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nrvcntr · 9 months ago

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Losing Everything

sooooo i haven't written fanfiction since i was a preteen but i got hit with a case of gale dekarios and could not rest until i wrote a really angsty thing about tav trying to move on from god!gale ......... that is all

“You may not wish to enter the heavens, but you do a fine job conjuring them here,” He said. Then he was gone, again. The God of Ambition, formerly Gale of Waterdeep, formerly Gale Dekarios. Somewhere in there had been a man that you loved dearly, but there was no trace of him now. Only a faint scent remained. The same one that stuck to your pillow and sheets and the bed that you shared, the scent that hung around you like smoke. When you were falling asleep and in that space between dream and wake, it was almost like he was still there. But when you reached out, you were met with the realization that you were alone yet again.

So you moved on. The best you could, at least. You dove into your old work as a historian of ancient poetry. You translated what you could, but primarily focused on seeking out old texts to verify their authenticity. One of your recent interests was the poet Copperbloom, whose complete works were rumored to be hidden at one of the libraries in Amn.

On your first afternoon there, you saw the temple dedicated to the God of Ambition. Like a magnetic force pushing you through, you walked in, taking in the sights of brilliant marble pillars and rich purple fabric adorning the walls. A testament to the power of ambition. It looked so clean that you were afraid your mere presence was a mark on its face. You looked at the altar of Gale, a looming, giant sculpture that looked like him and unlike him. Like a sculpture of a picture someone painted of a picture of Gale. The features were generally right, but it was missing his warmth. Something about the eyes and the smile were inconsistent to you, as though he was smiling at something painful. That wasn’t like the man you remembered.

Your eyes closed, and that familiar scent drew you in. Here in this temple, it made sense that he felt so close. It was enough to break your heart again, but months of waking up alone had shattered it beyond repair. What else could you lose at this point? There was nothing left. You held a coin in your hand, ready to make an offering to the embodiment of ambition, when you heard a voice from behind you.

“Excuse me,” it said.

You turned, meeting the eyes of a handsome young elf.

“Is that a book of Copperbloom’s poetry you’re holding?” He asked.

“Yes, it is,” You replied.

He told you that his name was Adlar, and that he was a fan of Copperbloom’s poetry. Excitement radiated from him, his eyes bright and alert when he told you that he was raised among the trees, and that Copperbloom eloquently captured the beauty of nature in a way that so few could. You slid the coin back into your pocket, enamored by the creature in front of you. He was awkward, sure, but a welcome distraction from your self-imposed isolation.

“Would you like to talk about this more, somewhere more private?” You asked.

“I--Yes, I would like that very much. There’s a tavern around the corner, if you’d like to go,” He replied.

So you walked out of the Temple of Ambition with the handsome young elf on your arm, who chattered your ear off the entire way. After exchanging pleasantries about poetry, the basics of who you are and where you’re from, he asked if you were a devotee of Gale.

“No, I’m not. Are you?” You asked.

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” He replied, “He has given me everything. Before I learned of his doctrine, I was lost. Wandering around, wasting my potential. But now I have a purpose. I helped to build the temple, you know. And I’m leading the expansion.”

“An expansion? It’s one of the largest buildings in the city,” You remarked.

“Yes, it is going to be the largest building in Faerun if I have anything to say about it. That’s the beautiful thing about ambition. It led me out of the forest and into places I had never even heard of or dreamt I could be. Like here,” He said, tentatively reaching for your hand. You allowed it. Adlar was the first person you touched since your electric goodbye kiss with a deity. Well, other than crying into Shadowheart’s arms for as long as she would let you.

And so you began a love affair with the handsome young elf, slipping into a summer routine of balmy nights cooled by morning tea on the terrace, then separating to do a day’s work. You, toiling around libraries and bookshops in search of poems, and he leading the expansion in the temple. For the first time in a long while, you felt the comfort of a routine and a home.

