#10). In nothing do our hearts more cheat us than in our prayers | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

symphonyofthewrite · 4 years ago

Text

If These Walls Could Talk

Freaking GORGEOUS cover art by Junki Sakuraba on Instagram and Deviantart!! Definitely go check him out!! His art is incredible, and from what I can tell he’s really nice dude. He absolutely went above and beyond with this prompt. 10/10 would commission again. (And probably will once I save up enough money XD)

The wonderful art later in the chaper is by niuan_ on instagram!!

It wasn’t made/commissioned for this fic--(though I’ve since commissioned her to make cover art for me, so stay tuned for those!)--but when I saw it I couldn’t believe it!! That’s one of my favorite images in this chapter, and I couldn’t believe another artist made a piece for the same idea independently!!

I'll put the links to their profiles either in the replies or a reblog (since tumblr is dumb about links)!!

Also, FYI, I'll be using this post as my "reblog post" meaning I'll reblog this post with the later chapters of this fic, so they're all in one place. So if you want to read more of this fic, check the reblogs on this post, chances are more chapters will be there!!

Comments and reblogs are MORE than appreciated!! If you have a spare minute you will really make my week, and motivate me to keep writing!!

Fandom: Castlevania Netflix

Summary: Vampires do not have reflections, and castles do not have hearts. But Dracula is no ordinary vampire, and Castlevania is no ordinary castle. If castles can fight, maybe they can think too.

The series, and Adrian’s childhood, told from the perspective of the castle.

Chapter Summary:

“My mother’s name was Lisa, and she was mortal…She actually showed up at his front door. She found the castle and banged the door with the pommel of her knife…She was remarkable. She beat on the door until my father let her in, and then demanded he teach her how to be a doctor.”

Chapter 1: "Lisa”

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

The castle doesn’t like children.

Well, maybe that’s too strong to say. It simply isn’t the place for them. Its existence is a signpost: leave me alone. It is not used to having company—much less a family—inside it, nor is it ready to welcome for a crying, puking, giggling thing into the world. It does not intend to be a cozy place to coddle him into adulthood.

The castle itself pierces the sky, its turrets and towers the dripping stain of the sun’s blood across the moon.

The bare walls hold no colorful tapestries for a child to enjoy, no paintings of its many inhabitants to tell of—for there was only ever one (and maybe that ought not change. It is safe to say the castle doesn’t like change). The royal red and gold carpets are more suited to kings; not designed for spit-up, mud, and scuffing. ‘Don’t play with that’ would be a motto around here; so many contraptions either easy to break, or which could break the child. The fireplaces, while almost always lit, only ever coughed warmth onto the floor before them—they provided no snug space to curl up on a winter’s day. Even the mirrors here are empty, holding nothing but a reflection of the bare walls they sit upon.

There are certain people who were seemingly born as they are; they never owned toys, never crawled on the floor, never walked with clumsy steps—their footfalls were always this calculated count—never burped on their mother’s nice shirts, and surely never had anything so dull as a childhood. They were always just…here, on the world. There was no innocence, and no losing it. So it was with Dracula.

The very thought of Dracula ever owning toys, even in some nice cottage far away from here, with a doting mother and an absent father, with a funny last name like Cronqvist, defied sense to the castle. So no, no toys here, nor any simple charts for learning; the books divulged their secrets to more mature minds. Just blood and books, gold and gears, forgotten magic means, mirrors that reflect nothing, and a pile of prayers to a good God they used to justify their ungood, and ungodly deeds.

All these things—or their absence—do not make for the picture of a baby-proof home.

The castle has grown accustomed to being cold and dark, and listening to one master alone. It’s not a quaint place lovers look on and think we’ll raise our kids here someday.

Its master isn’t the ideal father either—after all, the castle only reflected its king. Its master knows only of blood and nails, fangs and wails, words too big for a child’s mouth, and worlds too dark for a child’s heart.

Can he be soft? Can he be gentle? Can he keep those claws, which have ripped out better men’s hearts, from piercing a child’s—his child’s…how could one who killed so many have a child?—skin? He knows many spells, but is there one that can turn those screams into laughter?

He has been soft before. Once. And that is with this woman.

Many women have walked the castle’s halls: shivering, shrieking damsels at his feet; cold and calculating queens; fragile bodies on the floor, that he broke with the same regard a child does a vase that matters to someone else.

Those ordinary people who do come often have pitchforks in their mouths, and fiery words in their closed fists. Curses stacked on the end of stakes, banging like the castle is the church bell signifying their own funerals.

It is for this reason that the castle does not like outsiders, does not open its doors easily. But it cannot deny anyone entry. Unlike the humans’ doors, which find his master guilty until proven innocent.

They always came at night. At night, when the loudest sound is your own breathing. At night, when their fires echoed loudest, and their shouts burned brightest.

They came when the flowers were closed, when only the most eerie and vicious of animals played with the skins of their prey, and the moon waxed the world in cold, drunk shine. The sun could not watch them, could not show their blood-struck hands in their full glory.

She came at sunset. When the sun still glazed her deeds in sanguine auburn, but was just deciding to turn its gaze and let the kids have their fun. Not quite day, when the sun would kill things like Dracula, but not quite night, when the hours are named after witches, and lust is strongest—be it for the body, or the blood within it. Somewhere in between death and life, violence and peace.

This woman came with a knife in her hand, yes. But a knife, at least, was not a sword. It was not a pitchfork, a spear, a whip, or a stake; all weapons that signify, if the fight wasn’t there, you were bringing it with you. Not a war-starved weapon, pointing with mal-in—and -con—tent towards the castle doors and all the things inside it. Not a thirsty thing. Something that by default faced the other direction. Something that can start a fight if it wants to, but doesn’t crave it.

The golden woman came at sunset, with a knife in her hand, and looked upon this thing, this castle that others called ‘ugly’, and ‘monstrous,’ and ‘grotesque,’ looked upon it with awe, and gasped in wonder.

She knocked. She didn’t bang her fists upon the stone, didn’t ram pitchforks and assorted insults against the innocent doors, like how-dare-they protect their master.

She knocked, and the doors opened before she could raise her fist a second time. Maybe, just this once, not because they didn’t have any other choice.

The doors—foreboding, menacing, and all the other spooky -ings one can think of—opened to a world strewn in light; the demon’s castle looked brighter, more beautiful, more alive, than half the churches she’d been to.

Her footsteps were gentle against the castle’s floors. Not a slow, forced gentleness, but also not a piercing, purposeful march. There was no apprehension to her footsteps; her feet carried her as if anxious to take her to as many rooms as they could.

At first her steps were the only sound, enough to fool some into thinking they’re alone.

And it became clear both that she was not alone, and not a fool.

But when she saw the demon, she put the knife away, and used her words.

She used her words to repeat those she herself had heard: stories. But not the kind that make monstrous men run at the doors with naughts and crosses, the kind pious people buried along with all evidence that the world wasn’t made of black and white.

Not all the stories told that this place was cold and dark and full of death.

Amongst all the stories about death, there were others that said Vlad Tepes brought this castle to life with science, forbidden knowledge, and a little bit of lightning. Stories that say there is life here.

And, in exchange for proof that these life-stories true, Dracula asked for a trade, a trade that would prove the other stories true too. He gave up the killing a while ago—(the castle has been in one place a very long time)—but he was still not used to giving for free, and definitely not used to getting for free. Vampires trade in blood and names, not diamonds and declarations. Vampires trade in things they can swallow. This castle, too, had been a gaping hole set to swallow the world and everything that entered. Never once had it given.

And she dared to say, that this place, its master, should learn to give, when the humans have done nothing but take from them—or try their best to. He ought to be the one to invite her in, to ask what she would like, to dispense pleasant words and kind actions, when the humans forgot they invented hospitality, and showed no invitation for him to even enter their homes.

But she didn’t come with a mouth full of garlic, and hands full of superstition. Her feet did not drill holes in the floor with their sharp toll, they wandered the scenic route.

She was used to being cheated. Dracula and his castle were too. But that was not why she was there. She was not there for cheap tricks, or death. She wanted something real. A little bit of the life the castle has to offer.

Her defiance wasn’t that of a terrified citizen, or angry queen, either; rather the calm resolve of someone who is asking for something they know in their heart is good, and knows they will get it. The kind of person who believes there is good in everyone, and that this good will ultimately always win, and who won’t leave until they convince this good to show its face.

The castle has watched countless men and women cower at the foot of count Dracula. Some, do have a measure of god-sanctioned defiance; they come with whips and scourges to defeat him. The castle and the king are bound together in their resolve against them.

Except one. Except this woman. One human whom both master and castle found themselves reluctant to deny, cast away, or kill, maybe even…taken with.

She may be human, but she was not like the rest; she did not light the night on fire with her thirst for blood.

So maybe, just maybe, they could let one ray of sunlight slip through the cracks.

She was also not devoid of life, and maybe that was the key.

‘Devoid of life’ was an accurate portrayal of the castle. Bats flying out of blackness is a good description of a cave, and caves don’t usually come with the brochure ‘teeming with life’, or ‘great place to take your kids!’. The castle had a soul-sucking quality to it; those who entered often found themselves leaving less alive than they arrived. It took after its vampire master. Those who didn’t actually lose their lives within its walls, often remarked upon leaving that the flowers bloomed brighter, the birds sang louder, the grass was greener, and that they missed the sunlight.

Sunlight. Such a base thing; vampires don’t need the light or warmth to be happy.

Sunlight. Such a base way to die; wanting to get out of the cold and the dark.

“Is this how the castle felt to you before my mother first arrived at your door?”

Castlevania was alive once. Once Dracula set the pumps, and its heart began to beat. He turned the gears, and its lungs inhaled. He forged the lightning, and it began to think. Once the books, full of unknown knowledge, jumped off the shelves to get the vampire king’s attention. He filled the bottles and beakers, and they bubbled, as if laughing at a joke only they shared.

They were both alive, once.

That waned, with time. The gears got arthritis, the books caught pneumonia, the experiments atrophied. The castle ached before she came.

And Dracula, alone in the halls, picking up books and putting them down again without so much as a polite glance through them, because he read them all before. Dracula looking into fractured mirrors that could take him anywhere, but deciding there wasn’t anywhere he wanted to go. Dracula, looking into old mirrors that don’t reflect him—like there was never anything to reflect, nothing alive here to begin with, and there isn’t a master for this castle after all. Nothing but a grave. Dracula sitting alone in his study, staring into the fire. No one to talk to. No sound but flipping pages and crackling fires—nothing alive. Alive but dead. This castle. Its master. Undead is the proper term.

The other women who came through here reflected the castle, or else the castle took the life out of them the moment they entered. Queens with malice-stained past, and cracked, icy future in their eyes. Just as cold as the walls. Subjects, humans throwing gruesome insults, silky flattery, or fluttering pleas at his feet. Just as empty as the mirrors.

Only one refused the castle’s bite. Only one walked in looking for life, rather than death. Looking for a thing no one thought existed here. Already presumed dead. Put six feet beneath the ground. But maybe it was here all along; maybe the light hid in the castle’s corners while the dark came out to play, and she just had to coax it out of its hiding places. Maybe the bell was ringing all this time, she was the only one who came close enough to hear it; the only one who came to put flowers on the grave.

Maybe when she felt the machinery pumping she knew the rhythm was a heartbeat. Maybe when she heard the gears clanking she knew it was the sound of inhaling and exhaling. Maybe when she saw the lightning, she wondered what it was thinking. Maybe she looked at these books, these instruments, and saw what the vampire king saw once; something alive. They weren’t dead yet—un- or otherwise. Just sick, and in need of proper treatment. She was a doctor after all. Maybe her first subject was the very books she learned from.

