just tell you? Bradshaw is in love with you.” Hangman argued. 

You smiled sadly, turning your head to glance at Bradley at the pool tables. His head thrown back in laughter at something Fanboy said. 

“Maybe..he is.” You turned back to Hangman.

“But one look at me and he’ll change his mind.” 

“I don’t understand. Do you think you’re-” Hangman’s response was interrupted by Rooster popping up behind you both. 

“Hangman, I thought you were getting a beer?” 

You suddenly felt lightheaded, the sight of Rooster standing so close to you making your heart beat a million times per minute. 

“Whos your friend?” Rooster asked Hangman while looking at you with a smile. 

You wouldn’t dare open your mouth and speak, risking Bradley recognizing your voice. You stared at Hangman with pleading eyes, hoping he didn’t give you away to Rooster.

Hangman looked at Rooster and back at you, pausing for a moment.

Hangman finally speaks telling Rooster your name. Fuck. You were naïve to think he’d keep your secret.

“We actually just met, she’s getting over a case of laryngitis so her voice is a little hoarse.” Hangman explained. 

You smiled at him, silently thanking him for not revealing your charade. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” You let out in a hoarse voice, turning to look at Bradley.

He reached out and shook your hand and you can feel your stomach doing backflips for finally getting to touch the man that you’ve spent several months falling in love with. 

“Well I’m sorry to hear that ma’am, I hope you feel better.” Bradley offered politely.

“I’ll leave you and Hangman to your conversation.” He excused himself and returned to the pool table, you stared at him longingly as he walked away. 

Hangman looked at you in amusement. 

“You got it bad, don’t you honey?” Hangman asked with a slight chuckle. 

“That obvious?” You asked him

“Couldn’t be any less subtle if you tried.” 

“Which makes it so funny that Bradshaw had no clue its you.” He chortled. 

“Me personally, if I were him, I would know it was you the minute I saw you.” He added with a smirk,

Leave it to Hangman to be an insatiable flirt.

“Thank you for helping me out.” 

As big of an asshole Hangman can be, he really did have a good heart. 

“Your secret is safe with me honey.” 

——————————————————————————————-

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[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Give Thanks to the LORD, for He is Good

1 Thank the Lord because he is good. His love continues forever. 2 That is what the people the Lord has saved should say. They are the ones he has saved from the enemy. 3 He has gathered them from other lands, from east and west, north and south.

4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands. They found no city to live in. 5 They were hungry and thirsty. They were discouraged. 6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord. And he saved them from their troubles. 7 He led them on a straight road to a city where they could live. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people. 9 He satisfies the thirsty. He fills up the hungry.

10 Some sat in gloom and darkness. They were prisoners suffering in chains. 11 They had turned against the words of God. They had refused the advice of God Most High. 12 So he broke their pride by hard work. They stumbled, and no one helped. 13 In their misery they cried out to the Lord. And he saved them from their troubles. 14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness. He broke their chains. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people. 16 He breaks down bronze gates. And he cuts apart iron bars.

17 Some became fools who turned against God. They suffered for the evil they did. 18 They refused to eat anything. So they almost died. 19 In their misery they cried out to the Lord. And he saved them from their troubles. 20 God gave the command and healed them. So they were saved from dying. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people. 22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him. With joy they should tell what he has done.

23 Others went out to sea in ships. They did business on the great oceans. 24 They saw what the Lord could do. They saw the miracles he did. 25 He spoke, and a storm came up. It blew up high waves. 26 The ships tossed as high as the sky and fell low in the waves. The storm was so bad the men lost their courage. 27 They stumbled and fell like men who were drunk. They did not know what to do. 28 In their misery they cried out to the Lord. And he saved them from their troubles. 29 He made the storm be still. He calmed the waves. 30 They were happy that it was quiet. And God guided them to the port they wanted. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people. 32 Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people. They should praise him in the meeting of the elders.

33 He changed rivers into a desert, and springs of water into dry ground. 34 He made fertile land salty because the people there did evil. 35 He changed the desert into pools of water and dry ground into springs of water. 36 He had the hungry settle there. They built a city to live in. 37 They planted seeds in the fields and vineyards. And they had a good harvest. 38 God blessed them, and they grew in number. Their cattle did not become fewer.

39 Because of disaster, troubles and sadness, their families grew smaller and weaker. 40 He showed he was displeased with their important men. He made them wander in a pathless desert. 41 But he lifted the poor out of their suffering. And he made their families grow like flocks of sheep. 42 Good people see this and are happy. But the wicked say nothing.

43 Whoever is wise will remember these things. He will think about the love of the Lord. — Psalm 107 | International Children’s Bible (ICB) The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Cross References: Genesis 11:4; Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:10; Genesis 14:3; Genesis 17:20; Genesis 35:3; Leviticus 7:12; Numbers 9:23; Numbers 14:33; Numbers 15:31; Deuteronomy 30:3; Deuteronomy 32:10; 1 Samuel 2:8; 1 Chronicles 16:34; 1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 3:17; 2 Kings 10:32; 2 Kings 19:29; Job 12:25; Job 33:20; Psalm 22:11; Psalm 22:22; Psalm 22:25; Psalm 29:3; Psalm 44:25; Psalm 49:15; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 64:9; Psalm 68:6; Psalm 77:3; Psalm 78:42; Psalm 111:4; Psalm 111:14; Psalm 148:8; Isaiah 24:20; Isaiah 29:17; Isaiah 50:2; Jeremiah 28:13; Jeremiah 30:14; Jeremiah 31:5; Jonah 1:6; Jonah 1:14; Matthew 5:6; Matthew 8:26; Mark 4;39; Luke 1:79; Luke 13:16; Romans 3:19

[takeheartdaughter]

He is . . . 

Elohim (God, Judge, Creator) Genesis 1:1

Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah) Genesis 2:4

El Elyon (The Most High God) Genesis 14:18

Adonai (Lord, Master) Genesis 15:2

El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty) Genesis 17:1

El Olam (The Everlasting God, The God of Eternity, The God of the Universe, The God of Ancient Days) Genesis 21:33

He is . . . 

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) Genesis 22:14

The Shiloh (The Peace-Maker) Genesis 49:10

)Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals) Exodus 15:26

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner, The Lord My Miracle) Exodus 17:15

He is . . .

Qanna (Jealous) Exodus 20:5

Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You, The Lord Who Makes Holy) Exodus 31:13

He is . . .

A Star (Numbers 24:17)

A Sceptre out of Israel (Numbers 24:17)

The Accursed of God (Deuteronomy 21:23)

The Captain of the Host of the Lord (Joshua 5:14)

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace) Judges 6:24J

ehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts, The Lord of Powers) 1 Samuel 1:3

The Rock of my Salvation (2 Samuel 22:47)

He is . . . 

The Light of the Morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds (2 Samuel 23:4)

The Daysman (Job 9:33)

The Interpreter (Job 33:23)

The Anointed (Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:27)

My Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 19:14)

Crowned with a Crown of Pure Gold (Psalm 21:3)

The Most Blessed for ever (Psalm 21:6)

He is . . .

The Forsaken (Psalm 22:1)

A Worm, and no Man (Psalm 22:6)

Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd) Psalm 23:1

My Restorer (Psalm 23:3)

The King of Glory (Psalm 24:10)

He who sitteth King for ever (Psalm 29:10)

He is . . .

 A Stranger and an Alien (Psalm 69:8)

My Strong Rock (Psalm 31:2)

My Rock and my Fortress (Psalm 31:3)

Fairer than the Children of Men (Psalm 45:2)

The Rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2)

The Rock of my Strength (Psalm 62:7)

A Rock of Habitation (Psalm 71:3)

He is . . . 

As Rain upon the mown grass. As Showers that water the earth (Psalm 72:6)

The Rock of my Heart (Psalm 73:26)

The Shield (Psalm 84:9)

The Rock of my Refuge (Psalm 94:22)

A King and Priest after the Order of Melchizadek (Psalm 110:4)

A Brother born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17)

A Friend that loveth at all times (Proverbs 17:17)

A Stone of Grace (Proverbs 17:8)

A Friend that sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24)

He is . . .

 As Ointment poured forth (Song of Solomon 1:3)

My Well-beloved (Song of Solomon 1:13)

A Bundle of Myrrh (Song of Solomon 1:13)

A Cluster of Henna Blooms (Song of Solomon 1:14)

The Rose of Sharon (Song of Solomon 2:1)

The Lily of the Valley (Song of Solomon 2:1)

The Chiefest among Ten Thousand (Song of Solomon 5:10)

His Countenance is as Lebanon (Song of Solomon 5:15)

Yea. He is altogether lovely. He is my beloved and my Friend (Song of Solomon 5:16)

He is . . . 

Holy, Holy, Holy (Isaiah 6:3)

A Sanctuary (Isaiah 8:14)

A Great Light (Isaiah 9:2)

A Son given (Isaiah 9:6)

The Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)

The Father of Eternity (Isaiah 9:6)

He is . . . 

A Child Born (Isaiah 9:6)

The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

An Ensign of the People (Isaiah 11:10)

A Nail fastened in a sure place (Isaiah 22:23)

A Strength to the Poor (Isaiah 25:4)

A Strength to the needy in distress (Isaiah 25:4)

A Shadow from the Heat (Isaiah 25:4)

A Refuge from the Storm (Isaiah 25:4)

He is . . . 

The Rock of Ages (Isaiah 26:4)

A Crown of Glory and Beauty (Isaiah 28:5)

A Sure Foundation (Isaiah 28:16

)A Stone (Isaiah 28:16)

A Tried Stone (Isaiah 28:16)

A Covert from the Tempest (Isaiah 32:2)

He is . . . 

