#(God would I love to take Tozer)

[saints-who-never-existed]

I want to think a bit more about this but right now I just want to say that I'm blown away and delighted by all the thoughtful replies this has gotten already! :)

I hope it didn't come across as condescending in any way - lord knows there have been plenty of times I myself have struggled to parse the funky wee accents and unique dialects of my own countrymen...

And I also hope I haven't given the impression that some mystical new level of understanding is unlocked when one happens to know one's Liverpudlians from one's Mancunians because that's certainly not the case.

Really, I just like thinking about language and locality and all the possible influences that could have on character - nature vs. nurture and that sort of thing. :)

I've been thinking about Terror character/actor accents and origins again today and I'd love to hear some non-British/otherwise outside perspectives on the subject at some point - might even attempt to make a poll about it.

I'm just curious!

Do you find the different accents in the show difficult to understand at any point? Are some more challenging than others? Do you think having more context on different character accents and origins would change anything about your understanding/interpretations of the show and the relationships within it?

[laststandx3]

I'll be bitter for a minute and say it: i think the terror for how good it is, is also very partial on crozier on being #1 mister only good colonizer in the arctic, and i sort of hate it because the change happens only because he sobers up. and sure alchool makes people cruel, but sobering up doesnt make them perfect. he went from let silna be left on the ship without protection/kick her out for the tuunbaq if she doesnt help us/ rip the guy that died to get me a bottle of whisky, anywayy to peace and love on planet earth lets us all take this walk together while i share words of wisdom and love with this other colonizer who's also very sorry he didn't do anything good with his life. Crozier started the journey at least as a heavy day-drinker and i understand how that's different from heavy alcholism but at the same time i can't imagine all of crozier's faults being the consequences of whisky alone. and having him overcoming his alcholism and wising up immediately after being clean for a few weeks is FOR ME a terrible writing choice that paints him as being naturally good and his 'bad' behaviors coming ONLY from the alchool. yes he sees blanky getting hurt and that's starts his sobering up path. but that's not enough for me. the people (other characters state aloud for the audience) he loves more than god loves them are dying left and right. and i really dont care if corzier cares about the crew or not but if he cared he should have cared about them even when he was drunk and not remembring about their wellbeing AFTER he got clean. i'm not saying you cant enjoy crozier. i just believe his character development isnt earned and that he got it only because he's the designed good character that canonically survives in the book. i dont think that him shitting himself for a few weeks while sobering up can count as having the emotional development to go from one extreme to the other. especially because everyone else is also there sufferring physically and psychologically even more than him due to the fact that their all stranded in the arctic and dying of scurvy and no one else in the crew could have the time off work, privacy and attentions to heal. crozier being the 2nd on command and then captain used his power to become a drunk and later to clean up. and i just dont believe that a man who abused his position like that from the beginning just becuase he was pissed he couldnt marry the woman he wanted suddently stops abusing his position because he's now clean and pure. TO ME it's a bad writing choice that is also force-fed to the audience with the line 'more than god loves them' so that you get it for sure that he's the good guy who cares about people not like those others evil characters who would do anything to survive like killing innocents and being racist (the good guys could never. except they canonically did- but wait, not in THIS continent so it doesnt matter) and eating people (which is a sign of being naturally evil, no matter the circumstances) or following a religion in a desperate last chance of survival (again no one on the good guys side would put religion above good sense and the safety of fellow human beings. in this continent?? maybe? ugh)

in summary i think the main flaw i find in the terror is how much it still tries to draw a line between good and evil. instead of just trying to portray the human disperation for their mortal condition. how much having to come face to face with tuunbaq must destroy all of those men convinctions on what life/afterlife are (for what i remember it just addresses it for tozer AND in the SCRIPT) nobody else gets a life shuttering experience. it's either the devil, then good christians should be safe, or it's a different religion, then what?? what do you do when your life looses its meaning? and the answer for most of the charactes was 🤷‍♀️guess we'll think about it after this awesome party we're about to throw. i dont want this to be about religion, but these men are wrecked in every way, there's nobody to save them and everyday they're a little more in pain than the one before. there shouldnt be a camp of the good men lead by the strong and wise one who take care of their sick and lets the dying die peacefully with morphin. while in the bad guys camp they eat people and have evil laugh competitions and kill their sick with knifes bc giving them poison might make them unedible. and specifically those evil guys where also the reason why the expedition happened to hurt the locals, the good guys have nothing to do with it.