Lisa, who looked at this blotch on the sky, with Death in its towers, and darkness splattered on its walls, and thought that’s where I’ll learn to heal people. Lisa, who gaped in amazement at the beast of a building. Lisa, who didn’t shudder upon entering. Lisa, who didn’t scream when its master touched her, but turned to him with calm resolve, and told him she’d teach him to be more human. Lisa, who’s life eclipsed the undeath in this place.

And there was a trade that occurred that day. For Dracula’s immortal knowledge, Lisa would teach him how to live a mortal life. To travel the world as a man, to walks as a man, to eat and drink, laugh and cry, as a man. Immortality for mortality. They gave each other the world, as so many lovers promise to do. Vlad would make her immortal, and Lisa would make him mortal, with no exchange blood.

(Except to create a thing with both their blood running through it.)

So maybe, after all this talk of life, it is fitting that she wants to create life inside this castle.

Fitting, maybe. Fitting for her. But the castle is not mortal yet, and wishes it could protest that it isn’t the right size, refuse to try on the idea.

Dracula is apprehensive as well, for the castle and he are used to each other, they take after each other, because the cold, and the dark, and the death, and the alone does something to you after a while; you start talking to the walls. After the cold queens and quaking colleens leave, or leave their bloodstains the floor. After the beasts and their silver-stained bullets turn back into righteous men in the sun. After he simply outlives everyone else. When all the living things hate, fear, or else betray you, when all the living things can die, and you, who are undead, cannot, it’s the lifeless things that stand firm by your side. When the day ends and the shadows come out to play, when you’re the only one left, in the end you still have the walls. And then…the walls are all you have. And if you talk to them long enough you make a sort of pact, spoken or silent, with those speechless stones: ‘you’re the only one I can trust.’

Dracula speaks to them one day, says he wonders if he can do this, be a father at all, not to mention a good one. The castle cannot reply. But something deep inside the walls wonders if it might be nice to hear Dracula laugh. It might be nice to put on some different clothes. It might be nice for someone new to listen to from time to time. It might be nice to live again.

The castle is concerned. Used to doing things one way, being one way, and only hearing one voice. But that doesn’t mean it is unwilling, that it intends to kill the child.

It never kills anything—Dracula does that. It cannot do anything on its own, and that includes change.

The castle doesn’t like change.

…But that doesn’t mean it won’t.

And if its going to change, its master must change first. They must change together.

Vampires do not have reflections. But Dracula has a castle, and that castle will be damned if it isn’t his mirror.

Reflections are simple to change; put on some makeup, some war paint, a new change of clothes, get a piercing somewhere. Simple, yes, but not easy, to change completely, because that doesn’t mean anything’s changed inside.

The castle did not come equipped for child-rearing; there are no rooms full of toys and cradles and school supplies.

So if this is to be, they must build their son’s world themselves.

Together they set aside a room for the child’s arrival. Just one, single room. And the castle too knows, from the start, this room will be different from all the rest. They will put paintings on the walls, and banners in the halls; things to interest him, to tell him of his parents, at least, even if there are few other relatives to spend Christmas with. The carpets will be darker, instead of the stringent red, and they will make their words smaller, the books easier to understand. The rest of the castle is warm in color, but cool in atmosphere. This room will be cool in color, but warm in atmosphere. The fire will always be set in its place, and they will try their best to make sure the warmth reaches him; if the fire fails, they will knit blankets; if the blankets fail they will make him tea, or warm milk with honey; and when everything else fails they will hold him. If there are tears here, scornful stares will not greet them, instead, kisses and lullabies will be behind door number three. If this room lives, it will be because of something much softer than pounding metal and lighting.

If a child is to live here, they must change that reflection. Everything Dracula’s castle appears to be, this room will be the reverse. Separate. Something… other than the castle.

This room will bottle all the laughter had in this castle. This room will be made of and for living, not the death the rest of the place is steeped in. So much so that this room will not stand for bloodshed.

Lisa brings in supplies from her town; color and cloth, boards and brushes, needle, and thread, and paper; all the things one needs to build a universe.

It is Dracula who takes the paint, who changes the color to something other than the blacks and reds of the rest of the Vampire’s world, cementing on the walls themselves You will not be dark here, my castle. You will be kind to him, Castlevania. The castle doesn’t know its master to work with his hands like a human, but Vlad is not the same within this room either—this room is part of the trade. He doesn’t use magic, or science, as if he is telling himself with every hammer that they are going to change together, the way one does when talking to the mirror.

Lisa sits in a chair and stiches together cloth and fur to make little creatures, toys for the boy to play with. Soft things, not sharp. They are reflections too, littler, simpler ones, of the creatures howling and prowling outside the castle’s walls, or scurrying within them.

But it is the ceiling that is the crowning jewel of the room. Something they paint together—splashing it onto each other’s clothes and noses.

His parents love the stars. They often walk outside the castle walls, fingers knit into each other’s, to gaze at them. They are scholars at soul, and have charted the constellations. They want their child to be able to do the same, to watch the stars, even if he’s not outside. At the end of every day they want him to be sung to sleep by the symphony of the night.

For them, maybe, but to the castle, one of the most interesting things about this room, is the mirror. This is strange, as, while there are other mirrors in this house, they are nothing more than a silver decoration; they have no purpose here, unless they float in shards and possibility. This is an ordinary mirror. It does hold something now, however, and that’s Lisa—only giving more credence to the idea that she is the only living thing in this castle. The castle wonders if they think it will reflect the child, as if they are hoping he will take after his mother and the room.

The mirror, and the windows. In the rest of the castle, the windows are always closed, curtained, or too small to let any real light in. But here they are big, and inviting to all the wiles of the day. Dracula protested—fearing he would burn. Lisa insisted—hoping he would shine.

The mirror, the room, are empty now. The windows closed. The books and charts dormant as the rest. It is not dead, but it’s not alive either. Not even undead. Just a question. An almost.

The room lays on Frankenstein’s table; just one lightning strike—(or one child’s laugh)—away from breathing.

424 notes · View notes

eveningstar1516 · 3 years ago

Text

Rise of the Demon King ~ Chapter 5

Rise of the Demon King

Fic: Multi Chapter Paring: MC x Everyone (Mostly Lucifer) Type: Angst with a Happy Ending Total Word Count: 26,758 TW: Major Character Death, Reader gets stabbed with a sword through their chest so…, Abusive Parents, Past Child Abuse, Demon Hunters, Loss of Control Summary: You’ve done it. You’ve finally done it. You’ve managed to anger the demon king. Now you hold your head high as he hands down your sentence. AO3 Portal: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065362

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previously:

Lucifer looked into my eyes muttering something in angelic before whispering, “I’m sorry…”

With tears burning his eyes he buried the sword deep into my heart.

“Thank you”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHAPTER 5 - Oblivion (1618 words)

“Y/N? Wake up Y/N”

Someone’s calling my name?

“Y/N, please wake up”

I awoke in a daze hearing a soft female voice calling out to me.

“Y/N, can you hear me?”

Slowly blinking awake, I realized that I was floating in some dark void. Upon looking around, I found the source of the voice. A young woman with long strawberry blonde hair and violet eyes was looking at me. Her white and purple dress was flowing freely around her. Her hair framed her face just right with a small leaf hair clip finishing her look. She spoke out again.

“Y/N, can you hear me?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, thank goodness you can. Y/N, I am Lilith. Do you remember how you got here?”

I looked down at myself realizing that there is a gaping hole in my chest where my heart is supposed to be. Memories of the trial came flooding back to me.

“I-I was on trial. The king didn’t like the idea of me having pacts with all your brothers, so he ordered that I be killed. He, he tried to make Lucifer do it but he refused to kill me. I remember ordering your brothers not to interfere and to obey Lord Diavolo above the king, then I ordered Lucifer to kill me with his sword. He whispered something in angelic then killed me. I thanked him then nothing. It didn’t even hurt when he killed me, I just fell asleep.” Hugging myself as I remembered what happened, what I assume to be not 30 minutes ago. Lilith moved to wrap her arms around me.

“Shh, it’s alright now. When Big Brother killed you, he probably used his holy sword, that’s why you didn't feel anything, but if he did, you should have returned to Oblivion. Do you know what that is?”

Nodding my head, I recalled my Devildom history class. Oblivion was the start of the universe. All living beings were created from oblivion. Oblivion is the purple aura that surrounds someone when they perform a spell. It is the stuff used to manifest something via spell or curse. If harnessed right, it can also be used as an energy source.

“Big Brother probably muttered a protection spell which is why you are here instead of non-existent.”

“Where is here?” I asked while slowly releasing her from the hug.

“This place has no name, although I like to call it the void. In reality, that is all this place really is. It is where souls end up should they not have a final destination but don’t return to Oblivion. This only happens in special cases. It is the reason I have been able to watch over you and my elder brothers. This is where things get complicated. You were not meant to die yet and I didn’t have enough power to save you this time. You now have to make a choice, no matter what you pick, you cannot change the fact that you died, there is no cheating death a second time. I can make you a demon and send you to the Devildom, I can re-incarnate you into a new-born human although you will lose your memories, or I can send you to the Celestial Realm as a seraph. It’s your choice.”

“There is no way I would give up my memories of your brothers and the time I spent in the Devildom, and as much as I would love to return to the Devildom, there is no way I am going to serve that tyrant calling himself “King”. I also really don’t want to serve the other tyrant that has the audacity to call himself “Father”” Sighing I cradled my head in my hands weighing my two options. On one hand, I can return to the brothers and the one I love, but I will have to serve King Abandon and that’s if he doesn’t decide to kill me again as soon as he lays eyes on me. On the other hand, I could go to the Celestial Realm and hide out with Simeon and Luke, but I would have to bow down to their Father so as to not risk banishment from the Celestial realm, and that’s if he doesn’t cast me out on the spot, unless…

“I pick the Celestial Realm. As much as I dread serving Father, it’s my best option of seeing the brothers again.”

“Y/N, are you sure? I will be using up the last of my power, there is no going back after this.”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright.” Lilith took my hand and started chanting in angelic. A golden aura surrounded her as strings of light flowed out of her and into my chest and back, closing my wound and forming 6 pure white wings on my back. My clothing transformed into white and pastel blue garments. A small halo appeared over my head. I saw Lilith beam at me and say something although I couldn’t make out what she said as the darkness claimed me once more.

~In the Devildom~

(Lucifers POV)

Tears threatened to spill over as I carried out Y/N’s order. Why? Why did they make me do it?! They could have ordered me to pick them up and fly them away, I would have done it before the order even left their mouth. There is no way I could send them back into Oblivion. Without thinking, I drew the sword I swore I would never draw again. My Father had dubbed it “Starburst”, my holy sword. I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it after the fall, and now I’m glad I didn’t. I heard gasps from the crowd as I summoned the sword, the only demons having seen it were my brothers as well as Lord Diavolo and Barbatos. I fought against Y/N’s order long enough to mutter a small prayer for their soul, hoping that wherever Lilith was, she would hear and understand that I needed her help. Unable to fight the order any longer, I took one last look into their eyes and thrust the sword straight through their heart, my brothers screaming in the background. Holding Y/N’s body a little longer than normal, I heard their last words, “thank you”, then nothing. Y/N was gone, and I was the one who killed them. I didn’t have time to think about it as I felt a searing pain on the back of my left hand, turning over to face my brothers, I saw them each clutching a part of their bodies as we all felt the pact we each held with Y/N shatter. I gently laid down Y/N’s body and got up moving off stage before my tears spilled over signalling my brothers to do the same. Not acknowledging the king, we all turned and left, Diavolo and Barbatos following close behind. Asmo’s crying was all we heard as we walked towards the House of Lamentation, none of us wanting to be anywhere near the king. Upon entering, we all went our separate ways. Levi immediately retreated towards his room, the twins went to theirs. Satan went to the library. Asmo and Mammon both went into the direction of Y/N’s old room while Diavolo, Barbatos and I headed to my secret study. Now alone, I let it all out, my pride worthless now.

