#me upon seeing a 25 year old: ew i mean 27

[obsessive-bear-walking]

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #138 & #139

Sun Jul 28 2019 [02:24 PM] Wack'd: So apparently the whole "60s issues colored Wyatt white so as a compromise let's give him a slight tan" was not an invention of John Bryne

[02:24 PM] Aleph Null: that's supposed to be a tan? [02:25 PM] Wack'd: That or he's covered himself in strawberry yogurt [02:25 PM] ThreeOfFour: maybe its the widows peak but is that Namor? [02:25 PM] Wack'd: Nope! It's Wyatt Wingfoot! [02:26 PM] Aleph Null: dang, you're a wing, and you have feet? [02:27 PM] Wack'd: Under Kirby's pen Wyatt's hair varied from a standard close cut to something vaguely Clark Kent-ish [02:27 PM] Bocaj: Wait. [02:27 PM] Bocaj: Namor has wing feet [02:27 PM] Bocaj: HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM [02:27 PM] Wack'd: His hairline's receding a bit, though I have no idea if this is intentional or just how Buscema draws him [02:27 PM] Bocaj: HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM [02:27 PM] Wack'd: *Anyway* [02:28 PM] Wack'd: So wait--I have questions

[02:28 PM] Wack'd: 1. Did Johnny drop out of school? Probably, right? I mean, he’s not graduating today [02:28 PM] Bocaj: Damn johnny is a drop out [02:30 PM] Wack'd: 2. Metro College is nearby? And has phones? Besides "Stan forgot about me" there's no good reason why he hasn't spoken to Johnny or the rest of the Four in, uh--five years [02:31 PM] Wack'd: I get the idea that if he's going to return you want to make it kind of a big deal, but I'm far more comfortable with the idea that he's still been around and just not doing anything superheroey? [02:31 PM] Wack'd: Because now it's just like "oh, I've moved on with my life but I should probably invite my old best friend who's also a drop out to my graduation ceremony" [02:32 PM] Wack'd: "By breaking into his apartment" [02:32 PM] Umbramatic: oh [02:33 PM] Wack'd: Anyway, Reed decides to give the ceremony (and subsequent chill sesh at Wyatt's place) a miss in case Sue comes back [02:33 PM] Wack'd: Look, dude, I'm sure she does she'll call first? Or leave a note? [02:33 PM] Wack'd: Whatever [02:34 PM] Bocaj: When you refuse to make the first move it involves a lot of sitting by the telephone [02:34 PM] Wack'd: In fairness she's deliberately gone off the grid with his infant child and asked that no one tell Reed‏ where she is [02:35 PM] Wack'd: Not really a lot of opportunities for first moves here [02:35 PM] Bocaj: Has he asked [02:35 PM] Wack'd: Also fair [02:35 PM] Wack'd: But I'm pretty sure when someone doesn't want you to know where they are, going out of your way to find out is stalking, and that's generally frowned upon [02:36 PM] Bocaj: Well like he could have asked someone to send her a message saying he wanted to talk [02:36 PM] Wack'd: True [02:36 PM] Wack'd: You make a lot of good points [02:36 PM] maxwellelvis: True, but the problem is this is Reed Richards we're talking about here. [02:36 PM] Bocaj: Since Reed Is Never Wrong in Reed's Mind he's stuck in limbo waiting for her to come crawling back [02:36 PM] maxwellelvis: He'd have to delegate it entirely to someone else [02:36 PM] maxwellelvis: because aside from what Bocaj just said, Reed tends to make a big production out of everything. [02:37 PM] Wack'd: John Buscema awakes with a start and realizes that nothing about the team's civvie fashion sense has changed in thirteen years

[02:38 PM] Umbramatic: shameful [02:38 PM] Bocaj: "Oh shit, fashion changes" [02:40 PM] Wack'd: 1. Humphrey Bogart was a major movie star and *definitely* has folks fussing over his hair.  2. I'm finding a *lot* of photos of Lloyd Nolan with immaculately trimmed facial hair.  3. Oh god Ben's a "what about the troops" guy

[02:41 PM] maxwellelvis: Just change the references to 'Nam-era stuff and he sounds like Walter Sobchak [02:41 PM] Umbramatic: yufoufgtpit;u;jo'piop [02:41 PM] Wack'd: I'm starting to think that last issue all of his talk about being old wasn't him being brainwashed, that's just how Gerry Conway thinks he should behave [02:42 PM] Wack'd: Which is not exactly endearing me to his run [02:42 PM] Umbramatic: rip [02:42 PM] Wack'd: Well that's ominous

[02:42 PM] Umbramatic: eeeep [02:45 PM] Wack'd: So, Wyatt's tribe has a name now. "Keewazi" (EDITOR’S NOTE: I’d apparently forgotten Lee and Kirby explicitly made him Comanche.) [02:46 PM] Wack'd: I'm sure that was talked over with a lot of Native Americans not just a bunch of randomly-picked syllables [02:47 PM] Aleph Null: marvel bad [02:47 PM] Umbramatic: marvel no [02:48 PM] Wack'd: "I haven't seen Johnny in about five years, so it's definitely socially acceptable to laugh at him"

[02:48 PM] Wack'd: That said, he looks like a friggin Brady [02:48 PM] Bocaj: Which is weird because Marvel Avengers tended to leave it vague and Claremont X Men picked specific real tribes [02:49 PM] Umbramatic: now i'm just imagining a laugh track at all mentions of johnny's hair [02:49 PM] Umbramatic: and it's the Tidus Laugh [02:52 PM] Wack'd: I will say this, to Buscema's credit (and maybe Conway's?)--there's definitely still in "old west" aesthetic here, but the outfits are not nearly as "I watched a movie once" as they were last time we saw these dudes. Also: smart move avoiding teepees. It's the 70s! People want efficient heating!

[02:52 PM] Wack'd: (We didn't actually see any dwellings last time. Mostly just Wyatt's dad sitting on a carpet in the middle of an open field) [02:53 PM] Wack'd: Uuuuuuh "kings" yeah sure

[02:54 PM] Umbramatic: big mountain boi [02:56 PM] Wack'd: And with regards to "warriors" [02:58 PM] Wack'd: Oh no, Johnny did drop out!

[02:59 PM] Umbramatic: poor johnny [02:59 PM] Wack'd: So the Keewazi are in Oklahoma so jot that down [02:59 PM] Umbramatic: oh [03:00 PM] Wack'd: Wyatt traveled a long way to go to a state school! [03:01 PM] Wack'd: That explains nothing, thank you

[03:01 PM] Aleph Null: this is just what men are like [03:02 PM] Wack'd: Also last time we saw this joker he was just Mysterio but earlier and worse [03:02 PM] Wack'd: So this should honestly be a cakewalk [03:02 PM] Umbramatic: good [03:04 PM] Wack'd: nerts

[03:05 PM] Wack'd: Fortunately it turns out that attacking Miracle Man himself breaks his concentration, so no more rock man [03:05 PM] Wack'd: Coming out to gloat--*always* a bad idea [03:08 PM] Wack'd: Oh wow so Miracle Man's new backstory sure is something [03:08 PM] Wack'd: He sought out a tribe of Native Americans who'd mastered "total mental control" and had dwindled to seven despite never having interacted with a white guy before [03:09 PM] Umbramatic: oh [03:09 PM] Wack'd: They agree to a free and equal trade of information, but once Miracle Man has learned all he cares to he murders them all [03:10 PM] Wack'd: Nice of Conway to leave future writers an escape hatch in case this one day turns out to be problematic

[03:11 PM] Wack'd: Which it did, I'm pretty sure, the second it was written [03:11 PM] Umbramatic: yes [03:12 PM] Wack'd: If nothing else this is all fairly on brand for a white guy.

[03:12 PM] maxwellelvis: Well, the next time we see Miracle Man is in Marvel Two-In-One #8, written by Steve Gerber, and he doubles down on the weirdness, as I've said before. [03:13 PM] Wack'd: That's cool so long as he doesn't also double down on the racism

[03:15 PM] Wack'd: ...sure

[03:16 PM] maxwellelvis: To paraphrase Rifftrax, "Either the laws of physics no longer apply, or [Johnny] is playing Halo 2" [03:17 PM] Umbramatic: these are superhero comics, physics are just a suggesstion [03:18 PM] Wack'd: Okay, so the philosophy at play here is kind of nonsense bonkers, but I really want to hone in on the "city he has created on these barren sands." The sands weren't barren! People lived here! They were using it! Christ, Conway!

[03:19 PM] maxwellelvis: Not by choice, mind you. Though I'm not sure if Wyatt's living on a reservation or not. [03:20 PM] Wack'd: Lee and Kirby certainly seemed to think so. Conway and Buscema have issued no statement on the matter [03:20 PM] maxwellelvis: And IIRC most reservations were deliberately placed in the most desolate areas the feds could find. [03:21 PM] Wack'd: But still, it's super shitty to talk about someone's home as though you could be using this land better. [03:21 PM] Wack'd: It tends to be a big anti-Palestinian talking point--"it's good the Jews came in because it's not like those idiots were doing anything worthwhile"--so I'm a little sensitive to it [03:22 PM] Umbramatic: ah, geez [03:22 PM] maxwellelvis: Gotcha [03:23 PM] Wack'd: Anyway, Johnny, Ben, and Medusa make their way back to the surface, and Miracle Man conjures some monsters for them to fight [03:24 PM] Wack'd: And then when things start going south he summons a cyclone to wipe them all away [03:25 PM] Wack'd: Reed Richards Is Useless™

[03:26 PM] Umbramatic: LOOK BEHIND YOU REED [03:26 PM] Wack'd: We're going to find out about that next issue, apparently [03:26 PM] Wack'd: And meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, Franklin without a high-pitched scream and then passes out [03:27 PM] Wack'd: Sue decides not to send for a doctor because "somehow I know he's alright" [03:27 PM] Wack'd: Good instincts, Sue [03:28 PM] Wack'd: Back to the main story! The cyclone harmlessly drops everyone off a few miles away from Miracle Man's city [03:28 PM] Wack'd: And yeah, the Keewazi live on a reservation [03:29 PM] Wack'd: And so Wyatt, Johnny, Ben, and Medusa build a raft and head upstream back towards the reservation, with Johnny using his fire powers as a "motor" for the boat [03:29 PM] Wack'd: I'm sure that much open flame next to a wooden raft is definitely a good idea [03:30 PM] Wack'd: I think Miracle Man might actually be the most morally reprehensible villain in *Fantastic Four* yet

[03:30 PM] Wack'd: A genocidal colonist and a potential rapist to boot [03:30 PM] Umbramatic: ew [03:31 PM] maxwellelvis: Next time we see him, he'll start trying to become God. Not hyperbole [03:32 PM] Wack'd: Apparently Miracle Man is planning on destroying the entire earth! Jesus!