i dont think there's nothing wrong (narratively) in doing anything to survive. even if it's something cruel, because those men are at the end of the world alone, it's at least realistic that they'll try everything to avoid death. crozier(and jfj even if offscreen) gets to be cruel at the beginning of the story but by middle point they're shown to be sad (about unrelated things) and spend the last few episodes being kind and brave (and forgiven by the narrative) while their chance at character development is uniquelly given by their ranks. in the meantime the consequences of those cruelness (only hickey, because we dont get to see survivors of jfj trip to China, if he left any) dont get the chance to heal and change because hickey's position of subordiante never allows him to be really safe, and because his torture was public, automatically making every witness taking the side of the perpetrator. hickey's never given weeks off work to recover because he got lashed because of his own actions. hickey doesnt get words of wisdom from a companion because in his mind everyone agreed with crozier in him deserving the lashes, (except maybe tozer? but even that isnt that clear cut) hickey, manson and hartnell also magiaclly heal from the lashes after a few weeks (even when ANYOTHER character cant heal because of scurvy) so the narrative can't held crozier accountable for the pain he caused.

the good guys and the bad guys' actions are treated differently by the show. even when the good guys actions should have consequences and the bad guys' shouldnt. the narrative has already decided which sins will be forgiven and which will be punished. and it's a bit annoying to me because for how wonderful the terror is, i cant help but feel like i'm being spoonfed a narrative about morality when at its core the story is about humanity.

[awideplace]

i was curious your opinion on my friend’s situation:

my friend is in school to study psychology and go into research. one of her professors approached her to do a summer internship to work under the professor and help with her research. it’s basically a great opportunity for experience, networking, etc. the only thing is that the research her professor does is focused around the LGBTQ+ community (note: her professor is apart of that community). the internship would be to recruit people in that community to partake in an interview where they would share their coming out stories. my friend is a Christian, but when i asked her if she would do it, her only hesitation was that she doesn’t have any connections to that community so it would be hard to recruit people for the interview. as a Christian, should there be more hesitations for this internship? like is doing this internship supporting LGBTQ+ in some way? idk. i don’t think i would take the internship, because not every opportunity is from God.. but i’m not sure how to explain that to her or if i’m even right in that?

thank you in advance!

Hmm...I have friends in the LGBTQ+ community, but I would: never condone homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. or attend a wedding of such persons. Why? Because of love. Because the Bible teaches clearly and plainly on such issues and there is no skirting around it. I must honor God. Yet I have friends in that community because I care about them very much and like them as people, but my soul hurts for their destination and living apart from God and I cannot condone what God says He hates. How can I love and embrace what God calls evil? I cannot. Which is why I also cannot embrace a spouse cheating on their husband, sex before marriage, pornography use, etc. Sexual immorality is a devastating evil prevalent in many human hearts and it is our downfall more often than not. Lord, deliver us. And He does, but we don't respond. Anyway...back to your friend: I don't think it would be bad to seek people out and ask about their "coming out" stories, but I would not condone their choices. So I would have a hard time doing this project because I would have to bite my tongue and act as if I somehow condone this by highlighting these stories. The issue is this though: the root is that your friend is working with someone who is a part of that community and is 100% focused on that community, what did they expect? So I would not align myself in partaking in research/an internship with someone with celebrates willful sinful lifestyles against God's creative order.

For example of another sexual perversion: if I was to align myself with doing research with a professor who is a proponent of pedophilia I would expect that any projects with this person would be, in their own way, a proponent of pedophilia. I would be careful who I align myself with. We are to honor the Lord and His Word first and foremost: He will take care of the results.

Even though I care deeply about people who are homosexual, I love God more and cannot condone that which He hates. I have compassion for them because who would I be without Christ? Really, what made me to differ besides His grace and studying His Word and knowing what He teaches? What do I have that I haven't received? I have compassion, but I cannot turn my back on God.

"Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image." – Aiden Wilson Tozer

[hacash]

Series asks:

• The Terror

• The Musketeers

• the last movie you watched

Marvellously the last film I watched was LOTR, which makes this beautifully easy! Also I want to sue for making me choose just one husband-candidate from the Terror character list, this is nothing but pure biphobia.

The Terror

Character I’d want as a best friend. - Depending on my mood it would either be Bridgens (sweet, gentle, loves books, will clearly be a comforting presence) or Fitzjames (gossipy, kinda bitchy, would enjoy drag brunch and hopefully sharing his fabulous wardrobe with me).

Character I’d want as a parent. – I was going to say MacDonald, as he’s just so nice and dry-witted and shaped like kindness, but honestly one of the fundamental rules of life is that you can't think your parent is hot and Charles Edwards remains an absolute dish, so it's gonna have to be Captain 'Grumpy Pants' Crozier here.

Character I’d want as a sibling. - Irving, my troubled dweeby little baby queer: I have so many queer Christian groups to share with you.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – SOL TOZER. LOOK AT MY TAGS. THIS MUCH IS APPARENT. He's loyal, he's snarky, he's genuinely protective of his men, he's the hottest one of the bunch and clearly takes orders well: which is basically my dream husband. Because I'm greedy I will also dub Fitzjames and Hartnell as very close runners-up: two absolute Good Eggs who also happen to be very pretty.