“It’s not your fault-”

“Isn’t it Dia?! I was the one that killed them! I wasn’t strong enough to fight them and now they're gone!”

“I noticed you muttering something before, you know. What was it?”

“It was a prayer to Lilith. I know she’s watching over us. I can only hope that she heard it and will help Y/N. I didn’t send them into Oblivion as he ordered but to where she is. That was all I was able to do.” Tears now streamed down my face clear as day as I leaned back into my chair looking up at the ceiling at the thought of my only sister and Y/N who has grown to be someone I would even call my lover. Barbatos put his hand on my shoulder to try and ground me.

“What now?”

“I don’t know Barb, I really don’t. My Father has control of the Devildom and now with Y/N gone, it will be a lot harder to continue with any of our plans. On the plus side, thanks to Y/N’s order, my word outranks my Father’s when it comes to you 7.”

“But the pact is gone. There’s no way any of their orders are still in play, right?”

“No, it is still very much there. I can still feel the lingering effects of an order. If it weren’t, we would have attacked the king as soon as the pact broke but Y/N ordered us not to interfere with the trial.”

We sat in silence, none of us wanting to break it, until Diavolo’s DDD pinged with a text alerting him and Barbatos back to the castle.

As they were leaving Diavolo pulled me in for a tight hug.

“I’ll make this right. I promise.”

Letting go, both demons left for the palace as I went to my room. Shedding my clothes, I bypassed pyjamas and laid in bed. Tears ran down my face as I thought about Y/N and all the precious memories we had made together. I rolled over and realized they left their Little D No.1 plushie here from their last sleepover. Clutching it, their scent strong on the plushie, I drifted off to sleep, hugging the Little D in my arms wishing it was Y/N instead.

68 notes · View notes

srchng4answrs · 4 years ago

Text

Absolution of sin isn’t easy. Every year in my Catholic high school they would bring in priests to listen to our confessions. We would sit in the auditorium an empty chair in between each person and one by one walk to the back of the auditorium where a man in vestments would sit ready to tell us that we are still God’s children. I never went.

“Before religion” isn’t a concept that exists for me. This is strange for many reasons, the primary being that my family is not religious in the slightest. We went to church out of obligation every Christmas and Easter, and stopped following that tradition when I was in 4th grade. I don't know what my mother thought I would gain from going to a religious school for 10 years.

Catholicism is the particular sect of Christianity that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to reconcile with. The preaching of love and tolerance. The acts of service and the good deeds. Is it still a good deed if you’re doing it for personal gain?

Defender of Mankind. In Ancient Greek that's what the name Alexandria means. That's what My name means. I learned that at church. It’s ironic, the places that tell you you are meant to defend, are the same ones attacking. I wasn’t equipped to defend myself from the teachings of a group that I thought had my best interest at heart.

Eulogies in religious services are often delivered by the clergy member who is officiating the service. A religious eulogy will focus on the role of God and faith in the life of the person who died, rather than any secular accomplishments. I often write eulogies for people in my head. I have never once written something religious.

Father Sean was an odd man. Nothing against him but I wish he would stop sending me friend requests on Facebook.

Gabriel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my strength”. He told Mary to not be afraid, but he was also the angel sent to destroy Jerusalem. Which one of those is real strength.

Half human, half divine. The manifestation of God in the flesh. How terrible it must’ve been to be crucified for telling the truth. To be needlessly slaughtered for the sake of people that want to see your organs fail as you slowly suffocate and bleed out. Father forgive them they do not know what they are doing.

I often wish I understood. I want to be able to walk into a church and feel god. I want to wear my Kairos cross without feeling like a liar. I don’t think religion was meant for people like me.

Jesus was not white. He didn’t have long flowing hair or a long beard. He was shorter than we think. Is it more disrespectful to put someone on a cross or to purposefully make their physical appearance more palatable for a racist audience.

Kairos may have been the closest I’ve ever been to experiencing god. For three days you sit in small groups and listen to people talk about their most traumatic experiences. Religious retreats are made to break you. To make you flood the earth with your tears. To make you turn to god because there’s no one else to turn to. I wish I could say with any level of certainty that my experience was real.

Love is such a funny idea. God “Loves” you. I still don’t understand the double standard of preaching love and then telling people they love wrong. I think there are bigger sins to worry about.

Matthew was a tax collector. One of the most sinful professions they lied, cheated, and stole from the poor. The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry, but will thwart the cravings of the wicked. I find “sinners” much more real than the righteous. At least sinners don’t go out of their way to tell everyone they sin.

No one in my philosophy of god class chose to walk away from Omelas. I remember it perfectly. You get to stay in a perfect city where everyone is happy, at the misfortune of one child. I spoke last. I would walk away. I still get chills thinking about it. I don't know why I made that choice.

Often my friends and I debate the existence of god. One philosopher said that you might as well because if you believe and god is real you gain everything, and if he isn't you lose nothing. But if you don't and he is real, you lose everything. We all know there's much more to religion than that. Simply believing in the omnipotent power that destroyed cities and flooded the earth has not, and will never be enough.

Prom was one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my life. I was the first person since my schools founding in 1957 to go to prom with someone of the same sex. That year three of my friends did the same. So much easier to just split the bill with a friend. I had to make a case for why I should be able to. Would the outcome have been different if I told them we were dating.

Questioning whether the omnipotent and all knowing being in the heavens that we cannot see, hear, smell, or touch is apparently against the rules. I got quite sick of the Lord’s Prayer.

Raining from the sky was blood. Thicker than water. Did it bring the people together or did it turn them against each other. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Blood can bring people together, but I’m not sure it can wash you clean.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by sulfur and fire because of their wickedness. The two cities associated with homosexuality were burned to the ground. We have a history with fire. Fire cannot cleanse what isn’t dirty, but the ash will stain your hands for eternity.

Time stands still as I sit in the pews at my cousin's wedding. It seems like the hands on the clock are moving backwards. Instead of looking at them I stare at the sculpture of Jesus, crucified, blood coming out of his wounds, hanging roughly 10 feet above them. It isn’t alive. I’ve seen the same type of sculpture in a hundred different churches. But in this moment I can hear him gasping for breath. It was a beautiful service, I told her.

Uriel is the angel of repentance. In the Christian text the Apocalypse of Peter he is as pitiless as any demon. The devil himself was once an angel. What's the difference between angels and demons other than name.

Vanity was the reason the devil was cast from heaven. Born an angel and a king, free from sin he became proud of his beauty and intelligence and was struck down by God. I’m still unsure why he is considered the villain. Was it not God who leveled cities and murdered millions.

Without religion I’m unsure of what my life would look like. As hard as I try I cannot cleanly separate myself from it. Like a mouse stuck on a trap, when it gets free it either leaves its skin on the trap, or escapes covered in glue. I’m unsure if I can escape without leaving a part of myself behind, or taking something with me I did not ask for.

X appears 1,436 times in the King James version of the bible, but never at the start of the word. It is the only letter in the english alphabet that a verse does not start with.

Younger me used to enjoy church. I’m not sure why. I could never sit still, the sermons were boring, the pews were uncomfortable, and I couldn’t wait to go home. But without fail every Sunday I would wake up and get ready. I wish I could go back and tell myself that I don’t need to force myself into places I know I don't belong in order to be loved.

Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. I wonder if the same applies to me.

13 notes · View notes

dailyaudiobible · 4 years ago

Text

01/29/2021 DAB Transcript

Exodus 8:1-9:35, Matthew 19:13-30, Psalms 24:1-10, Proverbs 6:1-5

Today is the 29th day of January welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is a joy and a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today doing what we do, taking steps forward. We’re not taking steps backward or sideways. We are on a path that's going to lead us one step after the other straightforward through a year and a through the Scriptures. And we are well on our way. So, it is a joy and an honor to be here. We’re reading from the English Standard Version this week, picking up where we left off. The plagues are descending upon Egypt. The man Moses is leading his people although this is not his favorite thing to do. This wasn't on his radar. This is what God has invited him into and he is being obedient. And Pharaoh the king of Egypt is having a hard time with it. So, let’s pick up the story. Exodus chapters 8 and 9 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, there's plenty for us to touch on today. In the Old Testament the book of Exodus we are reading of the plagues. And obviously very very famous story. But the plagues are starting to amp up and Pharaoh he keeps changing his mind. And, so, we are watching like systematic dismantling of the power structures that were holding God's people. Pharaoh could've said okay like the first request. It was within his power but his heart…his heart was hardened, and it continues to be hardened because he cannot get his mind around the fact that there may be a God more powerful than himself or the gods of Egypt. And, so, he is convinced that the…the local gods are more powerful than the Hebrew God's because after all they have enslaved the Hebrew people. They sustain their economy. So, of course they would think that their God is more powerful. But one thing after another after another day by day it's becoming more and more clear to Pharaoh that this is a problem. But at the same time, he’s got all these officials and his people looking at him like he's the son of God and a God himself and descended from the gods. So, this is like a problem to surrender to another God. And, so, every time these plagues go away then he reconsiders, hardens his heart and steps back into the ring to get punched again basically. And we will continue with that story as we continue in the book of Exodus.

We get into the book of Matthew today are just watching Jesus. There’s this is beautiful scene where He …He…the little children want to come to Him. The people want Him to bless their children. They’re kinda being held back, they’re just kids and stuff. And Jesus is like, “let em’ come to me. Don't keep the kids away for me. Don’t keep the children away from me. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” That is…that is something to consider because it's something that is said more than once in the Bible from the lips of Jesus, that if you don't have faith like a child, right, then you can't enter the kingdom of heaven. And, so, we have to begin to think and ponder, “what does that look like?” And those of us who have children we know, like they’re…when they are little children, they look at us like we know everything and can do anything, and they can do anything, and they believe. They believe what we tell them. Then…then we begin to teach them a reason and they begin to go to school and learn reason and out to adapt themselves into their environment around them and we grow skeptical and we lose…we…we lose mystery, and we can't lose it. Like that's the thing. It's not faith when we know it. It's faith when we don't but we do if that makes sense. Children. Children are like this. And we should learn that lesson. And then right on the heels of that is a man who is rich…this is like up famous story…would be called the story of the rich young ruler. But this is a wealthy person who actually is a devout servant of God, actually has been trying to obey the Mosaic law and live for God. And, so, he comes to the Rabbi Jesus because at this point in Jesus ministry there's healings going on, there's teaching with authority that the people hadn't experienced before. And, so, he’s coming and saying, “what…what…what else do I need to do? What do I lack?” And this is an instance where we can look at the narrative, look at Jesus, look at His personality, look at how He operates in this world and we can see that He's going right after the thing that is holding this person back. And in this case, it's his possessions, his riches. And, so, Jesus tells him, “sell everything, give to the poor and come, follow me.” That's significant because that is the language Jesus has used to call His disciples, the people that are His inner circle. He's inviting this person to come follow Him, to come be a part of the story, to divest himself of the things that would hold him back because that's his question, “what do I lack?” And Jesus answers his question honestly. “What you lack is the ability to let go of your identity as a wealthy person.” And, so, on so many levels, the story becomes about identity. It becomes about what is it that we are surrounding ourselves with or trying to collect and amass to have an identity, right, to make ourselves look good, to be out there in the world and respected? And we've talked about…I mean we’re still in January, but we have talked about the masks and about being naked and ashamed and hiding and this is what we’re talking about. What is it that gives you your identity outside of God? That is something that is going to get challenged as we continue our journey because what we will find is that the faith that…that we’re claiming is an all or nothing proposition and nothing that we hold more dear than our relationship with God can survive it because it becomes an idol. It's the thing that we’re looking to to give us life. We’re gonna watch this over and over and over in the Bible and we’ll…we’ll find that God has no patience for that. He is the author of life and wants to live in relationship with us. And, so, if we’re gonna give our hearts in worship to something else then that's essential essentially adultery, spiritual adultery. It’s like cheating. It’s turning to a false God in order to get life when the most-high has given us life and we’re giving that life to something else. God hates that. And we’ll watch that. He hates it because it only leads away from Him. And walking in a direction away from Him only leads to destruction.