[03:33 PM] Umbramatic: ah yes, the classic supervillain plan, blow up ze earth [03:33 PM] Wack'd: More mook fights. Medusa is kicking some serious ass this issue, effortlessly flinging around three at a time [03:35 PM] Wack'd: Ben, meanwhile, has gone after the Man himself--and this fight is too fucking good to deprive you of

[03:35 PM] Umbramatic: BALOOM! [03:35 PM] Wack'd: God I love me some Buscema punches [03:37 PM] Wack'd: Anyway, Miracle Man tries to get up one last time, but is spirited away by the ghosts of the Cheemuzwa tribe he wiped out, who hope they can cure him of his megalomania. Awfully magnanimous of them. [03:37 PM] Wack'd: Why didn't they do this earlier? shrug [03:38 PM] Bocaj: There was a character from Fairy Tail who was raised by a first nations esque tribe but then it turned out They Were Ghosts All Along so character was free to join the main cast [03:38 PM] Bocaj: Also I hate Fairy Tail [03:38 PM] Wack'd: Anyway, we go out on a cliffhanger, the thing Reed should've looked behind him that was a Negative Zone alarm light

[loveofyhwh]

January 17: Genesis 31; Matthew 10:24–42; Psalm 17; Proverbs 5

New Post has been published on https://loveofyhwh.com/january-17-genesis-31-matthew-1024-42-psalm-17-proverbs-5/

January 17: Genesis 31; Matthew 10:24–42; Psalm 17; Proverbs 5

Old Testament:

Genesis 31

Genesis 31 (Listen)

Jacob Flees from Laban

31 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was 5 and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. 11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” 14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father’s house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 And Jacob trickedHebrew stole the heart of; also verses 26, 27‘>1 Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates,Hebrew the River‘>2 and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

25 And Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen pitched tents in the hill country of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? 28 And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of yourThe Hebrew for your is plural here‘>3 father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 And now you have gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?” 31 Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours, and take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find them. And he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. 35 And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods.

36 Then Jacob became angry and berated Laban. Jacob said to Laban, “What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? 37 For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you. I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.”

43 Then Laban answered and said to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day for these my daughters or for their children whom they have borne? 44 Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I. And let it be a witness between you and me.” 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 And Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha,Aramaic the heap of witness‘>4 but Jacob called it Galeed.Hebrew the heap of witness‘>5 48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore he named it Galeed, 49 and Mizpah,Mizpah means watchpost‘>6 for he said, “The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight. 50 If you oppress my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one is with us, see, God is witness between you and me.”

51 Then Laban said to Jacob, “See this heap and the pillar, which I have set between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm. 53 The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac, 54 and Jacob offered a sacrifice in the hill country and called his kinsmen to eat bread. They ate bread and spent the night in the hill country.

55  Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home.

Footnotes

[1] 31:20 Hebrew stole the heart of; also verses 26, 27 [2] 31:21 Hebrew the River [3] 31:29 The Hebrew for your is plural here [4] 31:47 Aramaic the heap of witness [5] 31:47 Hebrew the heap of witness [6] 31:49 Mizpah means watchpost

(ESV)

New Testament:

Matthew 10:24–42

Matthew 10:24–42 (Listen)

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servantOr bondservant; also verse 25‘>1 above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malignGreek lacks will they malign‘>2 those of his household.

Have No Fear

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.Greek Gehenna‘>3 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?Greek assarion, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)“>4 And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Not Peace, but a Sword

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Rewards

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Footnotes

[1] 10:24 Or bondservant; also verse 25 [2] 10:25 Greek lacks will they malign [3] 10:28 Greek Gehenna [4] 10:29 Greek assarion, Roman copper coin (Latin quadrans) worth about 1/16 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)

(ESV)

Psalm:

Psalm 17

Psalm 17 (Listen)

In the Shadow of Your Wings

A Prayer of David.

17   Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!     Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit! 2   From your presence let my vindication come!     Let your eyes behold the right! 3   You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,     you have tested me, and you will find nothing;     I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. 4   With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips     I have avoided the ways of the violent. 5   My steps have held fast to your paths;     my feet have not slipped. 6   I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;     incline your ear to me; hear my words. 7   Wondrously showOr Distinguish me by‘>1 your steadfast love,     O Savior of those who seek refuge     from their adversaries at your right hand. 8   Keep me as the apple of your eye;     hide me in the shadow of your wings, 9   from the wicked who do me violence,     my deadly enemies who surround me. 10   They close their hearts to pity;     with their mouths they speak arrogantly. 11   They have now surrounded our steps;     they set their eyes to cast us to the ground. 12   He is like a lion eager to tear,     as a young lion lurking in ambush. 13   Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!     Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, 14   from men by your hand, O LORD,     from men of the world whose portion is in this life.Or from men whose portion in life is of the world‘>2   You fill their womb with treasure;Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb‘>3     they are satisfied with children,     and they leave their abundance to their infants. 15   As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;     when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Footnotes

[1] 17:7 Or Distinguish me by [2] 17:14 Or from men whose portion in life is of the world [3] 17:14 Or As for your treasured ones, you fill their womb

(ESV)

Proverb:

Proverbs 5

Proverbs 5 (Listen)

Warning Against Adultery

5   My son, be attentive to my wisdom;     incline your ear to my understanding, 2   that you may keep discretion,     and your lips may guard knowledge. 3   For the lips of a forbiddenHebrew strange; also verse 20‘>1 woman drip honey,     and her speechHebrew palate‘>2 is smoother than oil, 4   but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,     sharp as a two-edged sword. 5   Her feet go down to death;     her steps follow the path toHebrew lay hold of‘>3 Sheol; 6   she does not ponder the path of life;     her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7   And now, O sons, listen to me,     and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8   Keep your way far from her,     and do not go near the door of her house, 9   lest you give your honor to others     and your years to the merciless, 10   lest strangers take their fill of your strength,     and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 11   and at the end of your life you groan,     when your flesh and body are consumed, 12   and you say, “How I hated discipline,     and my heart despised reproof! 13   I did not listen to the voice of my teachers     or incline my ear to my instructors. 14   I am at the brink of utter ruin     in the assembled congregation.” 15   Drink water from your own cistern,     flowing water from your own well. 16   Should your springs be scattered abroad,     streams of water in the streets? 17   Let them be for yourself alone,     and not for strangers with you. 18   Let your fountain be blessed,     and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19     a lovely deer, a graceful doe.   Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;     be intoxicatedHebrew be led astray; also verse 20‘>4 always in her love. 20   Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman     and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?Hebrew a foreign woman‘>5 21   For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD,     and he pondersOr makes level‘>6 all his paths. 22   The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,     and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23   He dies for lack of discipline,     and because of his great folly he is led astray.

Footnotes

[1] 5:3 Hebrew strange; also verse 20 [2] 5:3 Hebrew palate [3] 5:5 Hebrew lay hold of [4] 5:19 Hebrew be led astray; also verse 20 [5] 5:20 Hebrew a foreign woman [6] 5:21 Or makes level

(ESV)

[stayanix]

You get to do 1-100 as well~ huehuehue ♥

Alright, alright. FINE. 

1. What is you middle name?JoAnn. It’s a mixture of my mom and dad’s middle name.

2. How old are you? 26. Yuck. I am getting too old. Someone save me.3. When is your birthday?May the 4th be with you. :)4. What is your zodiac sign?Taurus5. What is your favorite color?Red. :)6. What’s your lucky number?Prooooobably 7. 7. Do you have any pets?Not at the moment. No. 8. Where are you from?Lame state called Indiana.9. How tall are you?4 foot 11...10. What shoe size are you?Uhhhh. I can wear a size 4 in little girls. O.O11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?Like one. 12. What was your last dream about?Hahaha, I am DEFINITELY NOT telling you how that dream went. ;)13. What talents do you have?Well, not to brag, butttttt. I can play piano, guitar, and flute. I am pretty great at video games too. I can sometimes draw as well.14. Are you psychic in any way?Not really..15. Favorite song?Do I have to choose? There are too many good songs out there. O.O16. Favorite movie?Ohhhh shit. Uhmm..I really like The Notebook. Buuuut, there are a few others I absolutely love. One of them being The Skulls [has Paul Walker in it]. Let’s see. The Fast and Furious series. Plus many, many more. 17. Who would be your ideal partner?Welllll, I am currently talking to someone right now. He wants to make this a long term thing. I wanna scream, but I am staying as calm as I can. He is so sweet, he is up front about everything, he makes me a priority, he is supportive, he is just...gosh. It’s so hard to explain, ya know? 18. Do you want children?I’ve got one kiddo, but I do want to try again. At least for one more. 19. Do you want a church wedding?No. I want a beach wedding. Just the sound of the waves crashing upon the sand while we say our vows. The wind blowing in our hair. I am going to stop myself..I don’t wanna get too caught up in the moment lol. 20. Are you religious?Not really. 21. Have you ever been to the hospital?Plenty of times. Let’s see. I got my tonsils removed, I broke my left wrist, then my right. I had my kiddo, and I don’t remember what else I was there for. 22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?Nope. 23. Have you ever met any celebrities?Yes. Nolan North, Troy Baker, Jonny Cruz, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, Raab Himself. Gosh, there are many more. 24. Baths or showers?Either. 25. What color socks are you wearing?Grey.26. Have you ever been famous?Nope. :) 27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?Uhmmm, not really? But then again, I wanna be a voice actor/band manager soooo. 28. What type of music do you like?Metal, some rap, rock, anything besides country [ew]29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?Nope. Never. 30. How many pillows do you sleep with?Four. 31. What position do you usually sleep in?Tummy. 32. How big is your house?Not very big. Big enough for me and my kiddo though. :) 

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?Cereal. lol. 34. Have you ever fired a gun?Nope, but hoping to be able to here soon. 35. Have you ever tried archery?NO! BUT I WANT TO! May do that here soon too.36. Favorite clean word?Sunshine.37. Favorite swear word?F U C K38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?A week. 39. Do you have any scars?Yes. One where my sister hit me with a tennis racket when we were younger. XD40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?Yes. 41. Are you a good liar?I hate lying. Therefore, the only time I lie is when I need to. 42. Are you a good judge of character?Yup, sure am. 43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?God..uhm, somewhat of a british one? 44. Do you have a strong accent?Some people say I have a VERY strong southern accent. 45. What is your favorite accent?British 46. What is your personality type?No idea. All I know is that I’m nice lol. 47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?LOL. A Redbubble shirt. 48. Can you curl your tongue?No, but my sister can. 49. Are you an innie or an outie?What do you mean by this? Like my belly button orrrrrrrrr? Cuz my belly button is an innie???50. Left or right handed?Left. :) 51. Are you scared of spiders?Uh...who isn’t?52. Favorite food?No idea to be honest. O.O53. Favorite foreign food?None.54. Are you a clean or messy person?I can be both. 55. Most used phrased?Fuck me.56. Most used word?Fuck. 57. How long does it take for you to get ready?Like 5 minutes lol. Unless I am putting on makeup, then 10. 58. Do you have much of an ego?I can. 59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?You know I do that suck. XD60. Do you talk to yourself?In my head, yeah. 61. Do you sing to yourself?All the time. 62. Are you a good singer?People think I am, but I don’t think I am. 63. Biggest Fear?Heights. 64. Are you a gossip?Nah. 65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?Gosh, I can’t remember the name of it. 66. Do you like long or short hair?Hmmm. On me, short hair. On guys, medium to long hair. 67. Can you name all 50 states of America?Yes, if there is a map in front of me. XD68. Favorite school subject?History. 69. Extrovert or Introvert?A little of both?70. Have you ever been scuba diving?Nope, but wanna go!71. What makes you nervous?Oh gosh. Seeing my love again after 12 years, tests, heights.72. Are you scared of the dark?I have to have a TV on, or I can’t sleep. I wouldn’t say I am scared of the dark. 73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?Nah. Just my sister lol. 74. Are you ticklish?I WILL go into survival mode if tickled. 75. Have you ever started a rumor?Nope. 76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?Nope. 77. Have you ever drank underage?I had a fuzzy navel at like 15. If that counts.78. Have you ever done drugs?Nope. 79. Who was your first real crush?The guy I am talking to now. 80. How many piercings do you have?None. Thought I do wanna get my eyebrow pierced. :) 81. Can you roll your Rs?“Sometimes. 82. How fast can you type?Almost 100 WPM. 83. How fast can you run?Not very fast. 84. What color is your hair?Brown. Or as it says on my ID ; BRO85. What color is your eyes?Also; BRO86. What are you allergic to?Codeine. Cinnamon. 87. Do you keep a journal?Yup. I wreck it though. 88. What do your parents do?Hell, I don’t know. My Dad works with meds, I don’t know what my mom does because I barely talk to her. 89. Do you like your age?NO. But then again yes. 90. What makes you angry?People who aren’t nice. 91. Do you like your own name?Eh, sort of. Not really. 