Character I’d want as a child. – Honest to God, if I could pop baby Thomas Evans into a sling like a baby kangaroo and carry him around all day, I would, with his curls and his pinchable cheeks and his heartbreaking loyalty to his buddies.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – There is only one possible right answer for this, and that answer is Thomas ‘Monsterfucker’ Blanky.

BBC Musketeers

Character I’d want as a best friend. - Porthos, 100% the best musketeers of the bunch.

Character I’d want as a parent. – Obviously Captain Treville; apparently a specific blorbo-type I have is ‘gruff figure of authority who would die for anyone under their command’ and Treville was definitely a foundational blorbo here.

Character I’d want as a sibling. - Sylvie only had a single series and I'm still gutted about it; not only do I think she'd be a great sibling but we could overthrow the government together.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – I didn't spend several years spamming your feeds with reams of d'Artagnan gifsets and meta not to dub him my honorary husband now.

Character I’d want as a child. – Aramis: granted he’s an adult man but I feel like he needs a full-time parent just to tell him what not to put his dick in.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – Can you imagine going to family dinners and having Louis as an in-law? Those meals would be so messy, I would absolutely love that.

LOTR

Character I’d want as a best friend. – I would argue that pretty much the entire point of the trilogy is ‘you will never get a best friend better than Samwise Gamgee’, so obviously my answer’s gotta be Sam. We both like gardening, planting, being snarky little shits and loving Frodo Baggins so we’d probably get on.

Character I’d want as a parent. – Absolutely Theoden: Bernard Hill’s delivery of ‘no parent should ever have to bury their child’ ruined me twenty-two years ago and honestly I’ve never quite recovered. (He makes such a good dad!!)

Character I’d want as a sibling. – Boromir is the archetypal big brother; I would bond with him over adorable hobbits and being aspec so so much.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – My little eleven-year-old self’s crush on both Pippin and Merry was a significantly formative period in my life, so honestly, either of them. They’re both Good Eggs, we can bond over cooking, Pippin can make me laugh lots and Merry can compensate for my utter inability to plan anything ever.

Character I’d want as a child. – Those two adorable baby hobbit kiddos played by Peter Jackson's kids.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – Gandalf is the only weird inlaw.

[pomodoriyum]

i love that its billy who gives hickey the idea for the mutiny. and i love that hickey seems— if not apprehensive— perhaps cautious? about the idea

-

also. collins. aww horrible from supper you poor little guy

-

those rations look fuckign disgusting, jesus christ

hickeys eyes. big and wet like bug

silna staring at him :0

-

ooooof morfinn having. bad time /(

tozers lil ‘oh christ’ where he drops his lighthearted “im talking to the men” <3 voice

UHOHHHH <3

-

kwwping that secret is gonna backfire. woof

its quiet but james fitzjames is Doing Badly

tozer im so sorry why would you try to get hickey armed. did you thibk that wouldnt be suspicious as hell???????

THIS FACE IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. LIKE. HELLO?????

—

aw, goodsir. him crying is sooo. mmm. panic attack :,(

also that bed is fucking filthy jfc

SILNA <3

—

jopsons “oh thank you very much sir 😒” WAS SO FUNNY

promotion~ ! (not sure if jopson is actually happy abt this????)

—

HICKEYS FACE WHEN HODGE THINKS HES SUGGESTING HE STOLE SOMEONES FLESH LOL

^ he says ‘is that really what you think of me’ (george is RIGHT tho is the thing)

also georges lil ‘god blind me’ woof :3c

its so so clear that tozer is. gently threateninf hodg here. and hodge is Not Interested In This At All

—

i love how hickey is on the outside of the hunting party. hes not With Them. in the way that matters?

also parallels how hes pretty clearly not putting it in while hauling, and also has a reputation for not doing things that hes been asked to (‘layabout’ fits him really well)

—

hickey The Killerrrrrrr (nah tho its so fucked up. he only does this bc hes racist in the extreme!!!!! and like. hes very bitter about francis’s idea potentially working b/c itll take the legs out from under his little mutiny— and the numbers *still* wont work!) *slams his head into the ground*

irving. thank you for being the only normal person here about the inuit

also im sorry but that murder scene audio is so funny to me. help. the tonal switch is too abrupt

hickey. also. looks kind of confused for a second after hes finished killing irvin?? like???????

SCREAM flashback. i love how he fucking throws his bag down the ladder. what an ass. like what if that hit anyone????

