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christian-perspectives · 8 months ago

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Victory In The Lord Is Ours

Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you. Judges 4:14 After Joshua's godly influence faded, the Israelites experienced some very rough times. For about 450 years, they fell in and out of the hands of their enemies. Why? Because they habitually sinned against God. Their cycle of rejecting the Lord seemed to occur with each new generation. So, the Lord raised up different judges at different times to deliver them from their oppressors. A verse similar to the following one appears seven times throughout the Book of Judges. Again the Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight. They abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all. Judges 10:6 Chapter four also begins with a similar verse. This time, God turned Israel over to a Canaanite king called Jabin, who had an army commanded by Sisera. But He also raised up Deborah. Before we move on, I believe we should point out something unique about Deborah. Out of all the judges of Israel, she was the only female judge, plus she was also a prophet. God is no respecter of gender when it comes to calling people into the ministry. He used women in the Old Testament and uses them even more today to help build His Kingdom.

Deborah's Prophetic Word For Barak

The Israelites regularly went to Deborah for her judgment on matters. One day, however, God gave her a prophetic word for a man named Barak, so she sent for him. She said to him, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him." Judges 4:6-7 We don't know how many troops made up the army Sisera led, but we know two distinct things about them. They had 900 iron chariots, and they ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites. I'm not sure if Barak didn't completely believe Deborah or if he didn't want to do what she said. But he responded by saying that he would only do as she said if she accompanied him. Very well," she replied, "I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the victory of the Lord over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. Judges 4:9 Evidently, Jabin's army had a good intelligence department because word got to Sisera about Barak's plans. Therefore, in a counter-offensive, he took the necessary action. When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River. Judges 4:12-13

The Enemy Can't Stop Victory Our from the Lord

Take to heart what happened next in this Biblical event. Notice that the enemy knew exactly what the Israelites had planned to do. In fact, Sisera felt he had the upper hand. We don't know whether Barak was made aware of Sisera's plans or not. Either way, Deborah had another word from the Lord that assured them of their victory. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you." So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. Judges 4:14 Think about the 900 heavy-iron chariots Barak faced and the damage they alone could have done. They could have devastated Barak's army if each one had run over ten of his men. That, though, doesn't even take into consideration Sisera's fighting foot soldiers. The text in this chapter says he marched all his warriors to the battlefield. We often experience defeat because of our oppressor's intimidation. We either turn and run, or we give in to defeat. How often do we give up the victory instead of trusting the Lord? Remember this story of Deborah and Barak when the enemy of your soul seems overwhelming. Even if he knows your plans, fear not because the Lord holds your victory in His hand. Satan knew God's plan of salvation through the Old Testament scriptures but couldn't stop it. Fully aware of God's plans, the devil knows his future. Yet he has no way of stopping Him.

What Can the Enemy Do?

Satan can't stop the Lord, but he can try to distract you and rob you from your victory. When the Lord spoke victory through Deborah that day, that message continues until He returns. It comes down to whether you trust God. I find myself at times wanting to take my own measures. But I experience victory from the Lord when I follow the advice the Psalmist gave. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7 Let's look at the last part of this story of Deborah and Barak. It has nothing to do with either one of them. But it does add to the victory promised by the Lord. Sisera jumped off his chariot and ran while Barak chased and killed all his warriors. He ended up at a tent belonging to Heber the Kenite and his wife, Jael, who were both friends of King Jabin.

Victory Can Come from the Lord in an Unexpected Way

Even with Heber not home, Sisera felt safe hiding in their tent. After drinking some milk, he fell into a deep sleep. At that point, Jael took matters into her own hands. But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died. Judges 4:21 Why is this part of the story important? Because no one knew how the Lord would bring this victory except Him. The Lord may also provide your victory most unexpectedly. Lord, help us trust you for victory in every battle we face. No matter how intimidating the enemy appears, may we stand still and wait for you. Check out these related posts on the Victory of God. - How To Experience Victory, Healing And Life - God Has Given Us The Victory - Victory Comes From The Lord Read the full article

#BibleStudy #Devotions #Discipleship #Judges #Victory

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heretohelptheidiots · 6 years ago

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Of Hunting and Reunions

Sir Mandorallen, Baron of Vo Mandor, was a force to be reckoned with. Undefeated in battle, noble, mostly fearless, yes, Mandorallen was quite something else. However, Silk mused, the concept of boar hunting seemed to be evading him.

“But, twould it not be more honorable to chase the beast and battle it for supremacy?” The Baron asked, his honest face bearing a look of utmost confusion.

“If you tried to chase it, it would run away, in most cases, that’s why we need the dogs to chase it towards us.” Barak’s face was resigned, he was having to think very hard about not making a comment about Mandorallen backsliding.

“Why then, might I ask, art we making use of spears. Why do we forsake our usual weaponry for such crude implements?” Mandorallen bounced the spear in his hand, unsure of the weapon he’d been given.

“I don’t want to be that close.” Hettar interjected, as he stood leaning against a tree, one foot on the trunk. “The only time you or I fight anything lower than us is on horseback. This is different. The spear also gives more reach, meaning that we’re less likely to be mortally wounded.” Mandorallen nodded slightly, taking in the taciturn truths.

“Careful old friend,” Silk laughed, “ if you use all of your words for the month, Lady Adara might be displeased with us.” Hettar smirked silently in response.

“Verily, if this is how the beast is to be vanquished, then let us go forth.” Mandorallen decided. “Lead on, Earl of Trelhiem!”

Silk smirked as Barak fought back a groan. “It’s a shame that his Highness couldn’t join us today.”

“Which one?” Barak rumbled, slightly distracted.

“Garion.”

“Agreed.” Hettar said.

“I must confess I have missed our young companion greatly of late. I fear he hath become too important to spend time with us.” Mandorallen’s great voice was filled with sorrow.

“Too important to go hunting with my friends? Never. I’m hurt you would suggest it.” A familiar and unexpected voice cut through the conversation. Out from behind a nearby tree stepped the Overlord of the West, Belgarion.

Barak would deny to his dying day that he dropped his spear and hugged the younger man for all he was worth, but it did take a lot of alcohol to swear the others to secrecy.

“I had to try to redeem myself after the last time I went boar hunting.” Garion laughed in response to the ‘what are you doing here’ questions. “As I recall, that very nearly ended in disaster.”

“That was certainly the first in a long line of scares you gave us over the years.” Silk agreed. “I think you shortened my life span by a decade at least.”

“My lord Barak, are you ready?” A huntsman called cutting short their reunion.

“Are we ready?” Barak asked, look around at his friends. There was a chorus of nods and he bellowed back, “Ready!”

At the end of the hunt, Mandorallen had taken the largest boar. However, Hettar and Barak didn’t do to badly either. Garion’s out of them all was the smallest, aside from Silk, who was just as happy not to have been charged at.

“Isn’t that about the size of the one you killed all those years ago?” Silk teased, lightly elbowing his young friend.

Garion laughed, “Probably.”

Later that night, over ale and pork, it would come to light that Silk had planned their miniature reunion. Silk would grin and go on about his genius, but internally he would just be grateful for his friends.

#david eddings #silk #Prince Kheldar #kheldar #Sir Mandorallen #Barak #Hettar #Garion #the belgariad #Belgariad #I’m a big sap #I know #it’s okay

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raven0276 · 3 years ago

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THE BATTLE OF MOUNT TABOR

The biblical story of Deborah, one of the Israelite judges in the Book of Judges, tells the story of a great battle in the Holy Land. And, like so many biblical stories, they come alive when we realize they happened on spots we still see today, spots we call Holy Land Digs.

‘If You Go with Me, I Will Go’

In Judges 4, Deborah summoned Barak, her military commander, saying:

“The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men… and lead them up to Mount Tabor. I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands” (vv. 6-7).

Barak’s confidence in the Israelite leader shined through in his reply: “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go”

And go with her soldiers, Deborah did. To Mount Tabor, the mountain seen above, and which one can still see in the Holy Land

When Sisera, the leader of the Israelites’ Canaanite enemies, heard this, he readied his own forces. Sisera led 900 men in iron chariots. While the Israelites outnumbered the Canaanites, the Canaanite technology was far superior. Their iron chariots against Israelite men would have been like tanks against infantry soldiers today, hardly a fair fight.

But God also went with Barak and Deborah to Mount Tabor. And He made sure the fight went in Israel’s favor.

In Judges 5, we hear “The Song of Deborah,” a ballad that tells the story of the Israelite victory. As Sisera’s heavily armed chariots arrived for battle, God opened up the heavens:

“From the heavens, the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

The river Kishon swept them away,

the age-old river, the river Kishon.” (Vv. 20-21)

This is the Kishon River, as mentioned in Scripture. God sent a rainstorm that overflowed the Kishon and turned the ground around Mount Tabor to mud. Sisera’s heavy chariots became stuck. The Bible tells us that “At Barak’s advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot” (Judges 4:15).

THE FATE OF SISERA

And we know that the Canaanite commander fled to the tent of Yael, the wife of a Kenite tribe leader. There, Yael gave Sisera something to drink and a place to rest. And then “The Song of Deborah,” tells us:

“Her hand reached for the tent peg,

the right hand for the workman’s hammer.