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?Nope, not yet. 93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?I already have a boy, I would very much like a girl. 94. What are you strengths?Things in life that doesn’t kill me. 95. What are your weaknesses?My son, and my love. 96. How did you get your name?My Dad named me. 97. Were your ancestors royalty?Apparently they were. 98. Do you have any scars?I thought I already answered this one?99. Color of your bedspread?Grey with yellow, blue, orange, and black stripes. 100. Color of your room?A nasty ass pasty white color. 

[isaac-lacey]

Weird tag

So ummm I tag @mikeywrites and @callum-vaughan just pick 10 or so of the questions but you can do all of them if you want 

1: Full name: Isaac Nial Lacey (we don’t speak of my middle name)

2: Age: 16

3: 3 Fears: Spiders, heights and the dark

4: 3 things I love: My boyfriend, food and tea

5: 4 turns on: Dicks, cuteness, awesome personality, sweets (what, you can’t deny, sweets are hot af XD)

6: 4 turns off: Douchey deodorant, non emo, vagina (I’m gay and I have no filter me saying this is a given)

7: My best friend: I don’t really have any friends

8: Sexual orientation: Gay

9: My best first date: Haven’t been on a date (I plan on taking my boyfriend on one when I visit him/he visits me)

10: How tall am I: 176 cm

11: What do I miss: friends

12: What time was I born: 7:32 (I think it was am)

13: Favourite color: Purple

14: Do I have a crush: On my boyfriend yeah

15: Favourite quote: *shrugs* I dunno

16: Favourite place: My bedroom

17: Favourite food: ummm if I had to pick I’d say pizza

18: Do I use sarcasm: nooooo I would never (what do you think)

19: What am I listening to right now: the sounds in my head

20: First thing I notice in new person: their eyes

21: Shoe size: 8 in new Zealand

22: Eye color: my eyes are kinda weird, they’re green/blue with a yellow/brown/gold/orange kinda ring around my pupil

23: Hair color: I’m not sure, light af brown or dark blonde I dunno

24: Favourite style of clothing: anything emo

25: Ever done a prank call? Nope because fuck that, one I would be terrible and 2 it’s scary as fuuuuck

27: Meaning behind my URL: It’s my fucking name

28: Favourite movie: Don’t have one

29: Favourite song: Ummmmm

30: Favourite band: I have way too many

31: How I feel right now: Depressed as fuck

32: Someone I love: My boyfriend Jacob

33: My current relationship status: Taken

34: My relationship with my parents: I think it’s bad, they seem to think it’s good

35: Favourite holiday: Ummmm christmas I think maybe, I get to eat a LOT at christmas

36: Tattoos and piercing i have: I don’t have any, I do want to get a small tattoo one day though maybe

37: Tattoos and piercing i want: Small rainbow coloured rose

38: The reason I joined Tumblr: writing stuff

39: Do I and my last ex hate each other?: Well considering he tried to rape me I think that’s a solid yes

40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts?: Yusss from my boyfriend all the time, he’s so sweet

41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted?: I doubt it

42: When did I last hold hands?: Yesterday, I had to babysit my one year old brother and he dragged me outside by my hand

43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning? It depends, I multi task so it can take ages but also not take long

44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days? No

45: Where am I right now? In my bedroom

46: If I were drunk and can’t stand, who’s taking care of me?: Not sure

47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level?: It depends how I’m feeling if I’m honest

48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? No, they divorced, I live with my mum and step dad

49: Am I excited for anything?: Getting to talk to Jacob

50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to?: No, like I said I don’t really have any friends

51: How often do I wear a fake smile? All day every day mother fucker

52: When was the last time I hugged someone?: Fucking AGES ago, I don’t like human contact, my sister tries to hug me but I don’t let her (most I’ll go for is holding hands with most people)

53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me?: I wouldn’t care

54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not?: No

55: What is something I disliked about today?: Being depressed upon waking up

56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?: Jacob, in person anyway

57: What do I think about most?: Jacob

58: What’s my strangest talent?: I don’t really have anything I’m good at

59: Do I have any strange phobias?: *shrugs*

60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?: Behind usually but I’m ok with being in front of it every once in a while

61: What was the last lie I told?: Well I told my brother (the oldest one I have that is still younger than me) that I was ok with him (I really don’t like him)

62: Do I perfer talking on the phone or video chatting online? It depends who with, all calls make me nervous as fuck, I mostly video call with Jacob but with anyone else regular call if I can even manage that

63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens?: Nope

64: Do I believe in magic?: Eh

65: Do I believe in luck?: Nope

66: What's the weather like right now?: warm outside

67: What was the last book I've read?: Dripping gold

68: Do I like the smell of gasoline?: Ew no

69: Do I have any nicknames?: Izzy and Zac, I like to go by Izzy to most people

70: What was the worst injury I've ever had?: *shrugs*

71: Do I spend money or save it?: *shrugs*

72: Can I touch my nose with a tongue?: Nope

73: Is there anything pink in 10 feets from me?: ummmm not that I can see

74: Favourite animal?: Dog maybe

75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM?: watching anime

76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is?: *shrugs* tf kinda question is this?

77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it?: anything by paramore

78: How can you win my heart?: buy me food

79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone?: ‘little shit that had no friends, loved his boyfriend more than anything, is emo trash even in death’

80: What is my favorite word?: Nervosa

81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr: @elliewants2write @glorious74 @mikeywrites @koalamuffins and @tru-problems-of-a-bitch

82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say?: Fuck off

83: Do I have any relatives in jail?: I dunno maybe

84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power?: Telekinesis

85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on?: I dunno

86: What is my current desktop picture?: It’s literally just a black screen

87: Had sex?: Nope

88: Bought condoms?: No

89: Gotten pregnant?: Considering I have a fully functioning penis and not a fully functioning vagina I’m pretty sure I haven’t

90: Failed a class?: Nope

91: Kissed a boy?: Yes

92: Kissed a girl?: When I was 8

93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain?: No

94: Had job?: Kinda

95: Left the house without my wallet?: Yes

96: Bullied someone on the internet?: Hell no

97: Had sex in public?: No

98: Played on a sports team?: Fuck off hell no eww

99: Smoked weed?: Nah

100: Did drugs?: Nah

101: Smoked cigarettes?: Nope

102: Drank alcohol?: Yes

103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan?: No

104: Been overweight?: No

105: Been underweight?: yes

106: Been to a wedding?: a couple times

107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight?: just 5 hours? Hell yeah, I’ve been on for 8 hours straight, in fact more than that

108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight?: Yeah ages ago, I wouldn’t do it now though

109: Been outside my home country?: Yus

110: Gotten my heart broken?: Nah

111: Been to a professional sports game?: Eww no

112: Broken a bone?: No

113: Cut myself?: Many times, still do sometimes

114: Been to prom?: Nope

115: Been in airplane?: Yes

116: Fly by helicopter?: Nope

117: What concerts have I been to?: Nope

118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex?: Obviously

119: Learned another language?: Trying to

120: Wore make up?: Yes

121: Lost my virginity before I was 18?: No

122: Had oral sex?: No

123: Dyed my hair?: twice so far

124: Voted in a presidential election?: Nope

125: Rode in an ambulance?: Nope

126: Had a surgery?: Nope

127: Met someone famous?: I think so

128: Stalked someone on a social network?: Eh kinda

129: Peed outside?: *shrugs*

130: Been fishing?: Yes, a couple times

131: Helped with charity?: Yus

132: Been rejected by a crush?: Yus

133: Broken a mirror?: Yes

134: What do I want for birthday?: I dunno

135: How many kids do I want and what will be their names?: I dunno and I dunno

136: Was I named after anyone?: Not to my knowledge

137: Do I like my handwriting?: Eh

138: What was my favourite toy as a child?: I dunno actually

139: Favourite Tv Show?: Don’t have one

140: Where do I want to live when older?: *shrugs*

141: Play any musical instrument?: Nope

142: One of my scars, how did I get it?: I stepped on a nail

143: Favourite pizza toping?: Hmmm not sure

144: Am I afraid of the dark?: Yes

145: Am I afraid of heights?:Yes

146: Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?: Umm yes

147: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?: Yes

148: What I'm really bad at: Life

149: What my greatest achievments are: ...

150: The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me: *shrugs*

151: What I'd do if I won in a lottery: *shrugs*

154: Something I fantasise about: *shrugs* not sure

152: What do I like about myself: Nothing

153: My closest Tumblr friend: Probably @mikeywrites

[lovelytable]

1-90 for make me admit stuff ask

1: would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?

well i mean considering it was a group chat full of my str8 friendos i would have to say hard no

2: you talked to an ex today, correct?

technically but it’s complicated

3: have you taken someones virginity?

VIRGINITY IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT but also no

4: is trust a big issue for you?

not really. i’m actually a little too trusting. 

5: did you hang out with the person you like recently?

yes

6: what are you excited for?

spring break is in 20 days and i’m going to spain with my spanish class so the hype is real

7: what happened tonight?

i’m actually answering this in the morning but last night i went for a walk with my dog and my friend and we adventured all the way from her house to target and back and we made some nice friends and screamed into the void to tell it to stop playing country music and all in all it was a good evening.

8: do you think it’s disgusting when girls get really wasted?

no. let them live. just please don’t vomit on me and also be safe.

9: is confidence cute?

ehhhhh i don’t really like this question. like i like confident people but that’s just because they’re healthy and happy with themselves and that’s admirable and beautiful but “cute” isn’t really the right word.

10: what is the last beverage you had?

water

11: how many people of the opposite sex do you fully trust?

GENDER IS A FLUID SPECTRUM AND THERE IS NO “OPPOSITE SEX” but also 5 off the top of my head. 6 if we’re counting guy fieri.

12: do you own a pair of skinny jeans?

i don’t own any jeans that aren’t skinny.

13: what are you gonna do saturday night?

next saturday is my birthday and i really don’t know what i’m doing. probably hang out with my friends. make some s’mores. maybe see a movie (because i’ll be 17 and so r rated movies are an option and yea).

14: what are you going to spend money on next?

candy and flowers for my friends. only one of them has a bf and she’s not doing valentine’s day with him so they’re all getting presents from me. i love.

15: are you going out with the last person you kissed?

no

16: do you think you’ll change in the next three months?

of course. next month i’m going to spain without my family and by may i’ll have taken my ap exams and i’ll also have been in a play and god i really hope between all that i grow up/glow up a lil.

17: who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?

my friend who i went for a walk with last night. she was one of the first three people i came out to (i did it via text bc i’m a fucking loser) and out of all my friends she’s the one who’s the most honest with me so i like to return the favor.

18: the last time you felt broken?

february 10

19: have you had sex today?

no

20: are you starting to realize anything?

yessSSSSSSSSS AND IT’S FREAKING ME OUT

21: are you in a good mood?

i’m too stressed to be in a good mood.

22: would you ever want to swim with sharks?

not really. like don’t get me wrong i live for adrenaline rushes but i don’t really like swimming in salt water. it burns. also swimming with sharks is problematic. but anyway.

23: are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?

nope. he’s got brown and mine are blue. i’m a spitting image of my mom though.