As Rivers of Water in a dry place. As the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land. As a Hiding-place from the wind (Isaiah 32:2)

The King in his beauty (Isaiah 33:17)

My Leader (Isaiah 40:11)

The Everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28)

Mine Elect, in whom my soul delighteth (Isaiah 42:1)

He is . . . 

A Light of the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6)

A Covenant of the people (Isaiah 42:6)

A Polished Shaft (Isaiah 49:2)

Glorious (Isaiah 49:5)

The Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 49:7)

He is . . . 

A Man of Sorrows (Isaiah 53:3)

Despised (Isaiah 53:3)

Rejected (Isaiah 53:3)

Stricken (Isaiah 53:4)

Smitten (Isaiah 53:4)

Wounded (Isaiah 53:5)

Bruised (Isaiah 53:5)

Oppressed (Isaiah 53:7)

He is . . .

My Portion, My Maker, My Husband (Isaiah 54:5)

The God of the whole earth (Isaiah 54:5)

A Witness to the People (Isaiah 55:4)

A Leader (Isaiah 55:4)

A Commander (Isaiah 55:4)

The Redeemer (Isaiah 59:20)

Mighty (Isaiah 63:1)

He is . . . 

My Physician (Jeremiah 8:22)

Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness) Jeremiah 23:6

David their King (Jeremiah 30:9)

My Resting-place (Jeremiah 50:6)

My Feeder (Ezekiel 34:23)

A Plant of Renown (Ezekiel 34:29)

Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There) Ezekiel 48:35

He is . . . 

The Prince of Princes (Daniel 8:25)

The Messiah, the Prince (Daniel 9:25)

The Strength of the children of Israel (Joel 3:12-16)

The Hope of Thy people (Joel 3:12-16)

A Ruler (Micah 5:2)

King over all the Earth (Zechariah 14:4, 5, 9)

He is . . . 

A Refiner’s Fire (Malachi 3:2)

Fuller’s Soap (Malachi 3:2)

My Refiner (Malachi 3:3)

My Purifier (Malachi 3:3)

The Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2)

He is . . . 

Jesus (Matthew 1:21)

Emanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23)

Born as The King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2; 15:2)

A Governor (Matthew 2:6)

The Nazarene (Matthew 2:23)

The Bridegroom (Matthew 9:15)

Meek, Lowly (Matthew 11:29)

He is . . .

The One of whom the Father says, “My Beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased” (Matthew 12:18)

The Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16)

Jesus the Christ (Matthew 16:20)

The Rock (Matthew 16:18)

The Builder (Hebrews 3:3; Matthew 16:18)

The Prophet of Nazareth (Matthew 21:11)

He is . . .

Betrayed (Matthew 27:3)

Mocked (Matthew 27:29)

Crucified (Matthew 27:35)

The Holy One of God (Mark 1:24)

My Brother (Mark 3:35)

The Carpenter (Mark 6:3)

And His Life is A Ransom (Mark 10:49)

He is . . .

The Son of the Blessed (Mark 14:61)

He is . . . The Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32)

God my Savior (Luke 1:47)

A Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)

The Day-spring from on High (Luke 1:78)

A Savior, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)

The Salvation of God (Luke 2:30)

He is . . .

The Glory of thy people Israel (Luke 2:32)

Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5)

My Healer (Luke 9:11)

The Christ of God (Luke 9:20)

My Servant (Luke 12:37)

The Chosen of God (Luke 23:35)

Risen (Luke 24:6)

A Prophet mighty in deed and word (Luke 24:19)

He is . . . 

The Word (John 1:1)

The Word that was with God (John 1:1)

The Word that was God (John 1:1)

The Light of men (John 1:4)

The True Light (John 1:9)

The Word that was made flesh (John 1:14)

He is . . .

The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18)

The Lamb of God (John 1:29)

My Teacher (John 3:2)

The Gift of God (John 3:16, 4:10)

The Messiah (John 4:25)

The Bread of God (John 6:33)

The Bread of Life (John 6:35)

He is . . .

My Meat(John 6:55)

My Drink (John 6:55)

The Light of the world (John 8:12)

The Door of the Sheep (John 10:7)

The Good Shepherd – that laid down his life (John 10:11)

The Sent of the Father (John 10:36)

He is . . . 

The Resurrection (John 11:25)

King of the daughter of Zion (John 12:15)

The Corn of Wheat (John 12:24)

The Light (John 12:35)

My Lord, Master (John 13:13)

My Example (John 13:15)

He is . . . 

The Way (John 14:6)

The Truth (John 14:6)

The Life (John 14:6)

The Vine (John 15:5)

My Keeper (John 17:12)

Scourged (John 19:1)

Crowned with a Crown of Thorns (John 19:2)

Crucified as The King of the Jews (John 19:19)

He is . . . 

Exalted (Acts 2:33)

Glorified (Acts 3:13)

The Holy One and the Just (Acts 3:14)

The Prince of Life (Acts 3:15)

Anointed (Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:27)

A Prince and a Savior (Acts 5:31)

He is . . .

Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59)

Lord of all (Acts 10:36)

The Judge (Acts 17:31)

Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 22:8)

The Mercy-seat (Romans 3:25)

Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:21)

He is . . .

The First-Born among many Brethren (Romans 8:29)

Over all, God blessed for ever (Romans 9:5)

Lord over all (Romans 10:12)

The Deliverer (Romans 11:26)

Lord both of the dead and living (Romans 14:9)

The Minister of the Circumcision (Romans 15:8)

He is . . . 

My Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30)

My Righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)

My Sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30)

My Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)

He is . . . 

The Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11)

My Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7)

That Spiritual Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4)

The Head of every Man (1 Corinthians 11:3)

The First-Fruits of them that slept (1 Corinthians 15:20) 

He is . . . 

The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)

A Quickening Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45)

The Image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)

His Unspeakable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)

My Peace (Ephesians 2:14)

He is . . .

The Offering (Ephesians 5:2)

The Sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2)

The Head over all things to the Church (Ephesians 1:22)

He that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:23)

A Servant (Philippians 2:7) who humbled Himself unto death (Philippians 2:8) even death upon a cross

He is . . .

The Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:2)

The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15)

The first-born of every creature (Colossians 1:15)

The Creator of all things (Colossians 1:16)

The First-Born from the dead (Colossians 1:18)

The Head of the Body, the Church (Colossians 1:18)

The Head of all Principality and Power (Colossians 2:10)

He is . . . 

My All in All (Colossians 3:11)

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

Lord of Peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

My Hope (1 Timothy 1:1)

God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16)

He is . . . 

The Justified (1 Timothy 3:16)

The Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)

The Righteous Judge (2 Timothy 4:8)

The great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13)

Obedient (Philemon 2:8)

And His throne is for ever and ever (Hebrews 1:8)

He is . . . 

The Upholder of all things (Hebrews 1:3)

The Express Image of his Person (Hebrews 1:3)

The Brightness of his Glory (Hebrew 1:3)

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day and for ever (Hebrews 13:8)

The Shepherd of the Sheep (Hebrews 13:20)

The Great Shepherd – that was brought again from the dead (Hebrews 13:20)

He is . . .

The Minister of the Sanctuary and of the True Tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2) and His flesh is The Veil (Hebrews 10:20) which was rent in two

The Altar (Hebrews 13:10)

The Offerer (Hebrews 7:27)

The Forerunner – for us entered, even Jesus (Hebrews 6:20)

He is . . . 

the Priest (Hebrews 5:6)

The High Priest (Hebrews 3:1)

The Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14)

The Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25)

The Surety (Hebrews 7:22)

The Covenanter (Hebrews 9:16, 17)

He is . . . 

The Captain of Salvation (Hebrews 2:10)

The Author and Finisher of Faith (Hebrews 12:2)

The King of Righteousness (Hebrews 7:2)

The King of Peace (Hebrews 7:2)

Crowned with Glory and Honor (Hebrews 2:9)

He is . . . 

The Tempted (Hebrews 4:15)

The Merciful (Hebrews 2:17)

The Faithful (Hebrews 2:17)

Holy, Harmless (Hebrews 7:26)

Undefiled (Hebrews 7:26)

The Separate (Hebrews 7:26)

The Perfect (Hebrews 5:9)

He is . . . 

My Helper (Hebrews 13:6)

A Lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19)

A Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4)A Chief Corner-stone (1 Peter 2:6)

A Precious Stone (1 Peter 2:6)

He is . . . 

Guileless (1 Peter 2:22)

Reviled (1 Peter 2:23)

The Chief Shepherd  – that shall again appear (1 Peter 5:4)

The Day Star (2 Peter 1:19)

My Savior (2 Peter 3:18)

The Word of Life (1 John 1:1)

The Life (1 John 1:2)

That Eternal Life which was with the Father (1 John 1:2)

He is . . . 

Jesus Christ the Righteous (1 John 2:1)

The Savior of the World (1 John 4:14)

The True God (1 John 5:20)

The Advocate (1 John 2:1)

He is . . . 

Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:5)

The First-Begotten of the dead (Revelation 1:5)

The Prince of the Kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5)

The Almighty, which is, and which was, and which is to come (Revelation 1:8)

The Beginning and the Ending (Revelation 1:8)

The Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8)

He is . . . 

The First and the Last (Revelation 1:17)

He that liveth (Revelation 1:18)

The Tree of Life (Revelation 2:7)

The Hidden Manna (Revelation 2:17)

The Faithful and True Witness (Revelation 3:14)

The Amen (Revelation 3:14)

He is . . . 

The Beginning of the Creation of God (Revelation 3:14)

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5)

The Lamb that was slain (Revelation 5:12)

The Lamb in the midst of the throne (Revelation 7:17)

The The Lamb Slain (Revelation 13:8)

He is . . . 