You could still feel your former lover, his scent lingering on you no matter how hard you try to wash it away. At some point, it stopped feeling comforting and started to suffocate. You threw out your old clothes, ready to start something new. If you could change your hair and clothes and look like someone new, you thought, maybe you could start a new life. It may not be perfect, it may not have the magic of the Weave, but it could be yours.

Well, until your dreams were dashed again. That God you had loved had once remarked about how easy it is to lose things, no matter how hard they are to gain.

Adlar would meet you every night outside the temple. You never went back inside after your first visit. Until that night, that is, when thick black smoke blanketed the air and other devotees ran out, screaming about a collapse in the expansion wing. Instinctively, you ran toward the danger, passing the sculpture of Gale, whose smile looked menacing behind the haze of smoke. You approached the rubble where your elven lover would lay forever and begin feverishly clearing it again. Even after your fingers begin to bleed. Even when your hands ached. When someone picked you up to move you from the carnage, you kicked and screamed. But you knew. No one could survive under there. Especially not your gentle love, whose hands trembled that first night you held them. His bright eyes would never stare into yours again when you revealed your fears to him. You would never again wash the dirt from his hands after he delivered you a flower that Copperbloom compared her lover to in one of her famous poems. He was gone. A casualty of ambition.

You broke from the grasp of the person holding you and ran toward Gale’s altar. You slammed a coin down.

“Please, let me talk to you.”

It was a plea, not a prayer. But he answered nonetheless. You found yourself in a strange state that seems real and unreal, beyond mortal comprehension. Gale stood in front of you, a bemused expression on his silver face.

“You called?” He asked.

“What happened?” You ask in return.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Do not fuck with me, Gale. I know that you know what happens in your own temple.”

“Oh, right, the collapse. Hm. Such a shame. They were making great progress. You know how foolish mortals can be at times,” He replied flippantly. This set your teeth on edge.

“Did you cause the collapse?” You asked.

“I could never, and I would never. You have my word. They knew the risks of what they were doing, and it was a dangerous endeavor.”

“But was the God of Ambition in their ears, telling them that the reward would be worth any risk?”

“Some risks are worth taking, you know,” Gale said.

“I do not need advice from you,” You replied.

“Well perhaps you should heed some advice. You’ve been toiling your summer away laying about with some elf who is far beneath your station. What are you doing? Your mortal life is so short. You could be brilliant. You could do anything that you want. You could be anything you want to be. You could be -”

“A goddess?”

“Perhaps. If you wanted to be.”

“I don’t. I already turned down that offer.”

Silence.

“Why?” Gale asked.

“Because I loved the man you were, not the God you pretend to be,” You reply.

“I do not pretend. I am a God. And I did it for you. I did everything for you. And you repay me this way? You must know that I care for you because I would never let a mortal speak to me the way that you do.”

“Did you cause the collapse because you were jealous?” You asked.

Silence. Whatever love you still had in your heart for the man was replaced by animosity for the God.

“Answer me, damn you,” You demanded, reaching out to shove Gale’s chest. Lightning crackled when you made contact with him and you pulled your hand back in agony, cradling it with the other.

“It is not wise to pick a fight with a God,” Gale warned.

“Why? If that is how you treat your most devoted followers then I would like to see how you treat a heretic,” You hissed. “Smite me, then, if what I say so offends you. Ambition is a curse. It has stolen everything from me. I will never bow to it. I will never honor it. I will never love it.”

In that moment, you hoped he would strike you down. If only to take away his favorite toy. But he doesn’t.

“I would never harm you,” He said.

“You have destroyed me,” You replied, “I want nothing to do with the God in front of me. I loved the man I knew. I will miss him for the rest of my days. And one day, I will be gone and I do not know what will happen or where I will go. But you will be here, alone. I hope it was worth it. Was it?”

You stare at each other. No words could come out that would give either of you solace, and some wounds can never heal. Instead of a reply, you found yourself back at the smoky temple, surrounded by carnage. You walked out, never turning back even once to look behind. That night you crawled into your bed and stared at the wall, trying to will comfort out of the isolation. Finally, you were free from that scent. You were truly alone. At least when you’ve lost everything, nothing else can be taken from you.