24: what do you want right this second?

a magical machine to do all my homework for me

25: what would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?

good for them but also BUDDY BOI WYD

26: is your current hair color your natural hair color?

yea. i did some colorful streaks last week for a project but by now i’m pretty sure they’ve washed out.

27: would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?

no. that’s the most important thing imho.

28: what was the last thing that made you laugh?

my own awkwardness

29: do you really, truly miss someone right now?

miss isn’t the right word. i need to talk to some people but i’m not filled with a bottomless pit of longing or some shit.

30: does everyone deserve a second chance?

most people do but definitely not everyone.

31: honestly, do you hate the last boy you were talking to?

oh god no. he’s in the aforementioned 5/6 people.

32: does the person you have feelings for right now, know you do?

hard maybe. i think so??? but i’m a mess.

33: are you one of those people who never drinks soda?

no. i mean i haven’t had soda in forever and i usually choose water over soda just because health and also bubbles in my stomach are not the best feeling but i still like it.

34: listening to?

just got done listening to in the heights for the billionth time

35: do you ever write in pencil anymore?

every day

36: do you know where the last person you kissed is?

n/a

37: do you believe in love at first sight?

no. i promise i’m not some cynical angsty teen but i just don’t think that’s possible.

38: who did you last call?

ummm i never make actual phone calls they kind of stress me out but it was probably my mom or dad

39: who was the last person you danced with?

my friends

40: why did you kiss the last person you kissed?

n/a LET ME LIVE

41: when was the last time you ate a cupcake?

thursday? i think? i ate a muffin this morning tho

42: did you hug/kiss one of your parents today?

not yet but they just came back from a run and that’s a lil gross

43: ever embarrass yourself in front of your crush?

sweaty my life is an embarrassment

44: do you tan in the nude?

i used to but i burn really easily and now i’m more about the soft, unwrinkled skin life anyway

45: (woOAAHHHHH WE’RE HALFWAY THERE) if you could, would you take back your last kiss?

N/A

46: did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night?

no

47: who was the last person to call you?

i think it was my grandpa

48: do you sing in the shower?

i perform

49: do you dance in the car?

i. perform.

50: ever used a bow and arrow?

actually yea in 5th grade i went to this cool camp thing and we did archery

51: last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

a couple weeks ago we had school pictures with the clubs we’re in

52: do you think musicals are cheesy?

some definitely are but they’re so good

53: is christmas stressful?

certain aspects of it are but in the end it’s two weeks off of school so i can’t complain.

54: ever eat a pierogi?

ever eat a what now

55: favorite type of fruit pie?

does key lime count

56: occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

i remember when i was really little and didn’t understand how business worked i really wanted to work at sonic so i could wear roller skates and bring back the pancake on a stick. if that didn’t pan out my backup plan was being a dinosaur.

57: do you believe in ghosts?

sure

58: ever have a deja vu feeling?

i’m living a deja vu feeling right now sis

59: take a vitamin daily?

i used to. i need to get back on that.

60: wear slippers?

no. i have perpetually cold feet but i refuse. fuzzy socks are where it’s at.

61: wear a bath robe?

eh sometimes

62: what do you wear to bed?

usually an old t shirt but it depends on how hot/cold im feeling

63: first concert?

i’m lame i’m sorry

64: wal-mart, target, or kmart?

target obv

65: nike or adidas?

nike only because adidas sports bras ain’t shit

66: cheetos or fritos?

cheetos

67: peanuts or sunflower seeds?

peanuts (although sunflower seeds are very aesthetic as far as snacks go)

68: favorite taylor swift song?

my second favorite song i ever had was love story

69: (aw yisss) ever take dance lessons?

i used to when i was really little. that lasted 2 ish years and then i did gymnastics for like 8 years.

70: is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

i don’t picture a future spouse

71: can you curl your tongue?

NO AND EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY CAN DO THE FOUR LEAF CLOVER THING AND ALL SORTS OF WEIRD SHIT AND I CAN’T EVEN WINK AND MY FACE MUSCLES IN GENERAL ARE WOEFULLY INADEQUATE

72: ever won a spelling bee?

YES.

the day is february 18, 2011. my birthday. i stand before my elementary school along with the other nerds who participated in uil academics. they begin to announce the winners for the district-wide spelling competition. 7th place. 3rd place. “and corbell elementary is proud to present the first place medal to...” i look around. all my classmates have already taken a seat upon collecting their medals. i am alone on stage. i grin with the realization. “SUZI”. the crowd goes wild. my parents are cheering. obama is there.

73: have you ever cried because you were so happy?

all the tim

74: what is your favorite book?

WE ARE THE ANTS BY SHAUN DAVID HUTCHINSON OH MY GOD EVERYBODY NEEDS TO READ IT ASAP

75: do you study better with or without music?

with

76: regularly burn incense?

no but i have a few candles in my room

77: ever been in love?

no (?)

78: who would you like to see in concert?

hank green and the perfect strangers

79: what was the last concert you saw?

NNNNN/AAAAA LEAVE ME ALONE

80: hot tea or cold tea?

both

81: tea or coffee?

both.

82: favorite type of cookie?

chocolate chip

83: can you swim well?

i mean i haven’t drowned yet

84: can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

yes but not for very long

85: are you patient?

god no

86: dj or band at a wedding?

dj

87: ever won a contest?

actually yea i won a book giveaway last summer on here but i never claimed it

88: ever have plastic surgery?

i haven’t yet but i probably will. i don’t have self esteem issues or anything but i just want to.

89: which are better black or green olives?

ew neither

90: opinions on sex before marriage?

live your life just pls be careful

BONUS (because there’s only 2 more anyway)

91: best room for a fireplace?

living room

92: do you want to get married?

not really. the only reason i ever would would be out of spite but in that case it would probably just be eloping or something bc mi familia would not contribute.

[frederickwiddowson]

Genesis 32:13-32 comments: Jacob's wrestling match

Genesis 32:13 ¶  And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 14  Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, 15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals. 16  And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. 17  And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? 18  Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. 19  And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him. 20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. 21  So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. 22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. 23  And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

Jacob prepares an offering, a gift, for his brother, to appease what Jacob imagines is his wrath. Jacob assumes that Esau, after this long time, will still seethe with hatred and a desire for revenge. Of course, this is true in many families. Some of you still stew in anger and rage at some slight caused you many years ago by a family member. I’ve been there myself.

The droves, and remember how cowboys driving a herd of cattle in an old Western movie were called “drovers,” are gifts for Esau. One would suppose that Jacob is trying overwhelm Esau with his generosity. Clearly, Jacob is terrified. The servants are to tell Esau that Jacob is behind all of this wealth being offered to Esau.

Genesis 32:24 ¶  And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29  And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30  And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31  And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

We do not know until later that when God appeared or walked with a person it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word by which all things were created, the second part of God called the Son of God, the physical image of God’s person (Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:15). He is in other places called the angel of God or the angel of the LORD, the meaning of an angel being an appearance of someone who is also somewhere else, which we have seen (see Genesis, chapter 16, 21, 22, 31).

Isaiah 63:9  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

God walked with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). He spoke to Noah (Genesis 6). He appeared to Abraham (Genesis 12, 17, 18). He appeared to Isaac (Genesis 26). God spoke to Jacob in a dream (Genesis 31). Here, God in the form of a man, which would be the preincarnate Jesus Christ, confronts Jacob when he is alone. They have this colossal wrestling contest. Wrestling is perhaps the oldest combat sport known to man.

Wrestling is mentioned in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, in Greek mythology, in Hindu, and Persian writings. It is depicted on very ancient cave art in Mongolia and on Egyptian tombs. Preachers have long played out this scene as an example of contending with God in prayer for something that you want.

Paul says that we contend against spiritual beings that inhabit the spaces above us.

Ephesians 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

While any wrestling we do is spiritual in prayer and fighting our flesh this was a bonafide physical wrestling match in the flesh, at least for Jacob anyway. I would be careful talking about wrestling with God in prayer. We do not get things from God by trying to pin Him down in prayer or forcing something from Him. God’s mercy does not come to us through our force.

Ephesians 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

The promises offered to us are not awards we win in a fight with God.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We receive these things by trusting in Christ’s resurrection.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

And by believing what Jesus said about Himself in John 14, that He is the only way to God and that He is in fact the image of God the Father. In John 3:36 believing on Christ is defined as believing what He said. So, in;

Acts 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

There is no athletic contest with God involved. If there is a wrestling match, it is between you and your flesh. But, what we can say here with certainty is a principle of holding on to God and not letting go, which some of us have done. We need to understand in all ways and at all times that it is God who is in control of our destiny. There is no war with Satan, who can do nothing without God’s permission, and no ransom paid to Satan for our souls, as the ransom is paid to God by God. See Exodus 30:12. But, as the parable of the friend pleading with his friend for food in Luke 11 and the parable of the unrighteous judge in Luke 18, it is expected that we will be persistent in prayer and not give up.

To make this a spiritual principle we have to understand that God often makes Himself apparent to us in reality for nothing happens that is not either caused by God or permitted by God; no cell function, not a beat of your heart, or not even sickness and death. For instance, someone you love is sick, very sick. You pray fervently for their release from the bondage of sickness. It means a lot to you that they get well. Do not, “let go,” but pray fervently, fast if you are led to by the spiritual and emotional urgency of the situation, but understand you may be wounded in the process. It may be God’s will that the one you love must go to Him. But, your persistence and sincerity will result in a blessing and you will be changed by the, “struggle.” This is just one example of possible applications and preachers have come up with many others.

Jacob holds on and refuses to let go until God blesses him. He is given the name Israel which typically is said to mean "God prevails" or "God contends" but here the meaning in context ironically refers to Jacob prevailing with God. Jacob demands that his opponent tell him His name. But, there is no need. Jacob knows with whom his encounter has been. Peniel and Penuel are two spellings of the same word. There may be another reason but one reason for including both spellings is the question among Jewish authorities regarding the spelling, I have read. Both mean ‘to see God face to face.’ Who then has Jacob wrestled with?

John 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Colossians 1:15a  Who is the image of the invisible God…

Those who trust in Christ’s righteousness and realize they are spiritually bankrupt and destitute on their own shall see God face to face. They are made clean and pure by Christ. (see Job 11:4; Psalm 24:4; and Proverbs 20:9 for pure as clean.)

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven….8  Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(The preparation of a heart to receive Christ is found in Psalms and Isaiah, among other places.

Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Isaiah 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.)

Jacob will carry with him, in his limp, a reminder of a very close encounter with the living God. He has had impressed upon him the unseen power of God in the company of angels he met. He has been impressed with the immediacy of God in his life with the encounter with the pre-incarnate Christ. These are two things that should give us pause as we face uncertain events ahead. There is invisible to us a great host which God can and will use for His purposes and God Himself does not only meet us in close encounters but His very Spirit dwells inside of us by virtue of the faith He gave us when we believed. (i.e.; Romans 3:22; 8:9.)

[dailychapel]

Dear Lord, Thank You for fearfully and wonderfully creating each of us. Thank You for giving us worth in Your eyes. Help us live as the one You uniquely intended us to be. Help us abide instead of strive, living peacefully and joyfully as heirs to Your Kingdom and co-heirs with Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[Gen 31:25-50 NLT] 25 Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob's. 26 "What do you mean by deceiving me like this?" Laban demanded. "How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? 27 Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn't you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. 28 Why didn't you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly! 29 I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, 'Leave Jacob alone!' 30 I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father's home. But why have you stolen my gods?" 31 "I rushed away because I was afraid," Jacob answered. "I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!" But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols. 33 Laban went first into Jacob's tent to search there, then into Leah's, and then the tents of the two servant wives--but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel's tent. 34 But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them, 35 she said to her father, "Please, sir, forgive me if I don't get up for you. I'm having my monthly period." So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols. 36 Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. "What's my crime?" he demanded. "What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal? 37 You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us! 38 "For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food. 39 If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night. 40 "I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. 41 Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! 42 In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side--the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac--you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!" 43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, "These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks--in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children? 44 So come, let's make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment." 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. 46 Then he told his family members, "Gather some stones." So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. 47 To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means "witness pile" in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means "witness pile" in Hebrew). 48 Then Laban declared, "This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today." This explains why it was called Galeed--"Witness Pile." 49 But it was also called Mizpah (which means "watchtower"), for Laban said, "May the LORD keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other's sight. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.