She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,

she shattered and pierced his temple.” (Judges 5:26)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDGkORd13Ro

And all of this, this beloved biblical story of Deborah’s leadership, Barak and Yael’s heroism, and most importantly, God’s providence for His people, began at the foot of Mount Tabor, the Holy Land site we can still see today.

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vampyjoong · 7 years ago

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Remember Me for Centuries

Awwww, what about a Jeonghan where they age until they’re 18 years and stop aging after that. And then they only start aging again once meeting their soulmate, so that they age together

yeeee bb i love ageing aus

2.7k words unedited i feel like asking someone to be a proofreader would be good but fuck it

you can’t quite remember when you stopped ageing

you can’t even remember the century you were born in

in a world full of children, you were the grandmother

the furthest back memory you could recall was The Battle of Myton

you had no real cause to join the battle, all you wanted to do was join the fight for the thrill

through the years you’d regained the skills you’d learned, such as blacksmithing and sword work

these skills were rendered useless in the last century but they were still something useful to know

you’d travelled the world before the invention of planes and motor boats

you knew languages still in use and those that had died out

you knew the regional dialects as well as the common dialects

your original accent, whatever it was, had faded out long ago to a neutral tone

you had gained friends and lost them in the most tragic ways

your family line had long since died out, with you being the only remaining ember after your great great great niece dying before she could wed

you were a walking relic, the only one of your kind that you had met, and you weren’t sure when you would ever meet another

with the lack of ageing, other processes faded out

your hair hadn’t grown a millimetre since your 18th, and your skin was still glowing, albeit cold and still

you’d forgotten what it was like to be warm and loved

sounds dramatic, is less so

however life wasn’t all pain and suffering

you’d been around for a lot of good things as well

you’d been around for the berlin wall coming down

and for the legalisation of gay marriage in all the countries that had allowed it

and you had been in the crowd for Barak Obama being selected as the president of the US

you had journals detailing your life

you’d started them from your 18th and had continued till this day

they had started in a language consisting of extra letters and runes, but now you just used whatever language came to mind

whenever you forgot a word in one language, you just wrote down whatever language you could remember it in

your thoughts mustve been very confusing to a mind reader, you thought in different languages for each sentence, and sometimes for each word

your handwriting, although you had centuries to perfect it, had stayed a scribbling mess

you looked through them when you had a week to spare

your passport was confusing to most

but you didn’t mind

after all you got to meet so many people and see so many people

you liked to make it your mission to try and find your friends reincarnated into there next lives

sometimes they had the same face

sometimes the same personality or name

but you always found them which made losing them a little less painful

you’d become the fairytale to many

once there was a rumour that you were jack the ripper

how foolish that was of them to assume

of course you weren’t, you were the one following him every night

the skirts made it difficult but a lady had to travel in styyyyle

you’d moved for the past 20 years before settling in south korea for some jazz

of course you preferred to live somewhere where you fitted in but you liked the culture

you had a line of contacts made over the years of people who could get you things like a good house and good jobs

also known as the internet

god bless wifi

when living there, you also made an actual contact

a shaman who could find peoples reincarnations if you had one of their belongings and could tell you their new name and where they were born

very handy person to have around, and of course you became friends with her

she was very young, only in her early teens when you first met her, and she helped you when you needed to find some friends passed

when your friend Moon LuiHua passed, you went to the shaman to see if then knew who they would be born again as

their name would be Xu Minghao, born and raised in china, but they would find you at some point in korea

well that was a load off, you liked your apartment and didn’t want to move

things weren’t so bad on the other side thankfully

jeonghan had only been around for a century, and had stayed close to his family the whole way down

his great great nephew knew him as old uncle jeonghan

absolutely adorable

he took life as it came, and knew that one day he would find you

he had heard about a shaman that could find people in the stages of reincarnation and who they would be born as again, but he decided against it

he decided that if their friendship was true, they would find him again

good logic there bb

he travelled for a while before deciding to stay in korea where his family were

sometimes he felt a little alone in the world because everyone else was fleeting but he was staying the exact same as he had done the past god knows how many years

he tried to avoid getting too close to people but when he met someone someone called Joshua in 2013, he became close friends quickly

and when jeonghan got a job at a local restaurant and met someone called seungcheol, they became close friends as well

slowly, friends of friends became best friends

jeonghan knew that eventually he would regret becoming such good friends with them but for now, he would enjoy the company

for anyone that payed attention to my breakdown, here is where it reverted to every time :)

it was when chans 19th rolled around that he felt so so old but so young at the same time

because in the blink of an eye it would be chans 89th birthday and he would be the same as before, just more lonely

it wasn’t until minghao came home and announced that he’d met another immortal that he started to feel hope

you had gotten a cat 10 years ago and my god was she fussy

her name was Li and you had found her while looking for pets

you’d heard that some animals could be immortal, until they found and bonded with an owner, and even then would only age once their owner aged

sounded perfect tbh

within the first month though you realised how fussy Li was

you had already gathered that she had a good understanding of english as she sometimes nodded and shook her head when an answer was needed, or when you were looking for something and asked her cos you thought it would help you remember, she brought it to you in a few minutes

lifesaver, this cat was

but then you realised that she was used to being treated like a queen

she was born in the Ming dynasty, and was a royals cat

she sure wanted to be treated like one it was unreal

so you had to get the good stuff weed cat food jeez liz

so one day, after she turned her nose up at some stuff from the pet store, you had to get some proper food from the supermarket nearby

and when pulling up to get your stuff cashed up, you saw him

it was your friend Moon Lihui

youdve recognised him even if he had a different face

you remembered the times you spent running form the cops, getting matching dragon tattoos in the traditional style but in the shape of an infinity symbol because he reckoned you two would always find each other for eternity

and it seems the bastard was true considering how he was in front of you as clear as day

and it appeared he was still a mind reader, considering he looked up at you with shock and surprise

and when you went to pay for your items, you two caught up

he had found his soulmate, another mind reader, and he was having fun in this life

he also got another dragon tattoo in the same style as he had it last life

what a coincydink pronounced co-ink-ee-dink, ref- coincidence

you two decided to have a mate date every week

most of the time you two spoke in chinese unless minghao wanted to learn something in korean

then one week, you turned up to the cafe and your friend, Xu Ru was sitting next to Hao

well thats a turn

you remembered walking down the banks of a river 1000 years ago with him, remembered him reading to you under a tree, remembered getting a secret tattoo with him in 1935 to commemorate your friendship

you got his name in chinese on your back

unfortunately the ink had faded away to a few dots over the years

and this was the soulmate you reckoned, as he looked up after hearing everything you said and smiled

there he was

you almost cried as you ran over to see them

“Who is this????”

“This is my soulmate Moon Junhui”

of course they’d swapped last names, only the fates would find this as funny as you

they decided to stay out of your thoughts as you started laughing

minghao had already experienced the messed up languages after one cafe date when he accidnetly listened in and heard a paragraph in your mind in chinese, korean, english and gaelic

it was a confusing place in your mind

lmao i mess up the few things i know in spanish french and english sometimes, i don’t even know much spanish and french

both him and jun mixed up korean and chinese sometimes

so you weren’t alone

you three hung out for a few weeks before they mentioned that they had an immortal friend like you

you got very excited and almost asked them to tell you who they were before they stopped you

they claimed it wasn’t the right time yet and that it’d happen soon

you were disappointed and ranted thoroughly to Li when you got home

the next week when you met up, you talked for a while before deciding to ask jun if you wanted to get matching tattoos again

you thought violently his way about what they used to be like and about how you and Hao

he agreed so you both decided to get each others names in chinese

and while there, they announced a few friends would be joining for the tattooing

they didn’t say which ones though so you didn’t know if immortal guy was joining

oh well

you booked an appointment for the next day and you were all set

you woke up with Li waking you up just after your alarm you had just slept through

Love Li

you ran to get ready

you had a sports bra and a nice green flannel on so you could get the tattoo on your back easily

plus it was a warm ass day and its nice to have ventilation if necessary

when there, you met mingyu, seungcheol and jeonghan

you weren’t told anything about them but you did feel a rush of something when you got there

i smell something fishy

it was the cat food on your sweatpants

not joking

Li spilled some accidentally

anyway, first it was Juns turn, and he got your name in beautiful chinese in your handwriting

you got his name in his handwriting, and you knew something was wrong when blood spotted up

that hadn’t happened since your 18th birthday, and you almost cried because that meant one of those boys was your soulmate

once you two were done, you decided to do a test

which was handy because hao and jun decided to take you home to their dorm where them and the other boys stayed

and when you walked into the largest room, there was a man with a blazer and a fake mic

“HELLO EVERYONE AND WELCOME BACK TO ‘WHOS MY SOULMATE?’”

“WHAT THE FUCK WHO ARE YOU”

he didn’t appreciate the yelling

and so the game show started

you started a round of questions

“Who’s the oldest out of you all??”