And, so, to dovetail that really nicely we move into the book of Psalms that we read today and this question, these two questions are asked that are vital questions. “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord” and “who shall stand in His holy place?” In other words, who gets to be in God's presence? Who actually gets get there? And the question is answered. “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of His salvation.

Prayer:

Father, in all of these struggles we see identity kind of at the center of it all. Pharaoh's thinking he's a God descended from the gods and that…that there is none higher. And this is his identity and he also needs to kind of keep that image up because that's one of the things that keeps him in control and in power and it is leading him to destruction. So, Holy Spirit, come help us to realize the things that we have been building up to make ourselves look good, this personality that we keep constructing and modifying and tweaking, the possessions that we try to gather for the sole purpose of…of elevating ourselves above somebody else, these are going nowhere and we can…if we sit and meditate upon this we can find all kinds of ways in which we probably should repent, which in its truest basic form is to change our mind and walk in a different direction. Come Holy Spirit into this we pray. In the mighty name of Jesus, we ask because we all need to tweak this out. We all need to surrender. We are all trying to present some kind of false identity out there and it's going nowhere when we are a city on a hill when we are the light of the world. That's our identity. Come Holy Spirit and help us to remember and live it we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Commentary:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, its where you find out what's going on around here. Of course, if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can access all of these things as well from within the app by pressing the little Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner. So, check that out. Check of the different ways to be connected and stay connected as we take this journey.

Check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop there are a number of resources there for the journey, different sections of the Shop, like the Global Campfire section. We have an entire line of Global Campfire themed items that are just…they’re…they’re there as a reminder that we are a part of a community as we move through the Scriptures this year. And we see that precedent set so many times in Scripture where God is like don't forget what happened here. Pile up stones so you don't forget what happened here. Make an alter so you don’t forget what happened here or we even think of Jesus at His last supper, “don't forget. Do this in remembrance of me.” So, remembering is that inherent in the Bible in a lot of settings. And, so, just…isn’t that the thing? We forget. We react to things because we don't take a moment to remember and calm ourselves in the moment and invite the Holy Spirit. So, remembering. Then beyond that is in the Lifestyle section of…of the shop, the Daily Audio Bible journals that have been perfected over the years, the Black Wing…all of the Black Wing pencil stuff, this is…this is what I journal with, this is what I write with every day. I have found…and I don’t know if I’ve said it this year, but I have found that I’ve kinda picked up the old school way of sharpening a pencil, actually sharpening a pencil and writing with a pencil in my own hand and that makes a difference. And, so, we searched for the best stuff we can find so that we could write down things so that we won't forget the days of our lives. So, the Daily Audio Bible journals there, all kinds of things to write with are in the Shop. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg There's many many other things to take this journey deeper. So, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. The link is on the homepage. If you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. And I thank you with all my heart profoundly for your partnership with the awareness that we wouldn't be here if we were not in this together and that we have been in this together for quite a while, and I’m awed and grateful. So, link on the homepage, press the Give button in the app, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the Hotline button up at the top. It's red. You can’t miss it. It looks kinda like a Hotline button, you can press that, or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, I'm here in California. Today I listened to woman call in who has insomnia and deals with depression and I believe she said diabetes. And my heart goes out to you for those issues and I am…I am right beside you in prayer regarding them. But something you said today really hit home for me. You talked about having this deep, deep, deep longing and desire to have a partner, but you haven't seen it come to fruition yet. And you wonder why God would do that to you. And I just got to tell you, you could have…you could have been reading my mind. I literally feel like that all the time. I've been dreaming of who I might marry since I was a little girl. I still strongly desire a partner, but it hasn't come to fruition yet and I'm a single parent to a toddler right now. I awoke love before it was time and I wonder why God would allow such a deep longing to still be in my heart even though, you know, the…the fruition of it doesn't seem closed like at all. But then I remember that we serve a good God who loves and delights and seeks desires…to satisfy the desires of our hearts with good and lovely things. And that He is the perfect lover of our soul. And I know you have heard that many times in your life, but I pray that today it would still be a comfort and that you would seek closeness to Him tell Him you're at angers tell Him your worries and your frustrations. He's here for it all and He loves you. God bless.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible my name is Oyen from London and I am a first time DABber. I am now 25 days in, and I want to say thank you to Kaneo who shared this on Twitter without whom I probably never would have found this. I also want to pray for Isabel from Georgia who has health issues with her brain and seizures. I just wanna pray that the Lord will heal you, that He will make you whole, that He will increase your faith for healing and that your faith will also make you whole. I pray that wherever you are you will feel the arms of God around you. I also want to pray for whoever is feeling alone or lonely in this period, that God will reveal himself to you as a comforter. Thank you, DABber family. I'm so grateful for you. You have been such a blessing.

Good afternoon DAB family this is Marsha I am calling from Minnesota. It’s a beautiful day the sun is shining, and we have a fresh coat of snow on the ground. Today is January 25th and I am calling as a new person who's joined your family. I started the first of the year. And when I first started and it got to the prayer request time I thought, “oh I'm just going to skim over this.” And now I found myself I can't wait to hear what people are calling in with for requests or phrases. And, so, it's actually moved me greatly. I've heard a lot of or a few parents who have called in to say their children have abandoned their family. Unfortunately, I too am dealing with this situation. My first and only grandchild lives 10 minutes from me and I have not seen him or my son for six months. And, of course, I would love to ask for prayers for him to reunite with his parents and his brother and sister. That would be awesome, and I hold tight to that promise that that will happen someday but even more so DAB family, just pray that my son would come back to the Lord. I know he gave his heart to Jesus during high school camp and I believe that he did believe at one point. And, so, I think if he could come back to that it would make such a difference in…in the situation. But I pray for all the other people who have called in with similar situations. It's…it's so hard to explain. There are times when you think about a death, and I know that I'm grieving the loss of him, but he's still here so I have hope and I have hope that…that things will soon be back to what they used to be. But I thank you for your prayers. Have a blessed day.

Hello everyone, it's Tooty Toots His precious scene one from the UK. Today is the 25th of January and I've just listened to the prayers from the 23rd of January and I've just heard from a young lady, I think her name is Isabel and I just wanted to pray for her because I know what it's like to have seizures at a young age. I've got lupus and when I was first diagnosed, I had seizures as well. So, her prayer really connected with me. Just, so yeah, I just want to pray for her and just lift her up in prayers. So heavenly Father we bless You we thank You for Your daughter. We thank You for her life. We thank You for the fact that You have breathed life into her. And we just thank You for Your awesomeness Lord. We just pray for Your daughter. We ask that Lord You will wrap her in Your warm embrace Lord almighty, that she will feel the fullness of Your joy. And we just pray that God almighty in her life Your name would be glorified. And we speak to anything in her body that doesn't work well, and we just ask in the name of Jesus that You perfect everything that concerns her. From the crown of her head to the soles of her feet I just pray that Your anointing will be upon her. And I just pray that God in everything that she remembers that she is fearfully and wonderfully made by You, that she is made in Your image and that You delight in her. So, I just pray that God in her life that she will come to know You in such an intimate way Lord and that God You will give her complete and total healing because You are the God who is Jehovah Rapha. Heavenly Father we bless You we thank You we just give You all the glory. Thank You so much Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. I may not see you I hear you and I love you all so much.

Good day brothers and sisters I would just like to echo the prayers spoken by the mouth of Brian on the 23rd of January, it’s Saturday. And I just pray the Holy Spirit would intercede. These thoughts in our head may they not just be thoughts in our head, but may they be footsteps, may they be steps in which we walk in faith. Holy Spirit I pray that you would come upon each and every one of your children. God show us the way you want us to live. Let us take away the fig leaf’s, take away the shame and let us be naked in your glory God not being ashamed because we are fearfully and wonderfully made in you God. Hallelujah. Come on. God I just lift up each and every one of Your children. May we become more like You. May we present to the world the people You have made in Jesus’ name I pray. God bless.

Hi Daily Audio Bible family I am so grateful to be part of this ministry and found it and be on this journey with you all. It's been a very long time since I've had a faith family due to various reasons. But mostly just being very hurt in the Christian Community. And it's been a very hard year for all of us. I think 2020 it was so hard. And…but I am __ getting engaged and I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I should be happier, but I am, but I just feel like nothing good happens to me. And, so, this can't be right either. So, I just really need the help. I don't know what to do and I need to feel God's peace in this waiting. So, if you could help me with that, I would appreciate it. I…I love you all and I am praying for you in my heart. Thank you. Bye.

4 notes · View notes

yakumtsaki · 5 years ago

Photo

Well guys, it’s that time of year again. To recap, Jojo is still not a werewolf, Wyatt has shattered every record of incompetence and still not reached the top of his career, noogiesexual Shajar got dumped by Sophie Miguel and befriended a vampire, Cyneswith continues to date black-lipstick-broken-face-template flop Don Oates, Wulf grew up in the most iconic outfit of all time, and we got a new cat named Alcibiades for D’vorah to mate with since she refused to have kittens with poor Sweets. So let’s pick up right where we left off, which is of course the endless battle of getting D’vorah to procreate..

-Come on sweetie, we got a new boy toy just for you, get on with it, you’re almost an elder!

-NEVER! I’m a direct descendant of Zoroaster’s cat herself, I’ll never sully my bloodline with the genetic material of some pound mutt! You find me an appropriate mate before I go full Henry VIII!

STOP MIXING HISTORICAL REFERENCES AND FUCK ALCIBIADES ALREADY. His name undercuts my point but still.

-Do we have any custom blue fur paint for my balls?

ALCIBIADES SHUT UP. You assholes are by far the worst generation of pets yet, the two cat losers are bad enough but then add fucking Maxx to the mix-

-AND FORGET ABOUT IT. Look who’s getting along all of a sudden!

-Yes, now that it’s become clear that this cat legacy shitshow is crumbling, I’ve stopped beating up the cats because I will look like a bully kicking them while they’re down. It’s part of my image revamp to get the audience behind a dog legacy! 🐶

Maxx, nothing personal, but I hate you more than you can possibly imagine. Let’s check in with the humans, I’m sure they will be totally normal, likable and stable as always-

-I can see your beating heart with my x-ray vision. I want to eat it.

-Yay, let my sister eat your heart! 💗

-Stop patronizing me, you little bitch, I can get my own hearts to eat.

-I just get excited when we do things together! 💗

-GAWD GTFO CYNESWITH, you’re ruining my Aztec sacrifice!!!