[Psa 78:69-72 NLT] 69 There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens, as solid and enduring as the earth. 70 He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens. 71 He took David from tending the ewes and lambs and made him the shepherd of Jacob's descendants--God's own people, Israel. 72 He cared for them with a true heart and led them with skillful hands.

[Heb 7:1-28 NLT] 1 This Melchizedek was king of the city of Salem and also a priest of God Most High. When Abraham was returning home after winning a great battle against the kings, Melchizedek met him and blessed him. 2 Then Abraham took a tenth of all he had captured in battle and gave it to Melchizedek. The name Melchizedek means "king of justice," and king of Salem means "king of peace." 3 There is no record of his father or mother or any of his ancestors--no beginning or end to his life. He remains a priest forever, resembling the Son of God. 4 Consider then how great this Melchizedek was. Even Abraham, the great patriarch of Israel, recognized this by giving him a tenth of what he had taken in battle. 5 Now the law of Moses required that the priests, who are descendants of Levi, must collect a tithe from the rest of the people of Israel, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6 But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God. 7 And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed. 8 The priests who collect tithes are men who die, so Melchizedek is greater than they are, because we are told that he lives on. 9 In addition, we might even say that these Levites--the ones who collect the tithe--paid a tithe to Melchizedek when their ancestor Abraham paid a tithe to him. 10 For although Levi wasn't born yet, the seed from which he came was in Abraham's body when Melchizedek collected the tithe from him. 11 So if the priesthood of Levi, on which the law was based, could have achieved the perfection God intended, why did God need to establish a different priesthood, with a priest in the order of Melchizedek instead of the order of Levi and Aaron? 12 And if the priesthood is changed, the law must also be changed to permit it. 13 For the priest we are talking about belongs to a different tribe, whose members have never served at the altar as priests. 14 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. 15 This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. 16 Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 17 And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." 18 Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. 19 For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron's descendants became priests without such an oath, 21 but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, "The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: 'You are a priest forever.'" 22 Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. 23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins. 28 The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, God appointed his Son with an oath, and his Son has been made the perfect High Priest forever.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, send us out with confidence in your word, to tell the world of your saving acts, and bring glory to your name. Amen.

[thomasgmcelwain]

Genesis 21

Genesis 21

1 And YHWH visited Sarah as

He had said, and YHWH truly has

Done for Sarah as He had spoken.

2 Sarah conceived, no promise broken,

And bore to Abraham a son

In his old age, the set time done

Which Ælohim had promised him.

Who knows what Sarah had been up to while

She was in court of king with rankle file?

Abimelech indeed may have been shy

To touch the lady as she’s passing by,

But what’s to say her barrenness was changed

To fruitfulness by younger courtiers ranged?

The miracle may not be more than that

A younger rod rose to occasion’s fat.

If she would keep her virtue and good name,

She should have kept herself out of harm’s game.

But You, Beloved, come to the rescue fast

Of every virgin birth, no stone to cast,

And claim for Yourself only victory

In saying “Be!” And so the soul’s set free.

3 And Abraham did call the name

Of his son who was born to him,

Whom Sarah bore him without shame,

Isaac. 4 Then Abraham recalled

The pact and circumcised his son

Isaac when eight days had been run,

As Ælohim commanded him.

The first involuntary circumcision,

Unless protesting servants lacked the vision,

Made Isaac son of Abraham. I wonder

If he complained for being cut asunder,

As some did later when the Greeks thought better

Of flaunting all in gymnast chain and fetter,

And so they stretched their foreskins out again.

Not so with Isaac, man among the men.

What scrappy things we humans choose to fight on,

A piece of pork or die, run naked right on

The main street of Jerusalem, or cut

The hair or beard in such and such a rut.

Men heat themselves for and against this practice

Even now. Beloved, give me slice of cactus.

5 When Abraham was one hundred

Years old his son Isaac was bred.

6 And Sarah said "Ælohim has

Made me to laugh, and as well as

All who hear." 7 And she also said

"Who would have said to Abraham

That Sarah'd be pushing a pram?

For I have borne a son in his

Old age." 8 So the child grew, as is,

Was weaned. And Abraham made feast

On the same day that Isaac ceased

To suckle, was weaned from his dam.

The greatest of temptations in this world

Is that before which Sarah doubtless curled.

It is believing that no thing can come

As a surprise, that all things are clear sum

Of what is known, and drab, and failing grey.

The fact is that the sun of each new day

Arises on surprises, expectations

Are almost always like somnambulations,

Imaginations. But reality

Is full of unsought possibility.

And Sarah might have not had so much grief

If she had doubted more grounded belief.

You do, Belovèd, what You do and not

What women and old men were taught and thought.

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar

The Egyptian, whom she had borne

To Abraham, and it did plague her

To see him scoffing him to scorn.

10 Therefore she said to Abraham,

"Cast out this woman and the ham

She calls a son, for he, son of

This bondwoman shall not be heir

With my son, Isaac, whom I love."

11 The matter did not appear fair

To Abraham, who loved his son.

12 But Ælohim told Abraham,

"Do not fret for the thing that's done,

Nor for the lad nor for the lamb,

Your bondwife, hear what Sarah says,

Isaac truly shall wear the fez

And give birth to your descendants.

13 "Yet I too shall greatly enhance

The nation the bondwoman's son

Shall sire, since he's your number one."

Displeasing in the sight of Abraham

It may have been, in that I doubt no scam.

But what about his wife named Hagar, she

Was thrown out on her ear and had to be

A bitter sort for that. Was not the prophet

Concerned for Hagar too when she got off it?

Beloved, a son is one thing, so's a daughter.

But I cannot believe he quite forgot her.

He split his household, true, and so his heart

Was split forever for that jealous part.

If Sarah's plaint was founded, still the cure

Was only in externals, never sure.

Whatever comes or may there is no way

To split my heart from Yours by night or day.

14 So Abraham rose early in

The morning, and took bread and skin

Of water, and put on her shoulder,

He gave it to Hagar and bolder,

The boy, and sent them both away.

Then she departed on her way

And wandered in the wilderness

Of Beersheba. 15 The water less

And less inside the skin was soon

Used up, and at the hottest noon

She put the boy beneath a shrub.

16 Then she went and sat in the scrub

Across from him as far as bow

Might shoot an arrow, and said low

To herself, "Let me not see how

The boy will die." Beneath the bough

She sat across from where he slept

And lifted up her voice and wept.

The vale of Baca, so it's called in Psalm

Where Ishmael's and his mother Hagar's balm

Was not so easy come by. Vale of Baca,

The Vale of Weeping, now turned into Mecca,

Poor, blind, commercial Mecca, so much like

Her sister old Jerusalem, a hike

To northward. There the boy with Hagar wept

And waited, drank, rejoiced and at last slept.

That valley enters many dreams to sweep

The memory awake with all its deep,

Dark longings. Hagar wept that she was there,

And since that day millions have not the fare

To trek a pilgrimage commemorating

Her sorrow and, Beloved, her reinstating.

17 And Ælohim heard the lad's voice.

Ælohim's Angel saw her choice,

And called to Hagar out of heaven,

And asked her without sour or leaven,

"What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for

Ælohim hears the lad's tenor

There where he is. 18 "Get up and lift

The lad and hold him like a gift,

For I shall make him a great nation."

19 Then Ælohim opened her eyes,

She saw a well in her elation

And went and filled to her surprise

The skin with water, gave the lad

A drink of the water she had.

20 So Ælohim was with the lad,

In the desert he lived and grew,

Became an archer without crew.

21 The wilderness of Paran was

His home. His mother, as one does,

Looked for a wife for him and got

One from Egypt where she was bought.

A water bottle and a loaf of bread

I take from You, Beloved, when all is said

And set out on the morning for the road,

The desert road that must be my abode.

When I have taken all provisions that

You gave me, comes a time when I have sat

Bereft beneath the sparsely shading bush,

Entangled in a world of pull and push,

No bread, and empty bottle on my shoulder.

Belovèd, at this moment make me bolder

To reach beyond the daily portion's fare

And know that in the desert You are there.

Though I have eat and drunk the heavenly tract,

I turn from You to You to be exact.

22 And it happened that at that time

Abimelech, partner in crime

Phichol, Commander of his forces,

Told Abraham, without remorses,

"Ælohim is with you in all

You do. 23 "Now therefore, swear by all

And Ælohim that you will not

Deal falsely with me, nor begot

By me, nor my posterity,

But with the kindness that you see

That I have done to you, you will

Do to me, to the land fulfil

The kindness you have met with here."

24 And Abraham said "I will swear."

25 Then Abraham rebuked the king

Abimelech because a spring

Of his that he had dug hard squeezed

Abimelech's servants had seized.

I too live in the shadow of a well

That I did not dig, but with pick and spell

Was dug before my father had been born.

So I come to another's well forsworn.

To find its fragrant waters I left home

And house, lifted my baggage, came to roam

To this one well. I drink it when I wake

And just before I sleep, at noon I take

Deep draughts, and every time between I find

My thirst renews and quenches in that vined

And lilac-ed spring. Beloved, my thirst renews

Not only with the morning and the dews,

But in the intervals that I forget

Your presence with and in me since we met.

26 Abimelech said "I don't know

Who did this thing, you did not show

Me this before, and just today

I heard the thing." 27 So in his way

Abraham took oxen and sheep,

Gave to Abimelech to keep,

And both of them made covenant.

28 And Abraham was adamant

And set seven ewe lambs of the flock

By themselves. 29 Then the king took stock,

Abimelech asked Abraham,

"What means this pile of female lamb

Seven in number you have set

By themselves?" 30 And he said "I let

You take seven ewe lambs from my hand,

To be a witness that my hand

Has dug this well." 31  Therefore he called

That place Beersheba, unappalled

That both of them swore an oath there.

32 Beersheba means they stopped to swear.

Abimelech and Phichol rose,

Commander of his army, chose

To go back to the Philistines.

To further there their own designs.

33 Then he planted a tamarisk

In Beersheba, and there was brisk

To call the name YHWH El Olam,

34 And Abraham stayed under palm

And in the land of Philistines

For many days in his confines.

By seven ewe lambs Abraham did swear

The well was dug by him both fair and square.

By seven lambs of guidance You came late

To covenant Your will and human fate.

The water springing up in life is brought

In charger of green malachite well-sought

By hand of Ali and his blessèd sons

As far as daylight on the heavens runs.

The sevens come again though rarely seen

To whirl upon the pedestals of green,

And spark the sacrifices towards the sky

Whence sacrificial lambs lie down to die.

So hidden Ismail gives his place to Moses

And both know what another just supposes.

[josephkitchen0]

Are Rams Dangerous? Not With Proper Management.

By Laurie Ball-Gisch, The Lavender Fleece – Many people who are interested in keeping sheep hesitate because they have heard that rams are dangerous and hard to keep. So, are rams dangerous? Not if you follow these suggestions.