Seungkwan, the ‘game show host’ looked panicked before yelling out “NEXT QUESTION PLEASE”

“Who’s a cat person??”

they all raised their hands

“Who likes sleep??”

one person called jeonghan

“Who’s the one weird uncle or cousin who’s always at family events?”

again the one same guy

“Who has travelled more than ten times?”

one guy

“who has too much time?’

one guy

when you were sure who it was, you said that to seingkwan who loudly exclaimed “ITS TIME FOR ROUND TWO!” and stared off dramatically to nobody

then awkwardly grabbed your hand and let you to the elevator where you awkwardly waited and everything was just awkward

he led you to the back garden where you were led to a dunk pool

one person would answer questions about you and if they were right, they answered another until they were wrong and they got gunged into the pool

it was really fun

they kept going in circles, but one guy stood out

“Likes sleep”

“Spends a lot of time thinking about life”

“Knows so many languages”

“worries about loosing her friends”

wow he was spookily good at guessing about you

you were suspecting things were up

the last round, followed by a trio of gunged guys, was a dance/sing off

this was entirely for fun and giggles

they all found sing and seungcheol and mingyu rapped for you as well as sang

jeonghan sang a beautiful song called Pinwheel that his friend woozi wrote and produced

then they had a ranking system

3rd place was seungcheol unfortunately but he wasn’t mad

2nd was mingyu mainly cos he had cooking skills

1st place was jeonghan because he seemed to be the closest match to you

then you were told everything

he had been around for a century or two and had been in some of the same situations as you

he was schocked when he found out how old you really were, and how many journals you had (one for every 3 years)

you invited him round to your place to get to know each other better and for him to meet Li

Li surprisingly liked him very much and curled into his lap when he sat down

you learned a lot about him in the short time you were together

he never went to a shaman because he believed in true friendships, he only knew korean and chinese, and he was still connected to his family line and was in almost every christmas and family photo taken

his great great niece knew him as “creepy uncle yoon”

he found out that you were a certified genius and were absolutely ancient

and that you spoke in many languages

you could communicate with anyone

you showed him your dialects from korea

he was shook

you both found it funny how you both were technically 18 but everyone had to call you two hyung and noona no matter what

after that day, you two met p so much and went on dates

one day you went to the local museum and found to your displeasure, a portrait of you from the victorian era in a corset and dress

it was lab led “The Forever Woman”, and underneath it had a short description

“The forever woman is an enigma. She appears every few hundred years, only to disappear after some event. Rumoured to be seen in many countries, she makes her home, searching for her forever man”

“please don’t look, i looked hideous during that time, I was trying to fid jack the Ripper and he was causing havoc on my beauty routine”

then you realised the next few pictures were still just at different time periods and countries

“I swear im not narcissistic, i just got bored a lot”

he found it hilarious and decided to draw you once every year

then you two had to split to go home, and you honestly didn’t want to

and when it started to rain, you knee you definitely had to go home but you stayed staring at each other

then he leaned in and kissed you softly for the first time

for the first time in the longest time, you remembered what it felt like to be warm and like you were truly home

when you separated you stared at each other before you whispered gently

“You didn’t court me first”

he laughed at you, causing you to smile and lean in again for an even softer kiss

#seventeen #say the name seventeen #17 #kpop #seventeen scenarios #seventeen soulmate #seventeen soulmate au #soulmate au #kpop soulmate au #seventeen jeonghan #yoon jeonghan #jeonghan #jeonghan soulmate #jeonghan soulmate au #seventeen bulletpoint

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dfroza · 3 years ago

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we have to hope in what we “believe…”

in the hope of eternal life that has been offered to us by our Creator as (A new covenant of grace) that we see illuminated in the Scriptures in SonLight

“Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.”

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews:

Faith is the assurance of things you have hoped for, the absolute conviction that there are realities you’ve never seen. It was by faith that our forebears were approved. Through faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God; everything we now see was fashioned from that which is invisible.

By faith Abel presented to God a sacrifice more acceptable than his brother Cain’s. By faith Abel learned he was righteous, as God Himself testified by approving his offering. And by faith he still speaks, although his voice was silenced by death.

By faith Enoch was carried up into heaven so that he did not see death; no one could find him because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, it was said of him that he had pleased God. Without faith no one can please God because the one coming to God must believe He exists, and He rewards those who come seeking.

By faith Noah respected God’s warning regarding the flood—the likes of which no one had ever seen—and built an ark that saved his family. In this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham heard God’s call to travel to a place he would one day receive as an inheritance; and he obeyed, not knowing where God’s call would take him. By faith he journeyed to the land of the promise as a foreigner; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, his fellow heirs to the promise because Abraham looked ahead to a city with foundations, a city laid out and built by God.

By faith Abraham’s wife Sarah became fertile long after menopause because she believed God would be faithful to His promise. So from this man, who was almost at death’s door, God brought forth descendants, as many as the stars in the sky and as impossible to count as the sands of the shore.

All these I have mentioned died in faith without receiving the full promises, although they saw the fulfillment as though from a distance. These people accepted and confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on this earth because people who speak like this make it plain that they are still seeking a homeland. If this was only a bit of nostalgia for a time and place they left behind, then certainly they might have turned around and returned. But such saints as these look forward to a far better place, a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God because He has prepared a heavenly city for them.

By faith Abraham, when he endured God’s testing, offered his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. The one who had received God’s promise was willing to offer his only son; God had told him, “It is through Isaac that your descendants will bear your name,” and he concluded that God was capable of raising him from the dead, which, figuratively, is indeed what happened.

By faith Isaac spoke blessings upon his sons, Jacob and Esau, concerning things yet to come.

By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed the sons of his son Joseph, bowing in worship as he leaned upon his staff.

By faith Joseph, at his life’s end, predicted that the children of Israel would make an exodus from Egypt; and he gave instructions that his bones be buried in the land they would someday reach.

By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born because they saw that he was handsome; and they did not fear Pharaoh’s directive that all male Hebrew children were to be slain.

By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be identified solely as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose instead to share the sufferings of the people of God, not just living in sin and ease for a time. He considered the abuse that he and the people of God had suffered in anticipation of the Anointed One more valuable than all the riches of Egypt because he looked ahead to the coming reward.

By faith Moses left Egypt, unafraid of Pharaoh’s wrath and moving forward as though he could see the invisible God. Through faith, he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of blood on the doorposts among the Hebrews so that the destroyer of the firstborn would pass over their homes without harming them. By faith the people crossed through the Red Sea as if they were walking on dry land, although the pursuing Egyptian soldiers were drowned when they tried to follow.

By faith the walls of Jericho toppled after the people had circled them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab welcomed the Hebrew spies into her home so that she did not perish with the unbelievers.

I could speak more of faith; I could talk until time itself ran out. If I continued, I could speak of the examples of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and all the prophets. I could give accounts of people alive with faith who conquered kingdoms, brought justice, obtained promises, and closed the mouths of hungry lions. I could tell you how people of faith doused raging fires, escaped the edge of the sword, made the weak strong, and—stoking great valor among the champions of God—sent opposing armies into panicked flight.

I could speak of faith bringing women their loved ones back from death and how the faithful accepted torture instead of earthly deliverance because they believed they would obtain a better life in the resurrection. Others suffered mockery and whippings; they were placed in chains and in prisons. The faithful were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword, clothed only in sheepskins and goatskins; they were penniless, afflicted, and tormented. The world was not worthy of these saints. They wandered across deserts, crossed mountains, and lived in the caves, cracks, and crevasses of the earth.

These, though commended by God for their great faith, did not receive what was promised. That promise has awaited us, who receive the better thing that God has provided in these last days, so that with us, our forebears might finally see the promise completed.

The Book of Hebrews, Chapter 11 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 51st chapter of the book of Jeremiah with recorded words against Babylon:

The Eternal has this to say regarding Babylon:

Eternal One: Watch as I stir up a destroying wind

against Babylon and the people of Chaldea.

I will send outsiders to sift through this nation,

separating the wheat from the chaff, laying waste this land.

They will fight her from every side

on that fateful day of Babylon’s reckoning.

Do not let the archers draw back their bows.

Do not let them put on their armor!

Do not spare the life of one young soldier.

Destroy her army completely.

They will all fall dead in the land of the Chaldeans;

her streets will be full of the dead and dying.

For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken

by their God, the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies,

Even though their land is awash with the guilt of their sins

against the Holy One of Israel.

Get out of Babylon! Escape with your lives!

Do not be caught up in Babylon’s punishment,

For this is the time for the Eternal to avenge His people.

He will pay Babylon what she deserves.

Babylon has been a golden cup in the Eternal’s hand,

intoxicating the whole earth.

Yes, the nations drank her wine,

which is why they went mad.

But now Babylon—cup of God’s wrath—has fallen and shattered.

Weep for her, if you can!

Give her something for her pain;

perhaps she may still be healed.

Exiles: We would like to have healed Babylon,

but she was beyond our help.

It is time to leave her and go home before it is too late,

before we get caught in her coming judgment.

Look, even now it fills the skies, rising up to the clouds.

The Eternal has vindicated us;

come, we must tell those in Jerusalem

What the Eternal our God has done!

Enemies of Babylon, sharpen your arrows

and fill your quivers. Get ready to attack!

For the Eternal has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes

to accomplish His purpose against Babylon.

He will exact His vengeance for what the Chaldeans did to His temple.

Raise up the battle flags around the walls of Babylon!

Reinforce the guard. Station watchmen along the way.

Prepare to make a surprise attack, for the Eternal will see His plan carried through

against the people of Babylon.

You who live by the great river

with the comforts of your abundant treasure,

The end has come, and you will lose it all.

Your time has run out.

The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has sworn by Himself.

Eternal One: I will cover your land with enemy troops

the way a swarm of locusts covers a field.

And they will shout victory over you.

God alone is powerful enough to create the earth.

He alone is wise enough to put the world together.