-Ah, to be middle aged and in love, with your terrible children about to fuck off to college at any minute.. Looking at you, Wulf. Literally looking at you.

Somehow that is already enough checking in with the humans for one update?

-HAHA I GOT YOU! GIMME IT!! YOU DON’T EVEN NEED IT

-LEAVE MY HEART ALONE, SHAJAR, I KEEP TELLING YOU IT’S A VITAL ORGAN

-No it’s not, the paper that got my father kicked out of the mad scientist association said so!

They hated Jojo because he told them the truth.

These two are actually getting along great and I get my hopes up that Shajar will stop being a literal incel! Let’s all join together in prayer-

-Did someone say ‘prayer’?

GODDAMMIT SOPHIE YOU HAVEN’T SHOWED UP AT ALL AND YOU CHOOSE THIS MOMENT TO MAKE YOUR GHOST DEBUT?? FUCK OFF

-HAHA I was waiting for a situation where my appearance would hinder the biggest amount of sin!!!!

UGH you’ve gotten even more religious in death?!

-Of course I have, what do you think heaven does to your faith?

How the fuck are you both in heaven and wandering the earth as an apparition?

-My spirit takes earth vacations to cockblock!

Well at least you’re dying how you lived: pissing me off.

And of course Maxx goes in for the kill with his ‘good doggie’ routine, terminally distracting Blueshirt Whatshername from Shajar’s heart-eating charms. As always, big thanks to our pets, both alive and dead.

End of the road, Shajar! Enjoy this dancing scholarship that you hilariously earned during all the outings I forced you into to get rid of your incelitude.

As Shajar leaves for college a kissless noogiesexual, I decide to try and solve at least one of my problems, and that problem is called Don fucking Oates. So we call Lakshmi back, hoping she has forgiven me for our last tense interactions-

-I have not.

Wow ok well now you’re just being petty, you saddled me with Don Oates, don’t be a sour winner. Now is there anyone out there that can potentially beat Cyneswith and Don’s natural 3 bolts???

-Nop.

LAKSHMI COME ON, YOU’RE NOT LOOKING HARD ENOUGH

-I’m telling you, there isn’t anyone else, they’re a perfect match!

Well I refuse to accept that reality, so hit us with your best shot.

-Whatever, it’s your money.

I mean technically it’s Jojo’s and maybe I shouldn’t be spending it so freely..

-Daddy wouldn’t have a problem with it! 💗

Yea he sure wouldn’t, Cyn, since he’s literally this post.

IS THAT ANOTHER TRICOU LOVECHILD AND THE LAMEST ONE TO BOOT???

-Yup.

HARD PASS.

-Je suis back et je non get prόmόted agàin! :D

Another hugely successful day for Wyatt as usual. Honestly as long as you don’t get fired or demoted for a third time, whatever.

-Sό je can go to sleepé?? :D

Yea sure, it’s not like there’s anything for you to do around here now that the kids have grown up. Not that you ever did anything to begin with-

-Oui oui, all tres fascinàting, bonne nuit now!

Oh actually wait, I do need you to do something before you go to sleep for 16 hours.

-Quoi???

-Ohh, le pόrtait de le morté!

Le portrait de le morte indeed. Jojo is predictably super into his death portrait being painted, as one is. Seriously what are you doing.

-Composing a tragic opera about myself, what else.

On a casio??

-I could afford a concert piano but it wouldn’t fit into this pathetically tiny house you built, would it?

Ok I get where you’re coming from, but in my defense, given your youthful days, who the fuck could had anticipated you evolving into a financially successful and mentally stable adult instead of a bankrupt lunatic that eats his own feces?

-Oui, that’s what Shajàr est going to be! Huhu!

-HAHAHAHA oh Wyatt, you’re so attractive when you’re insulting our two terrible children. Where is that little goblin anyway?

Omfg you assholes, she went off to college yesterday.

-She did??? About time! One down, one to go. If only Cyneswith could stay here forever :(

-Oui :(

-________-

Speaking of, let’s try this one more time. Lakshmi please, for the love of god, give us something I can work with.

-Alright fine, you wore me down. Ask..

-..and you shall receive.

OMG YAS RICKY CORMIER, I LOVE HIM AND HIS FACE TEMPLATE. What the fuck are you wearing, Rick? Don’t dress up on our account.

-I was teleported here right from work, where the fuck am I???

That’s a great question Rick, you’re in our front yard on a date with our resident 10 nice points freakshow, Cyneswith. And I see that you have 7 nice points to Don’s 4, so you crazy kids just go ahead and hit it right off now!

-Not if I have anything to do with it!

VICTOR NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR GHOST BINGO, FUCK OFF

-It’s always the time for ghost bingo.

I try my best to make this date go well but Ricky isn’t into Cyneswith AT ALL. It’s honestly pretty offensive and I hate him now.

‘I’ve had better dates’, you’re like 15, Casanova, calm down. What a twerp.

With that last doomed attempt to break her and Don up, the time has come for Cyneswith to fuck off to college as well, and yes, Don is coming with us to be endlessly cheated on by Miss 20 Simultaneous Lovers/Grey Hair turn on. Fuck both mine and Don’s lives.

As if my failure to perform a Donectomy wasn’t bad enough, what does Wyatt get the day he’s finally guaranteed to be promoted, BUT ANOTHER FUCKING CHANCE CARD, WITH WHICH HE HAS A 2 OUT OF 2 FLOPPING SCORE. One of them got him demoted, the other got him fired, it took us forever to get him the 9 fucking friends he needed, so this is just terrific. Istg I could go to a police academy in real life, graduate, join the force, rise up through the ranks and become a superhero in less time than it has taken Wyatt to do it. Here goes nothing but Wyatt’s hopes and dreams..

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FINALLY

F I N A L L Y.

OMFG.

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS SHIT WAS LEGIT HARDER THAN KOMEI’S 6 PETS CAREER ONE, FUCKING HELL WYATT.

What a sight for sore eyes. 2 days before elderhood, but we did it, mon bebe! I’m so proud of us, but mainly me, for not giving up and making you a househusband which I know realize I should had done, because you’re so gonna destroy this city.

-Je will savé la city! First ordér of enterprisé, àpprehending le killér seriàl knόwn as Dr. Gingér Violetté! ⭐

Oh boy. Good luck with that!

#gen 2 #ts2

52 notes · View notes

mrlnsfrt · 4 years ago

Text

God or Nothing

We continue our series in 1 Samuel with this post focusing on 1 Samuel 12. Now that Saul has been established as king (for more details see Making a King and You Shall Have Help) Samuel takes this opportunity to retire. He has faithfully served from childhood to his old age (1 Samuel 12:2) and he has helped them transition to a new system of leadership. Interestingly Samuel’s final act as a judge was to place himself on trial. Samuel asked everyone if anyone had suffered any injustice at his hand that he would make it right. (1 Samuel 12:3) A powerful testimony to Samuel’s character, the people replied that his ministry as Israel’s judge has been faultless. Samuel had never abused his power, he had never been dishonest, no one had been cheated or oppressed by Samuel.

The careful student of the Bile should take careful note of this. The example of Israel’s last judge should be contrasted with the examples of the kings who will in the future cheat and oppress the people as well as take their sons, daughters, produce, and animals (1 Samuel 8:11-16; 14:52).

Now that Samuel has established himself as a fair judge, he puts on his prophet hat and delivers his longest speech recorded in the Bible. Samuel begins with a review of their history highlighting how God had raised up leaders and delivered them from their enemies. Samuel also highlights how each time they forgot their God they were overpowered by their enemies. The key lesson Samuel wishes to teach the people is simple. God alone is their Savior. Israel has never been saved by kings, or armies, or weapons or alliances. A closely connected lesson is also that Israel is always delivered by God as a response to their prayers and repentance.

One way to look at this is that the importance of knowing what God has done in the past is to know how to behave in the future. That is why we study the Bible, correct? We look at how God acted in the past in order to know how to best relate to Him in the present.

Good thing God never changes.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. - Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

“For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. - Malachi 3:6 NKJV

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. - James 1:17 NKJV

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” - Isaiah 40:8 NKJV

Whenever we find ourselves facing trials and tribulations we can benefit from looking back on how God has delivered us in the past. Bible study keeps God and what He is like fresh on our minds. Life is really not that complicated. Whenever we are with God we have the assurance of victory even if that victory looks like defeat for a moment. The challenge is to continue to trust in God, that is, to have faith when things are not going according to plan.

Samuel makes it clear that Israel was delivered whenever they repented. God has always graciously responded to the pleas of His children. So when we find ourselves outside of God’s will, if we are willing to repent, He will always deliver us.

Then they cried out to the Lord, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. - 1 Samuel 12:10-11 NKJV

Israel will only prosper when they are faithful to God. Samuel makes it very clear that the children of Israel suffered oppression not because God is weak, but rather because God is a jealous and just God (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 32:4). This means that if you are dishonest, oppressive, abusive, racist, etc. God is not on your side. Also if God is not the only God in your life, He is not with you. This may sound harsh but it’s what the Bible teaches. How else can you interpret passages like,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

“You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. - Exodus 20:1-6 NKJV

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. […] 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. - Luke 14:26-27, 33 NKJV

Does it surprise you to find Jesus being “more extreme” than the Old Testament? you have to check out the sermon on the mount sometime (Matthew 5-7). The two passages above describe the same principle. Nothing in our lives can be above God. We must be willing to give up anything and everything for God. This may sound crazy or extreme. But when you take into consideration what Samuel says, essentially, how God has behaved in the past, then this behavior makes perfect sense. When we look at God’s history, His interactions with His children in the Bible, and even in our own lives, it makes perfect sense to trust God, because He is everything!

This is how Samuel puts it,

20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. - 1Samuel 12:20-22 NKJV (bold mine)

Samuel tells the people not to go after other gods because essentially they are nothing. I must admit that when it comes to family it is extremely difficult. But even my family members need to take the back seat when it comes to principles concerning God’s will. It should also go without saying that you need to be very careful that you are sure you know God’s will because there is always a great danger that we label our will as God’s will.

I don’t want you to think I am presenting a works-oriented approach to God or theology. We read above (1 Samuel 12:22) that God will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake. This means that Israel never earned their place or status of beloved of God. God has always delivered His children for the sake of His name (Psalm 25:11; 79:9; 106:8; 143:11; Isaiah 48:9; Jer 14:7, 21; Ezek 20:9, 22; Dan 9:19) that is, because of who He is, and not because of what they did to deserve His help or love. Since Israel’s previous efforts were not the basis for God’s love towards them, likewise their failures do not destroy His love for them (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5-7). However, God’s love for us does not do away with our mission and responsibility.

Let me try to make it clearer like this.

Israel’s threat was never external, it was always internal and spiritual.

The problem with Israel asking for a king is the idea that a king would deliver them and they would no longer need to be faithful to God. Samuel is making it clear that even with a king, their salvation depends on God. God loves them, but there are consequences to disobedience and special blessings that come with a faithful relationship with God.

The thunderstorm they experienced in 1 Samuel 12:18 was a reminder that it did not matter how mighty their king was, no one could stop God’s judgment. Samuel would continue to pray for them, he would continue to teach them. But it was up to them to continue to trust in God and to be faithful to Him.

Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” - 1 Samuel 12:24-25 NKJV

#Samuel #Old Testament #Narrative

1 note · View note

wantonrowls · 6 years ago

Text

iKON IMAGINES : Cheating!AU

BOBBY

“I know you’re cheating on me...” “I-..” “I’ve been following you for the last three weeks....” “Y\N I-...” “You told me she was just a co-worker, that’s funny-...” “Can I say something?” You paused and looked straight into his eyes with no soul, waiting for him to speak

“I DID cheat on you-...” You removed your hands from his clasp when you heard those three first words. Tears that cannot be contained from your eyes are already pouring at this point

“Listen, listen...Y\N. I did...and, I’m sorry...”

“A sorry can’t remove our baby from my womb, Bobby...”

JINHWAN

“I cheated on you...”

You were silent, unable to show the rage and hurt you feel from the inside. He was looking at you with an unknown expression

“If you wanna punch me, please do it, If, if you wanna kick me out of this house, i’m okay with it, If you want me to kneel, i’ll do it but please.....” He held your hands, putting it on his cheeks, tears streaming down his face

“Please don’t leave me”

“Did you love me?...” was all you had uttered “Of course! I love you so much Y\N”

“but you cheated, right?” “I know, that’s why I’m trying to save us...” and again, you were silent for a moment

“was she good?” “w-what? no!” “is she a great kisser?” “No! you are far more better than her”

“Liar” “I’m telling you the truth, i swear!”

“You don’t cheat on someone you love”

CHANWOO

“What where did you heard that?!” “Hanbin admitted it to me already” “And you believed him?”

“How long are you gonna pull this shit, Chanwoo?”

“Because i’m not cheating on you! You know what? Maybe Hanbin’s right, I should do cheat on you!” He was more shocked when he heard himself, you turned your back and ran towards outside, where he’s not present, Tears were blurring your vision but you cared less, All you want to do at this moment is to run away from this, from him

A blaring sound of tires screeching at the road, people crowding the area, and you, lifeless at the middle of the road

“Yes hello?” “Is this Mr. Jung?” “Yes, who’s this?” “I’m calling from the XXXHospital, You are listed as Ms. Y\N’s emergency number”

HANBIN

"Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You’re already married Hanbin! what? you decided that one day you’re this faithful man and then the next day you wanna be single like that? What the heck is wrong with you?” “How about instead of arguing like this everyday, how about shouting at me like I’m some kid and not a husband, how about for one fucking night, let me be myself, How about minding your own fucking business?!” “You know why I do that? When you go home you don’t talk to me, You treat me like i’m a maid in this house! You treat me like a nobody! Am I even your wife? Why do you do bad decisions at this point?!”

“Well maybe you’re the bad decision of my life!” You paused and looked at him. In front of you wasn’t the man you loved before, he wasn’t anything similar to that.

“Mommy? Daddy? Are you fighting again?” Your seven year old daughter woken up by the two of you

“Haha, no baby, Mommy and Daddy aren’t fighting” you smiled fakely “But why are you crying Mommy? Did Daddy hit you?” her little palms caressing your cheeks and you melt into the touch

“Mommy is just happy, that she feels like crying”

YUNHYEONG

he is on his knees, crying and begging for you to reciprocate your decision, for the both of you, for your future, for the baby, his hands are clasped together at yours, pleading like a kid, knowing that if he let go of your hands, it will be the end of it "I can't believe you did it" you tried to unclasp your hands from his but his grip became tighter the more you try "let go of me! you're disgusting!" "Y/N please!" "let go!" he finally lets go of your hands but immediately embraced you, his head at your shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably "forgive me, please" he cries and chants like a prayer, you try to push him but he pulls you more and so you without strength finally gave up and cried together, punching his chest again and again and him doing nothing about it "please Y/N, i love you so much" you feel his lips touching your neck as he speaks "god... i love you so much" you closed your eyes, avoiding his words, avoiding the heart pounding on your chest "please, I'll make it up to you, to us, for the baby" "Just because I love you doesn't mean you can do anything you want"

JUNE

"It was an accident" he explains, sitting across you, hands fidgeting out of nervousness, the sight of him sucking the neck of some girl in your bedroom makes you vomit, the girl already left with apologies but you, the person he married cannot comprehend any of this matter "Oh, clearly it is. You 'accidentally' made a girl go into our bedroom, removed your clothes 'accidentally', fucked her 'accidentally', yeah i believe you" "It-it was a mistake" "Now it's a mistake" you stood up and went towards the terrace, opening the large windows, looking at the night scenery, it seemed like he hadn't noticed you stood up because he was still fidgeting his fingertips and his head low, "Say June..." you caught his attention and his eyes darts at your position, he stood up "...How long will it take for a body to fall from a 20 storey apartment?" "Y/N....don't do that" "wrong." as you jumped off and you can see his figure running late towards you, screaming at the terrace, shouting uncontrollably, you closed your eyes and felt a huge ache on your body as you cracked to pieces

DONGHYUK

you picked up his birthday cake from the pastry store, smiling from ear to ear as you walked home, imagining his face when he sees you bought something for the occasion. At your doorstep, you tried to balance the cake and finding your keys at your pocket and managing to stab it to the keyhole, successfully opening it

The place was quiet, of course, Donghyuk may have stayed a bit on work or maybe bought something on his way home, so you didn’t bother. You placed your things at the kitchen counter and wore your apron

“Maybe i’ll clean first”

one by one you scrub and rinse the plates from earlier this morning but you noticed two another plates at the sink, No one is left in the house in the afternoon because you work from 9:00 to 5:00 and Donghyuk works from 10:00 to whenever their leader wants to free them which is usually around 5:00 or 6:00, your hunch got bigger when a loud thud came from upstairs, you don’t own a cat, neither a dog so you immediately went up with the lightened cake on your hand

“maybe he went home already” you smiled, the thud may be because he’s decorating again and fell on his own

Walking to your shared bedroom, a shushing sound and a woman giggling softly got louder

“ssh! she might hear us!”

Your chest was pounding loudly when you heard a familiar voice moaning heavily, trying to conceal it, The door wasn’t closed fully and so you peeked at the show going on on your room

Donghyuk was banging a woman, he was behind her, thrusting forcefully, her mouth is covered with her own undies, you held your hand to your chest, not believing what you saw, you pushed the door forwards, exposing yourself with the cake, Donghyuk’s eyes got bigger and the woman hid her face with a pillow

“Happy Birthday” as you smashed it on them

55 notes · View notes

fearless-eagle · 7 years ago

Text

Extracts from the writings of William Gurnall-PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING

PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6.

PRAYER the sign of life. What is prayer, but the breathing forth of that grace which is breathed into the soul by the Holy Spirit? When God breathed into man the breath of life, he became a living soul; so when God breathes into…

View On WordPress

#" has also said #" says Christ to His disciples; He knew they could not do that work sleeping. But it is not enough to keep the eye awake #" says God of Paul to Ananias (Acts 9:11). Praying is the same to the new creature #" we are pressed to bear up against discouragements #"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). Their bill of fare here is provided as well as their i #10). In nothing do our hearts more cheat us than in our prayers #a good workman can make one of it #and all to bring a little more of this world&039;s perishing pelf into their hive #and another that way #and as busy as bees in a garden #and asking counsel of a witch. Take heed of living near the tempter! If Satan might have his wish #and at the same time have his own heart cold and idle; therefore he doth not count he prays well #and betraying the glory of God into the hands of thy lust #and comfort #and crowd in after thee #and dost thou look to draw heaven thence at night? He that is heavenly in his earthly employments #and force them to leave what with so much pains they have gathered for others; while thou sleepest away thy precious time #and fulfil the desires of them that fear Him (Ps. 145:19); but it proves a long voyage sometimes before the praying saint has the return of #and gave thanks before his God (Dan. 6:10). To have heard him pray in that great strait would not have afforded so much matter for wonder; b #and he prayed" (James 5:17). A weak hand with a sincere heart is able to turn the key in prayer. Ejaculatory prayer. Ejaculatory prayer #and in no requests more than those which are levelled against our lusts. That is oftentimes least intended #and in the Lord" (Philemon 16). You are to pray particularly for those that are in distress: whoever you forget #and is not thankful for mercies received #and lean not to thy own understanding." Godliness has the "promise of the life that now is #and leave some for another use also. O #and left him to the wide world to shift for his outward subsistence; He has not bid them live by faith #and live by their wits #and lock of the night. We show not ourselves Christians #and love to all the saints." Now #and no little sin. What is this but to take the name of God in vain? Yet thus do many knock at God&039;s door

0 notes

bobasheebaby · 6 years ago

Text

Half Truths- Consequences of a Fling Chapter 10

Pairing: Liam x Veronica x Drake

Word count: 1,481

Warnings: angst, Millie being a major bitch, raging pregnant woman

Summary: Veronica goes to talk to Millie in hopes to make her change her mind. Can she convince Millie to keep Liam in Rowan's life, or does she make things worse?

A/N: I was talking to imma-winchester-addict about TRR book 3 chapter 16 and the what could happen because of the fling and this was born.

If you want to be tagged let me know.

Disclaimer: The only characters I own are my OC’s, the rest I’m just borrowing them from PB for a bit.

Veronica knew she should honor Liam’s wishes to leave it alone, but she just couldn’t. Call it messed up hormones amping up her feelings of anger, or maybe it was the deep seated need to protect her husband, her family that led her here. She couldn’t be responsible for causing him more pain, the loss of his child, not when he could already have lost one. Her hand briefly touched her stomach, please!

She lied and told Liam she was in Valtoria spending time working in her duchy. She hated that she had to lie to him but she could not allow this woman to break her husband like this. He’d been hurt enough, seen enough pain, he didn’t need more. Let the baby be his.

She stood in front of the small Parisian home, she scowled, it was small, but she knew it couldn’t have been cheap. Bought with Constantine’s blood money. She felt her rage at Constantine and Millie grow, how could they be okay with keeping Liam away from his child? She took a deep calming breath, and knocked on the door, starting out angry wouldn’t do anyone any favors.

A thin slightly taller redhead with creamy pale skin and brown doe eyes answered the door, her eyes slightly narrowed when she spied Veronica. “Lady Veronica, what brings you here?” She asked, not containing the bite in her words.

“It’s Your Majesty, and I believe you know exactly what brings me here Millie.” Veronica replied coolly.

“If Liam thinks sending you to talk to me will do him any favors he’s sadly mistaken.” Millie responded, her voice cold and hard, dripping with disdain. She stood with a hand on her hip as she eyed Veronica up and down, her brown eyes filled with a blind fury.

“Liam doesn’t know. I’m here because we both know what you’re doing to Liam is wrong, Rowan needs her father in her life. Change your mind for her, not Liam,” Veronica stated calmly.

“Don’t even presume to know what my daughter needs! I’ve been doing this on my own from the beginning! He knew the deal, if he told anyone he wouldn’t see her again and he broke it. I guess she didn’t matter that much to him after all.” Millie said snidely, crossing her arms across her chest.

Veronica felt the anger in her rise at the implication that Liam didn’t care about his child, her body vibrating with a controlled rage. She clenched and unclenched her hand into a fist, the anger rolling off her in waves. She took a step closer, “listen here you little bitch, you took his child and ran! You made the choice to raise her on your own so you won’t get any pity from me! You took fucking blood money instead of standing up and fighting against those who may have wished you and your child harm. You hurt Liam more than you will ever know by taking his child away from him and I will not let you hurt him again by cutting him out of her life now!” She started, pausing to take a breath, “You do realize by taking money you were hired to commit a crime, in this case kidnapping—kidnapping a child in the royal bloodline at that. Did you seriously think you could get away with kidnapping his child? Because honey you are sorely mistaken if you think I will just let that go! Oh no honey, you are messing with the wrong person, I am a fucking Queen, and I have an entire nation backing me and you will either let Liam back into Rowan’s life or I will have you tried for every crime that I can possibly charge you with!” Veronica countered, the words dripping from her lips like a poisonous venom. This woman was tearing out the heart of the man she loved, she was hurting him in ways worse than her own infidelity had. She made him lose something he could never get back—time, time with Rowan, and now she was ready to cut him out of Rowan’s life for good, I don’t fucking think so! She hadn’t intended to threaten her, but Millie’s words were the lighter fluid on the reignited flame that was her rage.