Ram Behavior

Rams, like all intact male breeding animals, will act-well, rammish—especially during the rut season. This is normal and natural and the way it should be. Rams often don’t get the respect they deserve, but their bad reputations are usually due to human mismanagement.

A ram can be an amazing animal to behold. Nothing catches the eye of visitors better than a well-horned, muscular and beautifully fleeced ram.

Our rams—for the most part—are very interested in what humans are doing. From birth on, rams tend to be friendlier than ewes. Most of our rams come eagerly to the fenceline to have their ears scratched or their chin rubbed. We do not make pets of our rams, but we enjoy their personalities and their handsome presence on our farm. Several of our rams are very protective and they will chase the dogs out of the field, stomping their feet and putting down their heads to protect the other sheep. Obviously, we really like our rams, because we have seven at this time and only 27 ewes!

Rams vs. Artificial Insemination

With the advent of artificial insemination, the mature ram is becoming harder to find on America’s sheep farms. Also, many people will use a ram lamb in the fall and send him to slaughter after the breeding season, so one may never see the full potential of a mature ram line.

Although we buy sheep of AI breedings from the best bloodlines in Iceland, we choose not to do AI ourselves on our farm. To do traditional AI would be too costly with our small group of ewes. A new vaginal AI procedure would make it possible to do the procedure ourselves, but buying and shipping a container of semen from Iceland would be too cost prohibitive for us. And to be honest, I cannot fathom myself interfering with Mother Nature. I personally like to let nature “be” and that means the old-fashioned coupling of a ram with his ewes.

Having the rams here on our farm and using them for several seasons allows us to know the personality of the ram, to evaluate his fleece and conformation for ourselves, rather than trusting somebody else’s opinion of a ram.

In addition, our emphasis here is not on “meat production first.” Meat conformation is the primary focus in Iceland, and so the resulting lambs may produce “better” carcasses, but that is not what is of primary interest to me when raising sheep.

Some ram and ewe combinations can consistently produce lambs superior to either of their parents. But some ram and ewe breedings will be problematic for a variety of reasons. There is, of course, always the mysterious potential of those dominant and recessive genes.

There are also some less obvious things that I learned the hard way that include noting the size of a ram’s forehead.

A ram that has a wide forehead can produce lambs with large foreheads that, regardless of whether or not horn buds are involved, can be problematic for some ewes’ deliverance.

Using a long-bodied, long-legged ram on a short-bodied ewe can cause the lambs to become entangled; they can have problems getting into a positive birth position and the resulting lambing time can be a nightmare for both the ewe and the shepherd.

Noting these problems and not rebreeding that same combination in the future would be advised.

Icelandic ram, scenting

Rental Rams Many times, I’ve had buyers who want to purchase only ewes. They want to save themselves the expense and work of keeping their own rams. They think they can “rent” a ram and bring him back to us or bring the ewes back to us for the breeding season. I know that this is a common practice for some breeders, but I will not do this on our farm. Because we are producing breeding stock, it is of utmost importance to us to keep our flock healthy. So we are very choosy now about which farms we bring in animals from, and we will not bring sheep back to our farm once they leave. This is also why I choose not to exhibit our sheep.

Since rams are an integral part of a breeding program, it is important that new breeders practice sound ram management techniques. Rams must be respected for the breeding animals that they are, but there is no reason to be afraid of rams. While no ram should ever be 100% trusted—meaning never turn your back on a ram—for most of the year rams are easy keepers. But no matter how friendly and easygoing they are, always know where your rams are when you are working in their pastures/paddocks.

For those who are new to handling breeding stock, I have put together some suggestions for ram management based on our experiences here at our farm and from talking with other breeders.

Suggestion #1: Companions

Buy two male animals—either two rams or one ram and a companion ram that has been wethered (neutered).

It is imperative that you never make a pet of an intact ram lamb. Are rams dangerous at this age? No, ram lambs tend to be very curious and friendly and it’s difficult to resist them. I have had ram lambs that at a few days old will seek out my companionship and tug on my pant leg for attention. It’s very tempting to pet these lovely and friendly lambs. But it is imperative that you remember that most aggressive rams are created by their owners.

That ram lamb who sees you as his friend will one day see you as a foe and a rival for his ewe group. The worst scenario for creating mean rams seems to be when people bring home one ram lamb and one or two ewe lambs and keep them together. New owners, besotted by these lovely sheep, (and usually the ram lambs tend to be friendlier than the ewe lambs) naturally want to spend time with them. But by sheep breeding season, that sweet friendly ram lamb can turn aggressive and dangerous. Maybe not so much in his first year, but perhaps dangerously so by the time he is a yearling.

I do believe that aggression in rams can be a heritable trait, however, this won’t be evident until the ram has reached maturity.

Keep rams with wethers or other rams.

Suggestion #2: Isolate

This relates to suggestion #1—house your rams separately from the ewes except during sheep breeding season.

This way you will be able to enjoy your ewes and lambs freely, without having to watch your back for fear of a ram charging you. You don’t want to find out the answer to “are rams dangerous?” the hard way. You can let your children and visitors into the barnyard or field without fear of them being injured by a ram. And since I strongly recommend rams live in separate areas, you should have a companion for your ram. Sheep are flock animals, and should never be left alone.

During the summer months, some farms will let the rams run with the ewes and lambs for grazing. Since summer is not a sheep breeding season this management style may work for some. We still choose to keep our ewes and lambs separated from our rams.

The day that you do introduce rams to their ewe groups, be extremely cautious. Are rams dangerous at this stage? Absolutely. A ram that was benign in the bachelor paddock can suddenly turn very aggressive as soon as he is near his ewes. We have had “gentle” rams come straight at us upon moving them into a ewe group. This sudden exposure to the females makes the normally mild ram potentially very dangerous. Yup, this scenario will give you pretty fast answer to: are rams dangerous?

We always make sure we have extra help the day we put our breeding groups together. We usually have at least two of us moving the rams around and having extra help with gates, etc. is even better.

Suggestion #3: Fences

Make sure your ram fences are strong and escape proof. Are rams dangerous when they are trying to get to ewes? Yes, they are.

Many “unplanned” lambs have resulted from rams who have jumped sheep fencing or battered down gates that were not strong enough to contain them. The longer you wait to put your rams in with the ewes, the more this will become an issue.

One breeder, whose rams are separated from the ewe flock by a 25-acre parcel of land, reported a ram lamb that managed to jump two fences twice to get into the ewes’ pasture.

Rams can be amazing escape artists and extremely aggressive when it is sheep breeding season. Icelandic sheep are seasonal breeders, but that season can vary depending upon the climate they are in.

I have heard of one breeder who had a surprise Icelandic lamb born in January, which means the ewe “cycled” and was bred accidentally in early September (Strong suggestion: remove and separate all ram lambs from the ewe flock by early August).

The ewes will continue to cycle until bred throughout the winter months. So even after rams are removed from the ewes, if a ewe did not “catch,” and if your fences are not escape-proof, you may end up with ram(s) loose and where you don’t want them.

Suggestion #4: Segregate

If you are using two or more rams, do not put the rams with their ewe groups in adjoining pastures where they can “touch” each other at the fence line or gate.

Are rams dangerous to themselves and other rams? Rams have, in fact, battered each other through fences and gates, and have been killed this way. If they are going to be in adjoining areas, create a “dead space” between them with a double fencing system. For instance, we use portable, heavy gauge 16′ stock panels that are 52″ high and create a second fence line of at least 4′ of space anywhere that there will be two ram groups located in adjoining pastures. These heavy-duty panels are working well for us and are portable and can be easily moved around the farm throughout the season for different uses.

Creating visual barriers with tarps or boards so that rams cannot see each other also helps.

In spite of one’s best attempts at keeping rams safe from each other, rams can and will hurt themselves or each other. One breeder found a ram lamb dead of a broken neck on the other side of a 52″ woven wire fence; he had climbed/or jumped over to get to the ewes on the other side and broke his neck in the landing.

Suggestion #5: Husbandry

Are rams dangerous sometimes? Yes, but again, only with mismanagement. Rams need care like any other livestock on your farm.

It’s easy to focus all the attention of the ewes and lambs and neglect the rams. Be sure they get their yearly vaccinations for CD/T (The germs Clostridium perfringens types C & D-enterotoxemia-and C. tetani-Tetanus).

Trim their hooves regularly and make sure they are dewormed appropriately for your area. I hear over and over that shepherds will feed their rams the worse hay thinking the best feed should go to the ewes. This may be true, but if you want your rams to cover a lot of ewes, be sure your rams are in top condition.

Even if they only have a few ewes to service, rams will wear themselves thin pacing and keeping vigil over their flock. If your rams are shorn in the fall and the weather turns quite cold, they will need extra supplemental feed and protein to maintain condition.

Our sheep all have access to free choice minerals and kelp, but during the fall and winter I put out supplemental mineral/protein blocks and the sheep do consume them.

Well-kept yearling Icelandic ram (shorn).

Suggestion #6: Confine

Be careful when putting rams back together. Are rams dangerous at this stage? They can be.

When reintroducing rams to each other, we have a small creep/pen type area in a barn that is just big enough for them to stand up and turn around. We leave them locked in together for around 36-48 hours so that they can get used to each others’ smells. They will want to “wrestle” and headbutt each other as they re-establish the hierarchy. Keeping them in tight quarters prevents them from backing up to get a “full head of steam” and really being able to hit each other hard.

We restrict their food and water for the last 12 hours so that by the time we let them out they are mostly interested in eating and drinking, rather than fighting.

Another trick we use is to spray their noses and genitals with an old men’s cologne to confuse their sense of smell (or you can rub Vick’s on their nostrils). This will help mask the smell of the ewes they were recently with. We laugh at this time of the year because the smell permeating from the ram barn is like a bar—all that nasty cologne; the only thing missing is the cigar smoke and the whiskey!

Before they are released from the “lock up” you can spread some old tires around their ground area so they can’t get up a full “run” at each other. Deep snow is also helpful in slowing down their runs at each other, but we can’t always count on snow to be available.

Also, time their release from their tight enclosure to evening, when it is almost dark.

It is best to put all rams and wethers together at the same time after sheep breeding season to save yourself having to do several small groupings and reintroductions, and to prevent deaths.

One breeder made the mistake of putting a ram lamb that had been with a couple of ewes into a pasture with his smaller intact twin and two wethered ram lambs who had not been with ewes. She turned her back to move some other sheep around and when she turned around five minutes later she found that ram dead of a broken neck and the three supposedly “benign” animals standing around him. Don’t ever underestimate the power of the testosterone, no matter what the size of the animals.

Even though our seven rams have been together (at this writing) for seven weeks, a couple of the rams are still trying to decide the hierarchy. My leader rams, who are of the most primitive genetics, tend to be the most aggressive with each other in trying to establish “head ram.” The ones who will usually fight the longest are those that are evenly sized. Usually, the smaller rams will defer leadership to the largest ram without putting up too much of a fight.

I do have one ram that acts as a peacemaker in the group. When two rams are running at each other, he will step between them, face his side to them and take the blow to prevent them from hurting each other. It’s quite amazing to watch him do this. Usually, after circling each other a few times, with him continuing to intervene, they will eventually give it up.

Suggestion #7: Caution

Always know where your rams are when you are working with them.

You can keep a big stick handy or a spray bottle mixed 50/50 with water and white vinegar to spray the eyes, should any ram decide to challenge you. You want your rams to respect and fear you and they should not be encouraged to come toward you. We do however, train our rams to corn, which helps us to catch and handle them.

I know one woman who has had ram lambs challenge her in the fall months. When this happens, she faces them squarely, grabs them by their horns as they come at her and then she throws them on their back; she sits on them to establish her dominance. They never challenge her again after she does this.