^^

face of someone who is realizing that their whole ‘catch a trip to oahu’ idea is going to be more complicated than they thought

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Daily Cross Carrying

by Aiden Wilson Tozer

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." – Luke 9:23

Our Lord called men to follow Him but He never made the way look easy. Indeed one gets the distinct impression that He made it appear extremely hard. Sometimes He said things to disciples or prospective disciples that we today discreetly avoid repeating when we are trying to win men to Him. What present-day evangelist would have the courage to tell an inquirer, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:24-25)? And do not we do some tall explaining when someone asks us what Jesus meant when He said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law" (Matt. 10:34-35)? That kind of rugged, sinewy Christianity is left for an occasional missionary or for some believer behind one of the various curtains in the world. The masses of professed Christians simply do not have the moral muscle to enable them to take a path so downright and final as this. When will Christians learn that to love righteousness it is necessary to hate sin? that to accept Christ it is necessary to reject self? that to follow the good way we must flee from evil? that a friend of the world is an enemy of God? that God allows no twilight zone between two altogethers where the fearful and the doubting may take refuge at once from hell to come and the rigors of present discipline?

[bilgewater01]

2,3, 10, 22 for violence

2. I think every character would top or bottom given enough incentive; I make my faves bottom more often because I find that hotter but I do acknowledge they'd do either; however I don't think Des Voeux would bottom easily in his natural state. He doesn't trust anyone, he would not turn his back on you + he has more interesting things in mind + he wants to be called "Mr. Des Voeux" even in the relaxed social structure of mutiny camp, this is not a man who likes to be denigrated in any perceivable capacity (note: Des Voeux in my Devious is not the show version of the character therefore doesn't count, as for him propositioning Hickey in that one piss fic, well idk it fit there, really it isn't very rigid with me)

3. Worst take is something common among casual watchers and probably/hopefully not the fandom people; namely that Hickey is 100% evil and that Gibson was just his manipulated victim, something like "even the other gay guy was sick of Hickey's shit" when talking about the breakup scene

10. Either "Gibson overlooked the red flags on Hickey" (as he himself wasn't the worst boyfriend Hickey could ask for with that whole accusing him of rape at the slightest sign of adversity), or, something I am somewhat guilty of participating in, that Armitage wants to be a sex slave of the Marines and not a Marine himself. He didn't kill two of the unarmed natives himself only to be perceived as a "uuoohh pls daddy Tozer hold me in your strong arms and breed my boypussy until pregnant🥺🥺" (I do it more in the spirit of "by God I love the smell of Marine balls in the morning" which is funny and gives him some agency. I generally do not like men without agency, even or especially if they take it up the ass, it's 2yaoi4me you know)

22. The Terror, a novel by Dan Simmons from 2007 particularly the parts where Hickey and Manson ♥️

but serious answer regarding the show would be Hodgson's fucking Blood Meridian monologue

[psalmonesermons]

Following Jesus Part 2 What does Jesus expect of his followers? Here are three things that Jesus requires of his followers (disciples). 1. If we love Jesus, Jesus expects that we will obey him. John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments. What commandments – the three found in the New Testament; Love God, love your neighbour, love one another as I have loved you John 15:12 2. We are expected to follow his example Jesus told His disciples to follow Him, while He showed the disciples how to follow God. Jesus did not tell His disciples to follow other teachers; in fact, He warned against "false teachers" and rejected teachers of questionable beliefs. Paul followed the example of Jesus as he instructed believers to follow him, 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." It is scary thought to consider ‘just who are our children following today’? Our modern society "teachers/leaders" can include both people and peers and even the media. Media includes influences such as educational curriculums, books, television, music, movies, gaming, internet, etc. This is an urgent need for people especially our children to see just who it is that we are following. Many people would rather follow someone on Twitter rather than follow Jesus in life. 3. Jesus expects His disciples to count the cost of following Him. In the book ‘Mere Christianity’ [1] C.S. Lewis put the idea of counting the cost like this: "The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self--all your wishes and precautions--to Christ. A.W. Tozer on this topic expressed it like this: "Among the plastic saints of our times, Jesus has to do all the dying, and all we want to hear is another sermon about his dying." Part of following Jesus is being willing to put the self-life to death. Rom 6:11a Think (reckon) of yourselves as dead to sin. Death to self is NOT optional for Christians- We need to count the cost of following Jesus and the effects it will produce in our lives. It is a sobering thought to read- Mat 10:38 anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Amen Personal Prayer [1] C S Lewis Mere Christianity Chapter 23: 24 https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5lTGvIIJr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[solomon-tozer]

For the fandom meme <3 (you don't have to answer them all if you don't want to :) )

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice) F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice) P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas) T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

Hodge/Pilk!

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Hmm... there aren't any in the Terror that I don't like. There are some I'm not that excited about (like Fitzjames/Crozier, I tend not to be drawn to the popular ships) but I still enjoy the art and meta, etc.

