#* ( VERSE 02 ) ━━━ ONCE WE WERE NOT AFRAID OF THE NIGHT!

[closecircle]

"i love the world but i don’t love the way it makes me feel."

mania.  /  selectively accepting.  /  @valorcorrupt

The sun is bright above the two of them — peace, however short a time it lasts, to be grasped with both hands.  There is a breeze, playing with her hair and dragging curls in front of her eyes, almost teasing, as she bends at the waist to pluck some of the flowers amongst the scene.  Her fingers are wrapped around a stem when Inara speaks —— a small honesty, where she would not have offered one before.  MASON IS HAPPY.  SO VERY HAPPY.

She plucks the flower and stands, turns to the Warden and tucks it behind her ear.  Her grin is wide and loving —— kind in the extreme.  Not dismissive or ignorant as to her pain; no, never.  But seeing the wonder in it.

“Try to remember the little bits that you love the most.”  Like flowers.  Like holding hands.  Like the way your body can stitch itself together no matter how much you wound yourself.  Like the way your body watches you try to die and says no, no, there is still good left for you to do and experience.  “It might make the world feel a little kinder.”

[jettingtothemoon]

Rescue You; chapter 5

➳ pairing: hector x witch|reader ➳ genre: fantasy, angst ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut, mentions of rape, slavery, spoilers for seasons 1 thorough 3. ➳ word count: 2627 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n, a witch from Dracula’s court, tries to save the forgemaster from his fate.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

Afraid

It had been a day since you were last graced with the presence of Lenore. The night had only just begun and you had much to do. You were on your way back to the forge. you had kept Hector company earlier in the day and even brought him some lunch but by dinner, you were called to help with the mercenaries again.

Mercenaries, although amusing to be around, were very rowdy at dinner because every meal after lunch was, in their eyes, a pub gathering. Mercenaries on ale can be one of two things, happy and rowdy or violent and rowdy. It was your responsibility to ensure that they all remained the former rather than the latter. You were also tasked with making sure they wouldn't cause too much damage to the castle as they entertained themselves.

After your chat the day before, Lenore didn't seem to bother Hector and left him alone for the rest of the night. Tonight, you were going to make sure that she would leave him alone again. You were certain that she wouldn't interfere with his training as you had made it clear how important it was in their plans. What was more important was that Hector could protect himself when the time came for him to do so.

"Ready to get started?" You asked with a smile.

Hector returned that smile, even if he wasn't quite aware of it himself, and nodded. "Let's go."

You had informed him earlier that Lenore had given you permission to train him, though he doubted it at first. Once you had explained to him that Lenore allowed you to train him as it would help you do your own job, he seemed to doubt your intentions. He had looked at you with worry in his eyes but you were quick to reassure him, quick to tell him that you were doing this for his benefit, not theirs. He still seemed hesitant, even now, but there was something in him, a glimmer of hope. He wanted to believe in you and he wanted to hold onto that hope no matter how much he was afraid to do so.

By the time you were outside, both of you were beginning to feel the cold which is what gave you the idea for tonight's lesson.

"Ice? You want me to create ice without water?" Hector confirmed with one brow raised.

You nodded.

"But- How?"

"Like this." You smirked and lifted a hand into the air, a huge spike of ice shooting past the forgemaster and into the ground.

He jumped to the side in shock, despite the object missing him by a sizable distance. You giggled but he only seemed to grow more nervous.

"Are you sure I can do that?"

"Well, anyone can with enough practice but you have a head start," you stated.

He tilted his head to the side slightly and asked, "And why is that?"

"Because I'm the one teaching you and because you are already well versed in magic even if you haven't used it all that much."

He hummed but still sounded doubtful. He really needed to believe in himself more and you were determined to provide him with the confidence he was missing.

"Okay, let's begin!" you exclaimed, clasping your hands together.

Not that either of you was aware, but there were a few pairs of eyes watching you from afar.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to allow her to teach him?" Carmilla questioned, tapping her fingers against her glass rhythmically.

The redhead beside her focused her eyes on the two of you practising in the distance as she hummed, "I'm not sure but it can't hurt to entertain it."

"I think the little one is doing well. The forgemaster has been working more efficiently since she arrived, it seems he has more motivation now," Striga commented.

"Yes, I suppose he is more willing to aid us because of her," Lenore agreed, her voice sounding a little less than pleased.

With a sigh, Carmilla rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're getting jealous."

The redhead snapped her eyes to the taller vampire.

"Oh, come on. Your pet has a little friend, so what?"

Lenore huffed and turned her attention back to the two of you. She watched as you laughed together, as you tried so desperately to help Hector create anything other than a little slice of magical ice. She didn't like it, she didn't like it one bit.

"Don't worry about them, thanks to your little rings he can't betray you, nor can he deny you," Morana reassured, resting her head against Striga's shoulder.

"Yes, he cannot betray us but are we sure that she will stay loyal to us? She is clearly only here because of him," Lenore asked before taking a sip from her glass.

It was quiet for a moment as the other three vampires thought about her question but soon, the silence was broken.

"There is nothing she can do to help him even if she wanted to and besides, from what you said the little one is only teaching him to use him. Maybe she is only manipulating him as you did before?" Striga provided her opinion, though it seemed that Carmilla did not agree.

The white-haired vampire pursed her lips, her gaze remaining only on you. "We all knew the witch never wanted to help Dracula, she was just too afraid to defy him. She never came here to help us, that was obvious from the start."

"So? How can we make sure she won't try to betray us? We all know how powerful she is," Morana enquired.

"Well, we can either make her fear us as much as she did Dracula. Or, we could use your little pet against her," Carmilla suggested, glancing over to Lenore, who smiled slightly in response.

"For now, it's best to make her think we're unaware of her intentions. When she makes her move, we'll make ours."

They all nodded in agreement and left the two of you to it, though one pair of eyes remained, watching the two of you very closely.

"See. I knew you could do it!" you beamed, quickly pulling the forgemaster into a hug.

He seemed almost startled at first but soon eased into your touch, although his arms remind awkwardly by his side, too afraid to wrap them around you too.

You pulled back with a smile but his eyes drifted away from yours as he turned his head to the side in hopes of hiding the blush that threatened to crawl onto his face. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and spoke, "I only managed to hold it for a few seconds."

"Baby steps Hector, baby steps. No one can do it the first time, not even I could."

He smiled again, though it was small.

"You've started to smile a lot more recently."

The smile soon disappeared following your words but his expression didn't fall. "I have?"

You nodded. "It's nice."

There he was smiling again, though this time he was quick to remove it from his features.

You looked at him softly, enjoying the presence of the man you adored. You only wished he adored you too, but he didn't, he couldn't. He couldn't because of her, because of Lenore.

"Let's head back inside. I think this is enough for today. We'll work on it more tomorrow."

You turned to leave, expecting Hector to be by your side as usual, but he wasn't. He was still standing there, still waiting there, as if lost in thought. Stopping, you glanced back at him, wondering why he wasn't coming with you.