Somewhere on some plane that mortals can’t comprehend, in a place that exists and doesn’t, the God of Ambition looked out at eternal nothingness. He had the powers of a God, powers that he had always dreamed of.

But, the thought flickered in his mind. Perhaps he could have lived without them. After all, without you, what did he really have? Nothing, as far as anyone or anything could ever hope to see.

#gale dekarios #gale x tav #gale x reader #gale of waterdeep #bg3 #bg3 gale #bg3 brainrot #gale brainrot #angst

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talonabraxas · 1 year ago

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Etz Hayim “Tree of Life” Talon Abraxas

Tiphareth in Hebrew תִּפְאֶרֶת means “beauty,” “splendor,” or even “glory” (being close to “Hod”), it is the sixth sefira in the cabalistic tree of life, and has in common the association of “Spirituality”, “Balance”, “Integration”, “Beauty” and “Compassion”.

In the Bahir (one of the first cabalistic literature works) we read: “Sextus is adorned, glorious, enchanting throne of glory, the home of the world to come. His place is engraved in wisdom as ‘GOD said: Let there be light, and light was”.

Tiphareth is the force that integrates the Sefira of Chesed (“compassion”) and Gevurah (“Strength, or judgment”), these two forces are, respectively, expansive (giving) and restrictive (receiving), one without the other could not manifest the flow of divine energy. They must be balanced in perfect proportion by balancing compassion with discipline, and this balance can be seen in the role of Tiphareth, where conflicting forces are harmonized and creation flourishes. Tiphareth also balances Netzach and Hod in a similar way, in this case Hod can be seen as intellect and Netzach as emotion.

Tiphareth is the only one among Sephirot that is connected to all others except Malkuth, its position in the center between Keter and Yesod indicates to many Kabbalists that it is a kind of “conversion” of the sefirah between form (Yesod) and strength (Keter). In other words, all the intersections on the central path via Tiphareth determine a polarity inversion. The law of conservation, valid for both energy and mass, tends to confirm this, in all cases of energetic transmutation, as can happen in the transmission of gifts and goods from parents to their children, a sacrifice is necessary for a new form to be born.

Tiphareth is the center of the tree, and five Sefirot surround it: above are Chesed on the right (south) and Gevurah on the left (north), and below are Netzach on the right, Hod on the left and Yesod directly below. Together these six are one entity, Zer Anpin, which is the male counterpart of the Malkuth female sefira. In certain contexts, Tiphareth alone represents the whole sefirot of Zer Anpin, so that the whole tree appears with only five sefirots: Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Binah, Tiferet and Malkhut.

In both the Jewish tree of life and the hermetic tree, Tiphareth has eight paths leading (counterclockwise) to Keter (through Daat), Binah, Gevurah, Hod, Yesod, Netsach, Chesed and Chokmah.

Tiphareth can also be a variant of the word “Tifarah” and in modern Hebrew used in Israel is translated as “Glory” (from GOD – “ELOHIM, ADONAY).

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sailorspica · 4 months ago

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Kat, my honey, my darling, the light of my life — I've a question for you

What (if any) was the Council of Trent's influence on the art? (specifically about depicting nudity)

It's for... research purposes

mae my angel my baby.........

now I don't know that nudity was a specific concern but iconography in general, the sacred image, depictions of saints and biblical figures and with them the rennaissance system of patronage?

very vital to the catholic counter-reformation, against a growing trend of protesant iconoclasm mostly in the netherlands. the 1563 (final) session of trent mostly focuses on the doctrinal/pedagogical use of sacred art and icons, reviving debates from byzantium where people were confused about whether god/jesus/mary/others were actually present in the images, whether images were idolatry, but they leaned back into that to avoid the most compelling criticism that calvinists had for art, which is: why is the church dumping all this money into symbols of wealth instead of feeding and housing the poor?