He alone understands enough to stretch out the heavens.

His voice thunders through the heavens, and the waters gush from the sky.

He summons the clouds to build up over the earth.

As the rain falls, the lightning flashes at His command;

the wind rushes in from where He alone can store it.

All of humanity is stupid and bankrupt of knowledge.

Those who make idols are shamed by their creations.

What they fashion out of gold are imposters—breathless, lifeless frauds.

Their idols are worthless, the work of their hands an embarrassing mockery.

They are doomed to perish under God’s judgment.

The portion of Jacob is not like any of these.

He was not fashioned by human hands.

Instead, it was He who made all things and appointed Israel to inherit it all.

His name is the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

Eternal One: You are My war club—My weapon for battle;

with you I shatter nations;

with you I destroy kingdoms;

With you I shatter the horse and its rider;

with you I shatter the chariot and its driver;

With you I shatter men and women;

with you I shatter both young and old;

with you I shatter the young man and the maiden;

With you I shatter the shepherd and his flock;

with you I shatter the farmer and his oxen;

with you I shatter governors and leaders.

But now, before your very eyes, I will repay Babylon and the people of Chaldea for all the harm they have done in Zion.

I have turned against you, O mountain of destruction, you destroyer of the earth.

So now I will raise My hand against you;

I will roll you down from the lofty rocks where you offered sacrifices

and turn you into a mountain of ashes.

When I am finished with you,

there will be no stones to salvage—

No cornerstones, no foundation stones;

you will be desolate forever.

Lift up a battle flag; let it wave in the land!

Sound the trumpet—call the nations together!

Prepare the forces for battle against her;

summon the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz.

Assign a commander to lead the troops against her.

Send in the war horses, seething like bristly locusts.

Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes,

their governors and leaders, and the lands they rule.

As the battle rages, the land trembles and writhes,

for the Eternal is accomplishing His purposes against Babylon.

He will lay waste her land

and leave it completely empty.

Babylon’s mighty warriors have stopped fighting;

they stay inside their fortresses, afraid.

Their strength is gone; they have become as weak as women.

The houses of Babylon are burning, the bars of her city gates broken.

The news travels fast—a runner races to meet another;

the word goes from messenger to messenger

Until it reaches the king of Babylon:

His entire city has been captured.

The river crossings have been taken,

the marshlands have been set ablaze,

and the soldiers are terrified.

This, then, is what the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies and God of Israel, says:

Eternal One: The people of Babylon are like wheat ready to be threshed,

spread out on the floor waiting to be trampled.

A little while longer and the time for her harvest will come.

Citizens of Jerusalem (crying out to God): Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devoured us.

He has squeezed the life out of us and left us an empty jar.

Like a monster from the sea, he swallowed us

and gorged himself on the richness of Israel

Only to cough us up and throw us out.

“May the violence done to our people be repaid to Babylon,”

we the people of Zion pray.

“May our blood be upon those who live in Chaldea,”

so Jerusalem prays.

Eternal One: Watch now as I defend your case

and avenge what was done to you.

I will expose this monster and dry up her sea.

I will deplete her wellsprings.

Babylon will be reduced to a heap of rubble,

the haunt of jackals,

An object of horror and hissing scorn,

a place where no one lives.

O how this nation roars! Like a pack of young lions,

like lion cubs, they growl.

And once they are stirred up,

I will lay out a feast and make them all drunk

until they laugh and feel happy.

But when they fall asleep, they will sleep forever.

This is what I, the Eternal One, promise you.

I will bring these proud lions down like lambs going to their own slaughter.

Like rams and goats they will be humbled.

How Babylon has been captured!

Babylon, the pride of all the earth, has fallen!

How mighty Babylon has become an object of horror

among all the nations that once feared and admired her.

The rising tide of the sea has flooded Babylon.

She disappears beneath its raging waves.

Her cities have become an object of horror.

Her fruitful land has been left parched, like a desert,

a wilderness where no one lives, where no wants to go.

I will punish Bel, the false god of Babylon;

I will make him cough up all he has swallowed.

The nations will no longer make their way to worship him

because even the great walls of Babylon have fallen.

Get out of Babylon, My people, before it is too late!

Run! Save yourselves!

Run! Do not get caught up in the destruction

caused by My fierce anger.

Do not lose heart or give in to fear and panic

when the rumors start to fly in the land.

Year after year, the rumors will come—rumors of violence

and reports of one ruler warring against another.

So, look! the days are coming

when I will punish Babylon’s idols.

Her whole land will suffer humiliation,

and her dead will lie unburied within her borders.

Then the heavens and the earth and all that is within them

will shout for joy over the disaster that comes upon Babylon,

For the destroying armies will march against Babylon from out of the north.

As the slain of Israel fell, so must Babylon fall.

As the slain of all the earth fell, so must Babylon fall.

You who escape the blade of the sword

must get out now. Don’t delay!

Remember Me in that distant land;

remember the Eternal, and think fondly of Jerusalem.

In that bittersweet moment,

the remnant of My people will say,

“We are ashamed—we have been insulted by invaders,

and disgrace covers our faces

When we think of foreigners entering the holy places of the Eternal’s temple

and defiling it by their presence.”

But I, the Eternal One, declare that the day will come

when I will punish Babylon’s images and idols;

and the groans of her dying will echo through the land.

No matter how high she reaches or how strong her defenses,

I will send enemies to destroy her.

So says the Eternal.

Listen! Hear the cry that comes from Babylon.

It is the sound of great destruction in the land of Chaldea.

For the Eternal is destroying Babylon;

He will drown out the piercing sound of her cries

As wave after wave of her enemies roars in,

crashing against her, with the deafening sound of battle in the air.

A destroyer is coming to attack Babylon; her mighty warriors will be captured.

Their weapons will be broken.

For the Eternal is a just God who pays accordingly,

and He will repay Babylon in full.

Eternal One: I will make her leaders and wise men drunk

as well as her governors, leaders, and mighty warriors.

And when they fall asleep, they will sleep forever,

So says the King, whose name is the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

Eternal One: The wide and sturdy walls of Babylon will be toppled,

and her massive city gates will be set on fire.

The people toiled to build those walls,

but it was all in vain.

Prisoners from other lands exhausted themselves to build this city,

but their work went up in flames.

Jeremiah the prophet gave the following order to Seraiah (son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah), when Seraiah was accompanying Zedekiah (king of Judah) to Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign. Seraiah worked in the king’s administration. Jeremiah had written on a scroll all of the terrible things that would one day happen to Babylon (those things which you have just read). Once this important message had been recorded, he said to Seraiah,

Jeremiah: When you get to Babylon, find a public place and read aloud every single word written on this scroll. Then say loud enough for others to hear, “O Eternal One, You have promised that You will destroy this place so that neither man nor beast will live here. Babylon will then be a wasteland forever.” When you have finished reading the scroll and saying these things, tie it to a heavy stone and throw it into the Euphrates River. Then say loud enough for others to hear, “Just as this stone and scroll sink, so will Babylon and her people sink, never to rise again, for they shall be tired after the disaster I, the Lord, am bringing to her.”

The messages of Jeremiah end here.

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 51 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for Sunday, October 3 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons about the war for truth:

We are in the midst of a great spiritual war -- the war for the truth. This has been the battle from the beginning. The very first words of evil (הַנָּחָשׁ) questioned and garbled God's truth: אַף כִּי־אָמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן - "Did God really say you shall not eat from all the trees of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). The test of the orchard was therefore the test of teshuvah - that is, whether Adam and Eve would turn to God or turn to evil. Satan’s deceptive appeal to Eve was that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge would give her wisdom that would make her “like God,” knowing both good and evil. The essence of temptation focused on her pride and her desire to acquire wisdom using her own autonomous reasoning. The fruit represented self-will and the abandonment of God’s rule as King of the universe. Eve’s sin was ultimately that of unbelief (which is the reason why we must be saved by faith, as a reversal of the original sin). When she ate the forbidden fruit, the body (carnality) became the central focus and shame was the result.

The Hebrew word for truth (i.e., emet: אֱמֶת) implies more that descriptive correspondence to include faithfulness and trust; it is both cognitive (emunah) and emotive (bittachon). In the end there will be found two types of people: those who love the truth and those who love the lie; these are children of light (בְּנֵי הָאוֹר) and children of darkness (בְּנֵי הַחשֶׁךְ), respectively. Followers of Yeshua the Messiah are told to "walk as children of light" / ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε (Eph. 5:8). Children of light are called to be am kadosh - a holy people - separate from the evil engendered by the fallen world and its forces, just as the very first creative expression of God was the separation of light from darkness (Gen. 1:3-4). The children of light "hate evil and love the good," and conversely, the children of darkness "hate the good and love evil" (Psalm 34:21, Prov. 8:13, Amos 5:15, John 3:20-21). Yes, we hate sin, because sin separates people from healing; we hate sin but we love others. We are to walk in the peace and love of God; to do acts of justice and lovingkindness (Psalm 97:10). "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

In a sense, the history of humanity - especially as it has been expressed philosophically and politically through the centuries -- has been nothing less than the collusion to redefine reality as something that it isn't. "The kings of the earth station themselves, and the dignitaries (רוֹזְנִים) take counsel together against (lit. "over") the LORD and His Mashiach" (Psalm 2:1-3). Spiritual warfare is therefore the fight for sanity and truth in a world that prefers madness and self-deception...