"I-" He began but stopped himself, his voice fading away to nothing.

You stepped closer, looking worried. "Hector?"

"It's nothing, let's go inside. It's too cold out here." He brushed it aside with a smile and for a moment, you were almost fooled, but you knew he had something on his mind. However, you knew better than to press him and, instead, smiled back and accompanied him as you walked back towards the castle.

He was rather quiet the whole way back but you didn't mind, you just wanted to know that he was okay. Knowing that Lenore would be leaving him alone for the night was enough for you and he wished it was enough for him, but it wasn't. He wanted to tell you back then. 'I want to stay with you, just a little longer'. Those were the words he wanted to say but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He was still afraid, afraid that you were only going to betray him as she did but also afraid that she would take you from him as she had taken everything else.

Hector wasn't sure what he was feeling, or why. He had known you for years and sure you had been friendly with each other. He had always been fond of you and Issac, he respected and cared for the both of you to some extent. But this, this was something different. It was a feeling he wasn't used to, a feeling that he had only felt briefly before, a feeling he was afraid of.

He was afraid of it because it was a feeling he was beginning to feel for her before she betrayed him. Only what he was beginning to feel for you was more than that, it was different, though he couldn't explain how. Or why for that matter. It's just that you were different from Lenore, or at least, he hoped you were. You had never given him a reason to doubt you before so he had every reason to believe he could trust you now, but there was still something in him that wasn't ready to yet.

The two of you stopped when you reached his outhouse and you grinned, wishing to see him off with a smile. "Well, see you tomorrow then."

"I can walk you back to the castle."

"There's no need. It's cold, just get inside. I'm sure Cezar is waiting up for you." You insisted with a smile.

He returned your smile, although it seemed somewhat sad. "Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight, Hector." Your voice was soft, mirroring his own, and then, you began to walk away.

He watched you for a moment before heading inside, his dog, as you predicted, running over to him within an instant.

You had been walking for a couple of minutes, the outhouse not too far behind you, when a figure stepped out of the darkness.

"Lenore? What are you doing out here? Do you need me to help with anything?" you asked, trying to put on a polite face.

She just looked at you, not saying a word. The silence only lasted for a few seconds but those few seconds were agonising for you.

"How did the training go?" she asked with a smile.

"It went well, but he is far from useable yet," you admitted, trying to sound as though you really were planning on using the forgemaster for your own magic.

She hummed, "As long as he will be able to aid you when the time comes. You are powerful on your own but the extra fuel should give you the upper hand in the fight."

"Yes, it will. If I can train him well enough until the time comes for the attack, I should be able to efficiently channel his own magic to boost mine. As long as the mercenaries do their job it will be a piece of cake. Hector will need to rest after our sessions though, to keep his energy up, so if you need assistance with anything please come to me instead."

She nodded. "I will call on you if I need anything. However, after you have used him, I would like Hector to be returned to me."

You clenched your fist slightly for a moment but dispelled the tension before she had a chance to notice. "Of course. Although I could make use of him in the future as well."

"Yes, I'm sure you will exploit him wonderfully. Well, you better get back inside. We can't have our best magician freezing to death now, can we?" she joked light-heartedly.