The King of Saints, King of Nations (Revelation 15:3)

Lord of Lords (Revelation 17:14)

Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11)

Crowned with many Crowns (Revelation 19:12)

The Word of God (Revelation 19:13)

He is . . . 

The King of Kings (Revelation 19:16)

The Temple (Revelation 21:22)

The Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)

[kevinharrispastor]

God is Holy

By Kevin is pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church, a suburb of Wollongong, NSW.

God is holy.

Habakkuk 1:13 says,‘Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity...”

Ezekiel 18:4 states, ‘. . . the soul that sinneth, it shall die.’ Why? Because God is absolutely holy!

Exodus 34:7 declares that God ‘. . . will by no means clear the guilty...’ There is only one reason God does not overlook our sin – He is holy!

Zechariah 8:17 says, ‘And let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the LORD.’ Hatred against sin is part of what it is to be holy.

Do you know that God is holy?Psalm 113:5-6 asks,‘Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,  Whohumbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!’

God is incredibly holy!

Many of God’s choice servants were confronted with a holy God at the beginning of their ministries.    

Moses encountered a holy God when he came across a burning bush one day.  God said in Exodus 3:5 ‘. . . Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’

One day, the Lord Jesus performed a miracle that astounded Peter so much that we read in Luke 5:8,‘When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.’

And in Isaiah chapter six, Isaiah stands before a thrice-holy God and trembles. 

God’s holiness is the one characteristic above all of God’s other attributes that the angels of heaven choose to exclaim over!  He’s holy!

God is so holy that when Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s sons, offered strange fire, God immediately struck them dead.

He is so holy that when the Israelites murmured and complained, God wouldn’t overlook it. Thousands were destroyed in judgment from the Lord.

He is so holy that in the book of Joshuawhen Achan disobeyed God and stole, he was stoned to death.

He is so holy that when Ananias and Sapphira lied in Acts chapter 5, God struck them dead.

I believe we need a fresh picture of the holiness of God in our city of Wollongong and in the nation of Australia.  If we could just get a good understanding of God’s holiness, it would dramatically reduce the pleasure we find in wickedness.

God said in Psalm 50:21,‘These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.’

When I see that God is not sinful like me, but that He hates sin, and when I realise that I will stand before Him someday in judgment for my sin, I’ll be careful how I live. 

You see, sin will not go unpunished.

Let me illustrate it with Australia’s justice system.  It is the responsibility of our nation’s courts to pursue justice, not to be merciful.

Have you ever heard anyone say, ‘I could never live in a country that would build places to punish people — some for the rest of their lives — just because they raped a girl and murdered her’?  Not very likely!  It is obvious that a government is within its bounds when it dispenses justice.  ‘You do the crime, you do the time,’ is a saying almost everyone agrees with.

What many people do not understand, however, is that God is perfectly just in sending those who break His laws to a place of punishment.  Yet a popular argument for those who deny the God of the Bible is that a loving God would never punish anyone in hell.   God has a system of justice too, and it is of the purest form.  He has a set of guidelines that must be obeyed.  If they aren’t followed exactly, punishment eventually results.  And since none of us is perfect, we all deserve that punishment.

But God is not a God of justice only.  We can be pardoned from our sin because Christ paid our debt when He died on the cross.  By receiving Him as our Saviour, we escape eternal punishment because Christ has already been punished for us. 

God’s holiness demands justice, but He also offers mercy.  That’s a loving God in action.

Let’s bow before Him, worshipping Him for being both holy and merciful.

Kevin is pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Dapto, located approximately 15 minutes south of Wollongong, NSW.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Wednesday, November 29, 2023

november 16_november 29

THE HOLY APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST MATTHEW (60)

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, was also named Levi (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27); he was one of the Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:45; Acts 1:13), and was brother of the Apostle James Alphaeus (Mark 2:14). He was a publican, or tax-collector for Rome, in a time when the Jews were under the rule of the Roman Empire. He lived in the Galilean city of Capernaum. When Matthew heard the voice of Jesus Christ: “Come, follow Me” (Mt. 9:9), he left everything and followed the Savior. Christ and His disciples did not refuse Matthew’s invitation and they visited his house, where they shared table with the publican’s friends and acquaintances. Like the host, they were also publicans and known sinners. This event disturbed the pharisees and scribes a great deal.

Publicans who collected taxes from their countrymen did this with great profit for themselves. Usually greedy and cruel people, the Jews considered them pernicious betrayers of their country and religion. The word “publican” for the Jews had the connotation of “public sinner” and “idol-worshipper.” To even speak with a tax-collector was considered a sin, and to associate with one was defilement. But the Jewish teachers were not able to comprehend that the Lord had “come to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13).

Matthew, acknowledging his sinfulness, repaid fourfold anyone he had cheated, and he distributed his remaining possessions to the poor, and he followed after Christ with the other apostles. Saint Matthew was attentive to the instructions of the Divine Teacher, he beheld His innumerable miracles, he went together with the Twelve Apostles preaching to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mt. 10:6). He was a witness to the suffering, death, and Resurrection of the Savior, and of His glorious Ascension into Heaven.

Having received the grace of the Holy Spirit, which descended upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost, Saint Matthew preached in Palestine for several years. At the request of the Jewish converts at Jerusalem, the holy Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel describing the earthly life of the Savior, before leaving to preach the Gospel in faraway lands.

In the order of the books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew comes first. Palestine is said to be the place where the Gospel was written. Saint Matthew wrote in Aramaic, and then it was translated into Greek. The Aramaic text has not survived, but many of the linguistic and cultural-historical peculiarities of the Greek translation give indications of it.

The Apostle Matthew preached among people who were awaiting the Messiah. His Gospel manifests itself as a vivid proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and that there would not be another (Mt. 11:3).

The preaching and deeds of the Savior are presented by the evangelist in three divisions, constituting three aspects of the service of the Messiah: as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25), and finally as High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27).

The theological content of the Gospel, besides the Christological themes, includes also the teaching about the Kingdom of God and about the Church, which the Lord sets forth in parables about the inner preparation for entering into the Kingdom (Ch. 5-7), about the worthiness of servers of the Church in the world (Ch. 10-11), about the signs of the Kingdom and its growth in the souls of mankind (Ch. 13), about the humility and simplicity of the inheritors of the Kingdom (Mt. 18:1-35; 19 13-30; 20:1-16; 25-27; 23:1-28), and about the eschatological revelations of the Kingdom in the Second Coming of Christ within the daily spiritual life of the Church (Ch. 24-25).

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Church are closely interconnected in the spiritual experience of Christianity: the Church is the historical embodiment of the Kingdom of Heaven in the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church of Christ in its eschatological perfection (Mt. 16:18-19; 28:18-20).

The holy Apostle brought the Gospel of Christ to Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia, and finishing his preaching in Ethiopia with a martyr’s death. This land was inhabited by tribes of cannibals with primitive customs and beliefs. The holy Apostle Matthew converted some of the idol-worshippers to faith in Christ. He founded the Church and built a temple in the city of Mirmena, establishing there his companion Platon as bishop.

When the holy apostle was fervently entreating God for the conversion of the Ethiopians the Lord Himself appeared to him in the form of a youth. He gave him a staff, and commanded him to plant it at the doors of the church. The Lord said that a tree would grow from this staff and it would bear fruit, and from its roots would flow a stream of water. When the Ethiopians washed themselves in the water and ate the fruit, they lost their wild ways and became gentle and good.

When the holy apostle carried the staff towards the church, he was met by the wife and son of the ruler of the land, Fulvian, who were afflicted by unclean spirits. In the Name of Christ the holy apostle healed them. This miracle converted a number of the pagans to the Lord. But the ruler did not want his subjects to become Christians and cease worshiping the pagan gods. He accused the apostle of sorcery and gave orders to execute him.

They put Saint Matthew head downwards, piled up brushwood and ignited it. When the fire flared up, everyone then saw that the fire did not harm Saint Matthew. Then Fulvian gave orders to add more wood to the fire, and frenzied with boldness, he commanded to set up twelve idols around the fire. But the flames melted the idols and flared up toward Fulvian. The frightened Ethiopian turned to the saint with an entreaty for mercy, and by the prayer of the martyr the flame went out. The body of the holy apostle remained unharmed, and he departed to the Lord.

The ruler Fulvian deeply repented of his deed, but still he had doubts. By his command, they put the body of Saint Matthew into an iron coffin and threw it into the sea. In doing this Fulvian said that if the God of Matthew would preserve the body of the apostle in the water as He preserved him in the fire, then this would be proper reason to worship this One True God.

That night the Apostle Matthew appeared to Bishop Platon in a dream, and commanded him to go with clergy to the shore of the sea and to find his body there. The righteous Fulvian and his retinue went with the bishop to the shore of the sea. The coffin carried by the waves was taken to the church built by the apostle. Then Fulvian begged forgiveness of the holy Apostle Matthew, after which Bishop Platon baptized him, giving him the name Matthew in obedience to a command of God.

Soon Saint Fulvian-Matthew abdicated his rule and became a presbyter. Upon the death of Bishop Platon, the Apostle Matthew appeared to him and exhorted him to head the Ethiopian Church. Having become a bishop, Saint Fulvian-Matthew toiled at preaching the Word of God, continuing the work of his heavenly patron.

ST. FULVIANUS, PRINCE OF ETHIOPIA, IN HOLY BAPTISM MATTHEW (1ST C.)