Be vigilant! If the devil can't kill you, he will try to drive you insane... He will lie to you about who you really are... He he will harass you and vex your soul. He will whisper fearful things in your ear... He will make what is small seem big and what is big seem small. He will raise dark suspicion within your soul, causing you to walk in mistrust. He will remind you of your sins to make you feel ashamed and dirty. He will hiss that you are unlovable and unworthy. He will argue on behalf of your flesh that you deserve better than this... He will tempt you to seek relief in cisterns of emptiness and futility. Most of all, he will try to cast a spell to make you forget that you are truly a prince or princess of God Almighty... The devil seeks to drive you into the exile of loneliness and despair. Submit yourself to God and refuse to heed voices of fear or shame. Da lifnei mi attah omed: "Know before whom you stand!"

There are two basic approaches to "spiritual warfare." The first is to discern the presence of evil and then pray for God's intervention, deliverance, protection, and so on. The second is to use ayin tovah and focus on God instead - to "set your thoughts on things above" (Phil. 4:8). Whereas the former approach may at times seem necessary to dissipate encroaching darkness to find inner peace, the latter approach has the decided advantage of trusting in the Divine Presence that pervades and overrules all things (Psalm 16:8). When David was surrounded by the enemy, he kept focused on the glory of the LORD. David knew that God would shelter him and elevate him above the powers of darkness (Psalm 27:1-6). The highest form of spiritual warfare, then, is to consciously turn away from fear by choosing to praise the LORD God, magnifying His Name, and walking before Him in awe...

Surely our great need is to have heart, to find strength, resolution, and steadfast determination to walk boldly during these heartless and depraved days (2 Tim. 3:1-5). We are not without God's help, of course. Yeshua told us that the Ruach HaKodesh (רוּחַ הַקּדֶשׁ) would be "called alongside" (παράκλητος) to comfort us on the journey. The English verb "comfort" literally means "to give strength" (from com- ["with"] and fortis ["strong"]), an idea similarly expressed by the verb "encourage," that is, to "put heart [i.e., 'core'] within the soul." In Hebrew, the word courage is expressed by the phrase ometz lev (אמֶץ לֵב), meaning "strong of heart," denoting an inner quality of the will rather than of the intellect. Our faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1 John 4:4, 5:4).

Fear is the primary tool of the devil and the underlying motive behind sin itself (Rom. 14:23). Beloved, "do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). Always focus on Yeshua, the Light of Torah (האור של תורה) and the true Wisdom of God (חָכְמַת אֱלהִים): "Whoever has My commandments (מִצְוֹתַי) and keeps them, that is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest (lit., "shine within" from ἐν, "in" + φαίνω, "shine") myself to him" (John 14:21). There it is - the Source of the Light that overcomes all darkness; the Power that is behind the armor of God... Yeshua is the Beginning, the Center, and the End of all true meaning from God. Blessed is His Name forever and ever... [Hebrew for Christians]

10.1.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

October 3, 2021

Following the Mark

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Paul called his personal achievements (Philippians 3:4-6) as valuable as dung (v. 8), rejecting his own righteousness (v. 9). Now he is focused on reaching the “high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He is well aware that he has not already attained God’s ultimate design for him, nor is he perfect in any sense of what he will become, but he intends to follow after and be “apprehended” of the Lord Jesus (Philippians 3:12).

To begin with, Paul knows that he must forget “those things which are behind.” Not only his rather stellar reputation and achievements, but especially the awful conditions of being “without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). Those terrible conditions were done away with when Paul (and those of us who are twice-born) were created after God “in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).

Now, having been apprehended of Christ and forgetting those things that were part of our old lives, we can “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (today’s verse). Like for an athlete, the prize is gained only by those who win, not by those who run “uncertainly” (1 Corinthians 9:24, 26).

Thus, we cannot win if we have “two masters” (Luke 16:13), nor can we please “him who has chosen” us if we entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life (2 Timothy 2:4). May God keep us focused on the prize. HMM III

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iamnesta · 7 years ago

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2017 Recap: Books

At the beginning of the year, I had a Goodreads goal to read a total of 50 books. But as the months passed and I continually ran out of time for reading, I kept lowering that goal. Before long, I had reduced my goal to half. I thought that surely I could read 25 books in a year! Apparently, I could not. I completed 24 books in 2017, and many of those were rereads. Nonetheless, here is my reading recap for the year. I hope you enjoy it.

(2016′s Reading Recap)

Bookish Superlatives:

fastest read

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

best ending

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

saddest death

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

favorite ship

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (NESSIAN!!)

best cover

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

best sequel

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

best lead character

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

best supporting character(s)

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

best villain

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

best setting

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

best plot twist

Warcross by Marie Lu

best book overall:

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Below the cut, I have listed all of the books I read this year in the approximate order in which I read them. I have listed a synopsis and a review for each book.

Fear the Drowning Deep by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Witch’s apprentice Bridey Corkill has hated the ocean ever since she watched her granddad dive in and drown with a smile on his face. So when a dead girl rolls in with the tide in the summer of 1913, sixteen-year-old Bridey suspects that whatever compelled her granddad to leap into the sea has made its return to the Isle of Man.

Soon, villagers are vanishing in the night, but no one shares Bridey’s suspicions about the sea. No one but the island’s witch, who isn’t as frightening as she first appears, and the handsome dark-haired lad Bridey rescues from a grim and watery fate. The cause of the deep gashes in Fynn’s stomach and his lost memories are, like the recent disappearances, a mystery well-guarded by the sea. In exchange for saving his life, Fynn teaches Bridey to master her fear of the water — stealing her heart in the process.

Now, Bridey must work with the Isle’s eccentric witch and the boy she isn’t sure she can trust — because if she can’t uncover the truth about the ancient evil in the water, everyone she loves will walk into the sea, never to return. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

Fear the Drowning Deep was particularly fun for me to read because it was written by one of my Creative Writing teacher’s old students. I was very curious about whether this debut novel would meet my high standards, and I was absolutely blown away by it. I loved the characters and the storyline, and I especially enjoyed the setting -- I really want to visit the Isle of Man now! The only reason this didn’t get five stars is because there were a couple plot holes and some explanations that were rushed or glossed over.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

[no synopsis due to possible spoilers for previous books]

★★★★★

I kept putting off reading Crooked Kingdom, despite having received a signed copy of it sometime in 2016. I was so nervous that it wouldn’t live up to the first book (Six of Crows) but I honestly shouldn’t have. The sequel was maybe even better than the first, and expanded greatly on characterization while still providing a compelling plot. This book was addictive and heart wrenching, and I definitely cried a few times.

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz

Jasmine de los Santos has always done what’s expected of her. Pretty and popular, she’s studied hard, made her Filipino immigrant parents proud and is ready to reap the rewards in the form of a full college scholarship.

And then everything shatters. A national scholar award invitation compels her parents to reveal the truth: their visas expired years ago. Her entire family is illegal. That means no scholarships, maybe no college at all and the very real threat of deportation.

For the first time, Jasmine rebels, trying all those teen things she never had time for in the past. Even as she’s trying to make sense of her new world, it’s turned upside down by Royce Blakely, the charming son of a high-ranking congressman. Jasmine no longer has any idea where—or if—she fits into the American Dream. All she knows is that she’s not giving up. Because when the rules you lived by no longer apply, the only thing to do is make up your own. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

Something in Between talks about the very relevant, important issue of deportation while still containing a cute romantic subplot. I thought it was very eye-opening, and I am much more aware of the impact deportation has on families. I also liked the romance aspect of the story, and was definitely squealing from the cuteness. The Barak Obama cameo was also pretty epic.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah’s pain, and as he follows Hannah’s recorded words throughout his town, what he discovers changes his life forever. (via Goodreads)

★★☆☆☆

I read Thirteen Reasons Why because everyone was obsessed with the TV Show and I like to read the book before watching the adaptation. I read this book in one day, in one sitting. It gave me anxiety just by reading it and often I found it hard to breathe. I honestly don’t know why I finished it. I think the subject of this book is very important and suicide should be talked about more in literature, but this was not a healthy way of discussing suicide. I only watched two episodes of the TV show and it made me want to barf. Suicide is not entertainment.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★

Wow! This book! Was amazing! A Darker Shade of Magic was an impulse buy for me, and I pretty much bought it just for the cover. I didn’t really know much about it, just that it mixed magic and history, and dang! I honestly fell in love with all of the characters, and the plot was exciting and surprising. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast-pace fantasy.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

[no synopsis due to possible spoilers for previous books]

★★★★★

Lord of Shadows was probably my most anticipated book of the year, and it certainly lived up to all my expectations. I loved the broad spectrum of characters, and the diversity of the entire crew. I loved the new relationships being built and the whole shenanigans with the Seelie Court. I can’t say much because of spoilers, but if you’ve read Lady Midnight and are hesitating to pick up the sequel: don’t!! Seriously, this book was amazing.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★ -- reread

I have read To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before at least once a year for the past three years. It is by far my favorite contemporary book and has the absolute cutest romance I’ve ever read. So obviously I read it again this year. It still makes me smile and squeal and cry, just as if I was reading it for the first time. (Also, sidenote, they’re apparently turning this into a movie?? I’m so freaking excited? So make sure you read the book before watching the adaptation!!)