but, the 1563 session throws in, just as a little tiny nugget:

Moreover, in the invocation of saints, the veneration of relics, and the sacred use of images, every superstition shall be removed, all filthy lucre be abolished; finally, all lasciviousness be avoided; in such wise that figures shall not be painted or adorned with a beauty exciting to lust; nor the celebration of the saints, and the visitation of relics be by any perverted into revellings and drunkenness; as if festivals are celebrated to the honour of the saints by luxury and wantonness.

what artistic license *i* think you can so take here is: people are damn hypocrites, and wealthy art patrons in the papal states who want to see nude men probably don't keep up with doctrine closely and might think they're above it. if you try to criticize them or the artists? they could deny, deny, and accuse anyone trying to censor their horny saint art commissions of being protestants. i think it fucking rocks. like you can't tell me what's lascivious or not??

one from venice a good few decades before trent:

here's the martyrdom of saint sebastian by michel coxie, just 12 years after trent, not in a papal state but still the HRE:

here's baroque ones, a century later by pietro della vecchia:

please peruse the wikmedia commons category

point is, nothing fucking changed the roman catholic church is so slow but moreover, so horny

#nudity cw #blood cw #mae i love you this is exactly what i want to talk about #mae 🐇#asks #moot moot

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suguwu · 1 year ago

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Bee ur lil god!knives stuff is making my brain go brr but esp those tags abt vash??? Like I’m imagining catching vash’s eye long before knives turns his to your little village…

How the legends say the Stampede walks among humans, selfishly and cruelly—against the wishes of his brother, benevolent and careful be the lord of the hunt, for the merciless Vash brings only death and destruction. How you never put much faith in legends, and let the stranger into your little home in the woods because you have always let strangers in, and because he needed help you could provide. How you allowed him to stay as long as he needs, put him to work caring for the home while you’re off collecting plants or at your apothecary in town, and grow steadily attached to his presence in your home—and your bed, soon enough.

How he leaves you in the night, and how you wake up blessed.

Your village adheres strictly to doctrine. They would not call you blessed. A blessing from the Stampede is not a blessing by any means, however much the wind brushes you like a lover’s caress, no matter how healing your very touch has become.

They have lost you. You are a child of the village, and he has stolen you away. Whatever remains cannot be sacred.

When the high priestess, therefore, pays your quaint little home a visit, they rejoice. She tells them of her dreams. The mighty lord of the hunt still considers them worthy enough to provide an offering despite their failings with you.

But when they bring every villager who meets the requirements—your age, your hair, your eyes—all are rejected. The elders rumble, hushed and frantic. The quiet threat of the Stampede is carried in on the wind, but they have their faith. You must be the one. The lord of the hunt, magnanimous be he, has not abandoned you as your village has. You must be truly adored.

Acolytes storm your cottage in the woods. They burn it to the ground, stained as it is with the Stampede’s presence. The trees shake, the wind howls; your struggling body is dragged from the blaze, helpless.

Your mother weeps when she is allowed a final visitation before they take you away, and you cannot tell if the tears are relief or mourning. Your father stares as if he witnesses a walking ghost. You have been bathed and perfumed, draped in silk and gold, a circlet of precious jewels upon your forehead. They have never seen you look so holy.

The acolytes bring you to the Great Temple far away from your home. It is vast and grand and well kept; you’ve never been before, though your pious grandmother made the trek once late in her life for prayer.

The door to your chamber remains locked and guarded at all times but you manage, in the final hour, to crack your window.

Through it the wind, weak and restless here in the temple, brings you a wildflower. Stubbornly you tuck it into your flimsy girdle with the other flowers you’ve been adorned with.

(The lord of the hunt’s invisible hand finds it first when he arrives. You cannot see him any more than the acolytes, but you feel the pressure; your mind is flooded with an oppressive enmity.