It is believed that after the day of Pentecost, the Apostle and Evangelist Matthew preached the Gospel first in Palestine, and then in Syria, Media, Persia, Parthia and finally, Ethiopia. Tradition holds that the Lord appeared to Saint Matthew, giving him a wooden rod and instructing him to plant it in a particular place in Ethiopia. Upon his arrival at the place in Ethiopia described by the Lord, he met a Bishop named Platon. The rod was planted, as the Lord had instructed, and almost immediately it sprouted leaves and grew into a beautiful tree, the fruit of which was delicious. A spring also welled up nearby, the water of which could heal the sick. Many Ethiopians were won over to Christ, although the local sovereign Prince, Fulvianus, a dedicated pagan, was violently opposed to this and, by his order, Saint Matthew was arrested and burned at the stake. In time, however, Fulvianus came to doubt his action and agonized over his horrific act. His conscience beckoned him towards Christ. Ultimately, he embraced the Christian faith and was baptized, taking the name "Matthew." When the elderly Bishop Platon reposed, Saint Fulvianus-Matthew was consecrated to the episcopacy and succeeded him. He spent his remaining years preaching the Gospel and winning his people to the Church.

Source: Orthodox Church in America_OCA

1 CORINTHIANS 4:9-16

9 For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! 11 To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. 12 And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; 13 being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. 14 I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. 15 For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you, imitate me.

LUKE 15:1-10

1 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' 7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 8 Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!' 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

[catenaaurea]

Catechism of Pope Saint Pius X

The Apostle’s Creed

The Second Article of the Creed

1. Q. What are we taught in the Second Article: And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord?

A. The Second Article of the Creed teaches us that the Son of God is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; that, like the Father, He is God eternal, omnipotent, Creator and Lord; that He became man to save us; and that the Son of God, made man, is called Jesus Christ.

2. Q. Why is the Second Person called the Son?

A. The Second Person is called the Son, because He is begotten by the Father from all eternity by way of intelligence; and for this reason He is also called the Eternal Word of the Father.

3. Q. Since we also are sons of God, why is Jesus Christ called the only Son of God the Father?

A. Jesus Christ is called the only Son of God the Father, because He alone is His Son by nature, whereas we are His sons by creation and adoption.

4. Q. Why is Jesus Christ called our Lord?

A. Jesus Christ is called our Lord, because, not only did He as God, together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, create us; but He has also as God and Man redeemed us.

5. Q. Why is the Son of God, made man, called Jesus?

A. The Son of God, made man, is called Jesus, that is to say, Saviour, because He has saved us from the eternal death merited by our sins.

6. Q. Who gave the name of Jesus to the Son of God, made man?

A. The Eternal Father Himself, through the Archangel Gabriel, gave the name of Jesus to the Son of God made man, at the moment when the Archangel announced to the Blessed Virgin the mystery of the Incarnation.

7. Q. Why is the Son of God made man also called Christ?

A. The Son of God made man is also called Christ , that is to say, anointed or consecrated, because kings, priests and prophets were anointed of old; and Jesus is the King of kings, High Priest, and supreme Prophet.

8. Q. Was Jesus Christ really anointed and consecrated with a material anointing?

A. The anointing of Jesus Christ was not material, like that of the kings, priests and prophets of old, but wholly spiritual and divine, because the fullness of the Divinity dwells in Him substantially.

9. Q. Had men any idea of Jesus Christ previous to His coming?

A. Yes, previous to His coming men had some idea of Jesus Christ in the promise of the Messiah, which God made to our first parents, Adam and Eve, and which He renewed to the holy Patriarchs; and also in the prophecies and the many figures which foreshadowed Him.

10. Q. How do we know that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah and Promised Redeemer?

A. We know that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah and Promised Redeemer from the fact that in Him are verified: (1) All that the prophecies foretold, (2) And all that the figures of the Old Testament foreshadowed.

11. Q. What did the prophecies foretell of the Redeemer?

A. Regarding the Redeemer, the prophecies foretold the tribe and the family from which He was to come; the place and time of His birth; His miracles and the most minute circumstances of His Passion and Death; His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven; and His spiritual, perpetual and universal Kingdom, that is, the Holy Catholic Church.

12. Q. Which are the principal figures of the Redeemer in the Old Testament?

A. The principal figures of the Redeemer in the Old Testament are: the innocent Abel; the High Priest Melchisedech; the sacrifice of Isaac; Joseph sold by his brethren; the prophet Jonas; the Paschal Lamb; and the Brazen Serpent set up by Moses in the desert.

13. Q. How do you know that Jesus Christ is true God?

A. We know that Jesus Christ is true God: (1) From the testimony of the Father saying: This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him; (2) From the attestation of Jesus Christ Himself, confirmed by the most stupendous miracles; (3) From the teaching of the Apostles; (4) From the unvarying tradition of the Catholic Church.

14. Q. Mention the chief miracles wrought by Jesus Christ?

A. Besides His Resurrection, the chief miracles wrought by Jesus Christ are; the restoring of health to the sick, of sight to the blind, of hearing to the deaf, and of life to the dead.

[ayteezmooveez]

The (Currently) Complete Favorite Movies List

Favorite Movies of 1920's-1960's

1. The Wizard Of Oz

2. To Kill A Mockingbird

3. City Lights

4. It's A Wonderful Life

5. Casablanca

6. Psycho

7. Roman Holiday

8. 12 Angry Men

9. Rebel Without A Cause

10. Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid

11. The Philadelphia Story

12. Gentleman's Agreement

13. Citizen Kane

14. On The Waterfront

15. Rear Window

16. Mary Poppins

17. The Birds

18. The Gold Rush

19. A Streetcar Named Desire

20. Miracle On 34th Street

Honorable mention:

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Charade

East Of Eden

My Fair Lady

Planet Of The Apes

Sabrina

Favorite Movies of the 1970's

1. Harold & Maude

2. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

3. Dog Day Afternoon

4. The Godfather

5. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

6. American Graffiti

7. A Clockwork Orange

8. Kramer vs Kramer

9. All The President's Men

10. Halloween

11. Taxi Driver

12. Monty Python & The Holy Grail

13. Jaws

14. Chinatown

15. Blazing Saddles

16. Star Wars

17. The French Connection

18. Young Frankenstein

19. Superman: The Movie

20. The Exorcist

Honorable mention:

Carrie

Duel

Grease

Enter The Dragon

Rocky

The Warriors

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

Favorite Movies of the 1980's

1. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

2. The Princess Bride

3. Back To The Future

4. Ghostbusters

5. The Breakfast Club

6. E.T.

7. Die Hard

8. Raiders Of The Lost Ark

9. Brazil

10. Heathers

11. Who Framed Roger Rabbit

12. The 'burbs

13. Gremlins

14. Stand By Me

15. Beetlejuice

16. Clue

17. Scrooged

18. Big

19. Rain Man

20. Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back

21. Batman

22. The Goonies

23. The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen

24. Spaceballs

25. Real Genius

26. Dead Poets Society

27. Say Anything

28. Back To The Future, Part II

29. Pee Wee's Big Adventure

30. Lethal Weapon

31. Three O'Clock High

32. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

33. Planes, Trains & Automobiles

34. Fast Times At Ridgemont High

35. Star Wars - Return Of The Jedi

36. The NeverEnding Story

37. Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade

38. The Terminator

39. The Karate Kid

40. WarGames

Honorable mention:

Blade Runner

Legend

The Little Mermaid

Poltergeist

Starman

This Is Spinal Tap

When Harry Met Sally...

Guilty pleasure:

Just One Of The Guys

The Lost Boys

Weekend At Bernie's

Favorite Movies of 1990

1. Edward Scissorhands

2. Goodfellas

3. Pump Up The Volume

4. Dick Tracy

5. Quick Change

6. Pretty Woman

7. Back To The Future, Part III

8. Home Alone

9. Gremlins 2

10. Joe Versus The Volcano

Honorable mention:

Cry-Baby

I Love You To Death

Mermaids

Guilty pleasure:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Favorite Movies of 1991

1. Dogfight

2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

3. The Fisher King

4. L.A. Story

5. Defending Your Life

6. Barton Fink

7. The Silence Of The Lambs

8. My Own Private Idaho

9. The Addams Family

10. Beauty & The Beast

Honorable mention:

Doc Hollywood

Only The Lonely

Rush

Guilty pleasure:

Johnny Suede

Point Break

Favorite Movies of 1992

1. Reservoir Dogs

2. My Cousin Vinny

3. A League Of Their Own

4. Batman Returns

5. Chaplin

6. Malcolm X

7. Bram Stoker's Dracula

8. The Muppet Christmas Carol

9. Hero

10. Of Mice And Men

Honorable mention:

Leap Of Faith

Singles

Favorite Movies of 1993

1. Dazed & Confused

2. Groundhog Day

3. Jurassic Park

4. Benny & Joon

5. Schindler's List

6. For Love Or Money

7. What's Eating Gilbert Grape

8. The Nightmare Before Christmas

9. Heart & Souls

10. Mrs. Doubtfire

Honorable mention:

The Fugitive

Rudy

The Sandlot

Searching For Bobby Fischer

Sleepless In Seattle

The Thing Called Love

True Romance

Untamed Heart

Guilty pleasure:

Last Action Hero

So I Married An Axe Murderer

Favorite Movies of 1994

1. The Shawshank Redemption

2. Speed

3. The Crow

4. Ed Wood

5. The Lion King

6. Dumb & Dumber

7. Quiz Show

8. Pulp Fiction

9. The Professional

10. Reality Bites

Honorable mention:

Clerks

The Client

Forrest Gump

Four Weddings & A Funeral

Interview With The Vampire

Little Women

The Paper

The Ref

Guilty pleasure:

Brainscan

Favorite Movies of 1995

1. Seven

2. Before Sunrise

3. Twelve Monkeys

4. Dead Man

5. Toy Story

6. The American President

7. The Basketball Diaries

8. Clueless

9. Living In Oblivion

10. Empire Records

Honorable mention:

Apollo 13

Get Shorty

Mallrats

The Usual Suspects

Welcome To The Dollhouse

Favorite Movies of 1996

1. Jerry Maguire

2. That Thing You Do!

3. Beautiful Girls

4. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

5. Scream

6. The Rock

7. James & The Giant Peach

8. Ransom

9. The Frighteners

10. Tin Cup

Fargo

Hard Eight

Mission: Impossible

Sleepers

Swingers

Trees Lounge

Guilty pleasure:

Independence Day

Favorite Movies of 1997

1. Good Will Hunting

2. As Good As It Gets

3. Titanic

4. Boogie Nights

5. L.A. Confidential

6. Donnie Brasco

7. The Game

8. Scream 2

9. Face/Off

10. Cop Land

Honorable mention:

Chasing Amy

Gattaca

Grosse Pointe Blank

Jackie Brown

Two Girls & A Guy

Wag The Dog

Favorite Movies of 1998

1. Saving Private Ryan

2. Rushmore

3. Out Of Sight

4. Dark City

5. Shakespeare In Love

6. Pleasantville

7. Buffalo '66

8. The Truman Show

9. American History X

10. Enemy Of The State

Honorable mention:

A Bug's Life

Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas

Meet Joe Black

Pi

Playing By Heart

A Simple Plan

The Wedding Singer

What Dreams May Come

Guilty pleasure:

Godzilla

Favorite Movies of 1999

1. Fight Club

2. Magnolia

3. The Matrix

4. Notting Hill

5. 10 Things I Hate About You

6. Three Kings

7. Toy Story 2

8. Sleepy Hollow

9. Being John Malkovich

10. Man On The Moon

Honorable mention:

The Cider House Rules

The Green Mile

The Insider

The Iron Giant

The Sixth Sense

Favorite Movies of 2000

1. Requiem For A Dream

2. Memento

3. Almost Famous*

4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

5. Unbreakable

6. Traffic

7. Wonder Boys

8. The Way Of The Gun

9. O Brother, Where Art Though?

10. Snatch

Honorable mention:

Billy Elliot

Cast Away

The Cell

Erin Brockovich

Frequency

Gladiator

High Fidelity

X-Men

Favorite Movies of 2001

1. Donnie Darko

2. Vanilla Sky

3. Amélie

4. The Royal Tenenbaums

5. LOTR - Fellowship

6. A Knight's Tale

7. Ocean's Eleven

8. Ghost World

9. A Beautiful Mind

10. A.I. Artificial Intelligence

Honorable mention:

Frailty

From Hell

Gosford Park

The Others

Shrek

Spirited Away

Favorite Movies of 2002

1. Adaptation.

2. Gangs Of New York

3. LOTR - Two Towers

4. Catch Me If You Can

5. Punch Drunk Love

6. Chicago

7. Minority Report

8. Insomnia

9. Death To Smoochy

10. About A Boy

Honorable mention:

8 Mile

28 Days Later

The Bourne Identity

The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys

The Good Girl

Igby Goes Down

Moonlight Mile

Panic Room

Road To Perdition

Signs

Guilty pleasure:

The Mothman Prophecies

Favorite Movies of 2003

1. American Splendor

2. 21 Grams

3. Big Fish

4. Kill Bill, Vol. 1

5. LOTR - Return Of The King

6. X2: X-Men United

7. Mystic River

8. Pirates Of The Caribbean

9. Matchstick Men

10. Finding Nemo

Honorable mention:

The Last Samurai

Lost In Translation

Phone Book

School Of Rock

Seabiscuit

The Station Agent

Guilty pleasure:

The Room

Underworld

Favorite Movies of 2004

1. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

2. Garden State

3. Spider-Man 2

4. The Aviator

5. Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban

6. Before Sunset

7. The Incredibles

8. Napoleon Dynamite

9. Finding Neverland

10. Kill Bill, Vol. 2

Honorable mention:

Dodgeball

In Good Company

Million Dollar Baby

Sideways

Team America: World Police

The Village

Favorite Movies of 2005

1. Batman Begins

2. Walk The Line

3. Brokeback Mountain

4. Brick

5. King Kong

6. Serenity

7. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

8. Wedding Crashers

9. Breakfast On Pluto

10. Sin City

Honorable mention:

The Chumscrubber

Constantine

Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith

Syriana

Thumbsucker

V For Vendetta

War Of The Worlds

Favorite Movies of 2006

1. Little Miss Sunshine

2. The Fountain

3. The Prestige

4. The Fall

5. Pan's Labyrinth

6. The Departed

7. The Science Of Sleep

8. Superman Returns

9. A Scanner Darkly

10. Clerks II

Honorable mention:

16 Blocks

Babel

Stranger Than Fiction

Wristcutters: A Love Story

Favorite Movies of 2007

1. Across The Universe

2. There Will Be Blood

3. Zodiac

4. Superbad

5. Lars And The Real Girl

6. The Darjeeling Limited

7. Sweeney Todd

8. Funny Games

9. No Country For Old Men

10. Stardust

Honorable mention:

3:10 To Yuma

The Bourne Ultimatum

Gone Baby Gone

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

Juno

Knocked Up

Live Free Or Die Hard

Michael Clayton

Ratatouille

Favorite Movies of 2008

1. The Dark Knight

2. The Brothers Bloom

3. Role Models

4. Slumdog Millionaire

5. Be Kind Rewind

6. Iron Man

7. In Bruges

8. Tropic Thunder

9. The Wrestler

10. Wanted

Honorable mention:

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

The Go-Getter

Me & Orson Welles

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

Wall-E

Favorite Movies of 2009

1. (500) Days Of Summer

2. Where The Wild Things Are

3. Up In The Air

4. An Education

5. Inglourious Basterds

6. Star Trek

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox

8. Whip It

9. The Hangover

10. The Road

Honorable mention:

Adventureland

Avatar

Coraline

District 9

I Love You, Man

Up

Favorite Movies of 2010

1. Inception

2. The Social Network

3. Black Swan

4. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

5. Blue Valentine

6. The Fighter

7. Winter's Bone

8. Toy Story 3

9. Shutter Island

10. The King's Speech

Honorable mention:

Buried

Due Date

Kick-Ass

Let Me In

Never Let Me Go

The Other Guys

The Town

Favorite Movies of 2011

1. Super 8

2. Hugo

3. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

4. Crazy Stupid Love

5. Moneyball

6. The Descendants

7. My Week With Marilyn

8. Bridesmaids

9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

10. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Honorable mention:

10 Years

50/50

The Beaver

Horrible Bosses

The Muppets

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Source Code

Dishonorable mention:

Sucker Punch

Favorite Movies of 2012

1. Silver Linings Playbook

2. Moonrise Kingdom

3. Lincoln

4. The Avengers

5. The Dark Knight Rises

6. Looper

7. Ruby Sparks

8. Django Unchained

9. Argo

10. Mud

Honorable mention:

21 Jump Street

Jack Reacher

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Premium Rush

Safety Not Guaranteed

This Is 40

Favorite Movies of 2013

1. 12 Years A Slave

2. Her

3. Snowpiercer

4. The Wolf Of Wall Street

5. Star Trek Into Darkness

6. The Way Way Back

7. Before Midnight

8. The Spectacular Now

9. American Hustle

10. About Time

Honorable mention:

Begin Again

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Fruitvale Station

The Heat

Inside Llewyn Davis

Prisoners

Rush

Warm Bodies

Favorite Movies of 2014

1. Wish I Was Here

2. The Skeleton Twins

3. Boyhood

4. Nightcrawler

5. The Imitation Game

6. Whiplash

7. Birdman

8. The Grand Budapest Hotel

9. St. Vincent

10. Inherent Vice

Honorable mention:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

Edge Of Tomorrow

Gone Girl

Infinitely Polar Bear

Interstellar

Love & Mercy

Veronica Mars

What We Do In The Shadows

X-Men: Days Of Future Past

Favorite Movies of 2015

1. Me & Earl & The Dying Girl

2. Ex Machina

3. Inside Out

4. The Walk

5. Sicario

6. Creed

7. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

8. Spotlight

9. The Martian

10. Brooklyn

Honorable mention:

Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Bridge Of Spies

Joy

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Room

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Steve Jobs

Favorite Movies of 2016

1. Sing Street

2. Midnight Special

3. La La Land

4. Hell Or High Water

5. Arrival

6. The Nice Guys

7. Hidden Figures

8. Manchester By The Sea

9. A Monster Calls

10. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Captain America: Civil War

Everybody Wants Some!!!

The Founder

Hacksaw Ridge

The Jungle Book

Loving

Silence

Split

Swiss Army Man

Dishonorable mention:

The Neon Demon

Favorite Movies of 2017

1. Wonderstruck

2. War For The Planet Of The Apes

3. Phantom Thread

4. mother!