"I suppose not, enjoy the rest of the night," you chuckled and turned away from the vampire, your expression falling instantly.

~~~

The next day, you went to the forge early. You were eager to see Hector and even had a slight skip in your step as you approached the door. When you entered the room, however, your whole mood seemed to shift.

He was forging his creatures as he did every other day but the aura in the room was dark. Hector was clearly aware of your presence as he glanced to the side as his dog rushed across the room to you. With a smile, you knelt down and scratched behind his ears, but even the light in Cezar's eyes wasn't enough to brighten the darkness of the room.

"Good morning," you broke the silence but the forgemaster only hummed in response.

You took a couple of steps forward. "Hector? What's wrong? Tell me, please."

"You lied."

Your chest tightened when you heard his voice, it sounded lost, empty even. What he said, however, didn't make sense to you.

"I lied? About what?"

He turned to you with cold eyes and spoke with a fragile voice, "You said I could trust you. You said you were going to help me. You lied to me just like everyone else."

"What do you mean? I am going to help you, you can trust me," you tried to reassure him but as you stepped forward, he took a step back.

"Stop lying! I heard you talking to Lenore yesterday. I- I followed you to bring you a blanket. I thought the walk back might have been too cold," he admitted, voice trailing off towards the end.

Your eyes softened and, if it wasn't for the current situation, you would have smiled. Instead, you sighed, "I'm not lying to you Hector, I promise. Just let me explain."

"You were just trying to exploit me like everyone else. I don't want to hear your explanation so get out!" he snapped before turning back to his forge.

"Hector I-"

"Get out!"

"No. I won't go. Not until you hear me out." Your voice was firm and he knew that you were not going to leave until he allowed you to speak.

You just needed to explain it to him, to tell him the truth. He had heard something he shouldn't have but he needed to know that you were lying to her, not him.

"How? How can you explain this? I heard it with my own ears. I actually thought you cared about me. I thought you were different but you're just like everyone else, you're just like her."

You felt the tears filling in your eyes, blurring your vision. You wanted to hug him, you wanted to tell him that he was the most important thing in the world to you but- but you couldn't. You needed to give him some time, you needed some time.

Time wasn't going to fix this, only you could. You finally realised that you had been going about it all wrong. You had kept him in the dark about your plans because you didn't want him to get hurt but, instead, you were the one who hurt him.

You stepped forward, snaking your arms around him as you rested your head on his back. His muscles tightened and he froze, this was the last thing he expected.

"I love you," you confessed as a tear dripped down onto your cheek, "So please, just hear me out..."

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10

[dailyaudiobible]

8/02/2017 DAB Transcript

2 Chronicles 32:1-33:13 ~ Romans 15:23-16:9 ~ Psalm 25:16-22 ~ Proverbs 20:16-18

Today is the 2nd day of August. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’m Brian. It's good to be here with you today. How’s everything going? How you settling into this new month? I think we are all settling in well because we're continuing the rhythm of bringing God's word into our lives every day. Gosh, I can’t even imagine a day without the bible at this point and I hope you feel the same. There’s just been so many rescues from God's word, like, so much good news, so much good counsel, so much of a mirror into my own soul. I can’t imagine not having that. Thankfully, we do. And, so, with that said, we’ll dive in. We’re reading from the Names of God Bible this week, which is simply an English translation that preserves the original language. Anytime God's name is invoked, its left as it was, even though everything else is in English, which we understand. So, we have a few days left in second Chronicles and we have a couple of days left in the Letter to the Romans. Second Chronicles chapter 32 verse 1 through 33 verse 13 today.

Prayer:

Father, many of us feel as is described in the Psalms today. And we've all felt it. We've all felt lonely. We’ve felt depression. We’ve had our heart troubled. We’ve been distressed. We’ve suffered. We’ve felt misery. We know what this feels like. And, so, like the psalmist, we ask that You turn to us and have pity on us, that You relieve our troubled heart, and bring us out of distress, that You see our suffering and forgive our sins, that You see that there are things pressing all around us, coming down on us, and we need Your protection. As the psalmist, said, protect my life and rescue me. And we pray that God. Don't let us be put to shame. We have taken refuge in You and there is no other hope and there was no other hope and there is no other place for refuge. We just see it acutely when we're in the wilderness. We just see it clearly when we’re facing hardship and opposition. So, come, Jesus. We throw ourselves on Your mercy and we humble ourselves before You. We hide ourselves in the shadow of Your wings. We draw near to You. Come and do what You said You came to do. We open ourselves to it, that you might heal our broken hearts and set us free. Come rescue us. Holy Spirit, we ask in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. It’s home base. It’s where you find out what's going on around here.

Tomorrow night, so, the 3rd of August, 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. And, just, kind of, Google the difference between wherever you are and 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. And we’ll be doing another Facebook Live, talking about Sneezing Jesus in the Sneezing Jesus discussion group, which you can find at facebook.com/groups/sneezingjesus. And we’ll talk about small groups and other things and take some Q&A and just hangout. Right? Just spend some time together. So, looking forward to that very, very much. Hope to see you there.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com. There is a link and it lives on the homepage. And thank you, for those of you who have clicked that link. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the More button in the lower right hand corner or if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill TN 37174.

And of course, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayers and Praise Reports:

Hello my name is Lawrence ___ from California. It’s a very hard call for me to make. I've been a believer for 20 years. Some time ago, I walked away from the Lord through disappointment that turned to bitterness that turned to anger. I had disappointment in my marriage and my career and in my life. I was a prayer warrior. I loved to pray. I would pray for other people, unbelievers mostly. And their problems, which, at times were similar to mine, would be fixed. But my problems would not. They would linger. And I became bitter. And over time I walked away from the Lord. It was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life and it cost me my marriage and my family. And all I want is for the Lord to restore me and restore my family. And once again, I’m before Him and His people, risking being disappointed again because I have to reach out to Him in my need even though I felt He has turned away from me so many times and disappointed me. But now I know that I need Him anyway. Even if that’s true, that He did, I still need Him. I’m hurting very badly and in a very bad place in my life and I know that I need Him. So, I’m asking for prayer for me and for my family. Thank you.

Hello everybody. This is Eddie from Vegas. Just calling about the woman who called in. Her name is Sharron from California. I just wanted to let you know that I heard your cry. Don't give up. I wanted to share verse with you, that is my life verse, because I was in a bad place in my life and I tell people that this is my story. So, I’m going to share it with you. It’s Psalm 40 verses 1 through 3. I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and He turned to me heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed and they will put their trust in the Lord. So, Sharron, I just want to pray for you. You know. I want you know that the Lord, He here’s your cry. I want you to know that I’m praying for you and that I know that many others are. So, please, hear whatever we have to say. I don’t know. I’m a little nervous about this. But I just want you know that you are deeply loved by a lot of people even though you don’t know them. You’ve been listening for a while. So, just know that your loved and just don’t give up.  Hang in there because God’s going to work this out. He hears you. He knows you. He loves you.  He’s loved you all your life before He even knew you, an everlasting love, more then we can ever understand or fathom. So, just know that there are hard times in our lives but Jesus went through the hardest of all for us and He loves us. So, just don’t give up.