Oh, I never liked and never will like any ships from BBC Sherlock. Sherlock/Watson and Sherlock/Moriarty would go straight in my blocked tags thing if I followed anyone who was into that. RDJ & Jude Law Sherlock/Watson though... canon. They're married.

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

However long I've been in the Terror one, maybe. There's an anime I've been following for 12 (oh my god) years and I dip in and out of that fandom.

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

I got really fed up with Star Wars and the racism and shipwars and wank so just gave up. There was a fandom for a smaller show that I just walked away from because they were so fucking weird about the main pairing and if you didn't ship it you might as well not be there - other parirings were like dirty words and 'wrong'. Plus I had some of my work stolen by someone who was then praised for what they passed off as their stuff but was actually mine by one of the showrunners. So yeah. Fuck that. It also stopped me from openly sharing things in every fandom since (outside of fic and some meta - you have no idea how much stuff I've accumulated but never posted/shared).

(I did N in another ask!)

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Wrestling AU for Terror!

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all

Tommy Armitage is in love with Solomon Tozer.

And... that's it. Other headcanon I might be fond of and prefer/want to stick to, but I'm not gonna go that hard on them. I like seeing other people's takes on things! Keeps life intereting. (But if you think Armitage isn't in love with Tozer... sorry but you're wrong.)

Thank you!!

[yhwhrulz777]

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer Devotional for October 26

Tozer in the Morning Gazing Upon Christ

We have all seen the person who begins all arguments with the unassailable proposition that he is right and reasons from there. We have received a few letters which purported to settle all questions, not by bringing forth reasons, but by establishing the writer's qualifications to pronounce judgment. "How dare you question my actions," he says. "I am the foremost leader in my field. I have written this many books and spoken to this many people over a long period of this many years." Ergo, I am not to be trifled with, nor are my opinions to be questioned. If I do it, it is right. Ispe dixit. He has said it.

This kind of thing would be comical if it were not tragic. We mention it only to point up the truth under present consideration and to show by horrible example what long continued self-assurance will do to a human character. Let the public accept a man as unusual, and he is soon tempted to accept himself as being above reproof. Soon a hard shell of impenitence covers his heart and chokes his spiritual life almost out of existence. The cure, if there is to be a cure, would be simple, of course. Let him look to his past and to the cross where Jesus died. If he can still defend himself after that, then let him look into his own heart and tell what he finds there. If after that he can still boast, close the coffin lid.

Tozer in the Evening Being Who We Are

This need for external support for our sagging faith accounts for the introduction into religious activities of that welter of shoddy claptrap that has become the characteristic mark of modern Christianity. . . .

To guarantee immunity to this disease of the heart, we must cultivate a spirit of faith and humility. This works as an antibody to destroy the moral bacteria that cause bloat and distention.

If we have faith, we will be concerned only with what God thinks of us. We can smile off man's opinion, whether it be favorable or unfavorable, and go our God-appointed way in complete confidence. The excited devotees of the twin gods Publicity and Reputation will race past us with no more than a pitying glance. The self-acknowledged Great of the kingdom, the Eminent, the Outstanding will ignore us or patronize us or perhaps seek to cultivate us for their ends. We in the meantime will step neither to the right hand nor to the left. We will honor all men, be courteous to everyone, love our Christian brothers, glorify God and fear nobody.

It takes a lot of courage and independence of mind to insist upon being just what we are, and no more. But when the Lord comes, we will not have cause to regret that we did.

Copyright Statement This material is considered in the public domain.

[yhwhrulz]

Today's Daily Encounter Monday, October 21, 2024

God Is . . .

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.1

50 years ago, Kim Grove created a simple little cartoon as a way of expressing her love for her then fianc ©, Roberto Casali. “Love Is . . .” was born as a blissfully happy couple illustrating a simple caption. “Love Is . . . all you need”. Over the years, she continued writing these little notes to her now husband until one day, he took them to a newspaper to gauge interest and have been featured ever since! The little sentiments grew with their marriage and changed with their circumstances: “Love is. . . taking one day at a time”, “Love is. . .sharing the bathroom mirror”, “Love is. . .for always, come rain or shine”. Kim’s motto was, To love, and be loved, is the most wonderful thing in the universe!

She wasn’t wrong. Yet, there is a Love, an unconditional Love, that surpasses any earthly love, and that is the Love our Heavenly Father has for His children! Similar to the cartoon, I find that the love we have for Him in return varies depending on our circumstances too. For instance, when blessings seem to be flowing, we may say: God is. . . Great! When we’re in a difficult situation, we might say: God is. . .my Helper. A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Just as our physical relationship needs to be nurtured with loving words and affirmations, so our spiritual relationship needs to be. Have you told God how Wonderful he is today? Do others see your relationship with your Lord and know that God is… Love?