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

[no synopsis due to possible spoilers for previous books]

★★★★★

I was so, so scared to read Always and Forever, Lara Jean. The sequel in the trilogy (P.S. I Still Love You) was absolutely fantastic, and I was afraid the third book wouldn’t be as good. I shouldn’t have worried, though, because this book was AMAZING!! Seriously, it had me sobbing one second and then laughing the next. It was a very strong ending to a phenomenal trilogy.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

A Court of Thorns and Roses had been sitting on my bookshelf for over a year before I started reading it. I had heard really good things about the series, but I could never get past the first chapter. So after months and months of collecting dust, I decided to finally just push through the boring chapters and actually read the dang book. And I was...underwhelmed. I loved the writing style, the setting, the main character, the villain. I liked Tamlin, but didn’t love him. I hated Rhys, and didn’t understand why people were so obsessed with him. I thought it was a good book. Not great, not terrible. But I couldn’t understand how Sarah J. Maas had turned it into a trilogy, because the end of the book seemed so final. The villain was defeated, so how was she going to continue the storyline? My curiosity was the only thing that made me pick up the next book, and I am so, so glad that I did...

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

[no synopsis due to possible spoilers for previous books]

★★★★☆

A Court of Mist and Fury was much better than the previous book, in my opinion. It was different, because it was a character-driven book instead of being plot-driven, but I like learning about the characters and their backstories and whatnot. No, it wasn’t always exciting or action-packed (although there was some of that) but I still thought it was interesting to read and I thought Feyre grew a lot as a person (or Fae, as the case may be) and I enjoyed that. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I finished the entire book in two days.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

[no synopsis due to possible spoilers for previous books]

★★★★★

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually thought A Court of Wings and Ruin was the best book in the trilogy. All of the buildup in the second book finally paid off, and we got the giant battle scene we were waiting for. There was still character development, but this was much more about the plot than the people. Also, my favorite character (Nesta) got be a f*cking badass, so I obviously loved that. The one thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. It was kind of lame. But I’m not complaining.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? (via Goodreads)

★★★★★ -- reread

Anna and the French Kiss is another book that I like to read annually. It’s another one of my favorite contemporaries/romances. The thing I love the most about it is the setting, which is in Paris. The setting is kind of like it’s own character; everything about the description is so vivd that you feel as if you’re in Paris too. France is probably my favorite place in the whole world, and I was feeling nostalgic about my brief 48 hours in Paris, so reading this book brought me back to the place I love most. Also Étienne and Anna are cute so... hurray for sappy, adorable romances!

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. (via Goodreads)

★★★☆☆

Lola and the Boy Next Door isn’t really a sequel to Anna, but it does include a couple of the same characters. I was hoping for another cute love story, but was somewhat disappointed. I liked the characters, and I liked the setting, but I didn’t fall in love with them the same way I did with the previous book. Lola was entertaining and passed the time, but it wasn’t my favorite.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

After reading Lola, I wasn’t expecting much from Isla and the Happily Ever After. And while it wasn’t as epic as Anna, this third book was still fun to read. I loved Isla and the book split its time between New York City and Paris, so I obviously loved the setting. This book quenched my need for a cute high school romance and I thought it was quite good. But nothing is better than Anna.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

At first, Jude and her twin brother Noah, are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them.

Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor.

The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★ -- reread

You guessed it... another book I read annually. In my defense, I’ll Give You the Sun is probably one of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching books ever written. I relate to Jude on so many levels, and I love her character development. Guillermo is also one of my most favorite characters ever, and I love his tragic story with all my heart. I always enjoy the mystery aspect of the book, and the different perspectives and time periods. It’s a book that I recommend to literally everyone, and so far they’ve all loved it too.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself? (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

My Life Next Door is a cutesy romance, self-discovery type of book, and that’s pretty much all I have to say about it. It’s funny and romantic and sometimes surprisingly serious and I finished it in one day. I read it over the summer while I was at the beach, and it does have a very summery feel to it. If you’re ever looking for a way to pass the time and want a cute contemporary/romance, this is the book for you.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Audrey can't leave the house. she can't even take off her dark glasses inside the house.

Then her brother's friend Linus stumbles into her life. With his friendly, orange-slice smile and his funny notes, he starts to entice Audrey out again - well, Starbucks is a start. And with Linus at her side, Audrey feels like she can do the things she'd thought were too scary. Suddenly, finding her way back to the real world seems achievable. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★

As someone with anxiety, Finding Audrey was really refreshing to read. Finally, anxiety has been accurately represented. And it’s all told from the point of view from a sarcastic, witty narrator! I really enjoyed how the book was occasionally told using a script format, as well as standard prose. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone with anxiety -- and anyone without it who just wants to read something well written and funny.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

The Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars, One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention, Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

One of Us Is Lying was an unexpected page-turner. As new debut novel, I didn’t know much about it, except that it had been compared to The Breakfast Club and involved murder. This book ended up being really well written, with both romantic subplots beneath the whole murder ordeal. The only reason I didn’t give this five stars is because I guessed the ending almost immediately. But it was still plenty entertaining, and I look forward to future books by this author.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought? (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

Okay. I will admit that the main reason I read The Knife of Never Letting Go was only because Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley will be starring in the movie adaptation of it. I guess I’m just superficial like that. But I also love Patrick Ness’s other work (A Monster Calls is one of my favorite books of all time) so I thought I should go ahead and start the Chaos Walking trilogy. I will admit that the book was a little weird, but I’m not one to shy away from weirdness. The whole sci-fi futuristic war planet was certainly weird, but I rather enjoyed it. Very entertaining, always keeps you guessing, and also somewhat amusing. Todd is... an interesting narrator. I’m very curious how the Noise will be represented in the movie.

Warcross by Marie Lu

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★

I wasn’t expecting to love Warcross as much as I did because I’ve never really played video games. However, due to its setting in the future, I found it quite easy to immerse myself in this world with its virtual reality tech. I really loved the different characters and how diverse they all were. And there was a Hunger Games kind of feel to the story, what with the gaming battles. I flew through this book and I definitely did not expect the ending. Totally didn’t see it coming. I am super excited for book two!!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. (via Goodreads)

★★★★★

The Hate U Give was by far the most influential, most important book I read this year. It is very focused on the current events surrounding police violence and the unfortunate amount racism in this country. It was extremely eye-opening for me to read about the community the narrator grew up in, and to see the world as she sees it. It made me sad to think about how this book is not just fiction but a reflection upon the United States today. I think everyone can benefit from reading this book, no matter what their skin color is. I think it’s important for people to learn about different perspectives, and I desperately hope that this country will change its ways. I also had a lot of fun writing a detailed book review about this for my English class... my conservative teacher wasn’t very happy with me but it was definitely worth it.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

OH. MY. GOD. THIS BOOK. Y’all, Beauty Queens has got to be the funniest book I’ve read in years. It’s a subtle sort of humor, but I loved it. The entire thing is essentially a parody of the United States, and makes fun of our society. It breaks all of the unfair expectations society places on girls, which was super refreshing. The characters were extremely diverse and didn’t shy away from discussing sensitive topics. Every time there was a “commercial break” I started laughing like a lunatic. There were actual tears streaming down my face because I was laughing so hard. Please read this book it is so freaking good.

Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince

The extraordinary memoir of Michaela DePrince, a young dancer who escaped war-torn Sierra Leone for the rarefied heights of American ballet.

Michaela DePrince was known as girl Number 27 at the orphanage, where she was abandoned at a young age and tormented as a "devil child" for a skin condition that makes her skin appear spotted. But it was at the orphanage that Michaela would find a picture of a beautiful ballerina en pointe that would help change the course of her life.

At the age of four, Michaela was adopted by an American family, who encouraged her love of dancing and enrolled her in classes. She went on to study at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre and is currently a member of the Dutch National Ballet’s junior company. She has appeared in the ballet documentary "First Position," as well as on "Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America," and "Nightline."

In this engaging, moving, and unforgettable memoir, Michaela shares her dramatic journey from an orphan in West Africa to becoming one of ballet's most exciting rising stars. (via Goodreads)

★★★★☆

I had to read a biography/autobiography as an assignment for school, and I am so glad that I chose Taking Flight. I was absolutely blown away by the things Michaela has lived through, and to read about her struggles and successes was very emotional for me. I don’t think you have to be a dancer to enjoy this book, although I certainly appreciated all the references to specific ballets and specific variations/choreography. I think it’s a truly amazing story that can inspire anyone, whether they’re a dancer or not.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals, and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published. As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, we begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization; and in our most charismatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors. (via Goodreads)

★★★☆☆

Animal Farm was an assignment for school, but I didn’t hate it as much as I usually hate school assignments. It pains me to admit this, but it was actually a pretty decent book. A little weird, what with the talking animals, but not bad. I do wish it had a more concrete ending. It ended rather abruptly. (Although I suppose that was the point.)

If you actually read this whole thing (or at least skimmed through it) I would like to say THANK YOU!! I love you all so much, and I am so grateful for each and every one of my followers. I hope everyone has a fantastic 2018 💜💜

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mhornar · 7 years ago

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A Champion’s Birth

Kairn Thiorek stood in the middle of the little village watching as the residents helplessly evacuated. Those who were left had taken too long most likely, and they were making it more difficult for themselves with laden wagons. He understood the logic of course, if they survived they would need tools and goods to rebuild. They just weren't likely to survive.