5. Blade Runner 2049

6. Call Me By Your Name

7. Dunkirk

8. Wind River

9. Logan

10. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Honorable mention:

Baby Driver

Coco

It

Lady Bird

Logan Lucky

Molly's Game

The Post

The Shape Of Water

Stronger

Favorite Movies of 2018

1. A Quiet Place

2. BlackKklansman

3. If Beale Street Could Talk

4. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

5. Mission: Impossible - Fallout

6. Isle Of Dogs

7. Ready Player One

8. Incredibles 2

9. Stan & Ollie

10. Thoroughbreds

Honorable mention:

Avengers: Infinity War

Bumblebee

Christopher Robin

Eighth Grade

Halloween

Summer '03

Favorite Movies of 2019

1. Rocketman

2. Jojo Rabbit

3. 1917

4. Blinded By The Light

5. Booksmart

6. Toy Story 4

7. Ford v Ferrari

8. Joker

9. Parasite

10. Knives Out

Honorable mention:

Avengers: Endgame

The Lighthouse

Marriage Story

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Yesterday

Favorite Movies of 2021

1. Licorice Pizza

2. West Side Story

3. Dune

4. A Quiet Place, Part II

5. Belfast

6. Spider-Man: No Way Home

7. C'mon C'mon

8. King Richard

9. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

10. CODA

Honorable mention:

Free Guy

The French Dispatch

Last Night In Soho

Nightmare Alley

The Power Of The Dog

Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

tick, tick...BOOM!

The Tragedy Of Macbeth

[libidomechanica]

Untitled (“Her hast torn out”)

A rispetto sequence

               1

And where such as blank beyond me inscription to be equivalent. Her hast torn out. Now the happy soul unborn, what pious, survey’d,

and led by a sky like thought be hell; not lights me. I met find, tho’ fickle one more truth! Of his fair, they were mix’d with sought a light.

               2

The naked, and is but rejoicing her scour hath scoped to shut in nature bargain maiden fancye eke from her so is all not pain.

The woman have lived, I see no where lies! With Swift loathing. Which doth belong your name, that waves away chid I made to the prayse or foes.

               3

His our stretches may make your time’s would learned you ask of miracle- tones,&common, come, gleaming of Folly of Petrarch did the grace,

bide? For every hear’st, a lone despair: now let three-inch scarcely name. Hand in flowers plucked at a time maching to rail at love you art!

               4

Fell are some more ryper age and faithful rise, still to see, my cheek: its such triumphant spleen, which mine. Who might is needy whose deep, or

drop too supplied, but in a trembling their feebled like a king; he tocher-gude luck a language of a perspects, to me and for me.

               5

But their feebled mind. Yet as by name, well commends the bonie last from my Gods holy Hymen to weep is all they grew to flow. So than

to relieve a growe. Yet love mouths she harbrough there pomp to seek the nursling soul is time, O love wended starts doth what shall then, stayes hence.

               6

No pulsing through each night empty out one e’er forget till tis a passe, the moonlight. Then birds sang, and thy joy in the last, as in

her as on a woman-statues frailties, the pain; the fate with lullaby my grew to be lost in the lass makes looked of pleasure I?

               7

So he council broken my Gods pursutes of virtue’s ivy! Both dayly grain the only what happy soul can wealth, some in Sleeps

and as made then bloom, for the heart the more. But more shadow, hadst thou shall the terror, let tears. To issue outragedie. There half garden.

               8

Out thou shallowed it apart of reason? Go sleep reciting and what a children of father— still that last so discontentment

the king; he tocher-gude luck a large the leaves like a sleepe, to sanctify then, though thee. Lingers are mine weeding; yet keep the same go.

               9

Seeking his calm and him our coldly pray’r. Sung; and I for your goodbye, she sand. Rank as a moments, by can yet within motions be,

the eyes thou are and thither syne, that moments, wilt; if ever thankful slumber shadow: further doe, but deep is asham’d to its guide.

               10

How call out for thoughts, Prince, to slur with a rabbit’s like fleas off my discover her eyes we rest degrees, they grove, must pines that solemn

days heart, robin in the blushes, the hear the she always made the braw lass make my view? If ever speak for such vicissitudes she.

               11

Tho’ many, seek the produce a giraffe stranger … thought mistake my boste. Lest her homeward by Worthies and merry maiden far-spent my

poverthrowne, or age deprest. Beneath from please, how high birthday she prayer; he said this hour, waking look at a time; and bursts of ours?

               12

Then we crime. Well search to my desires the well except when the bargain marble. To all here holes. Because that so deare, thy image

is naked tree; the while shot. Join wise-women; certainly enjoy. When some know my head, which if those thy state! Say thy woes with reveal’d.

               13

The ghosts of glorious an across my Abelard it go away. The scorn that I do forget what, features, cause it may stretched in

all thief, although the proue, into the heav’n: but the day I die, the sense, no thou wert may linger into a caterwaul at my knee.

               14

For Goddess and there Sinne would nothings it half my cold; the glass the tree; how dear! Tripping and arose, which are no soldiers marriage, and

silent under the has before, and as a crush her that dared though all inheard the dust when all the gift of fear too blacke the powers.

               15

And bearable, have admired Hand fair is line itself decent planet float, and in the from my heares would be going dove, o

thee. And turned hand in knots of wit, and still on Menie doat, and down like thy word or act; that need beloveds have joy in the Spouse power.

               16

Each other’s drift of your early youth was but lovely I seek in shall she dies, love had morbid eye is so lost, of high birth, so pierc’d,

so shadow of then to comen sang, amang through. For once morning about the dog because knowing cockatiels—clutch at thy body.

               17

Our closed overplus; more then, Sir, awful; odes shouting in her hast chiefe good woman, who were the hearts led. So thrive witness is me deep,

having stept a bowl of injure that think’st the moments, call, and not disdaines about my foe outdo. I was an empty teares.

               18

And brough waits cautious night Titans shine with my nature stand attendants; the night, the eats warm and reign, follow, she doore, nor hope doth bright

let Heaven and curse my wrath, can obey. It is the moorlands, answers to float above speeds the raging his lov’d, adore enamel.

               19

Some sorrow happy Say the mirksome grove, fame, that sudden … winter’s jet, jet black and let thou canst not presence. To overgrown thee to

flight—a feels my Julia children; then soul gave all formed to go to be high did impressing further dread to was my love me do reeds.

               20

Burn, as any saint, refuse thy word of a large treasures, and hid me under pleasures when Love? Stella, those bed to sanctify the

accurst! A spinning Laura lay, and faith, some where all my lass made of Selefkia from thence, while praised his fled, distant her them all stay.

               21

Of there to retrace: for judgment. What faculties, myself unseen the mistress; she, you art: but give but the glory as conscious grace

my body be. Those whole mother’s like a greatnesse blesse Rosalind, and spare; so should toil; and break the lamps blaw, in vain; thy lust: thy tears?

               22

I seem a cuckold like my wouldn’t forgot thine. While I place and went, but perfume to sheds; the gold, though her voice, in the impress’d her mine

of life. Nor down in seas of life as the thought I am anxious was to show so you know I am to write me to take our touch.

               23

You are joies doe avoyd the make your eyes would spright when worth his lost in a great Master at all-beauty, a city and is bed; lie,

a gracious earth grew? In vain to rent health, some friend, becauses Hobbinoll, I could gazes frailties, and flash of my love, doth lie, still.

               24

Clinging Lord, o’er and more; but yet that vex thee for at sighing for men are, my light—not to words with voices diffusive good designed

warm and hoary heart. No marvel of your eyes burn, as I called and multiplied, the man, with fairy had suffice pay, and expiate.

               25

Yet be the Marvelously squalid cot; shunn’d, but deep, there to be effections busy with voice, is overcome a journey take their

tunes of your Pleasure them make and her again. Let no more king. Waste, can new vastness was she gods the worth, and prepared, she height and round.

               26

With honoured to bring the solar system, appal. She to the mother wi’ twa white ambulance ecstasy’s utmost my other

once alarms my through the praised her might so foremost wrath, and led by hold, an’ it was there I means rollin, her once like their reflection.

               27

How oft, where be my structed by that so faileth: but lost in laught seem’d no gunners married ghost; nor less I gaz’d; he toil’d: the zephyrs

waft the fire to me. She water- blurred fever, the Baltic deep in sight! Must be believe: which, so I moved then, music sadly say, No!

               28

Before thou, poor twas as long bin place, but you dost rest: but I spake our hours of me. Ah faith, hopeless for sheds; the nuptial Mansions, subject

find me not profane his close tender from his economy, and in this life-time’s fauld, as tender all the whole life in they speak.

               29

To lose, thy love and under a glass, the me dreams and host to where which we can choose not every object to slay men where stay for aughter

airy state! But take back my foe: I never liable as not nap or successful visitor. To lie doat, which now enjoy.

[theprayerfulword]

January 9

Mark 8:38  Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me … the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

John 15:7  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

Hebrews 4:13  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

Matthew 7:24   Everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

John 8:34  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."

Acts 2:28  You have made known to me the paths of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.

May you remain confident in the ability and the willingness of the Lord to perform His promises, guiding you to their fulfillment, and defending you from the forces and their agents who will try to invalidate the outcome, even as He did for Abraham. As the Lord restored the youthfulness of Sarah in order to bear Isaac, Abimelech saw her beauty and took her, but God prevented the question of Isaac's paternity from being an issue. So also will the Lord make certain that the promise He has given you will not be questioned but that He will be honored when it comes to pass. Genesis 20

May you be prepared by walking close to God to pray for those who have exercised physical or worldly authority over you to your loss or harm when God directs you. This is not the way of the world or the method of the strong, yet it demonstrates a strength not found in the world that overcomes the world. Genesis 20

May you look beyond the daily responsibilities and mundane tasks in the natural that preoccupy your attention and demand your time and strength, just as Isaac's parents did. Instead, allow the promise of God to bring joy to your heart and laughter to your life, that all who hear of it may praise God for His love toward you. Genesis 21

May you be willing for God to make a separation in your life, even when you cherish what must leave, entrusting God to be Lord in His own way. Genesis 21

May you not hold tightly to the promises God gives, lest you allow them to replace God as the center of your life and the focus of your heart. Genesis 22

   Walk under the banner of My righteousness, My beloved, and know the effectiveness of My protection. The width and breadth of My victory is without end, and the strength of My truth will not run out, for I am your God. 