Hi. My name is Donna from New Hampshire. I've been listening to Daily Audio Bible for about a year and cannot even put into words what a blessing this has been to my life and what an honor and privilege it is to be a part of this family. So, thank you Brian for amazing, amazing work. We’ll be calling you saint Brian one day because I believe that this day and age, you are truly living in saintly and godly life. You are blessing so many lives. I'm calling for a prayer request for my daughter Jessica who is 17. She’s had some bouts with depression for the last two years. And, although when I look at her now she's happy, she’s beautiful, and she's, like, an amazing person, I don't see her as depressed.  And sometimes in our talking she’ll say, mom, you don't see my heart, you can't feel what I feel sometimes. And I just want to ask for prayers for Jessica, that God can heal her heart and her mind and her soul. I'm always trying to talk to her about God. I’ve raised all my kids in the Catholic faith and I'm constantly trying to remind them of His love and His faithfulness, even though I'm not sure that they always understand or believe that. So, just for prayer that Jessica…she’s afraid…you know…that she’ll have depression her whole life and I keep trying to assure her that God will heal her. I pray also. I listen every day and am brought tears so many times listening to other people who are calling in with depression and hopelessness. And just know that you are so much in my heart and in my mind and prayers, everyone that calls in that has depression, that God will heal you. Never give up hope. Never give up praying for healing. God bless…

Hi DAB family it’s Joe from Connecticut. I want to thank you for your prayers for my family and ask for your continued prayers this week as we battle spiritual warfare in our lives and as I go into a very important meeting this week with a perspective new employer. I ask for your prayers, that God’s will be done in this meeting and that if it is His will, and whatever that may be, that it will be done and there be no outside influences from the darkness or evil spirits. My good friend Alex from the DAB has a great daily prayer asking God to send his angel armies before us, to send 10000 heavenly angels to protect us and all those we are to be contact with, so that His will is done in and through our lives. So now, I offer up my own daily prayer to my DAB family that I believe that fits in especially well with Brian’s current reading of Paul’s Letter to the Romans. God, my heavenly Father, I give You my life that I may do Your will. I prostrate myself here before You today and every day as I am nothing without You. I am the dust of the earth, the sinner. It is only through You and with You and in You that I am a disciple here to do Your will. Jesus have mercy on me, purify me, renew me, and redeem me. I give you my life. Forgive me for all my sins and take away my ego, my lust, my greed, my envy, my anger, my pride, my gluttony, and my laziness. Make me an empty vessel Lord, that I may be filled with Your love and faith and of all Your graces to do Your will. Let me be a reflection of Your light and love upon the world. Holy Spirit, increase my faith today and every day, that each day there will be less of me and more of You and Jesus in my heart and mind and that people will see Jesus through me. Thank you, God, for calling me here today and every day to be with You, that I may do Your will today and all the days of my life through eternity. Amen. I love you DAB family and keep…

Kisses from God so tender and sweet Expressions of love that have made me complete They removed all resentment and replaced it with pride A love so abundant that it can’t be denied Our love makes us different and it always should show Our love for each other lets the world know That our God is living He was in the grave but He rose once again with all power to save And the love that He gives us, we give back to others We all are God’s children, which makes us all brothers Your encouragement is God’s kisses, expressions of love Tender and sweet from the Father above

Blindtony1016@gmail.com. Like to give a shout out to Dean and Kim S. and Michelle from LA. Hope all of y’all are doing well.  Anyway, once again, my love to the Hardin family for their dedication and perseverance for making God’s word heard and felt throughout the entire world. And the Holy Spirit is flowin’. Keep it flowin’ yo. Alright. Bye-bye.

[guyveranimefan87-blog]

Guyver’s Book Recommendations #02

In recent years Pulp, or rather New Pulp is experiencing a very successful revival, both with re-releases of classic stories, like Doc Savage and The Shadow, or modern reboots of old characters like Green Lama or Black Bat, but also with completely new characters who, while based on the classic heroes, can stand on their own.

One of the most interesting ideas in New Pulp is certainly „Sovereign City Project” by Pro Se Productions. 

And what is it?

Well, it's a shared New Pulp universe populated by characters created by the best writers in the genre, like Barry Reese, Tommy Hancock, Derrick Ferguson, and Ron Fortier, allowing them for team-ups, crossovers and so on, kinda like MCU, but without added baggage of 50+ years of continuity and lore from the comics, and no set "canon" letting the creators to really let their imaginations run wild.

And I would like to present one of the flagship characters of the Sovereign City Universe...

„The Adventures of Gravedigger” by Barry Reese.

Despite being a huge fan of Barry Reese’s writing I was initially skeptical of „The Adventures of Gravedigger”.

I mean, his previous New Pulp heroes were at least in part based on the recognizable archetypes, with Lazarus Gray being cut from the same mold as Doc Savage and The Avenger, while The Peregrine was a part of the masked vigilante legacy started with The Shadow, The Spider and Batman.

But Gravedigger was a completely new and original character, having no classic Pulp ancestor, no previous legacy to lean on, which was a really bold move, since the whole New Pulp movement is based on the love that both writers and readers share for those old, nostalgic stories from the 30’s and 40’s.

The fact that Mr. Reese’s new character was also a woman, was even more risky.

I mean, when we think about, there were very few female Pulp characters, and most of them were either just archetypal damsels in distress to be saved by our dashing protagonists, or even more clichéd femme-fatales, who used their looks to charm men, like Domino Lady.

Still, curiosity had won, and I bought the first volume of “The Adventures of Gravedigger”, and was very pleasantly surprised, because Gravedigger quickly become one of my favorite New Pulp characters.

Our heroine is Charity Grace, a young woman from Sovereign City, born from the union of the poor prostitute and a patriarch of rich and powerful Grace family. Due to the fact that her father was afraid of a scandal, that might be caused by the fact that he sired an illegitimate child, he left his mistress and daughter, and pretended they never existed.

Because of that, after her mother’s death Charity was forced to steal to survive, and quickly became a part of Sovereign’s criminal underworld, filled with hatred and jealousy towards “perfect” Grace family, particularly her half-sister Samantha.

Goaded by her boyfriend, she attempts to blackmail her father, but that plan is soon stopped by one of Sovereign City’s heroes, an enigmatic adventurer Lazarus Gray. To rub some salt into the wound, her sister, Samantha Grace ends up working for the mysterious crime fighter’s organization “Assistance Unlimited”, soon becoming one of the city’s protectors, and gaining adoration, while Charity is left with nothing once again.

But then, one night everything changes.

Charity tries to rob the mansion of the rich, elderly antique collector, Joseph Goldman, but as she soon finds out, old man not only somehow knew she would attempt to rob him, but actually waited for her to do it.

Then, she is shot to death, and buried in the local cemetery. But it is not the end, but just a beginning.

Charity unexpectedly hears a mysterious Voice, that gives her an offer she can’t refuse. If she agrees to serve the mysterious entity for the next three years as an extension of it’s will, and a tool to punish evil, she would not only return to life, but also would be gifted with superhuman abilities, to help her with carrying on this mission.

There Is a catch however.

If during this three year period she would not atone from her past sins, she would die once again, and her soul would suffer an eternity of unspeakable torment and pain, without any chance of redemption.

She of course accepts and is resurrected as the latest incarnation of the ages-long legacy of Gravedigger. It turns out, that Joseph Goldman was also bearing the mantle of Gravedigger in his youth, and everything that happened to Charity during that night was an attempt to create a successor for himself.