He plucks it from your waist and lets it fall to the ground, withered. For once the wind does not answer)

plu i am SHAKING oh my god what a TREAT to wake up to!!! and yes i couldn't help myself with the vash tags and those tags have served me so well by bringing me this absolute deliciousness!! those last few lines...i'm gnawing off my own arm.

#🪴.ask #pluvi.🪷#all time fave #i'm going insane #knives just...knowing where the flower came from #i cannot

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mybeautifulchristianjourney · 3 months ago

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Music For the Soul by Alexander MacLaren

Is My Name Written There?

"Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life" – Revelation 20:12

We read, in the highly imaginative picture of the final judgment, that when the thrones are set, two books are opened, one the Book of Life, the other the book in which are written the deeds of men, and that by these two books men are judged. There is a judgment by conduct. There is also a judgment by the Book of Life, That is to say, the question at last comes to be, " Is this man’s name written in that book? " Is he a citizen of the kingdom, and therefore capable of entering into it? Has he the life from Christ in his heart? Or, in other words, the question is, first, Has the man who stands at the bar faith in Jesus Christ? and, second, Has he proved that his faith is genuine and real by the course of his earthly conduct? These are the books from which the judgment is made. We read further in that blessed vision - the vision of the City of God " that came down from heaven as a bride adorned for her husband " - that only they enter in there who are "written in the Lamb’s Book of Life." Only citizens are capable of entrance into the city; aliens are necessarily shut out. The Lord, when He writeth up His people, shall count that this man was born there, though he never trod its streets while on earth, and therefore can enter into his native home. What need we care what other people may think about us, or whether the "hollow wraith of dying fame" that comes like a nimbus round some men may fade wholly or no, so long as we may be sure of acknowledgment and praise from Him from whom acknowledgment and praise are precious indeed.

Remember that names can be blotted out of the book. The metaphor has often been pressed into the service of a doctrine of unconditional and irreversible predestination. But, rightly looked at, it points in the opposite direction. Remember Moses’s agonized cry, "Blot me out of Thy book," and the Divine answer, " Him that sinneth against Me, his name will I blot out of My book." And remember that it is only to " him that overcometh " that the promise is made, " I will not blot him out." We are made partakers of Christ if we "hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end."

Remember that it depends upon ourselves whether our names are there or not. John Bunyan describes the armed man who came up to the table where the man with the book and the inkhorn was seated, and said, " Set down my name." And you and I may do that. If we cast ourselves on Jesus Christ, and yield our wills to be guided by Him, and give our lives for His service, then He will write our names in His book. If we trust Him we shall be citizens of the City of God, shall be filled with the life of Christ, shall be objects of an individualizing love and care, shall be accepted in that day, and shall enter in through the gates into the city. "They that forsake Me shall be written on the earth," and there wiped out as are the children’s scribbles on the sand when the ocean comes up. They that trust in Jesus Christ shall have their names written in the Book of Life, graven on the High Priest’s breastplate, and inscribed on His mighty hand and His faithful heart.

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steveezekiel · 14 days ago

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youtube

A MASTER/SERVANT RELATIONSHIP

9. “Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back,

10. not pilfering [thieving], but showing all good fidelity [honesty], that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”

Titus 2:9,10 (NKJV)

• If you are an employee under a person or company, the Bible admonishes you, as a Christian, to be obedient to your master or employer.

- Not only that, but also, you should be well pleasing in all things, that is, you do your best to please your master (Titus 2:9).

- Not answering back: if you are being instructed, corrected or scolded, you should not talk back (Titus 2:9).

- Your obedience should not be to the masters who are good only, but froward or harsh masters as well.

18. “Servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, NOT ONLY TO THE GOOD AND GENTLE BUT ALSO TO THE HARSH.

19. For this is commendable, if because of conscience towards God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.”

1 Peter 2:18,19 (NKJV)

• You should do, whatever you do for your master, employer, as if you do it for the Lord (Ephesians 6:5-7).

5. “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, IN SINCERITY OF HEART ❤️, AS TO CHRIST;

6. not with eyeservice, as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7. WITH GOODWILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN.