Dear God, May the whole world see and know how Great YOU are; how YOUR Love is never-ending, and that YOU gave YOUR life for us because YOU are. . . LOVE! Amen.

1 John 4:7-8 (NIV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.

NOTE: If you would like to accept God's forgiveness for all your sins and His invitation for a full pardon Click on: http://www.actsweb.org/invitation.php. Or if you would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ, please click on http://www.actsweb.org/decision.php to note this.

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[saints-who-never-existed]

Rereading The Terror

Chapter Forty-Five: Blanky

The end is nigh for poor Blanky and I for one am heartbroken!

He's on his third leg now. The first was finely crafted but snapped off around the time that Pilkington and Le Vesconte (Blanky calls him Harry) died. That day he rode in a boat with Mr Honey the carpenter who fashioned him a new one, rather impressively, while on the move.

When he's up and hobbling along once more he does all he can to show solidarity with the men. They're doing things just as Blanky describes to Fitzjames in the show - carrying half a load a day's march then doubling back for the other half. And even though Blanky himself can't carry much or haul at all, he still tries to do those things anyway and makes a point of marching in both directions alongside the other men.

The only thing that's really keeping him going is the thought of being able to take to the water in the boats and put his ice master's knowledge to good use once more. It's come up a few times now, this notion that many of the men who survive longest and show the fewest signs of illness are those who have the most to live for and Blanky's definitely in that group, I think. There's even more immediacy to his situation though: "Still, it was not only his usefulness that was being decided by the ice, but his survival... once the ice master was at sea again, he would survive... If he could last until they took to the boats, Thomas Blanky would live."

Then, of course, there is Tuunbaq, still stalking them on their journey south and coming for Blanky first, so he believes. And, to be fair, that's an astute assessment of things - his leg is in a sorry state indeed and he leaves a trail of blood for it to follow wherever he goes, after all.

Blanky does what he can to hide the extent of it, sweltering in his greatcoat long after the other men are hauling in their shirt sleeves in the comparative heat of summer. "I'm cold-blooded, boys" He'd said with a laugh. "My wooden leg brings the chill of the ground up into me. I don't want you to see me shiver." :(((

Blanky reflects on a few other events as he hobbles painfully along. He recalls that two other men have died of the same tin-based poisoning that killed Fitzjames (though Richard Aylmore remains unaffected). And he notes that, even with the temperature rising, the men are plagued by frostbite still as well as snowblindness and headaches from refusal to wear their mesh goggles. One man notes that "wearing the God-damned wire goggles was as difficult as trying to see through a pair of lady's black silk drawers but much less fun." which is very amusing to me.

Blanky is especially aware of these medical issues as he's begun to help Goodsir where he can. Interestingly, Goodsir trusts Blanky not only to fetch things from the locked medicine chest but seemingly trusts him not to blab about the final secret vial of laudanum he's got in there, despite lying to the men that it's all gone.

Blanky also notes, heartbreakingly, how their minds and very identities as sailors are deteriorating away along with their bodies: "Sailors who had tied off complicated rigging and shroud knots in the roaring darkness fifty feet out on a pitching spar two hundred feet above the deck on a stormy night off the Strait of Magellan during a hurricane blow could no longer tie their shoes in the daylight."

When his third leg finally snaps, Blanky sits down on a rock and accepts his fate. It's gut-wrenching just like the show but also funny as Blanky finds opportunity to be sassy to both Tozer ("He had always enjoyed irritating the stupid sergeant by using his first name.") and Crozier.

He doesn't have quite the same close relationship with Crozier as in the show, though there's clearly still respect and some love there. They argue the matter a little but Crozier respects his decision, offering him a water bottle and promising to get word of Blanky's fate back to his family (although, as with Irving and his supposed Bristol-based upbringing, Blanky's family and home in Kent (?!!) are details that Simmons apparently pulls right, infuriatingly, from his arse)

It is after midnight when Tuunbaq finally appears. Blanky greets it like an old friend ("Welcome back," said Thomas Blanky to the shadowy silhouette on the ice.") before meeting his fate grinning fiercely all the while. "You're late," said Blanky. He could not help it that his teeth were chattering. "I've been expecting you for a long time." Unlike with the front he put up for the men beforehand, Blanky knows it doesn't matter anymore if Tuunbaq sees him shivering... :(((