Millie took half a step back, her jaw clenching in anger, her eyes widened in shock, “don’t you dare come to my home and try to threaten me! You know just how wicked the court can be and I will not have my daughter raised in that. You can try to charge me if you’d like, but Liam will never see Rowan again!” She shouted, either forgetting or not caring about the neighbors witnessing the display.

“Your home?” Veronica laughed mirthlessly, “honey you paid for this home with the crowns money. You have no leverage here, it’s all in our hands, you took the wrong road, and you won’t come out on top.” Veronica retorted her blue eyes dancing as if they were on fire.

“How can you have so much support for a country that tried to take you down?” Millie spat.

“It was Constantine that tried to take me down, not my country, I don’t pin the sins of one man on the backs of my people. But then I am a stronger woman than you, I don’t tuck tail and run when I’m threatened, no I stood my ground and fought to clear my name. You are nothing but a greedy coward. You do realize that there was no threat to you or your child, right? Constantine played you—he wanted you gone, out of the way, just like what he tried with me. He saw us as threats and he tried to remove us, but he was only successful with one, he wanted you to leave to rip Liam’s child from his life and you played into his hand because you saw a big fat paycheck. You hurt Liam once, I won’t allow you to hurt my husband a second time.” Veronica responded.

“Think what you must about me, but I did what I had to to protect my child. I will not be bullied into putting her in danger now.” Millie growled, turning on her heel and returning inside, slamming the door behind her.

Veronica ground her teeth as she returned to her car, that did not go how she had planned. She prayed she hadn’t made things worse, she couldn’t be the reason her husband lost his daughter. Hot angry tears rolled down her cheeks, fucking hormones! Her hand rested on her still flat stomach the entire trip to the airfield and her waiting private plane. Please be Liam’s. Oh please be Liam’s, I can’t break his heart again. Her hopes repeated like a chanted prayer. Losing Rowan and this child could prove to be too much for Liam and she couldn’t see him in that much pain. No, all of this was her fault, she couldn’t bear to cause him more pain, she needed this all to just work out for them.

The entire trip back home Veronica agonized over wether she had just made things worse. Hormones had amplified her anger at Millie and Constantine, Millie’s words sending her over the edge. Her stomach twisted and flipped, she hoped she hadn’t made things worse, she would never forgive herself and she knew Liam might not be able to either. Would losing Rowan be the final nail in the coffin containing her relationship with Liam? She couldn’t bear to lose him, her body shook as quiet sobs wracked her body, hot tears escaping her eyes. She angrily wiped the hot tears from her cheeks, she couldn’t, wouldn’t let this destroy them—if her cheating with Drake and the unknown paternity of her child couldn’t, there was no way she’d allow this to.

***

Back at the palace, as Veronica and Liam were getting ready for bed Liam’s phone buzzed indicating he got a text. His eyes widening in shock as he read the words, his face quickly showing a mix of confusion and pain.

Veronica looked at her husband, concern etched on her face, “Liam, what’s wrong?” She asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Liam looked up from his phone, tears welling up in his eyes, “what did you do?” He asked, hurt evident in his voice.

Veronica gave him a confused look, unsure what he was talking about, “Liam, what’s wrong?” She repeated.

“Why?” He asked, voice breaking as hot tears ran down his face.

“Why what Liam? What is going on?” She demanded, confused and annoyed that he wouldn’t answer her questions.

“It—it’s over, I lost. It’s all over.” He answered, shaking his head softly.

Veronica just stared at him, him body shaking as he sobbed, what was over? What did he lose? Unless…

A/N: Let me in your head part 4.

Consequences of a Fling Masterlist

Masterlist

Tags: in comments to combat stupid over notifications issue!

#consequences of a fling #choices the royal romance #trr au #coaf #king liam #drake walker #veronica jones #liam x veronica x drake #love triangle #angst

56 notes · View notes

seekfirst-community · 2 years ago

Text

"Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." (St John Paul II).

"Brothers and sisters: It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman. The son of the slave woman was born naturally, the son of the freeborn through a promise. Now this is an allegory. These women represent two covenants. One was from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; this is Hagar. But the Jerusalem above is freeborn, and she is our mother. For it is written:

"Rejoice, you barren one who bore no children; break forth and shout, you who were not in labor; for more numerous are the children of the deserted one than of her who has a husband.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are children not of the slave woman but of the freeborn woman.

"For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery." (Cf Galatians 4: 22 to 5:1).

Monday 10th October 2022 of the 28th Week of Ordinary Time.

Rejoice brothers and sisters, we are free. The Son has truly made us free. Free from what?

#1 Free from compulsive habits of sin: pornography, lying, cheating, anger.

#2 Free from crippling fears, worries and doubts.

#3 Free from the spirit of Unbelief that denies us all the benefits of our filial adoption as the children of the Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.

Here is how the Son freed me from almost two decades of tobacco addiction?

It was the eve of Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras. A fine Tuesday afternoon. I was amongst friends and suddenly I said: "Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I have done nothing in Lent for many years. I will not smoke tomorrow. I wanted to observe Lent only for Ash Wednesday." Laughter broke out among my friends. "Impossible! Impossible!" They intoned. I did not smoke on Ash Wednesday. And Thursday, Friday, Saturday and for a whole week. In exactly 7 days, the desire for tobacco was removed from me. The itch simply dried up.

How did it happen? I was saved by grace through faith. For I did not doubt that It was the merciful love of Christ that set me free. At the time, I did not have any "filthy works" I could point to. No regular prayer life. No Sacraments. No corporal or spiritual works of mercy. Jesus did it so that all the honor and glory should come to Him. Also that I could bear witness to His merciful love as I am doing today. I may also add that a couple of years later, Jesus again intervened in my life and set me free completely from dependency on alcohol.

What is your addiction? Whatever it is, the Son wants to set you free.

10. 10 . "It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that soul would sanctify themselves by this means!" (4th Promise of the Blessed Virgin Mary to those devoted to the Holy Rosary).

Daily Bible Verse @ SeekFirstcommunity.com

0 notes

carolap53 · 2 years ago

Text

August 11, 2022

How Do We Keep Going When Our Situation Still Looks Hopeless? LYSA TERKEURST

Lee en español

“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

I am a planner. A problem-solver. So when I bring my struggles to the Lord in prayer, I also tend to bring my carefully thought-out ideas and suggestions He can choose from.

Here’s what I think will work, Lord. I just need You to sign off on one of these, OK?

But the longer I walk with Him, the more I’m discovering that simply isn’t the way God works. His ways? They aren’t our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Today, I want to introduce you to an Old Testament friend who has something to teach us about God's ways: Joshua.

In the sixth chapter of the book of Joshua, we find Joshua and the Israelites experiencing a problem of epic proportions. There was a massive wall preventing them from moving forward into their promised land. I’m sure there was no shortage of ideas or opinions on how they should tackle the wall, but God didn’t ask anyone for their opinion. Not even Joshua, Israel's leader.

Instead, God asked for His people's complete and unwavering obedience. Obedience in the face of a battle plan that would make no sense to their rational minds. A plan that actually involved no “battle” whatsoever.

All God wanted them to do was march. For six days straight, they were to march around the walls of Jericho. Then, on the seventh day of marching, they were to end with trumpet blasts and a great shout. God declared this mighty sound would bring the walls down. (Joshua 6:5)

What moves me most about the Israelites’ part in this story isn’t so much their willingness to take that first step of obedience. It’s how they kept taking steps of obedience. Step after step after step. Even though nothing appeared to change … even though there wasn’t a single sign of cracking or crumbling in those massive walls … they kept marching.

What if they’d stopped after day two? Or day three? Or even day six?

Think of all they would have missed. They would have cheated themselves out of certain victory from God.

I don’t say any of this casually — as if it’s easy to keep going with God’s instructions when there’s no evidence of our situation changing. It’s hard to continue marching when we don’t see God move the way we thought He would. It’s sometimes difficult to trust He’s working behind the scenes.

So what do we do when He asks us to move in ways that don’t make sense to us? How do we keep “marching” when the situation still looks hopeless?

We make the same choice the Israelites made. We choose to walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) We take God at His word and hold fiercely to His promises. (Hebrews 10:23)

God had promised Joshua that He would deliver Jericho, its king and its army into Israel's hands. (Joshua 6:2) And that is exactly what He did.

The victory of God's people never hinged on their ability or any of their well-thought-out plans. It was solely dependent on their unwavering obedience offered to a loving and mighty God.

I don’t know what steps of obedience God is currently calling you to take that don’t make sense to you. But let me be the gentle whisper in your ear encouraging you to keep going. Keep trusting. Keep taking step after step after obedient step.

We don’t have to understand the “why” of God’s ways. But we do have to keep choosing to follow them.

Let’s not stop short of our victory with God. He is working things out. He is present. His plan is still good, and He can still be trusted. These are certainties even when life feels so very uncertain.

Lord, I confess that at times my heart feels discouraged when I don’t see immediate results from my steps of obedience. Thank You for reminding me that just because I can’t see You moving doesn’t mean You aren’t. Please help me as I walk by faith, not sight. Day after day. Step by step. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

0 notes

saskiksmw · 4 years ago

Text

Love Letter to Self

Friday, 02 October 2020.

A note to self.

Dear Saskia,

Congratulations that you almost made it to the end of 2020. Only two months away, hang in there. This year may be the worst year for many people in your generation. But remember, God still has your back. Please remember this day. This day you're still standing strong, your family are still in their best condition, you have a good job, you can still manage your money well, you can still eat and sleep with your family. Please note that you have been through this tough time. It may not be easy, but it isn't that hard either. Life is still pretty normal, right? Just without having to interact physically with your friends. But hey, you're not lonely either. Remember when you were in your 3rd semester in college, you feel so lonely and empty? You don't feel like that anymore. Hallelujah. Remember when you have to walk alone in the dark at night? Remember when you don't have a single friend to talk to? Remember when you thought you weren't good enough for being in a friendship? Remember when your parents never try to listen and communicate with you? Remember when guys always break your heart because they found a better girl than you? Remember how you always hated your birthday (although this year you still did but not anymore) because no one put any effort to make it special? It was your worst time, I guess? But please realize that everything happened for a reason. If life was so easy, if life have not been terrifying for you, you won't become what and who you are now.

Remember when you hated going to church and thinking that reading the whole Bible is impossible and feel like no one should have time for that? Remember when you didn't want to go to the morning daily prayer in high school? Remember when you didn't support your sister for evangelizing? Remember when you were so lustful and needy? Remember when you thought that having sexual fantansies are normal? Remember when you think that masturbating, watching porns and having sex are humans' biological needs? Remember when you think it was okay to sin, like cheating for tests and lying? Remember when you were so tired of sinning? Remember how desperately you begged God to clear your mind from sexual fantasies? You were so tired of them continuously attacking your mind. Also, remember when you thought that everyone has their own salvation in their own way? Remember when you thought that Christianity is just a religion like every other else? Yes, you have been through all of that. Yes, you were in a spiritual war with yourself and Satan. And you still are. But the difference is that now, you have grown spiritually. You have known the one and only salvation and you have accepted the blood of Jesus. You have accepted and declared that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth, and life. No one can come to the Father without Jesus (John 14:6). When Jesus says no one, then it's true that no one, not even a single soul can go to heaven unless through Him. Why? Because we all sin. We are all living in this sinful world and we don't know what is good or bad anymore. Our righteousness can't be righteous enough in His eyes. But Father gave us a solution so we may dwell with Him in His Kingdom, and that is to accept His Son. To be cleansed by His Son's blood. How? By prayer. Pray to Jesus that you really need Him to rule your heart, let Him come inside your heart and cleanses your soul with His blood. Ask for mercy of your sins. Ask for the Holy Spirit for daily guidance. He is more than happy to see His child reaching out to Him. Pray to Him that He is your Lord and Saviour. Call upon His Name.