Ephesians 6:5-7 (NKJV)

- If you are submissive and obedient to the person you work for, your boss, you are not being stupid; you only display the good virtues of God in you– the unbelievers will have nothing evil to say of you (Titus 2:8).

- Through your conduct, the Word of God is adorned–you make the teaching about Christ, the gospel, attractive to others (Titus 2:10).

• In addition to that, you should be faithful and financially accountable; not pilfering or thieving, that is, not stealing things, regardless of the value– no matter how small.

- Some believers do not have a good testimony where they work, they collude with other employees to steal and swindle their masters.

- The reason why a number of believers do not excel in what they do is because; they employ, apply, the principles of the world to succeed, but it cannot work for them– a servant cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).

- If you want to prosper in what you do, follow the principles of the Bible (Matthew 7:24-27).

• If you have a callous, froward, or harsh master, submit to him anyway.

- If your employer is cruel and unkind, and yet you are faithful, loyal, and obedient to him– God will safeguard your interests, deal with him, if he mistreated you (Ephesians 6:9).

- God is not partial, He is a just God (James 5:1-4).

• Truth

- At times the reason why some masters are unfair is because some employees are not faithful–they are not diligent in their works (Proverbs 22:29).

- Some do the work given to them with levity–they have a laid-back attitude to work. They do not work for the money they earn.

- Albeit, if you are faithful in what you do, God will give you a better job–if your faithfulness is apparent or obvious (1 Timothy 4:15).

• Take Note:

- If you are honest, you live right where you work; through your good conduct, you make the gospel attractive to others–you adorn the gospel.

- Some believers cannot witness for Christ where they work or live.

- The life they live, sinful life, has shut their mouth–they cannot witness for Christ (Acts 1:8).

- Remember, if you are good to your master, God will reward you. If you are faithful in another man’s thing, yours shall be given to you (Luke 16:12).

“Knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”

Ephesians 6:8 (NKJV)

14. “YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16. “LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN, THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD WORKS AND GLORIFY YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN.”

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV)

• You will not fail in Jesus’ name.

Peace!

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pistol247 · 7 months ago

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‭Titus 2:9-10 NKJV‬

[9] Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, [10] not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.

https://bible.com/bible/114/tit.2.9-10.NKJV

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mcx7demonbros · 2 years ago

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December 8th ~ Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

To the honor of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, to the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, to the exaltation of the Catholic Faith and the increase of the Christian religion, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and by Our own, We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine, which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary at the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in virtue of the merits of Christ Jesus, the Savior of the human race, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and on this account must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful. Wherefore, if any should presume to think in their hearts otherwise than as it has been defined by Us, which God avert, let them know and understand that they are condemned by their own judgment; that they have suffered shipwreck in regard to faith, and have revolted from the unity of the Church; and what is more, that by their own act they subject themselves to the penalties established by law, if, what they think in their heart, they should to signify by word or writing or any other external means.

Pope Pius IX, Papal Bull “Ineffabilis Deus”, Dec. 8, 1854, The Denzinger no. 1641.

#catholic feast day #catholic holy days #christian holidays #catholic #christian #christianity #catholicism #roman catholicism #roman catholic #blessed virgin mary #immaculate conception #not obey me

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gtunesmiff · 1 year ago

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'...not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

~ Titus 2:10

[T]he early disciples lived lives others wanted to experience.

Even with the persecution, pain, problems, prison, and even martyrdom, multitudes chose to follow Jesus.

It’s crazy to think that an outlawed bunch could attract multitudes to their cause.

Could it be that they lived lives attractive to outsiders?

Better question: are we living lives attractive to those far from God?

God’s design and desire is that we live lives that adorn, garnish, trim, put in order, and become ornaments of the Gospel.

Like a faith fashion show, we should make the gospel attractive and our lives should be the trimming around the message of hope and salvation.

...

When people far from God look at us, what do they see?