Now, dressed in the distinct costume, and armed with an arsenal of deadly weapons and superhuman physical attributes newest Gravedigger becomes a symbol of fear in Sovereign City’s criminal underworld. But would she be able to redeem herself that way? And wouldn’t she lose herself among the bloodbath and violence?

Only time will tell…

“The Adventures of Gravedigger” not only does a great job with establishing a new, interesting heroine, but also subverts quite a lot of traditional Pulp tropes, while still retaining the spirits of beloved stories from 30’s and 40’s.

For example, most if not all Pulp heroes come from upper classes of the society, being either heirs of rich and influential families (Doc Savage, Green Lama, The Spider etc.), or self-made men whose talents and drive made them wealthy and powerful (The Avenger, The Shadow, Black Bat etc.).

This was of course a part of their charm, to make them more fabulous and impressive, but the fact stands. And, let’s be honest here, who would like to read about a blue-collar worker, or low-level clerk fighting crime, especially in the 30’s?

Charity on the other hand is a former criminal, and an illegitimate daughter of the prostitute who spent most of her life in poverty, struggling to survive. Because of that, when she suddenly gains access to Goldman’s vast fortune, and an opportunity to live in his lavish mansion she is quite overwhelmed, and more than a little uncomfortable.

In the old Pulps a character like her would at most be a hero’s sidekick, to act as his or hers source in the criminal circles, as it was done with Gary Brown from “Green Lama”, or various agents of The Shadow, but here she is a protagonist. It’s quite an unusual idea, but works really well, while adding originality to the character, differentiating her from the other heroes in the New Pulp genre.

And when we talk about companions, her aide and helper Mitchell also subverts quite lot of traditional tropes by himself.

At first glance he appears as just dumb muscle, described as huge, muscular black man with bald head, and intimidating presence, who works as Goldstein’s driver, bodyguard and servant. He is also revealed to be a former criminal whom previous Gravedigger spared and took under his wing.

Characters like that were also common in the original Pulps, since hero needed a non-white sidekick to be more “exotic” and interesting. Thus we got Tsarong, an old Tibetan monk acting as a servant for Green Lama, The Spider’s Sikh butler and sidekick Ram Sighn, or getting out of Pulps, Green Hornet’s driver and sidekick Kato.

To put it bluntly, just someone to show off how whites are superior to everyone, both in physical and mental abilities. Not to mention that most of those characters were exaggerated stereotypes, like African-Americans being portrayed only as dimwitted servants, butlers etc., that only spoke in broken, barely understandable English.

True, there were rare examples of non-Caucasian characters portrayed fairly and without utilizing racist stereotypes prevalent at the time, like Josh and Rosabel Newton from “The Avenger” stories, but such a portrayal of minorities were rarer than unicorns…

As I mentioned above, Mitchell initially looks like those characters, but it almost immediately proves to be a very wrong assumption.

As it turns out he is not only a well-spoken and educated, intelligent man, but also a lot more knowledgeable and experienced than Charity, who due to her circumstances never really got formal education. He is also an excellent judge of character, and soon enough becomes Charity’s emotional support and aide, curbing her more violent and suicidal tendencies.

Due to his years alongside Goldstein he is also a very capable crime fighter, well-versed in martial arts, a crack-shot, and an excellent driver. Actually, he is the one who trains Charity for her role as the newest Gravedigger, being both her instructor, sparring-partner and mentor.

The idea of Gravedigger mantle is also quite interesting, and rather original.

Due to the fact that numerous people taken up the role of Voice’s enforcer author can create and utilize other characters than just Charity, not only expanding his universe, but also showing how various people reacted to the fact they were resurrected as tools of supernatural being, who might or may not be God.

For example in the first volume of the series we glance on the Gravedigger of the late XVIII century, who clashes with the legendary Headless Horseman, and some of the exploits of Joseph Goldman during World War I are also mentioned.

It is kinda similar to the cult-classic comic book superhero The Phantom, with the title and costume being inherited, but when there it is based around members of Walker family, while Voice chooses people from different places and backgrounds.

Barry Reese himself also admitted that he was in part inspired by The Shadowman from Valiant Comics, as that particular hero knew when he was supposed to die, which in turn influenced his actions and character.

In “Adventures of Gravedigger” the motif of the deadline our heroine has to meet is also very prominent and influences characters greatly, which makes them even more interesting.

Charity herself, well aware that her time is precious practically lives with her mission, only making breaks to train and plan another missions, or when she is too wounded to go on. Her whole life centers around being Gravedigger, punishing the wicked, and fighting evil.

Her obsession makes her more withdrawn and disconnected from people, as well as more brutal and merciless.

Her friends try to get to her, try to make her consider her health and well-being, but it is not easy, as she still has problems with trust, and opening to others, due to her life on the streets…

Now, someone reading this may think that “The Adventures of Gravedigger” Is only about subversion of Pulp tropes, analyzing characters and whatnot, but it is not only that. In fact there is an abundance of fast, dynamic action, as well as thrilling adventures, just like in good old Pulps.

For example we get Charity / Gravedigger and her crew fighting an occultist calling himself Thanatos, who gained magical powers through the use of Necronomicon, investigating a murder mystery in the mansion known as the Hendry House, rumored to be cursed and connected with the legends of the dreaded Headless Horseman, and her team's struggle against the new contender for the title of most powerful criminal of Sovereign City, a mysterious figure calling himself Charon, as well as their conflict with the other heroes.

And that's just the first volume of the three...

So, if You like old school action, adventure, bit of horror, or want to see how to write a strong female protagonist without changing her into a empty, uninteresting Mary Sue, then give „The Adventures of Gravedigger” a chance.

[johnchiarello]

Jesus n Tolstoy [2nd Sam.23]

SATURDAY/SUNDAY- 2-25,26- 17

2Samuel 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.

https://youtu.be/fgPa8nCXo7s  Jesus n Tolstoy [2nd Sam.23]

https://ccoutreach87.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/2-26-17-jesus-n-tolstoy-2nd-sam-23.zip

JESUS N TOLSTOY [2nd Samuel 23]

ON VIDEO- [past links- verses below]

.View of Kennedy Blvd. to Bergenline Ave.

.Tolstoy

.God’s sure promise

.The discipline of ‘routine’

.Time of snow

Saturday 2-25-17-

Today I went to see a friend- I haven’t seen him in about 15 years.

Over the years I heard how he had lost everything- been going thru some very difficult times.

Physical- mental- spiritual battles.

And every time I heard about his situation- I simply felt one day I need to simply see him- talk to him- and pray for him.

A ‘deliverance’ prayer if you will.

But it’s been hard to have the chance to get with him.

So I made the ride- and sure enough the meeting happened.

I talked with him for around 3 hours- quoted lots of verses that I felt applied.

He told me he did not even know I was doing stuff like this- ministry- teaching the bible- etc.

In the middle of our talk- I stopped- and said ‘brother- let me pray’.

I prayed- took authority over the oppression he was going thru- claimed healing for the mind and body- and asked God to do a miracle for him.

As I was quoting verses- I decided to get a note pad- and write down a few key verses on the pad.

Sort of like what I do when I’m in Texas.

As I got back to the house-I read Isaiah 58- and the theme was God wants us to free the oppressed –

To ‘let go the captives’- to ‘pour out our soul to the hungry’.

In short- he calls us to deliver the captives.

It was strange in a way- because it was Saturday- and even though we are not ‘under the law’- I felt-

‘Maybe I should take the day off- yeah- on the Saturday/Sabbath’-

Now- I know the entire debate on Sunday/Saturday- and I have taught it before.

My friend even brought up the issue- about Sunday/ Saturday- and the whole Sabbath debate.

I tried to give him both sides of the issue- and how in the new covenant we are in the Sabbath rest of grace [it’s not really about a day any more].

But when I got back to the house and read Isaiah 58- it talks about the Sabbath- the fast God wants.

And it reminded me of Jesus when he healed the man on the Sabbath.