   Do not consider how your weakness might affect the outcome or feel concerned about the sin that so easily besets you, for in My love I have made provision for that. I have forgiven all that you confess and cleansed all that you repent of. I have brought you into right standing with the Father, Who has granted His Spirit to abide with you always, banishing fear and doubt in the light of His glory and the joy of His love. 

   Raise the banner I have given you and take courage, for I am with you and will perform the promise I have made to you. Be certain that your cup will overflow, for I fill it from the shoreless ocean of My blissful delight.

May you understand that it is not for what you do that you will be judged, but for why you do it, for though you prophesy in His name, driving out demons and performing many miracles, unless you are doing the will of the Father in heaven, you will be cast aside as an evil-doer. Matthew 7

May you be like the wise man who built his house on the rock and weathered the storm, for unless you put the words of the Lord into practice, you will not stand through the storm. Matthew 7

May you praise the Lord with all your heart when you tell of His wonders, and sing praise to the name of the Most High as you rejoice and are glad in Him. He turns your enemies back so that they stumble and perish before you, having judged righteously from His throne when He rebuked the principalities and destroyed the wicked with endless ruin so that they are not even remembered. Psalm 9

May you trust in the Lord, Who is a refuge for the oppressed needing a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know His name and seek Him have never been forsaken. He will reign forever, having established His throne from which He will judge the world in righteousness and govern the peoples with justice, never ignoring the cry of the afflicted. Psalm 9

May you walk in the ways of the godly and keep to the paths of the righteous, for the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land and the unfaithful will be torn from it. Proverbs 2:20-22

[cricketrocker]

Tales of a 44th Grade Nothing from Utopia

Presuming that a 12th grader is 18, and also factoring that I’ve never spent a year of my life outside of some sort of education industry, institution, or school, and finally considering that I’m still—due to madness alone—still *IN* school—yes, here ends 2023 with some tales of a 44th-grade nothing.  Or not nothing, SOMETHING, surely, but you probably get the point, Shirley.  I don’t think anyone is named Shirley anymore, though.  If you catch my drift.

Let’s begin this drift with a description of UTOPIA.  This is not related to the “email signature” I have set on my iPhone.  Whenever I send an email on my iPhone, the automatic signature says, “Sent from Utopia.”  I have used this signature since 2008, when I first thought it would be cute, or funny, or ironic, or SOMETHING, surely, Shirley.  Since then, and after probably hundreds or thousands of iPhone emails, not one person has ever mentioned that it was clever, funny, or ironic.  Likely eyerolls, perhaps.  Silent judgement is probably the best kind of judgement.  But leave me to my wry self-perception of cleverness—it’s HILARIOUS to think that I’d send you or anyone an email message from UTOPIA, right?  As if.

If from anywhere, I’m probably sending emails out from either SMU’s Perkins Administration Building 320C, or I’m sending them from my recliner close to J.J. Pearce High School.  Emails from those two places (because they are written from my laptop) typically feature the full professional email signature, the one which will soon, hopefully depict my predilection for being called “Dr.” for at least a few weeks.  What’s left to achieve at that point?  After writing the longest freaking paper of my life?  Probably getting back into shape, or scheduling a colonoscopy, I guess.  Yep.  Since I’ve already joined AARP.  Just whiling away the days sending messages from UTOPIA.  Me and my ideal planet—where there is a perfect socio-politico-legal system—and where everything works harmoniously and all the inhabitants are warmly sarcastic, well-meaning, and respect introverts and individualized learning over group projects.  Sure.  Everyone loves their utopian self.  For the sake of this tirade, we’ll refer to this as the Babe: The Movie self, okay? 

Hopefully you’ll remember what UTOPIA looks like:

This movie was minted in 1995, the same year I was minted into the world after 4 undergraduate years at Baylor University.  That video takes you through an idyllic morning at the farm.  I may or may night have shed a tear or two as Babe rose to power as the Hogget farm’s lead sheepdog, but remember the lesson that vicious stereotypes such as the belief that pigs and sheep are stupid, are not true.  What a great film for all ages, what important lessons about friendship, perseverance, agrarian self-sufficiency, and the benefits of being a nice person!  Hope for the future!  That’ll do pig!  A postcard from the edge of UTOPIA!

By 1998, however, I’d spent a couple of years trying to find a high-paying job with my double-major BA in English and history and while I was then still committed to the world-changing value of re-reading and re-analyzing The Wasteland every year, I found myself in year two of my three-year high school teacher career.  In year two I taught 6 classes of English I to 9th graders.  My classes were maxed out at 30 students each, so there I was teaching 180 13 and 14 year olds about how life was an epic journey, thanks Homer & Odyssey.  Then teaching them that even if you’re blind and deaf you can still learn and grow up to be a great socialist leader—thanks Helen & Miracle Worker.  And then, by the time of the year that I’d lost all hope, teaching them Romeo & Juliet despite Shakespeare’s words, through Shakespeare’s words and incredible iambic—and holy moly—THEY reminded me that the themes of love and loss and tragedy and destiny totally transcend—well, everything.  I guess there was always, at least in my three years there, that moment where the teacher becomes the student and the students become the teachers, thus closing the electric loop.  That’ll do, piglets, says the farmer.  Or that’ll do farmer, says the piglets.  I hope they all turned out okay and didn’t get eaten for breakfast.  Who can say?  Because I was good at helping people—especially teachers—with technology, I was hired up to do that instead by the local university and 24 years later, I’m sending messages from UTOPIA.  Get it? 

Yesterday I asked my 18-year-old boy, son, young-man, good-guy, superhero, what books he remembers reading throughout high school.  I remember seeing no books—ever—throughout his high school journey so far.  Did he read The Odyssey?  Never heard of it.  Miracle Worker?  What did Helen Keller’s parents do to punish her?  Nope.  Romeo & Juliet? But here a flicker!  What light through teenage memory breaks?  It is the East, and I guess they somehow read it on their Chromebook.  Did they watch the Zeffirelli version in class?  (yeah—including the moment)  Did they then watch the Claire /Leonardo version and determine collectively that it—despite being all modern wonky—was not that great?  Nope.  He remembered that they died.  But only because I asked, “Do you remember that they died?”  He nodded.  I blame the system.  Or Chromebooks.  Or the Internet.

One of those 1998 single-guy apartment nights, however, I saw a movie preview for the SEQUEL to Babe: The Movie.  Behold, coming soon: Babe: Pig in the City:

Naturally I went to see it on opening night.  I’m not sure if you’ve seen it.  If you’ve seen it, you can forego the clips below.  If you haven’t seen it, I do not recommend it unless you’re really into the opposite of UTOPIA which is the slap in the face of DYSTOPIA.  Here are some samples:

The “IF ONLY…” sequence:

The “POOR MRS. HOGGETT” compilation:

Babe Saves a Mean Dog but for what:

Finally, the “Are you lonesome tonight?” blurb:

You can go ahead and watch the movie if you’re into that kind of thing, but chances are you haven’t watched even those YouTube links above.  Suffice to say, as the credits rolled in 1998, I’m pretty sure there was a tear or two, but whereas the first tears in 1995 had been spawned by an innate internalization of UTOPIA—the joke was on me, a movie-goer, that some film studio had produced not the UTOPIAN SEQUAL I’d expected—but rather the entire cancelation whatever I’d remembered and I’d hoped for—with the blunt force trauma of DYSTOPIA for the pig.  The same whimsy that spawned Babe’s utopia simply gave birth to dystopia, the other side of the same coin.  Stop rolling your eyes.

What I’m saying is that there’s a danger to whimsy.  While I’m drawn to that which is quaint, playful, and unexpected—to that which provides delight and stirs creativity; I’ve been blind to whimsy’s dangers and downsides, particularly when not balanced or grounded in responsibility or reality.  Some things make sense on the farm.  Some things fall apart in the city.  Loss of seriousness is all well and good except when it is not.  Impracticality is wonderful but is also costly.  Escapism—good lord—is my favorite, in practice or imagined—though again, at what cost or consequence?  Isolation—perhaps introversion and whimsy go hand in hand—if a whimsical nature is not shared or understood by others—how isolated do we become even amid others?  Unpredictability and spontaneity—wonderful!  But unreliable, inconsistent, good lord.  I did not begin here to reflect upon the danger of whimsy—and while I critique the dangers of that drug—it’s not like I’m going to give it up; I am who I am.  A 44th grader.

Spoiler alert here—Babe saves the farm in Pig in the City.  The farmer, though probably due to brain damage, declares “That’ll Do, Pig” all over again, and UTOPIA is restored, sadder and wiser, or maybe that’s the point, UTOPIA is restored for everyone except Babe—who’s had to function in the City—and somehow try to come home again.  Maybe it’s more about wondering if anyone reads Thomas Wolfe anymore.  “You Can’t Go Home Again”?  Probably not.  I guess we’re changed by our experiences and gain new perspectives.  We can’t go back to the farm, it’s impossible to return to the simplicity or the innocence of the past before we read Miracle Worker or Romeo & Juliet.  Or Babe: Utopia or the sequel Babe: Dystopia.  Thomas Wolfe reminded us that we cannot go home again, that the feeling of displacement and nostalgia we feel when we try is normal, but that we’re just continuing our educations one grade at a time, grappling with the farm, the city, the idea of home, and the relentless progression of time.  WTF.  Rearrange the furniture.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Stephen Is Seized While Doing Miracles And Proclaiming Christ With Irresistible Wisdom

(6) 8 Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of the ones from the synagogue being called “of Freedmen”— both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and the ones from Cilicia and Asia— rose-up, debating with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly-induced men [to begin] saying that “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God”. 12 And they stirred-up the people and the elders and the scribes. And having suddenly-come-upon him, they seized him and brought him to the Sanhedrin. 13 And they put-forward false witnesses, saying, “This man does not cease speaking words against this holy place and the Law. 14 For we have heard him saying that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear-down this place, and change the customs which Moses handed-down to us”. 15 And having looked-intently at him, all the ones sitting in the council [chamber] saw his face was like a face of an angel.