Do they see excited, Spirit-filled, joyous disciples who are thrilled to serve the God of the universe?

Do they see Christ followers who have not gotten over the grace that saved us?

Do they see people blown away that Jesus walked out of the grave and is the ultimate Victor?

Or do they see something else?

Do they see people who act just like them?

Do they see people not concerned about the Kingdom of God?

Do they see people more concerned about sports, money, and a busy earthly schedule than adorning the doctrines of God?

If the early believers were anything, they were all in witnesses of Jesus’ power to transform a life.

In their first meeting, they went from just 120 people to 3,120 people. The next week, they added 5,000 more.

Then, six months later, there were 60,000 followers of Jesus in Jerusalem.

The religious leaders of the day thought killing Christ would stop His people, yet here we are two thousand years later with over two billion followers of Christ!

If we recognize that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in us, we will recognize that two billion people is only the beginning.

~ Dr. Chris Stephens || All In

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superbdonutpoetry · 1 year ago

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Paul was a Chosen Vessel

Acts 9:15 – Authorised Version But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: God is foreknowing and knew even before Paul (then Saul) was born that he would not give up on or reject the grace message of the ascended Christ which he was made the chief steward of, and which was personally…

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#1 Corinthians 15:1-4 #1 Timothy 2:4 #2 Corinthians 5:18-19 #A Dispensation of the Gospel #Adorn the doctrine of God #Advanced Rightly Dividing #All have sinned and come short of the glory of God #All Nations

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avvidstarion · 2 years ago

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Here's something that I've been wanting to get down on paper for Literal Years-- a lore guide for Re's hair and how it changes throughout their life! Slightly expanded notes under the cut!

So, basically, there are three things to keep in mind with Re's hair: length, texture, and level of adornment! Shorthand is this: length correlates to how sure they are of themself, texture correlates to how open they are to others, and hair clips/beads/etc indicate that they are feeling particularly proud of themself.

Breaking it down, we get this:

CHILDHOOD/YOUNG ADULTHOOD:

Their hair is long and slightly flowy/wavy. This is a time in their life where they are Sure of their identity-- they have been raised to believe in the doctrine of the assassins' order in which they have been raised, and they believe their purpose in life is to be the best assassin they can be (hence the length). They have two adopted siblings, Azariah and Murzgonk, and the three are incredibly close (hence the texture). They are proud of their accomplishments as an assassin, hence the hair beads.

EARLY MONASTERY:

The worst period of Re's life. Azariah is dead, Murzgonk resents them, and they have been betrayed by the order they once loved and have been forced to go on the run. While on the run, they cut their hair, symbolizing the fact that they are completely lost in life. When they attempt to drown themself, they rescued by an unknown individual (surprise, it was god) and deposited on the steps of a monastery dedicated to Lathander, the sun god (and also the god of rebirth/new beginnings). They hate the monastery and resent whoever rescued them. Their hair here is super short and choppy, indicating their mental distress.

LATE MONASTERY/EARLY CAMPAIGN:

They have begun to sort of like living in the monastery after a year or two, and while they are skeptical at times, are slowly growing into a person who believes they can change for the better. Their hair is longer, because they are starting to piece together a new identity for themself, but it is very neat and straight; they still refuse to talk about their past and still close themself off from their friends at the monastery and their new adventuring party.

CAMPAIGN:

The length of their hair mostly stays the same, but the more they open up to those around them and the more they realize that they are worthy of love, the wavier and messier their hair gets.

ONE YEAR POST-CAMPAIGN:

Their hair is grown out even more! It's super wavy! They have finally found peace!

OLD:

Super long again-- once again they are sure of who they are in the world, but in a good way this time! They now believe their purpose is to help others find the same redemption and new beginning that they once found. Their hair is super decorated because they really love who they are and are proud of how far they have come. And it's wavy and flowy as hell because they fully embrace the love around them, no longer believing that they have to earn it!