I felt like God was saying he wants to set people free- he wants us to engage in a fight for the souls of men.

He wants us to reach out- to pour out our souls to the hungry.

He wants us to set the captives free.

And if you need to do it on the Sabbath [or any other day] that’s fine with him.

Here are some of the vesres I quoted and wrote down for my friend-

VERSES [more below]

Isaiah 53:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 26:3

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

John 14:27 [Full Chapter]

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John

 I recommended to my friend to begin reading the gospel of John- 1 chapter a day- all the way thru.

I told him it’s a simple discipline- but to be consistent with it.

When he’s finished with John- continue thru the entire New Testament.

He is a believer and has been seeking God- I just felt the simple discipline of consistent bible reading- sort of like training the mind- was important.

I also advised him to begin setting aside a specific time each day- to pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Most people pray- read the bible sporadically- but I felt the discipline of doing these things- every day- at a set time- was important.

I’m typing this on Sunday morning- at 6:15 am.

I just was outside- in the cold- doing my 5-6 a.m. prayer.

These disciplines are basic- but important.

When believers are going thru hard times in their lives- then these disciplines are already in place.

They ‘come easy’ if you will.

Ok- that’s it for now.

I’ll just add this note to the next post.

Here’s what I read when I got home that night-

Isaiah 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Isaiah 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Isaiah 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

Isaiah 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

Isaiah 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

Isaiah 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

Isaiah 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

And this is the verse I thought about after this day’s experience-

John 7:23

If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

 Below are my complete studies- These bible books deal with the believers relationship to Sabbath- how it has been fulfilled in Christ- and all who are in grace- the New Covenant- are actually in ‘the Sabbath’ rest every day.

 It is no longer about a particular day- either Sunday or Saturday- but the Sabbath rest of grace for all who believe.

 https://ccoutreach87.com/romans-updated-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/hebrews-updated-2015/

  Sunday- 2-26-17

Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

I made the video today- and talked about the last 2 days.

 Shared some verses from the Mass [Our Lady of Fatima] and the scriptures the Priest spoke on.

 He mentioned Tolstoy- and I’ll try and add some past teaching I did on him in the past.

 The main theme I talked about on the video was trusting God- not money.

 Also spoke on Isaiah 58 and 2nd Samuel 23.

 God made promises to King David- and these promises were not based upon how well everything was going in David's own family.

 As I have taught the past few months- King David had a rebellion in his own house- he went thru many ups and downs- yet in this chapter he says God still kept his promise.

 In Isaiah 58 we read how God wants his people to show mercy and do justice.

 It’s not just about ceremonial worship to God.

 Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath- and the Pharisees found fault with him.

 Yet Jesus was doing the will of God- he was setting the captives free- and if he did it on the Sabbath- that was fine.

 The religious leaders were only seeing their worship of God thru ceremonial acts.

 The prophet Isaiah said God was more concerned with mercy and justice-

acts of righteousness- that extend to our fellow man.

 A theme David himself mentions in the Samuel chapter for today’s post.

 Ok- that’s it for now- I’ll try and add the key passages below.

 PAST LINKS [ Past teaching I did that relate to today’s post- verses below]

https://ccoutreach87.com/classics-of-western-literature/

https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/

https://ccoutreach87.com/samuel-links/

[parts]

Okay- once again I really needed to do a post or 2 on philosophy- before I get too ahead of myself in the study; but let me make a few comments on Hitchens book [see- I told you I shouldn’t have hit the book store!] Okay- I’m gonna try and be nice to Hitchens- he is one of the famous atheist writers of the past few years- these guys are referred to as ‘the new atheists’ the group consists of some notable names- Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris- a few others. These guys kind of became popular in reviving some of the old arguments against religion and God- most modern readers are not aware that they are simply re-hashing the same old arguments that have been refuted in the past- and to be honest this bunch make a whole lotta errors in their thinking/arguments. Most well trained Christian apologists have thoroughly refuted them. But being Hitchens is dying [or died? I haven’t checked recently] of cancer- I’ll try and be nice [try!]. Okay- like some of the book reviews I read- Hitchens is crude and mean- and yes- at times ignorant of his glaring mistakes. He describes a nice old teacher he had as a youth- as a young boy growing up in England- she taught the schoolboys about nature and science- and yes- God. I thought he was being nice telling the story. Then he calls her ‘a pious old trout’. He refers to the sex abuse scandal that’s rocked the Catholic church- he calls it the ‘no child’s behind left’ scandal [a takeoff on the no child left behind policy]. So yes, this book- while containing some real good history- also sounds overly crude. Hitchens also appeals to mans great intellect and sophistication as being all we need for true morality- he says man does not need God, religion or the bible to be moral- after all we have the great works of literature! Sounds good- right? He then goes on and mentions the names of the great authors- he mentions Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy among others- and makes the argument ‘see- we have morality and truth contained within these books without needing religious truth’- geez- every well read person will tell you that these authors are known for their books being inundated with religious morality- it’s no secret that these 2 authors are considered some of the greatest Christian/religious writers of their time. How Hitchens could appeal to the ethics contained in their writings and say ‘see- we don’t need religious ethics- we have these guys’. I mean these types of obvious flaws jump right out at you- to be honest I have only read the reviews from these famous atheists in the past- but most of the reviews have pointed stuff like this out- I just didn’t think these guys would be this ‘amateurish’ [geez- don’t want to call the guy an idiot- or an old trout- that wouldn’t be the Christian thing to do].  So anyway I guess I’ll hit a few high points of the book the next week or so.

 VERSES-

2Samuel 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

2Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

2Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

2Samuel 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

2Samuel 23:5 Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.

2Samuel 23:20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Matt.

12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Ps. 55

Romans 14:5

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 55:3

Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Acts 13:34

And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Isaiah 55:6

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

 www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks

https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

https://twitter.com/ccoutreach87

https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts

https://vimeo.com/user37400385

https://www.pinterest.com/ccoutreach87/

https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo

http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/

http://johnchiarello.thoughts.com/

https://medium.com/@johnchiarello

http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/

Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks- John.#

[closecircle]

@makercursed

“Oh, I’m not a patient ------ I’m just here to help.  Can I help?”  The clinic’s a comfort, both for the air of healing it offers and for the companionship of one like her.  (  his spirit is different than hers.  sometimes she thinks he’s older, but it’s hard to tell.  )  She peers at the other, eyes glittering and curious.  She knows who she is, OF COURSE.  But still!!  “Are you hurt?”

[closecircle]

@bornpariah