[lindajenni]

jan 12

familiar friday - the pursuit of God

"when gideon came to the jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit." judges 14:14 i had a dear friend write me the other day.  she is a fairly recent friend but one that has entered my heart with the warmest of welcomes.  she wrote me the other day about one of the dailies i had written.  it was just a short note commenting about it's content. since i am relaying her message anonymously, i feel safe in repeating it here.  "beautiful, linda. always, just beautiful. how could anyone every read these tributes and not want to know the Jesus YOU KNOW????" i do not repeat this in any way to try to lift up myself.  i only want all of you to know, "this is indeed my mission ... to make you want to know the Jesus I KNOW".  He has at last become the greatest desire of my heart.  for years i wandered around in the dark.  for years i ignored His gentle tugs at my heart and sought to find happiness in things transient and unfulfilling.  but He was always there, waiting to greet me as the Father did the prodigal son.  not just waiting, but rushing out to greet him and celebrate his return.  yes, he was returning; returning from the filth and squalor the world had finally driven him to.  it is the only outcome that can be in a heart that has not prepared a place for our Lord. "the thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  john 10:10  he will entice you with pleasures, fame and fortune.  he may grant you these for awhile.  he offered our Lord the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down to Him.  it would truly be a foolish heart to give what he could never lose for that which he could never keep. i love the book "the pursuit of God" by aw tozer.  we are all in the pursuit of God.  our God has set it up this way.  "truly You are God, who hide Yourself, o God of israel, the savior!"  isa 45:15 it is like the verse from a poem i know.  "take heart and let the thought of God allure you further on."  our pursuit of knowing Him can be a most fulfilling task in itself.  ah, but the finding.  shall we ever know the finding of all that He is?  eternity will not be long enough for such a task.  all the goodness, all the holiness, all the love, all the many perfect things that make Him God.  the pursuit - yes it is worth it; worth it a thousand times over to me.  "there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  deut 4:29 if you've never felt the release of all the shame and guilt and hopelessness, it is there waiting for you.  often it is at the rock bottom.  we often have to reach the end of ourselves.  from the bottom there is no place to look but up and up is where He is.  "a broken and a contrite heart — these, o God, You will not despise."  psa 51:17 do i want you to know this God i love and serve also?  with all my heart.  would that my heart extended to the lengths the apostle paul's did, but it does not.  "for i could wish that i myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh."  yes, i love you but i am in the pursuit of my God and i will not let go.  follow not me.  follow Him! i leave you with this invitation and warning from the word of God.  "know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts.  if you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."  1 chron 28:9 i pray you will begin your pursuit today.  if you already have, intensify it.  seeking and finding will be one's reward over and over again.  try as we might, we can't never out give God.

[god-whispers]

jan 9

attributes of God - part 3

11. God is merciful – He is infinitely, unchangeably compassionate and kind

“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  so then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." - rom 9:15-16

"were there no guilt in the world, no pain and no tears, God would yet be infinitely merciful; but His mercy might well remain hidden in His heart, unknown to the created universe.  no voice would be raised to celebrate the mercy of which none felt the need.  it is human misery and sin that call forth the divine mercy." - tozer

12. God is gracious – God is infinitely inclined to spare the guilty

"the Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness." – psa 145:8

when talking about the grace of God, theologians will often differentiate between God’s common grace and his saving grace.  matthew 5:45 tells us, ‘for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.’”

while all of humanity benefits from common grace, only those who profess believe and put their faith in Christ receive saving grace.  this is what results in our sanctification and our glorification of God, that we might live for him and enjoy him for all eternity.

13. God is loving – God infinitely, unchangingly loves us

“beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” - 1 John 4:7-8

“it is a strange and beautiful eccentricity of the free God,” tozer writes,  “that He has allowed His heart to be emotionally identified with men.  self-sufficient as He is, He wants our love and will not be satisfied till He gets it.  free as He is, He has let His heart be bound to us forever.  God’s love is active, drawing us to himself.  His love is personal.  He doesn’t love humanity in some vague sense, He loves humans.  He loves you and me.  and His love for us knows no beginning and no end."

14. God is holy – He is infinitely, unchangingly perfect

holy, holy, holy, is the Lord almighty” – rev 4:8

that God is holy means He is endlessly, always perfect.   and His standard for us is perfection as well.  “therefore you are to be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect,” matt 5:48.  that’s why we need Christ.  without Christ taking the place for us and dying for our sins, we would all fall short of God’s holy standard.

"to preserve His creation God must destroy whatever would destroy it.  when He arises to put down iniquity and save the world from irreparable moral collapse, He is said to be angry.  every wrathful judgment in the history of the world has been a holy act of preservation." - tozer

thankfully, the christian will never have to experience God’s holy wrath poured out.  through Christ’s death and resurrection, the penalty for our sins was paid and we were imputed (credited) with Christ’s righteousness.  now, when God looks on us, he sees Christ’s perfect holiness.  hallelujah!  it is only in this that we can hope to stand in the presence of the blindingly pure, perfect, Holy One of israel.