#re my beloved....#these notes (both in the drawings and under the cut) are super messy and weird and I'm not Fully conveying what I want to convey but #good enough. it's comprehensible which is the best i can hope for #re aesthetic #my shitty art

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theshoesofatiredman · 2 years ago

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Earlier this year my dad was diagnosed with stage four terminal cancer.

Some days the helplessness feels so palpable, like I am buried beneath the earth desperately trying to dig my way out. The surface is impossible to reach and I just bring the earth down upon my head. But I am still clawing, still clawing. Because I want him to live. I want him to live. To live.

To live long enough to apologize, to become an empty nester, to meet grandchildren, to be there for the people he loves, to hold all that life has to offer. He probably won't make it through the next year. I wish I could still believe in an afterlife.

The grief, the rage, they come and go in waves. "My father will never figure out how to have a gay son." Furious clawing at the earth, hot tears streaming down my face. "My mother still needs him. I can't be there for her." Dirt in my lungs and under my fingernails. "He feels awful almost every day. Always sick, never getting better." Dragging huge handfuls of soil behind to try and reach the surface.

My family is still deeply religious, they adorn themselves with the brand of Christianity that almost killed me so it's hard to be around them in general but even harder now. Impossible to listen to their celebrating God's goodness in small mercies while he denies their prayers for healing. Agony to hear their desperate supplications to their cruel god. Oh the insufferable sermons on suffering and thankfulness and forgiveness. I want to take all doctrine that holds suffering as holy and set it ablaze.

I am also treated it seems like nothing has happened, like i haven't been deeply hurt, like I still believe as they do. The person I am seems invisible to them. I am trapped in the past and I do not get an apology, only more justifications for their behavior.

Many days, because I am so far from my family now geographically, it feels like it's not happening. I can forget. You go on because there's nothing else to do. I cannot cure the cancer and neither can the doctors. I check in and see how they're doing. My dad hasn't responded much to my calls and texts -- he has limited energy but sometimes I do feel bad about the fact that I'm seemingly never a priority for that energy. I've taken to just talking with my mom when I want to know how he's doing, how she's doing. I make sure to give her the opportunity to vent, because I worry people aren't asking how she's doing or when they do they don't push past her "husband health update" response.

Sometimes I feel guilty because, despite this, 2022 has still been a markedly good year for me. My mental health has improved significantly. I am happier and more stable than I've been over the past four years. I realized and accepted that I was an atheist a couple months before my dad's diagnosis and once that happened I started waiting for the thing Christians say would happen: "you may walk away from God now to pursue pleasure but once things get hard you'll be crawling back for help."

Like many Christian sayings, this is an in-group defense narrative that does not accurately testify to reality. I have not prayed nor have I felt any compulsion to pray. My mental image of the Christian god as a self-absorbed, vindictive, rageful, punitive entity has not changed. I can't really see how any of these things would change.

I am flying to be with my family soon, something that will be really hard for me but feels necessary. It'll be my third trip back since my dad got sick. When it comes to my family I think often now about Ezran's speech in the new season of Dragon Prince:

So what do we do? ... I think about a faith we can all share, a positive vision with a future filled with hope, a future where we can be safe with each other. But... it's not that easy or simple. Because people are still hurting and we can't ignore that or pretend it will go away. Somehow we have to hold it all in our hearts at the same time. We have to acknowledge the weight of the pain and loss but open up our eyes to allow ourselves to hope and maybe forgive and love again.... We have to hold pain and love in our hearts at the same time.

The pain and the love coexist. I have to hold both.

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talonabraxas · 1 year ago

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Etz Hayim “Tree of Life” Talon Abraxas

In both the Jewish tree of life and the hermetic tree, Tiphareth has eight paths leading (counterclockwise) to Keter (through Daat), Binah, Gevurah, Hod, Yesod, Netsach, Chesed and Chokmah.

Tiphareth can also be a variant of the word “Tifarah” and in modern Hebrew used in Israel is translated as “Glory” (from GOD – “ELOHIM, ADONAY).

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