She’s sitting on the balcony in the library, legs kicking, looking PRETTY AS A PICTURE and PLEASED AS PUNCH.  She’s been there for some time now; a few hours, maybe.  Long enough for most of the surrounding people to stop noticing her.  Like she’s part of the furniture.  And that’s just fine with her!  She’s just here ‘cause it’s fine and comfy and the library smells REAL NICE and.  Oh.  WHOOPS.

She slips and.  Nearly falls forward and down, actually, right on top of Solas’s desk.  She overcompensates and swings the other way with a shout and instead, arms flailing all the while, falls BACKWARDS onto the ground by Dorian’s feet.  Her head hurts, and when she opens her eyes he’s staring down at her.  She grins.

“Hi!”

[closecircle]

@valorcorrupt

“All the nation’s armies couldn’t hold me back.”  She died, recently.  It had been ugly and bloody and violent, but she doesn’t regret putting herself between the other’s blade and Inara.  She doesn’t.  She is back now, but as sometimes happens, she’s come back...sharper.  DURABLE.  Form corrupting like splitting irises.  (  she’s got another row of teeth trying to come in, which is distracting.  )  “I’m really powerful like this.  It happens every now ‘n again when I die.  I come back as more!”

[closecircle]

@geheimniserzauber

A transference of hurts.  Like the partner that killed her thrice on purpose because they were hurting so bad they couldn’t breathe unless they hurt another person, too.  But not like that, either, because Maze would rather die than be that kind of monster.  But still, a transference.  Mason’s daughter is hurting and so Mason is hurting, too.  She can’t even comfort her!  The girl doesn’t know that Mason is still here ------

“Oh, wow,” she murmurs as she realizes that she’s crying.  She looks at him, half - confused and half - apologetic.  Oh, she doesn’t want to cry in front of him.  He won’t like it.  “I’m sorry.  I --- this c - came out of nowhere.”

[closecircle]

@valorcorrupt

                             “I was a Warden a couple of lives ago.”

     It’s casual, but much of the bouncy irreverence of her voice is gone.  She has been a Warden many times, at least four of which she remembers.  Sometimes it has been wonderful.  Sometimes it has been horrific.  Always it has been brave.

                   Inara has been walking like her shoulders weigh more than her heart, and Mason has spent too many years watching her own heart destroy her body not to see.  Not to speak.

                          “I won’t tell anybody --- about all the secret bits.  Don’t worry.  I just ------ if you need to talk about all of it with someone that isn’t Alistair or --- yeah.  I get it.  I just --- wanted you to know that, is all.”

[closecircle]

@righteousmade

        “Oh.  Wow.  Goodness golly gracious.”  The thing in her chest lurches!  Wowzers, that’s all kinds of odd!  Can’t usually feel her companion as separate from her, they’ve been together so so so long, but!  But!  The spirt / demon / friend is responding to this stranger in the feathers like nothing else.  OH, WOW, HE MUST BE LIKE HER, THEN, SORTA?  KINDA?  Neat!  

                    Anyway, she follows the yanking in her chest and approaches him in his little clinic and sort of seems to.  Uh.  Vibrate, almost, bouncing on her heels in excitement.  “You’re possessed!” comes the cheerful, excited exclamation, her hands shooting out to take his.  “Wow!  That’s great!  Me, too!”  THEY COULD START A CLUB!

[closecircle]

@thxwarden

            “Hi!”  She’s smiling FAR TOO BRIGHTLY for someone who’s.  Uh.  Bleeding out in the dirt.  “Oh, wow, are you a healer?  Because I could REALLY use some healing.”  Totally thought she was just going to die here and what a DRAG that would be; she’s gotten so many cool new scars in this life that she’d just hate to lose.  GUESS MYTHAL’S ON HER SIDE TODAY!

[closecircle]

💋

KISS HER YOU COWARDS  /  accepting.

        Years don’t really mean much to the elf.  There’ve been an AWFUL LOT OF ‘EM, and nothing ever changes between them, really.  (  not to be a downer!  she likes the colours and the warmth and the friendliness and the alcohol well enough!  )  Still, she inevitably joins in the festivities of those who are shorter - lived than she is, because it seems like the right thing to do and they all seem so happy and that makes her happy, too!!  ALL LOVE, THIS ONE, even past the erratic age.

                          She hadn’t PLANNED to grab the Warden’s hand, but when she’d nearly RAN INTO HER while skipping around at absolute top speeds, it just SEEMED RIGHT.  Feet stilling only long enough to start tapping instead, and then rolling smoothly into a bounce.  She takes both of her hands, smile huge.  “Warden!”  The syllables burst out of her chest, all joy.  “Kiss me!  Kiss me!”

                     And, after looking confused for a moment and mischievous for another, Nilviri does so, lips pressed squarely against the ancient’s own.  Mason sort of seems to.  Uh.  VIBRATE for a moment in excitement, before returning the kiss with ease.

                                           When she pulls away, it’s with a laugh.“You’re the BEST, Viri!”

[closecircle]

@holykniight

         “HEY!!  GUY!!  MY FRIEND!!”  Pleeeease, she hears you wandering around!  She KNOWS she’s not alone in this dungeon (  maker, finally!!  it’s been, like, hours!  she’s hungry!  ).  A hand waves wildly out past the bars of the cell she’s unwillingly gotten herself into, the other gripping the very same.  “MY PAL!  MATE!  BUDDY!”  The terms of endearment would be more effective if the person the elf’s shouting at wasn’t a stranger, we’re sure. 

                      “I’m stuck down here, but it’s only ‘cause I was playin’ with the locks!”  She’s good at lock - picking, but there aren’t any sharp pieces of metal or the like she can improvise with!!  THIS IS THE WORST.  “The key’s on that wall, I think ------ PLEEEEASE get me out of here before the Inquisitor finds me.  Or worse, THE SEEKER.  She will be SO PISSED.”

[closecircle]

“You have to run. They’re looking for you.”

warning.  /  accepting.

              Oh, isn’t he just the sweetest, kindest, cutest thing!  SHE KNOWS.  The group of rogue Templars has been tracking her for ages.  Normally, she’d run —— not afraid of death, but seeing no reason to WELCOME IT when it will just mean another arduous return, and she too weak alone to take on so many.  (  not weak.  never weak.  but there are LOTS.  )  But!  But.  But she is THE OTHER THING today.  This life brought her back as the unholy thing, and she thinks it might be sort of FUN!  Fun!  Fun!  To play.

                            “Oh!  Oh, you’re so cute!  I’m okay!”  She smiles and she claps her hands and then grips his, leaning nearer, SMILING.  “I think I’m going to fight them, though!  I think it’ll be fun!”  And she smiles wider —— TOO MANY TEETH.  For a moment, her right eye seems to shift, pupil widening, then splitting —— then she blinks and her self is returned.  OH, SHE MIGHT STILL DIE TO THE TEMPLARS, THOUGH CHANCES ARE VERY SLIM.  BUT IT WILL BE GREAT FUN!

          Besides, she prefers to keep the lifetimes short when her self gets like this.

                         “You should go, though!  They might hurt you, too!  And once I let loose, I get sorta careless —”  THOSE EYES AGAIN!  “— you know?”

[dailyaudiobible]

02/06/2017 DAB Transcript

Exodus 23:14-25:40 ~ Matthew 24:29-51 ~ Psalm 30:1-12 ~ Proverbs 7:24-27

Today is February 6th.  Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible.  I'm Brian and how are you all today?  How is your day going?  Maybe it's just getting started and you’re still lying in bed.  Good morning.  Or maybe you’re laying your head down for rest.  Good evening, goodnight.  Or maybe it's lunchtime.  Or maybe you’re on a commute, you’re on a train, in a car.  Wherever you may be, you're at the global campfire now and no matter what is going on, we can step away from all that is going on and center ourselves round the rhythm of the word that we participate in each and every day.

So this week we’re reading from The Voice Translation and we’ll move our way back out to the mountain of God among the children of Israel who are beginning to learn new ways, are beginning to be reshaped and reformed into a new kind of people, no longer slaves in Egypt for the last four centuries, but free, new, chosen ones with a promise out in front of them and they are just beginning to learn what those customs and traditions and behaviors are supposed to look like inside this new culture.  Exodus chapter 23, verse 14 through 25, verse 40 today.  

Prayer

Father, our prayer today is the prayer of David sung in song so long ago as a beautiful melody that we no longer know, but the heart of his lyric and melody is our heart's cry.  We praise you, Lord.  You lifted us out of a deep, dark pit and denied every enemy the pleasure of rubbing in their success.  Our true God, the Eternal One, we cried out to you for help and we cry out to you for help and you mend the shattered pieces of our lives.  You lift us from the grave with a mighty hand.  You give us another chance and save us from joining those in the dreadful pit.  So we sing and we remain faithful.  We pour out our hearts to you with praise and melody.  We let grateful music fill the air and bless your name because your wrath is fleeting, but your grace lasts a lifetime.  You turned our deepest pains into joyful dancing.  You stripped off our mourning clothes and covered us with joyful light.  You have restored our honor.  Our hearts are ready to explode, erupt in new songs.  It's impossible to keep quiet.  O Eternal God, Life Giver, we thank you and we will thank you forever. Amen.  