Suggestion #8: Matings

Segregate horned and polled matings.

Rams come either horned or polled or somewhere in between, in the form of “scurs.” We prefer horned sheep and since Icelandic sheep can be horned or polled, there is a lot of flexibility for personal preference.

We do suggest that if you have a mixture of horned and polled stock that you breed horned to horned and polled to polled. If you have a mixture it’s best to breed a horned ram to a polled ewe; it is not recommended to breed a polled ram to horned ewes. I do have several ewes that are polled or scurred but their sires were well-horned rams. In this case, I use my best-horned rams on these ewes hoping to produce well-horned ram lambs.

When bad horns are horns that will grow in too close to the face and become management problems. If this happens, horns must be monitored and sometimes cut back as they grow.

One of the problems with horns can be that occasionally a lamb will knock a horn off or break it. If this happens, spray the wound with a spray (like Blu-Kote) to prevent fly strike. If it is bleeding too much, you can use a blood-stop powder. Most horn injuries are fairly benign and heal over quickly.

If you use electrified netting (like ElectroNet), it can pose a problem for horned ram lambs in that they have been known to tangle their horns in the fencing and essentially hang themselves.

I have not seen any advantage of horns over polled rams in terms of their aggression towards each other. (Others may argue this point; some farms keep their polled rams separate from their horned rams).

When rams fight, they run front-on at each other, putting their foreheads down and “ramming.” Whether or not they are horned does not affect how badly they hurt each other, except that if they turn sideways they can poke an eye of another ram with a horn tip.

Final Suggestion

Never keep a mean ram. Disposition is a heritable trait.

So now you know. Are rams dangerous? Only if they aren’t managed properly.

What suggestions do you have for proper ram management?

Are Rams Dangerous? Not With Proper Management. was originally posted by All About Chickens

[terminallycheesecake]

65 Questions You Aren't Used To

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?

I do honestly #dissociation is anyone real

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?

2? I’m pretty good at getting myself to not freak out with logic, or if all else fails, a good protection charm.

3. The person you would never want to meet?

4. What is your favorite word?

simultaneously 

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?

mmmm I’m not sure,, a willow tree?

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?

oh god i picked at the skin on my nose last night and now i have a big red scab there its so noticeable

7. What shirt are you wearing?

a black tanktop that says “EVERYTHING HURTS AND IM DYING” 

8. What do you label yourself as?

A transdude, a witchling, a homestuck, a furry, gay, pan, fickin, brother, idk akdlsjf

9. Bright room or dark room?

dark room, but some bright rooms can be good too?

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?

honestly I think I fell asleep before then, which is kind of unusual.

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?

Probably now tbh? 17

12. Who told you they loved you last?

My amazing bf we tell each other this legit every time we open up the same chat i mean.

13. Your worst enemy?

I dont think I really have one? maybe like “my inner critic” or something edgy like that.

14. What is your current desktop picture?

this venty art thing that actually is really aesthetic that my moirail made.

15. Do you like someone?

my moirail, my bf, my friends, all the cats in the world, etc

16. The last song you listened to?

Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

my dad lmao. but when he isn’t home like ew the mess.

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?

my dad.

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do?

my brother has to fucking clean the fucking toilet ok he pisses fucking everywhere guys.

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)

fuck idk. alot of people say they really admire my jawline? but i never have thought of it as anything special lskdjf. I think my eyes maybe? 

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?

taking this as in genitalia lmao if i had a dick for a day. idfk omg

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?

im. idk i can type faster than the average person? fuckifiknow

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?

eyes. like. in the dark, just seeing a pair of eyes.

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal.

a pizza. but shaped like a sandwhich.

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?

add it to the collection of money in my wallet that im too afraid to spend until i find the perfect shit online. 

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?

Canada. Right to my bf’s doorstep, so I can fuckin see him ok. @skelepunny

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?

I’ll find out what is most popular and sell it off to people.

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?

Only lgbt++++++++++ no cishets allowed. 

29. What is your favorite expletive?

i want to say fuck just because i say it most, but thats boring so like. 

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?

onee thing can that like qualify as ONE trashbag filled with all of my favorite posessions? 

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

can i erase my dad from my entire memory

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!

canada. to my bf. this is all. 

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?

idk can i give that choice to someone who needs it more? I didnt really know anyone well who’s died in my family.

34. What was your last dream about?

I met andrew hussie and gave him a whistle, he called me a filthy kankri fan and that kankri was his least favorite character.

35. Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]?

This question doesnt work because I am not good at anything.

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?

No. 

37. Have you ever built a snowman?

yes

38. What is the color of your socks?

literally theyre basically all solid black

39. What type of music do you like?

mm alternative- hipstery sort of music

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

sunsets

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

i dont like milkshakes? theyre too thicc

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer)

Arkansas Razorbacks, since basically ur fuckin born into supporting a team 

43. Do you have any scars?

lots and lots

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?

A concept artist? I mean I want to persue animation but its just not as big of a desire to me as being like a character designer and concept artist.

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

can i just be able to pass as male pl e a  s e

46. Are you reliable?

mm im not sure. I mean most of the time yes, but man you never know when those depressive episodes hit and you cant do fuckin anything

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

are u living w/tav r u happy pls tell me im scare

48. Do you hold grudges?

nah not really. I’m a pretty laid back dude? 

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?

a cat-ferret like a fucking noodle cat thats cute as fuck and idk man

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

every conversation with my moirail

51. Are you a good liar?

to my parents yes, but i cant lie to my friends id feel too guilty.

52. How long could you go without talking?

forever omg i never fucking talk at school anyways.

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?

i had a bob once when i was like 7 years old. fuck that shit.

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?

maybe? probably? 

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?

i can do an english accent,, southern,, a bad mock canadian accent to tease my bf, lksdf

56. What do you like on your toast?

butter

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?

a sphinx cat lady for my dnd campaign

58. What would be you dream car?

a vholkswagon bug

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.

no i dont, because i did as a kid and my parents made fun of me for it so never again

60. Do you believe in aliens?

yeah

61. Do you often read your horoscope?

not too often but i stumble across that stuff occassionally

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

G. because. Greyne. and my given name is rlly special to me.its me.

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

dragons by far fuckin fire breathing flying lizards.

64. What do you think about babies?

disgusting worms but sometimes ute as long as im at a far distance and they are happy

65. Freebie! Ask anything interesting you can think of.

ehh 

[josephkitchen0]

Are Rams Dangerous? Not With Proper Management.

By Laurie Ball-Gisch, The Lavender Fleece – Many people who are interested in keeping sheep hesitate because they have heard that rams are dangerous and hard to keep. So, are rams dangerous? Not if you follow these suggestions.

Ram Behavior

Rams, like all intact male breeding animals, will act-well, rammish—especially during the rut season. This is normal and natural and the way it should be. Rams often don’t get the respect they deserve, but their bad reputations are usually due to human mismanagement.

A ram can be an amazing animal to behold. Nothing catches the eye of visitors better than a well-horned, muscular and beautifully fleeced ram.

Our rams—for the most part—are very interested in what humans are doing. From birth on, rams tend to be friendlier than ewes. Most of our rams come eagerly to the fenceline to have their ears scratched or their chin rubbed. We do not make pets of our rams, but we enjoy their personalities and their handsome presence on our farm. Several of our rams are very protective and they will chase the dogs out of the field, stomping their feet and putting down their heads to protect the other sheep. Obviously, we really like our rams, because we have seven at this time and only 27 ewes!

Rams vs. Artificial Insemination

With the advent of artificial insemination, the mature ram is becoming harder to find on America’s sheep farms. Also, many people will use a ram lamb in the fall and send him to slaughter after the breeding season, so one may never see the full potential of a mature ram line.

Although we buy sheep of AI breedings from the best bloodlines in Iceland, we choose not to do AI ourselves on our farm. To do traditional AI would be too costly with our small group of ewes. A new vaginal AI procedure would make it possible to do the procedure ourselves, but buying and shipping a container of semen from Iceland would be too cost prohibitive for us. And to be honest, I cannot fathom myself interfering with Mother Nature. I personally like to let nature “be” and that means the old-fashioned coupling of a ram with his ewes.

Having the rams here on our farm and using them for several seasons allows us to know the personality of the ram, to evaluate his fleece and conformation for ourselves, rather than trusting somebody else’s opinion of a ram.

In addition, our emphasis here is not on “meat production first.” Meat conformation is the primary focus in Iceland, and so the resulting lambs may produce “better” carcasses, but that is not what is of primary interest to me when raising sheep.

Some ram and ewe combinations can consistently produce lambs superior to either of their parents. But some ram and ewe breedings will be problematic for a variety of reasons. There is, of course, always the mysterious potential of those dominant and recessive genes.

There are also some less obvious things that I learned the hard way that include noting the size of a ram’s forehead.

A ram that has a wide forehead can produce lambs with large foreheads that, regardless of whether or not horn buds are involved, can be problematic for some ewes’ deliverance.

Using a long-bodied, long-legged ram on a short-bodied ewe can cause the lambs to become entangled; they can have problems getting into a positive birth position and the resulting lambing time can be a nightmare for both the ewe and the shepherd.

Noting these problems and not rebreeding that same combination in the future would be advised.

Icelandic ram, scenting

Rental Rams Many times, I’ve had buyers who want to purchase only ewes. They want to save themselves the expense and work of keeping their own rams. They think they can “rent” a ram and bring him back to us or bring the ewes back to us for the breeding season. I know that this is a common practice for some breeders, but I will not do this on our farm. Because we are producing breeding stock, it is of utmost importance to us to keep our flock healthy. So we are very choosy now about which farms we bring in animals from, and we will not bring sheep back to our farm once they leave. This is also why I choose not to exhibit our sheep.

Since rams are an integral part of a breeding program, it is important that new breeders practice sound ram management techniques. Rams must be respected for the breeding animals that they are, but there is no reason to be afraid of rams. While no ram should ever be 100% trusted—meaning never turn your back on a ram—for most of the year rams are easy keepers. But no matter how friendly and easygoing they are, always know where your rams are when you are working in their pastures/paddocks.

For those who are new to handling breeding stock, I have put together some suggestions for ram management based on our experiences here at our farm and from talking with other breeders.

Suggestion #1: Companions

Buy two male animals—either two rams or one ram and a companion ram that has been wethered (neutered).

It is imperative that you never make a pet of an intact ram lamb. Are rams dangerous at this age? No, ram lambs tend to be very curious and friendly and it’s difficult to resist them. I have had ram lambs that at a few days old will seek out my companionship and tug on my pant leg for attention. It’s very tempting to pet these lovely and friendly lambs. But it is imperative that you remember that most aggressive rams are created by their owners.

That ram lamb who sees you as his friend will one day see you as a foe and a rival for his ewe group. The worst scenario for creating mean rams seems to be when people bring home one ram lamb and one or two ewe lambs and keep them together. New owners, besotted by these lovely sheep, (and usually the ram lambs tend to be friendlier than the ewe lambs) naturally want to spend time with them. But by sheep breeding season, that sweet friendly ram lamb can turn aggressive and dangerous. Maybe not so much in his first year, but perhaps dangerously so by the time he is a yearling.

I do believe that aggression in rams can be a heritable trait, however, this won’t be evident until the ram has reached maturity.

Keep rams with wethers or other rams.

Suggestion #2: Isolate

This relates to suggestion #1—house your rams separately from the ewes except during sheep breeding season.

This way you will be able to enjoy your ewes and lambs freely, without having to watch your back for fear of a ram charging you. You don’t want to find out the answer to “are rams dangerous?” the hard way. You can let your children and visitors into the barnyard or field without fear of them being injured by a ram. And since I strongly recommend rams live in separate areas, you should have a companion for your ram. Sheep are flock animals, and should never be left alone.