The creaking of ropes and wood, along with the steady whir of propellers drew his attention upward. The Axe was coming into the village's Landing Field faster than was comfortable. He watched his Gunhauler drop the heavy iron anchor with a thud and throw it's propellers into reverse. Ropes strained for a moment but it was still a clever piece of piloting. A moment later a young Thunderer slid down to the ground and sprinted to his Captain.

“We came straight here sir! The Knights tried to hold them at Fairsky Bridge but the rusted rats had already gotten some runners across the river or something. When we left the Knights were surrounded. They were still readying another charge to break out, but they're slag sir.”

Beside Kairn, another dwarf's fury finally broke out, “Wouldn't have happened if we'd fought with the Knights! The valley is sworn to Barak-Mhornar and you're just leaving it to die!”

Kairn shook his head, “By the time we saw them, the rats had already passed the Narrows. Even if we'd had a whole fleet here the Valley was doomed in the long run. It's only true defense was its isolation, and if the rats know about the Gray Road then its not isolated any longer. Without a fleet though, we didn't even have the forces to win this fight. All we would have done is die alongside the Knights, and in the process we ran the risk of giving the rats a ship to take their diseased kind into the skies.”

“So we just give up another piece of Mhornar's terra firma? You planning to eat the aether-gold you've been hoarding?”

“We live in an age of chaos, Draeden. Unless something changes eventually even the Skyports will fall. We just have to do whatever we can to profit in this age and hold onto what we can. We'll report the Valley's loss, and the scouts will observe. If the rats leave we might be able to resettle the Valley, but I'm not going to waste the troops or ships I do have trying to defend a lost cause.” A newborn's piecing wail broke out from the nearby Temple and the two older dwarves both looked back. “Go get the healer Draeden. We've given her more time than we could really afford, and she's too valuable to leave behind.” Kairn began snapping out orders to his remaining men and the two gunhaulers began to finish loading what cargo and refugees they could fit. Blistering invective from the Temple drew his attention in time to see the little healer come storming out carrying a tiny bundle.

“Here you bearded blackheart,” she hissed holding out the bundle. Instinctively he takes it, only to realize his hand is now filled with a tiny baby. The child shifts for a moment, but then closes her eyes and falls asleep in his hand. “If you want to take me, you're going to need to make room for two more on board one of those damned ships.” With a bemused expression Kairn nods his agreement, and the tiny child continues to sleep even as he shouts orders to his men.

A few short years later the world did change, as Sigmar's Tempest raged through the heavens. All the while House Thiorek prepared a new champion to take her place in the skies.

#OC fic #Age of Sigmar #Kharadron Overlords #Still fiddling with who my army is #but at least this didn't involve covering my fingers in superglue

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mylordmyfriend · 4 years ago

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Faith In Action “Learning By”

We can't live the Christian life apart from faith, for the Bible says clearly and plainly that we live by faith. The just shall live by faith. Lord Jesus said, "According to your faith be it unto you." The writer of Hebrews says, "Apart from faith it is impossible to please God."

So, we need not only to possess faith; we need a faith that possesses us. We have tried to believe, tried to trust and faith seems to fail. We're ready just to throw in the towel, and say, "What's the use? It's not working." Have you ever been there? There are times where the answer doesn't come exactly as we think that it ought. Sometimes trials, temptations, tribulations, heartaches, tears, fears - they come, and faith doesn't seem to remove them.

The main reason Chapter 11 of Hebrews is written is because there were some who were ready to throw in the towel and were walking or running away. There were some who were ready to hang it up. They had been serving the Lord and there was great persecution.

In Hebrews 11: 32-40 we read, "And what shall I more say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; and of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets [now listen to this], Who, through faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies

And others had a trial of cruel mocking and scourging, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment; They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented. Of whom the world was not worthy; they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and cave of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise." Some escaped by faith, some endured by faith. All had faith, but sometimes it seems like faith seems to fail.

Many people have a superficial faith and a superstitious faith rather than a strong faith and a spiritual faith.

Hebrews ! Verse 1: “Now faith is the reality {substance} of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen”.

We need this reality {substance} to grip us, for the prize of holding onto faith is greater than giving up, in the face of fear.

God Bless

OFJ

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cfijerusalem · 4 years ago

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ISRAEL READY TO RECEIVE NORTH AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS

Possibly due to increased anti-Semitism, American Jewish families are ready to make the move to Israel. Nefesh B’Nefesh is an organization that helps facilitate aliyah, immigration to Israel. In the last two months, they have seen a 300% increase in aliyah requests. Many requests are from families that are planning to come this summer. After seeing how Israel handled the coronavirus pandemic, they have made the decision to return home. Many of them are young, with an average age of just 28. Several dozen are medical professionals. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 100 people have already braved the trip and immigrated to Israel. Israel can’t wait for the rest of them to come home!

Israel hit by wildfires, heatstroke amid extreme heat wave

16 May 2020 (Youtube)

Residents of an immigrant absorption center in Beersheba are living through the heat wave without air conditioning. The extreme heat wave that has affected Israel since Sunday, continued on Wednesday, with a number of wildfires breaking out in southern Israel and multiple reports of heat stroke.

Temperatures over 104F (40C) were reported throughout most of the country. Mekorot, Israel’s water company, reported water consumption in the country increased by 32% due to the heat wave on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday both in the agriculture sector and in drinking water.

Houses were evacuated near Rahat and Route 254 was closed after a wild fire broke out in the area. Five crews from Israel Fire and Rescue services are fighting the flames at the scene. The fire threatened shacks and storage buildings, but was brought under control. (By TZVI JOFFRE, MAY 20, 2020)

Coronavirus Crisis Inspires Israelis, Americans to Turn to God New Study Reveals

Israelis have strengthened their faith in God due to the coronavirus crisis, new data released by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Keevoon Global Research showed. The poll surveyed the attitudes of Israelis, Americans, “Palestinians”, Germans, British, Italian and Poles regarding Covid-19. Roughly 500 people from each country were surveyed between April 28-May 9. The study’s average margin of error was +/- 4.33%.

About 34% of Jewish Israelis said that their faith in God has increased as a result of the coronavirus crisis. Roughly 39% of Americans said that their faith in God grew as well. By comparison, just 19% of Germans, 22% of Italians, 22% of Poles and 18% of British felt the same. One of the questions asked was what they wished for. Many Israelis, and Americans answered that they hoped the pandemic would lead “everyone to know God and who is in control.” Furthermore, when asked what coronavirus means to them, some responded saying that “God is trying to tell me something.”

Israeli pollster and Keecoon CEO Mitchell Barak, who heads Keecoon, reported that there was no formal explanation for the increased repentance, but he speculated that it may have had to do with the time of year as the coronavirus crisis hit Israel during both the Purim and Passover holidays. Each holiday is centered around miracles. (By David Sidman, BIN, May 20, 2020)

“Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24).

Reporting for CFI Jerusalem

Lonnie C. Mings

Christian Friends of Israel - Jerusalem

email: [email protected]

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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Scared, angry, confused: Assam struggling to find a fine balance - india news