Announcements

Www.DailyAudioBible.com is home.  It's the website.  It's where you find out what is going on around here, so be sure to find out what is going on around here and where you can make connections via social media or what people are praying about on the Prayer Wall or that kind of stuff.  Check it out.  

I mentioned yesterday that my publisher has my latest book – Reframe, From the God We’ve Made to God With Us on sale in the e-book format for $2.99. That's for a couple more days, until the 8th of February.  So if you hadn’t had a chance to check that out, this is a good time to check it out.  Especially if you’re an e-book reader.  If you’re not an e-book reader, it's still available either as an audiobook, CD audiobook, downloadable audiobook,  or book book wherever you get books.  So I hope you’ll check it out if you haven’t.  I think it will be helpful to you.  

And I was also mentioning yesterday that we got a fresh new batch of Klean Kanteens in, the final coffee tumbler or tea tumbler you will ever need, and I'm not kidding.  It is built like a tank.  It will last forever.  I use it for coffee because I'm a coffee drinker.  It will keep your coffee hot for hours.  I sit down early in the morning, which it is now, and drink my Windfarm coffee, which I'm doing now, and in the afternoon I can still drink this coffee.  It's still warm.  So it’s the best there is.  That is what we were looking for, what is the best there is here.  And they don’t last long.  We only get them in a couple times a year, like I said yesterday, and they only last a few days.  So grab them while you can in the Daily Audio Bible Shop.  

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if you find the rhythm of the Bible being read fresh every day in community to be something that is life-giving to you, then thank you for being life-giving to it so that it can continue to be life-giving to you.  You see how that works in a circle?  That is all we’ve ever been, is a community doing this thing.  And we’ve always done what we’ve done together.  So thank you for your partnership in allowing the Daily Audio Bible to move on another day, another week, another month.  There is a link at www.DailyAudioBible.com on the home page.  Thank you for clicking that.  If you are using the Daily Audio Bible App, you can press the More button in the lower right-hand corner or if you prefer, the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996, Spring Hill, TN 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, (877) 942-4253 is the number to dial.  

And that’s it for today.  I'm Brian. I love you.  I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.  

Community Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

Good evening Daily Audio Bible family.  This is Stephanie calling from Florida.  I just wanted to call this evening to just express how wonderfully happy I was this morning when I heard Brian read from Proverbs 6, verses 16-19 and literally that word almost knocked me to the ground because when I read about the detestable things that God is displeased with and how these sins are an abomination, I thought about myself and my daily walk and how I go out and these are some of the things that I commit daily as a Christian.  So it broke me.  It broke me down.  And the word of God says that it's sharper than any two-edged sword and I was happy to be broken down because my goal in life is to live with my God in eternity and I want to live a life that is true and holy.  And I want us all to go back and read that word.  Hear what it is saying and let it speak to your soul so that we can strive to become what John 8:32 says:  And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.  And we all want to be free.  I love you all. I pray for you all daily.  Brian and Jill, thank you so much for this ministry and for everyone, plant a seed in this ministry so that the word of God can get out and touch the hearts and souls of us all here on this earth.  Again, praise God.  I love him. I love you all.  Have a good evening.  

Hi Dabbers.  This is Kathleen again in Mount Zion, IL.  It's funny because I would not think about calling for a long time and then all of a sudden I will want to call like two or three days in a row.  But anyway, this time I did have just one thing, one thing that is really, really heavy on my heart.  Last year about this time I had said I was going to pray, just call in every once in a while about my son-in-law who is Muslim and just pray that he would come to the Lord.  I had kind of forgotten after a few months.  I forgot to call in again about that and right now that is just the one thing that is on my heart.  Of course, they live overseas and he is very saddened about all that is happening in the States right now and is afraid, although he's not from one of those countries that have been banned, but anyway, he is just very hesitant about a lot of things right now.  I just want to pray just one thing, one thing, and that is that God would reveal himself to Abdel.  I have heard about many young Muslim men who Jesus himself, Jesus is appearing to them in hotel rooms.  He is appearing to them.  I pray for this for Abdel.  I pray. Please pray with me.  Lord God, please reveal yourself to Abdel, Lord Jesus, so he will know who you are.  Thank you Dabbers.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  This is Alysa and I love your program.  My husband and I have been listening since January 1st and it's wonderful.  I'm asking for prayer for our friends Matt and Renee. They had a terrible house fire the other night.  They lost everything and their beloved cat Shadow was killed in the fire and they are beyond devastated.  Please pray for them, that God will provide for all their needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus and that he would surround them and comfort them and pray for financial provision.  They just need support right now in prayer.  And pray that this experience would not push them away from God but would rather draw them close to him.  Thank you so much.  I love you guys and keep up the good work with this program.  Take care.  

Hi Daily Audio Bible.  My name is Amanda.  This is my second time calling in.  I would like prayers for…my husband and I are separated and we separated seven months ago. I became a believer after we got separated.  I would just like prayers for God to tell me that I'm going in the right direction, that the choices that I'm making are the right ones.  Really, really struggling with a lot of things and sometimes it just seems like so much.  I just feel so defeated sometimes.  I'm also still struggling with forgiveness.  

Hello, this is the girl with the bumpy dog.  I'm sorry, I’ve been sick for a while so my voice isn’t very clear.  I was calling for Tim and Carissa and Brian actually, anybody who is in grief.  Your grief passes.  Your grief passes and the Lord knows how it will go.  So nobody can tell you how to grieve, even someone who has been through exactly the same situation, so I just sit with you with prayers and I'm so sorry for your loss.  The second thing I wanted to mention was Bernie.  I so could relate to your feelings.  My husband and I seem to be in that same position.  We are getting through, but we’re longing for a greater relationship and I just loved the way you phrased it.  I will join you in prayer if you’ll join me for return to a good foundation and to love our spouses as God has designed them to be loved.  Thank you everyone for your prayers.  And God bless all.  

Hello family.  Drew from the Bay Area.  Hey, I'm calling today because I need your prayers.  And I need your prayers now.  I'm so thankful for this family.  I am truly blessed by God, that God has a hold of me and I have this family to go to, that we have the Holy Spirit, that we have the word of God, that we have this ministry, that we are one with this ministry and that we can come together.  And I am seriously surrounded by smoke.  And I have no idea why I'm going through what I'm going through and I pray that things would change in my life.  And I think things are changing.  I pray about the margin.  In fact, I just changed the word on my phone from the DAB (thank you Blessed Like Me, thank you so much for your message).  I changed the header on my phone that says Prayer Without Margin because what we think is the margin where we’re living, that doesn’t exist really.  It only exists because of our lack of faith.  I'm praying, family, that you would help me with my faith.  Pray for my faith.  I know God has a hold of me and Jesus did it all.  He's got me now, but sometimes I just feel like I'm alone and that I don’t know what is going to happen next and what is the next crazy thing that is going to happen?  I have no idea.  Just pray for me.  I love you guys.