15. God is glorious – He is infinitely beautiful and great

“His radiance is like the sunlight; He has rays flashing from His hand, and there is the hiding of His power.” - hab 3:4

the glory of God is of course, inseparable from his other attributes, so God is eternally, infinitely, unchangingly glorious.  His radiance and beauty emanate from all that his is and all that he does.  isaiah 43:7 says that man was created by God for his glory.  so our whole existence and purpose is to glorify him, as we are created in his image and do the good work he has prepared for us to do.  inevitably, man will try to find glory in other things, or to try and make himself an object of glory.  and when those things fail to bring us satisfaction, we must decide to humble ourselves and turn our gaze back to the only one who is worthy of glory.

-------

i guess it's only appropriate that i should spend three days trying to expound on all His attributes.  After all, He is a trinity.  be that as it may, three days would still not be enough.  the wonders of our God could make one go on forever.  as the apostle john expressed so well in john 21:25:  "and there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, i suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

[carolap53]

Blessing Those Who Curse You TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman

01/08/2023

..."Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today." - 2 Samuel 16:11-12

As David's enemies were increasing and he was fleeing the city from his son Absolom who was seeking to take his throne, a man named Shimei began heaving rocks and cursing him as he passed by. Cursing the king was against the law, so David had every right to cut off the man's head -- as his generals were encouraging him to do. Here we see the difference between Saul and David in their response to those who would seek to do them harm. This is the defining difference between a leader who seeks to lead through a vertical dimension with God versus a horizontal fix-it mode. God knew David as a man after His own heart. Yet, David was a murderer, adulterer, and had failed in many areas of his life. But one thing separated this leader from all the rest: He had a heart that sought to please God and be in His will. When David blew it, he repented.

What is the purpose God desires to accomplish with the estranged relationship you may have with someone? Has He brought this affront to find out what is in your heart today? Will you seek revenge and solve the problem yourself? Or will you find the grace to allow God to carry out vengeance in His time if it is needed? When I learned this lesson to stay vertical with God and avoid the trap of fixing things in my own energies, it was a day of freedom. No longer was it my problem. We must examine our own heart in these matters. But if we are clean, then this affront is for character building. It is the only way God builds the deepest level of character in His saints.

A.W. Tozer tells us, "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." God actually rises up storms of conflict in relationships at times in order to accomplish that deeper work in our character. We cannot love our enemies in our own strength. This is graduate-level grace. Are you willing to enter this school? Are you willing to take the test? If you pass, you can expect to be elevated to a new level in the Kingdom. For He brings us through these tests as preparation for greater use in the Kingdom. You must pass the test first.

[hacash]

I'll be real my knowledge of who is 'qualified' to take this job is patchy at minimum, but thinking of who else among the semi-senior folks could do it is even funnier

mcdonald – literally the only person on that ship that I would trust to deliver any sort of sermon. he probably spends two hours rambling on about medicine and nature and bizarre scientific discoveries in a way that is technically about the 'glory of creation', but only mentions one bible verse and in a very bizarre context. survivors of sir john's sunday sermons vow that this is definitely an improvement. blanky – would try to fistfight god. could probably tell a sermon which would probably cause irving to simultaneously faint and have a religious re-awakening all in one go.

tozer – as the senior ranking marine who non-marines refer to as ‘sir’, could potentially get lumbered with this duty. however as tozer's approach to religion is probably comparable to brian blessed in blackadder - 'love thy neighbour as thyself, unless he's my enemy in which case kill the bastard' - he probably only has to do it once.

stanely – oh please god no.

hickey’s mention of ‘sir john’s sunday services’ makes me wonder who took over that job once franklin dies. you’d think that, at least on the ships, they’d try and keep religious services going as long as possible to keep up the routine: on a navy ship I would expect there to be some parson or chaplain but I can’t seem to find one on the list of personnel, and anyway it’s much funnier to imagine the task falling to one of the luckless officers. maybe crozier believes in god but at least at the start of the expedition he’s essentially a naytheist: he might believe in the almighty but that doesn’t mean he likes him. fitzjames probably has a faith but he clearly has too many daddy issues to preach about a heavenly father with any degree of detachment and would manage to get out of it. dundy only really believes in the god of good hair. poor irving’s so tangled up in knots by his faith that he couldn’t compose a single sermon to save his life.

I suppose hodgson could do a decent job, but honestly it’s funnier to imagine the role falling to little. the man is the best example of a divine chew-toy it’s possible to get. he’s the epitome of divine disfavour. every sunday he has to preach about an all-loving god and just…look at his life. look at him. this is not a sterling advertisement of the joys of a christian life.

(is he saying we should live a good pure life like him then? manson asks innocently.

nah, I don’t think so, magnus, says hartnell. look what that did for him.)