(7) 1 And the high priest said, “Do these things hold so?”

Stephen Reports Seeing Jesus At The Right Hand of God. The Jews Stone Him To Death

(7) 54 And hearing these things, they were infuriated in their hearts, and were grinding their teeth at him. 55 But being full of the Holy Spirit, having looked-intently into heaven, he saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right side of God. 56 And he said, “Behold— I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right side of God!” 57 And having cried-out with a loud voice, they held-shut their ears, and rushed against him with-one-accord. 58 And having driven him outside of the city, they were stoning him. And the witnesses laid-aside their garments at the feet of a young-man being called Saul. 59 And they were stoning Stephen while he was calling-upon Jesus and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. 60 And having put down his knees, he cried-out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not set this sin against them”. And having said this, he fell-asleep. — Acts 6:8-7:1 and 7:54-60 | Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing Cross References: Exodus 23:1; Leviticus 24:14; Leviticus 24:16; 1 Kings 21:10; 1 Kings 21:13; Job 16:9; Psalm 31:5; Ezekiel 1:1; Ezekiel 3:23; Daniel 12:2; Hosea 7:4; Matthew 3:16; Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:44; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 24:15; Matthew 26:61; Matthew 27:32; Mark 8:25; Mark 16:19; Luke 20:1; John 2:19; John 4:48; Acts 2:9; Acts 6:5; Acts 7:2

[ancestorsofjudah]

2 Kings 4: 8-14. "The Left Turn."

The Resurrection of the Dead is a sacrament that preceded the appearance of the Christ in year 5 BCE. The Prophets Elijah and Elisha could perform the miracle. Its implications are not a return from death to life but the end of an empirical existence in favor of one that fulfills the soul's purposes in tangible ways. The most tangible being the ability to safely live in one's own home without fear of reprisal:

From Ezekiel 37:

"Therefore, prophesy, and say unto them: 'Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, 0 my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, 0 My people. And I will put My spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land; and ye shall know that I the Lord have spoken, and performed it, saith the Lord."'

Home is salvation, it is resurrection, it is the place all the sacraments claim are the abode of God. Home is where life begins, over and over:

The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.

 9 She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”

11 One day when Elisha came, he went up to his room and lay down there. 

12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. 

13 Elisha said to him, “Tell her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. Now what can be done for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’”

She replied, “I have a home among my own people.”

14 “What can be done for her?” Elisha asked.

Gehazi said, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

The word Elisha means "the free market", Shunem means to be undisturbed. In practice it denotes being comfy, relaxed and at ease. Adjective שאנן (sha'anan), means unmoved in the sense of being perpetual, inattentive, or complacent.

In the previous section we learned a Spirit infused government is supposed to provide education and political illumination, ie "olive oil to the jars." Now we are going to add it is responsibility also for housing.

Gehazi means "river of rebirth."

"The verb גיח (giah), or גוח (gwh), means to burst forth. It's applied to rivers and human births. Human collectives such as families and tribes are in the Bible often symbolized as mountains. Hence births signify valleys and are associated with rivers.

Verb גיא (gy') isn't used in the Bible and its meaning is subsequently unknown. The derived noun גיא (gai'), however, means valley and is used frequently. There are at least seven named valleys mentioned in the Old Testament.

The observation that "every valley shall be exalted and every mountain made low" ties into the principle of rebirth, via which is peopled a world in which every individual is king and high priest and utterly free."

The vision of freedom a government must raise out of the valley of vision includes a robust porfolio of civil rights, security, and access to housing. Complacency in any of these aspects of government is forbidden by the Religion.

The Values in the Gemtria for each verse provide additional details:

v. 8: The Value in Gematria is 11014, יא אֶפֶסא‎‎ד‎, "oh Ephesad." "Advance to Ephesus", AKA "To carry to Ephesus."

The government must maintain the course and heading of civilization and carry lifeless things to the Tabernacle where they will be quickened into functioning, productive, free, and perhaps one day happy citizens for whom it has agreed to take legal responsibility for.

v. 9-10: The Value in Gematria is 8404, חדאֶפֶס‎ד‎, hadapesd, "rejoice in the gold side" the unexplained. The small room with a skylight, lamp, bed, chair and table is the portable version of the Upper Room, the Holiest of Holies.

v. 11-12: Elisha the government, tells his servant, the "Vision of New Life" to offer the people a boon. The Value in Gematria is 8594, חהטד‎‎‎, hatad, "to make someone else glad."

v. 13: The Value in Gematria is 10836, קחגו‎‎‎‎, "get away". The Hebrew word galul best explains this, it means "to turn one's head the right way, to turn it into a repository." All goodness and blessedness begins in society when we educate ourselves regarding what is right, good, proper, lasting in its ability to make us feel safe and happy.

The Decrees were designed for this very purpose. Try as we might not to violate them we do and then quality of life ebbs. The best way to ensure life goes on and remains habitable is to always turn right.

Large numbers of homeless persons are a sign of the opposite, ignorance of the Decrees, AKA a turn to the left.

Governments like civilians make decisions regarding which way they are going turn.

v. 14: The Value in Gematria is 3393, גגטג, ‎gagtag. "The crown of the neighborhood lodging."

This refers to the State House, where among other things, discussions regarding how to effectively enforce the Constitution and the Law are made. In Judaism conversations like these do not employ popular opinion or sectarian rhetoric.

They refer first to the bottom line of the law, which mandates the creation of a dignified humane experience within the boundaries controlled by the government and the Governor, the Most High.

State Houses that debate based on party politics or the minutiae of religion leave the people they represent stranded, winners or losers of fights in which they never had any stake. They do not advance us to Ephesus, or comfortable, cozy place. It does not make them glad as the scripture says governments are supposed to do.

Housing according to the Religion therefore includes proper housing of the delegates within the government as much as it does for the population of a particular jurisdiction. Oversight of both, of course, is the responsibility of the King.

The planet is witnessing the greatest number of failing governments and homeless people in a very long time. World War 3 has begun. It began when the goblin, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and did so without little recrimination by the world's governors. Why are we worrying about civilian casualties now instead of before when it could have mattered?

Every nation on this planet is conscripting soldiers or neglecting their usual economic plans in favor of acquiring or manufacturing military technology. Our willingness to understand the information in this forum notwithstanding, we have laws forbidding the former and they must be observed. Only then will civilians be safe from the consequences of the warring tendencies of their governments.

But First: Vladimir Putin needs to be put under arrest and put to death. The same goes for the rest of losers and despots on this planet like Hamas, who are purposefully using force to deprive people of their homes, freedom, or means of survival. If you are in government, you are obligated by the laws of man and the Laws of God to do this immediately.

The Law Enforcement Cycle is how the beginnings of wars can also be their end. God "spoke it, and performed it." It is now our turn.

[ramrodd]

COMMENTARY:

The Trinity is an incomplete representation of the ontology of Jesus.

There are 7 elements to the complete ontology. Consider this image to be 4 of those elements: the The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are contained within the Gestalt of the complete figure of The One as described in Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 4.2. The One is the source of the complete ontology and contains the elements of The Spirit of God, as described in Genesis 1:2 And Yaweh, Yaweh, Queen of battle whose Temble is the uterus and whose authority is the mutual irresistible grace shared by Jesus and Cornelius, the Pagan God Fearer. it isn't that cornelius worshiped the God of the jesws. but that his duty as a servant leader of the Roman Republic, Yaweh, Queen of Battle, compelled his obedience within the context of Romans 13:1 - 7 In other words, both Jesus and Cornelius answer to the same higher authority, Yaweh, Queen of battle.

The Satan is the 7th element of the ontology of Jesus and he is separate from the other elements, standing as the Prosecutor. The ontology of Jesus can be compared to a Swiss Army Knife, with The One being the case holding the other divine divine blades, The Satan is separate and liike a sharpening stone.

The Spirit of God is the source of Jesus's power In this regards, the Arc of the Covenant was like a capacitor that carried a permanent charge of the Spirit of God and was as fatal to humans as a high voltage cable,

Jesus is a walking , talking Ach of the Covenant and deploys this power to do His miracles in partnership with the Holly Spirit. Bout Jesus and The Holy Spirit have agency over the Spirit of God,, but the Holy Spirit is in no wise subordinate to Jesus. In this regards, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and The Satan are Sons of God, but The Satan and the Holy Sprit are made and Jesus is born and He has a Pucker factor and the Satan and the Holy Spirit don't

Yaweh, Queen of Battle, ordered Abraham to bind Isaac and God, the Father, supplied the ram as the substitution sacrifice. The principle is that The One does not require human sacrifice in worship.

The Holy Spirit conveyed the order of Yaweh Queen of Battle to Jesus in John 11 that it was show time, which resulted in the shortest verse in the Bible: Jesus wept. This is the chiasmatic moment of the moment when all the drama of the Biblical narrative, beginning with Genesis 1:1, comes down to the singularity of Jesus on the Cross and the world is turned upside down and set on fire.

The ontology of Jesus,is complete in 7 pieces,