Please do not take this for granted anymore. Please note Luke 9:23 for the rest of your life, "Then he (Jesus) said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." (NIV) Don't live according to the world. The world is so easy to follow and your flesh is weak. The world has so much to offer but you know those are only temporary. You can't follow anything that is temporary if you want to live with Father in Heaven eternally. Avoid fame, richness, greed, worldly songs, hatred, unholiness, envy feelings, gossips. They all may be good to the human eyes, but they're petrifying for the human soul.

Father in heaven is so good, so kind, so caring. He made the best plans. You are born-again in spirit, and your spirit is always thirsty and hungry for His Words. You do not feel lonely anymore because you know you're not alone anymore. Apart from knowing you have God in your life, you interact with your family every single day, you have a really caring and lovely boyfriend, you still conversate with your friends through social media. Your 22nd birthday was really special, your best friends gave you tons of food for the whole week, one of them gave you a present too. Your boyfriend surprised you by taking you out on a sushi date. It was perfect. It was not awesome and big, but it was special and meaningful to the heart. You really loved it. It was truly a blessing. From now on, do not hate your birthdays again, okay? You don't have a reason to cry days before the D day. Enjoy every moment of it. Whether you celebrate it alone or with family and friends, your birthday is still special because you are special in His eyes. Father still gave you another year to become a better person, a better disciple. He has plans for your future, He promises. Throughout this pandemic season, your family was still supported by the President, local government, and church. You are still spiritually fulfilled by God's Words and His Love every single day. You are now starting to join the Bible study in church. You are still virtually going to church every sunday. Please do all of these for the rest of your life. Small steps count! For your spirit really needs His Words to strive for everyday's battle with the beast. Remember that His Word is your spiritual sword and Faith in Him is your shield (Ephesians 6:10-18). You can't fight the battle without The Son.

To end this letter, once again I want to congratulate you for your growth in Christ. Don't take a step back, always move forward. Remember that you are nothing without Him, you wouldn't make it where you are now without His Love. Remember that you have been in a spiritual battle and you won (yay congrats you are now dettached from lustful fantasies and worldly songs!) because you have His Words living inside your heart and the Holy Spirit guides your steps each and every day. Prepare everyday's battle like it's the last. Always strive to do what is best in God's eyes, what is pure, holy, and right. Follow Him, deny yourself, take up the cross daily. See you in the future, Saskia. Hope to see you in a good condition God has granted you for.

Warm Regards, Your spirit.

#Jesus Christ #salvation #grateful #blessed

0 notes

dailyaudiobible · 5 years ago

Text

01/26/2010 DAB Transcript

Exodus 2:11-3:22, Matthew 17:10-27, Psalms 22:1-18, Proverbs 5:7-14

Today is the 26th day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we begin a brand-new week together. And yesterday we concluded the book of Genesis and began the book of Exodus which is what we’re journeying through now. So, we met this baby and his name was Moses and we’re going to be getting to know Moses for quite a while, but we were able to make his acquaintance yesterday as a baby in the Nile River in a basket being discovered by Pharaoh's daughter and then raising her…raising him as her own. So, we’ll read from the Evangelical Heritage Version this week. Exodus chapter 2 verse 11 through 3 verse 22.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and as we move into this brand-new week and…and…and look out before us, we take this time as we do most weeks to understand that it's all out in front of us. What this week is going to look like has yet to be written, and it will be written by the choices that we make. So, we invite Your Holy Spirit to come and offer wisdom in the deepest places of our souls and in all of our important decisions that are before us. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website. So, that’s where you find out what’s going on around here. Be sure to stay connected as we continue our journey forward.

You can find the social media links in the Community section of the website and that's where like links to DAB friends on Facebook or the Daily Audio Bible women's group, which is a massive group of women encouraging one another, led by my wife Jill. So, like if you haven't…if you're a woman and you’re not connected there then you may be missing out on a lot of encouragement for you days. So, check that out.

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 I thank you with all my heart for your partnership. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that is your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi, DABber Family this is Cara from Denver and I’m just calling because I really need prayer for faith. I’m distraught, I’m helpless, I’m feeling so completely helpless. I…I just found out that my son Nish, he is homeless, and Albuquerque has court cases. He got arrested in November was released got arrested in December. He has been released. He has a warrant and he has just all these little charges. I…he may or may not have a felony charge, but I mean what this means is he’s stuck there in Albuquerque. I mean he needs to take care of these issues. I pray for someone to come into his life that will help him turn around and…and see God’s love. And I…I…it just seems like everywhere…person I turn to for help has no help available. And, you know, the last time I saw him was in September and I could have somehow maybe grabbed him and made him come back with the. But, you know, I didn’t because he’s his own person, he’s 25 years old and even though I kicked him out three years ago because he was using and I was, you know, trying to be clean, you know, and I have been off drugs for 2 ½ years. So, and I’ve been on the right path and I’ve found Jesus and…and I’m saved and…but I want him to know Jesus and God too and I just really…I can’t think straight. I don’t want to do anything that I shouldn’t do. So, I’m just really…I’ve been sick too...

Hi this is Anonymous. I was cheated on by a man who I was…we were planning on spending the rest of our live with each other. He has PTSD and I’ve come to realize a person like that, he barely can love himself and, how could he love me. And I’m hurt and I’ve questioned a lot about God. And I love him still, God and him, this man. And I just…I question a lot lately about myself, about life. But I know he needs our help. So, I pray for him daily, but I’m so confused about life and about what I’m doing. I’m 37 years old and I, you know, I just…I want a family, I want to be happy and it’s just so hard. I have MS and nothing seems to be working out. So, I just…I need help and this man needs help. Just pray for us. Thank you.

Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is Benjamin the Sower. Let’s pray heavenly Father I want to pray for Yvonne today from…from California. I lift up her two children and, yeah, just that she’s expressed that they have walked away from the things they used to know, that she…she has taught them. I pray for her Father that you would give her give her comfort, give her strength just to know that she is your daughter, that you love her, that you…you are still with her, that you love her children. God, I believe that you, yeah, you are drawing people back to you. You are…you are leading people to, yeah, to have second, third, fourth, you know, however many chances Lord. Yeah, to…to realize your goodness and realize that you, that you’re better than all those things, you’re better than tarot cards and the things that her kids are getting into. Yeah, Father I also want to pray for him Carla Jean from LA. Just that she called, her son Noah, yeah, is just in a…in a spiritual battle with anxiety attacks and that they were able to face time but, yeah, just that he’s, yeah, unsure Lord about being able to get help and life insurance or just health insurance and all those questions Lord. Just help him to be able to…to still reach out to, still just trust You with those finances and to, yeah, to get help…to…to open himself up to you and to realize that You are greater than anything that could…could cause him that anxiety. And then just real quick, I want to pray for Trusting with the father in South Carolina, just as you talked about so many things going on with your family, just know that I’m praying for you that we’ve got your back. Thank you so much for calling and I’ll talk to you guys soon. Bye.

Hi family this is Sally from Massachusetts and I am calling to ask for prayer for all of us who are parents of teenagers. Heavenly Father we need Your help with these know it all teenagers. Father God they are giving us such a difficult time. Lord You have said to us, “train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he is…he will not depart from it.” Lord, we need help with those years in between when these kids have jumped off this path without a parachute. Lord, give us wisdom, give us patience, and give us tight lips. And please help us parent these children who just reject anything within hearing distance of us. Lord please guide our teenagers, help them to listen to You somehow and give us the knowledge we need to parents through these difficult years. And we ask this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Good morning family this is Michelle __ in Central Florida calling to share some prayer requests and praise. First, please pray for my brother. He’s in a legal situation with one of his two children over a child. It’s complicated. Please pray for him. Pray for the whole situation being resolved in a way that brings glory to the Lord. He doesn’t or I shouldn’t say he’s not serving the Lord right now. Also want to pray for ministers and all businesses and also Pelham. I’m wondering how Pelham is doing and out Pelham’s and Anna Rose’s who are struggling to get things where they need to be. So, Father I thank You God for Brian and Jill and thank You for everything You’re doing in our lives. And God help us to show love in places where love is needed. Set our businesses aright Lord God. Let us keep first thing first and do and be led of You, do what pleases You. I pray for the ministry, the ministry of husbands and wives that are in ministry Lord God. Protect their marriages, strengthen them, set their ministries in the right place, in the right order. In the lives of the minister, help them to keep first thing first Lord. God, I thank You for Pelham. I thank You for what You’re doing in his life and the Pelham’s that we know around us Lord God the Anna Rose’s and John, Bob, and Suzie, and Janet, those who are serving You and desire to serve You in a greater way and are putting their lives back together in a way that’s, You know, gonna make them stronger and of better use to You and bring love and joy and fulfillment to their lives and the lives of those around them. I bless Your name oh God. I thank You Father God for everything You’re doing in us, for us, and through us in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hi, I’ve been listening to Daily Audio Bible for about 10 years and this is the first time I’ll be calling in and I want to ask for prayer for my nephew who is in college. He’s 22. He only has 10 more weeks to graduate with some kind of bachelors and financial. He was recently diagnosed with lupus. He was losing weight, so the doctor put him on Reglan. He was on it for two months and now he’s having uncontrollable muscle movements, or it looks like part of dyskinesia where his neck is doing a full turn to the right and he has the closing of one eye. He has difficulty walking. He had to scale back of course on his driving. He can’t get real early neurology appointment. My sister flew out there to help him and also to probably disenroll him from college. According to things online, if it is the TARDIS dyskinesia it sounds like it’s irreversible. So, I just ask that if we can pray that he has a full healing from this and for him not to get discouraged or depressed because I know he was crying to his family about what he’s going through. Anyway, thank you.

Hi, my name is Vienna. For issues of safety that’s really all that I would like to disclose about myself. I discovered you guys towards the end of last year when I was facing homelessness. That situation has changed but my life circumstances are extremely complicated and involve a lot of issues, none of which I would like to detail here but I’m in major need of prayer, prayer for miracles. I feel like I have…need to take some serious steps of faith and bigger steps ever…than ever in my life after not speaking to God for quite some time. I began to…the end of last year…found you guys. Despite that I’ve already made some mistakes in this new year but the issues that I’m contending are all massive and large and they involve very complex family court issue, custody change. I’ve got a very malignant and toxic individual just blocks from me that has dominated much of the last few decades of my life, which is half of it. Recovering from a brain injury and in very serious need of a neurologist. Other issues that I’ll be contending with are applying for disability, public assistance type things. I’ve already gone through some career changes and will be taking a step of faith in order to focus on my health versus my work issues…boundaries…but it feels like the Psalms where I’m surrounded on every side and, you know, things that shouldn’t be legal or possible have happened and injustice abounds. And I’m struggling very, very much in my health is well…

3 notes · View notes