During the summer months, some farms will let the rams run with the ewes and lambs for grazing. Since summer is not a sheep breeding season this management style may work for some. We still choose to keep our ewes and lambs separated from our rams.

The day that you do introduce rams to their ewe groups, be extremely cautious. Are rams dangerous at this stage? Absolutely. A ram that was benign in the bachelor paddock can suddenly turn very aggressive as soon as he is near his ewes. We have had “gentle” rams come straight at us upon moving them into a ewe group. This sudden exposure to the females makes the normally mild ram potentially very dangerous. Yup, this scenario will give you pretty fast answer to: are rams dangerous?

We always make sure we have extra help the day we put our breeding groups together. We usually have at least two of us moving the rams around and having extra help with gates, etc. is even better.

Suggestion #3: Fences

Make sure your ram fences are strong and escape proof. Are rams dangerous when they are trying to get to ewes? Yes, they are.

Many “unplanned” lambs have resulted from rams who have jumped sheep fencing or battered down gates that were not strong enough to contain them. The longer you wait to put your rams in with the ewes, the more this will become an issue.

One breeder, whose rams are separated from the ewe flock by a 25-acre parcel of land, reported a ram lamb that managed to jump two fences twice to get into the ewes’ pasture.

Rams can be amazing escape artists and extremely aggressive when it is sheep breeding season. Icelandic sheep are seasonal breeders, but that season can vary depending upon the climate they are in.

I have heard of one breeder who had a surprise Icelandic lamb born in January, which means the ewe “cycled” and was bred accidentally in early September (Strong suggestion: remove and separate all ram lambs from the ewe flock by early August).

The ewes will continue to cycle until bred throughout the winter months. So even after rams are removed from the ewes, if a ewe did not “catch,” and if your fences are not escape-proof, you may end up with ram(s) loose and where you don’t want them.

Suggestion #4: Segregate

If you are using two or more rams, do not put the rams with their ewe groups in adjoining pastures where they can “touch” each other at the fence line or gate.

Are rams dangerous to themselves and other rams? Rams have, in fact, battered each other through fences and gates, and have been killed this way. If they are going to be in adjoining areas, create a “dead space” between them with a double fencing system. For instance, we use portable, heavy gauge 16′ stock panels that are 52″ high and create a second fence line of at least 4′ of space anywhere that there will be two ram groups located in adjoining pastures. These heavy-duty panels are working well for us and are portable and can be easily moved around the farm throughout the season for different uses.

Creating visual barriers with tarps or boards so that rams cannot see each other also helps.

In spite of one’s best attempts at keeping rams safe from each other, rams can and will hurt themselves or each other. One breeder found a ram lamb dead of a broken neck on the other side of a 52″ woven wire fence; he had climbed/or jumped over to get to the ewes on the other side and broke his neck in the landing.

Suggestion #5: Husbandry

Are rams dangerous sometimes? Yes, but again, only with mismanagement. Rams need care like any other livestock on your farm.

It’s easy to focus all the attention of the ewes and lambs and neglect the rams. Be sure they get their yearly vaccinations for CD/T (The germs Clostridium perfringens types C & D-enterotoxemia-and C. tetani-Tetanus).

Trim their hooves regularly and make sure they are dewormed appropriately for your area. I hear over and over that shepherds will feed their rams the worse hay thinking the best feed should go to the ewes. This may be true, but if you want your rams to cover a lot of ewes, be sure your rams are in top condition.

Even if they only have a few ewes to service, rams will wear themselves thin pacing and keeping vigil over their flock. If your rams are shorn in the fall and the weather turns quite cold, they will need extra supplemental feed and protein to maintain condition.

Our sheep all have access to free choice minerals and kelp, but during the fall and winter I put out supplemental mineral/protein blocks and the sheep do consume them.

Well-kept yearling Icelandic ram (shorn).

Suggestion #6: Confine

Be careful when putting rams back together. Are rams dangerous at this stage? They can be.

When reintroducing rams to each other, we have a small creep/pen type area in a barn that is just big enough for them to stand up and turn around. We leave them locked in together for around 36-48 hours so that they can get used to each others’ smells. They will want to “wrestle” and headbutt each other as they re-establish the hierarchy. Keeping them in tight quarters prevents them from backing up to get a “full head of steam” and really being able to hit each other hard.

We restrict their food and water for the last 12 hours so that by the time we let them out they are mostly interested in eating and drinking, rather than fighting.

Another trick we use is to spray their noses and genitals with an old men’s cologne to confuse their sense of smell (or you can rub Vick’s on their nostrils). This will help mask the smell of the ewes they were recently with. We laugh at this time of the year because the smell permeating from the ram barn is like a bar—all that nasty cologne; the only thing missing is the cigar smoke and the whiskey!

Before they are released from the “lock up” you can spread some old tires around their ground area so they can’t get up a full “run” at each other. Deep snow is also helpful in slowing down their runs at each other, but we can’t always count on snow to be available.

Also, time their release from their tight enclosure to evening, when it is almost dark.

It is best to put all rams and wethers together at the same time after sheep breeding season to save yourself having to do several small groupings and reintroductions, and to prevent deaths.

One breeder made the mistake of putting a ram lamb that had been with a couple of ewes into a pasture with his smaller intact twin and two wethered ram lambs who had not been with ewes. She turned her back to move some other sheep around and when she turned around five minutes later she found that ram dead of a broken neck and the three supposedly “benign” animals standing around him. Don’t ever underestimate the power of the testosterone, no matter what the size of the animals.

Even though our seven rams have been together (at this writing) for seven weeks, a couple of the rams are still trying to decide the hierarchy. My leader rams, who are of the most primitive genetics, tend to be the most aggressive with each other in trying to establish “head ram.” The ones who will usually fight the longest are those that are evenly sized. Usually, the smaller rams will defer leadership to the largest ram without putting up too much of a fight.

I do have one ram that acts as a peacemaker in the group. When two rams are running at each other, he will step between them, face his side to them and take the blow to prevent them from hurting each other. It’s quite amazing to watch him do this. Usually, after circling each other a few times, with him continuing to intervene, they will eventually give it up.

Suggestion #7: Caution

Always know where your rams are when you are working with them.

You can keep a big stick handy or a spray bottle mixed 50/50 with water and white vinegar to spray the eyes, should any ram decide to challenge you. You want your rams to respect and fear you and they should not be encouraged to come toward you. We do however, train our rams to corn, which helps us to catch and handle them.

I know one woman who has had ram lambs challenge her in the fall months. When this happens, she faces them squarely, grabs them by their horns as they come at her and then she throws them on their back; she sits on them to establish her dominance. They never challenge her again after she does this.

Suggestion #8: Matings

Segregate horned and polled matings.

Rams come either horned or polled or somewhere in between, in the form of “scurs.” We prefer horned sheep and since Icelandic sheep can be horned or polled, there is a lot of flexibility for personal preference.

We do suggest that if you have a mixture of horned and polled stock that you breed horned to horned and polled to polled. If you have a mixture it’s best to breed a horned ram to a polled ewe; it is not recommended to breed a polled ram to horned ewes. I do have several ewes that are polled or scurred but their sires were well-horned rams. In this case, I use my best-horned rams on these ewes hoping to produce well-horned ram lambs.

When bad horns are horns that will grow in too close to the face and become management problems. If this happens, horns must be monitored and sometimes cut back as they grow.

One of the problems with horns can be that occasionally a lamb will knock a horn off or break it. If this happens, spray the wound with a spray (like Blu-Kote) to prevent fly strike. If it is bleeding too much, you can use a blood-stop powder. Most horn injuries are fairly benign and heal over quickly.

If you use electrified netting (like ElectroNet), it can pose a problem for horned ram lambs in that they have been known to tangle their horns in the fencing and essentially hang themselves.

I have not seen any advantage of horns over polled rams in terms of their aggression towards each other. (Others may argue this point; some farms keep their polled rams separate from their horned rams).

When rams fight, they run front-on at each other, putting their foreheads down and “ramming.” Whether or not they are horned does not affect how badly they hurt each other, except that if they turn sideways they can poke an eye of another ram with a horn tip.

Final Suggestion

Never keep a mean ram. Disposition is a heritable trait.

So now you know. Are rams dangerous? Only if they aren’t managed properly.

What suggestions do you have for proper ram management?

Are Rams Dangerous? Not With Proper Management. was originally posted by All About Chickens

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings August 08, 2017

Psalm 78

Psalm 78

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Ingratitude

A Maskil of Asaph.

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, 3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; 8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.

9 The Ephraimites, armed with[a] the bow, turned back on the day of battle. 10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law. 11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them. 12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. 13 He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap. 14 In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light. 15 He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep. 16 He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. 18 They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved. 19 They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in the wilderness? 20 Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of rage; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel, 22 because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power. 23 Yet he commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; 24 he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance. 26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind; 27 he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas; 28 he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings. 29 And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved. 30 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, 31 the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.

32 In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders. 33 So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. 34 When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly. 35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. 36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues. 37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant. 38 Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again. 40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert! 41 They tested God again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe; 43 when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zoan. 44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams. 45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them. 46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust. 47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost. 48 He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts. 49 He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels. 50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague. 51 He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52 Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And he brought them to his holy hill, to the mountain that his right hand had won. 55 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

56 Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees, 57 but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow. 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols. 59 When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel. 60 He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals, 61 and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe. 62 He gave his people to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage. 63 Fire devoured their young men, and their girls had no marriage song. 64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation. 65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine. 66 He put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting disgrace.

67 He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim; 68 but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loves. 69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever. 70 He chose his servant David, and took him from the sheepfolds; 71 from tending the nursing ewes he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance. 72 With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.

Footnotes:

Psalm 78:9 Heb armed with shooting

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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

2 Samuel 7:18-29

David’s Prayer

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people,[a] O Lord God! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another[b] nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them,[c] by driving out[d] before his people nations and their gods?[e] 24 And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you, O Lord, became their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. 26 Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; 29 now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Footnotes:

2 Samuel 7:19 Meaning of Heb uncertain

2 Samuel 7:23 Gk: Heb one

2 Samuel 7:23 Heb you

2 Samuel 7:23 Gk 1 Chr 17.21: Heb for your land

2 Samuel 7:23 Cn: Heb before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, nations and its gods

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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

Acts 18:12-28

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. 13 They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; 15 but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he dismissed them from the tribunal. 17 Then all of them[a] seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.

Paul’s Return to Antioch

18 After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers[b] and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. 19 When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; 21 but on taking leave of them, he said, “I[c] will return to you, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem[d] and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia[e] and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

24 Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers[f] encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah[g] is Jesus.

Footnotes:

Acts 18:17 Other ancient authorities read all the Greeks

Acts 18:18 Gk brothers

Acts 18:21 Other ancient authorities read I must at all costs keep the approaching festival in Jerusalem, but I

Acts 18:22 Gk went up

Acts 18:23 Gk the Galatian region

Acts 18:27 Gk brothers

Acts 18:28 Or the Christ

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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

Mark 8:22-33

Jesus Cures a Blind Man at Bethsaida

22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people[a] brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Can you see anything?” 24 And the man[b] looked up and said, “I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus[c] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Then he sent him away to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”[d]

Peter’s Declaration about Jesus

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.”[e] 30 And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Footnotes:

Mark 8:22 Gk They

Mark 8:24 Gk he

Mark 8:25 Gk he

Mark 8:26 Other ancient authorities add or tell anyone in the village

Mark 8:29 Or the Christ

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

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