At 1.30pm on Thursday, Kabita Das’s phone rang. The mother of three was resting in the family’s unfinished courtyard that flanks their two-room thatched house in Chhaygaon, and fumbled for a minute with the correct button before her son’s voice wafted into her ears. “I am going for the meeting, Maa,” he said.Her son, 21-year-old Dipanjal Das, worked as a waiter in a restaurant in Guwahati, and was a loyal member of the powerful All Assam Students Union (AASU). On his way to a massive protest at the city’s Latasil field called by his idol, singer Zubeen Garg, against India’s new citizenship laws, he had dialled his mother.Das lived in a remote corner of central Assam’s Kamrup district, but news of the tumult outside reached her ears. “Don’t go, I have heard there can be gondogol (trouble),” she said.At 5pm, the phone rang again. This time, it was an unfamiliar voice on the other end. “Dipanjal has been shot,” a man said.Roughly 70km away in Guwahati’s Muslim-dominated Hatigaon neighbourhood, similar scenes were playing out. The youngest member of the Stafford family, Sam, 17, was part of a group of local men on their way back from the rally when they heard shots.“Before I could understand anything, we had started running. But Sam collapsed; blood was oozing out of the body. We called an ambulance but it was too late,” said Arif Ahmad, a neighbour. It was 7pm.The deaths of the two men, and injuries to 27 others in violent clashes that broke out across Guwahati on Thursday evening, have both shocked and galvanised Assam in its resolve to resist India’s new citizenship law that favours non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and more importantly for the North-east, Bangladesh.The deaths have forced the movement’s leaders to scale back the intensity of protests, announce no events after 5pm, and call to refrain from violence – while renewing the pledge to oppose a law that they feel will sound the death knell of local cultures and languages.But this has done little to temper local anger and the possibility of lurching back to the dark days of the Assam Agitation that not only took hundreds of lives but also cost the state decades in development.“The people feel that they are fighting for the survival of their essence, and their economic and cultural rights,” said Rakhee Kalita Moral, a professor at Guwahati’s Cotton University. “They feel that India is not ready to listen to their voices of protest.”PROTESTS, IN ANGER AND SUPPORT It’s Friday, a day has passed since Das and Stafford died, and thousands of people are trooping into the Chandmari field in Guwahati for a rally called by Assamese artists and intellectuals. A group of young men shout slogans in their remembrance.“We will never forget their sacrifice,” said Robin Sarma, a student.The stage is makeshift – a wooden table with a microphone on it, and some of the older speakers are being helped into plastic chairs before climbing atop the table. There is a citywide ban on the internet, and a curfew, but word has spread like wildfire, and people are walking in columns, many singing the jatia sangeet – O Mur Apunar Desh (our great nation) – penned by Assamese icon Laxminath Bezbaroa.“You cannot impose a law on Assam. Remember, if we elected you, we can also take the power away, “said educationist Deben Dutta. “Joi Aai Axom (Hail mother Assam),” the crowd thundered back.For roughly six hours, the crowd defies the curfew to listen to speakers – from student leaders, poets, writers, artists, actors and politicians – renew their pledge to fight the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “If someone thought they could play with Assam’s self-respect, they don’t know they are playing with a volcano. It is time we show them,” said Lurinjyoti Gogoi, general secretary of AASU to loud cheers.Such protests are being organised across the Brahmaputra Valley – from the chars near Barpeta where Hindus and Muslims, Assamese and Bengal-origin people have joined hands in protest, to Upper Assam districts such as Tinsukhia and Sibsagar, often called the Axomiya heartland where local ethnic communities have threatened a re-run of the bloody 1979-1985 Assam Agitation if the amendments are not withdrawn or additional safeguards announced.Many of these demonstrations have devolved into street fights, with mobs pelting stones at police, uprooting road dividers, and torching vehicles.“The future of Assam as a place with an Assamese cultural face seems more in danger that ever. The numbers would justify these fears. Since this fear has such an old history – going back to the beginnings of a modern sense of Assamese identity – I am not surprised by this ,” said Sanjib Baruah, professor of political studies at Bard College.Security forces have resorted to baton-charging and firing blanks, and have faced allegations of heavy handedness. The police complaint for Stafford’s death – seen by HT – alleged that forces fired without warning and at point-blank range. Police have denied the charge. “We tried hundreds of rounds of tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. When that failed, we had to resort to lethal force,” said GP Singh, additional director general of police.In contrast, in the Bengali-dominated Barak Valley, rallies were taken out to hail CAA. Many in the Barak, comprising the three districts of Hailakandi, Cachar and Silchar, feel that they were unfairly excluded from the recently concluded National Register of Citizens (NRC), and the CAA gives them a way out.The amendments are especially targeted towards people such as Ajit Das, a resident of Amraghat village in Cachar district.His family fled communal riots in then East Pakistan in 1956 and were issued refugee certificates – but these were not accepted by NRC authorities. Last year, a foreigners’ tribunal declared Ajit Das a foreigner and he spent three months in a detention camp. “We have heard that once the bill is passed, there will be no cases against Bengali Hindus,” said Sumanta Das, his brother-in-law.HISTORY OF TURMOILAssam’s tryst with ethnic and linguistic tensions dates back to the 19th century. In 1836, the then British government declared Bengali as the official language of the province, sparking huge protests that forced the administration to withdraw the decision in 1873. Over the next century and half, Assam saw many protests directed against “outsiders” – first shortly after Partition, then during the linguistic reorganising of states in the 1970s, and the last was the six-year agitation in the 1980s against “infiltrators” from Bangladesh that ended with the signing of the 1985 Assam Accord and the finalising of March 24, 1971 as the cut-off date to accord citizenship.“It is critical to note that when we say Assamese, we mean not only those who speak the language but also those indigenous and ethnic communities who have been living here for decades,” said Moral.There are three main concerns that have birthed the current crisis, say experts.The first is around the Assam Accord. In its initial days, the agreement that ended the violent movement created many differences, including those who wanted the cut-off date moved to 1951 and who opposed tribal reservations.“But over the years, a consensus emerged, and there is widespread agreement today over the accord. CAA seeks to dismantle the accord, and that’s why people are angry,” said Akhil Ranjan Dutta, professor of political science at Gauhati University.The second is anxiety about being overrun by “foreigners” and ending up as an ethnic minority. The tipping point for this was the 2011 Census, which showed that the number of people who declared Assamese as their first language dipped below 50%, and their share of overall population of India was an all-time low 1.26%.There is also fear of the “Tripura model” – where ethnic indigenous communities ended up as a minority to the dominant Bengal-origin population. “The tribals were poor and had little access to education. They lost out on jobs and privileges. Assam doesn’t want to go the Tripura way,” said Moral.The third is lack of faith in safeguards and regulation. Unlike previous outings, the government has exempted tribal-majority autonomous regions under the Sixth Schedule, and areas with inner-line permit (ILP) regime, where outsiders need prior permission before travelling. But this hasn’t stopped protests in states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and even Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD).“It is clear that people don’t believe the exemptions will work. They also see it as a tactic to fragment the anti-CAA movement,” said Dutta.Pramod Bodo, who heads the All Bodo Students’ Union agreed, and said the exemptions were not practically enforceable on the ground. “There is already a population of migrants in Bodo area. Nowhere it’s written that they will be deported or their names will be deleted from electoral rolls. The exemption is only on paper,” he said. Bodos are the largest tribe in the state.This is the third phase of the anti-CAA protests – the first was before the 2016 assembly elections, when the government amended passport rules to allow people from minorities from Bangladesh and Pakistan to stay back; the second was before the 2019 general election when the CAB passed the Lok Sabha. At each stage, the protests grew.Some experts contend that unlike earlier protests, the demonstrations spontaneously erupted this time – hemmed by students from universities, and has centred religious neutrality, or secularism, as one of its central tenets.At every big protest, leaders of the movement have stressed that “infiltrators” have no religion, and that they were not against any faith. “Through these protests, we are making networks with diverse communities across tribes, ethnicities and religion, who are all feeling oppressed,” said Moral.LOST IN THE PAPER TRAILOn August 31, Sanjay Sammanit, a resident of Salmara-Dumuria village in Baksa district, found his name struck off the citizenship rolls over a typo.Sammanit’s father, Satyendra, migrated from East Pakistan in 1964 and possessed a document called “citizenship card” given to refugees. But Satyendra’s name is spelled without the “Y” in the certificate.The CAA would have solved his problems, but there is one issue: Baksa falls in BTAD, which is exempt from the ambit of the law. “We don’t know what to do. We were told that Bengalis would be taken care of but look at what will happen to us,” he said.Contrary to popular wisdom, Bengal-origin population dot the entire stretch of lower Assam where they live cheek-by-jowl with Axomiya and tribal communities. Many of these Bengali-origin settlements date back 40 years.While CAA has been broadly welcomed in these areas, many remain apprehensive of the paperwork and local Assamese officials, who they hold responsible for getting excluded from NRC.In these areas, there are two main concerns. The first is the promised implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which calls for local reservation in jobs and land ownership, apart from political positions.“This could mean that the citizenship Bengalis would get would be second class because they would lose out on land and jobs,” said Shuvankar Ghosh, an activist from Chirang district. Earlier this year, the government set up a high-level committee to implement the terms of Clause 6.The second deals with the nitty-gritty of proving religious persecution and its impact on community and neighbourhood relations. “These locals hate foreigners. Can you imagine what will happen to us when we declare as foreigners after fighting for five years to prove our Indian-ness?” asked Rasik Das, a resident of Barpeta district.The mood among the Bengal-origin Muslim community is grim. The community, which has very low education and health indices and is among the most economically backward groups in the state, says it is opposing CAA because it is unconstitutional and also a tactic to isolate Muslims – because they’re the only community not covered.“Yes, we are scared. Bengal-origin Muslims can be targeted for both their identities. Many of us identify as both Miya and Assamese, but people are not ready to accept it,” said Ashraful Hussain, a poet and resident of Barpeta district.Another activist, Shah Jahan, says all communities in the district had come together to oppose CAA. “But there is already a narrative that Miyas are the only ones protesting and causing violence, so we are not taking the lead in the demonstrations,” he said.POLITICAL BLAME GAME Shortly after protests erupted in the state last week, curfew was clamped in five districts including Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Jorhat, and in Guwahati. GP Singh, an Assam-cadre IPS officer serving in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was posted as additional director general, law and order. “The government wanted to send a message that a tough cop is in charge,” said a senior state government official who asked not to be named.Singh says at least 1,500 people had been apprehended and 200 arrested all over the state in the past three days. “Things are normal now in the state,” he added.But there is a concern about rising tensions between Assamese and Bengali communities, admitted the senior official quoted above. “The government also suspects there is more to the protests than genuine anger,” he said.State BJP chief Ranjeet Dass said the BJP’s 4.2-million-strong cadre in the state were given specific instructions to not get provoked. “Our workers were on the defensive and it helped us. Had they also been on the offensive, Assam would have burnt,” Dass said.A Border Security Force personnel moved to Guwahati from Jammu & Kashmir said the scale of destruction in Guwahati surprised him. “Destruction to public property is more here. It wasn’t anywhere close to this in Kashmir when Article 370 was scrapped,” he added.The protests have signed the ruling BJP-Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) coalition with a number of leaders from the alliance quitting or signalling their opposition to the CAA. In upper Assam districts, angry protesters - which the BJP says are Congress members -- have barged into the houses of BJP workers and forced them to resign from the party. In almost every protest, hundreds chant slogans against chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.The BJP blames these attacks on the Congress and “miscreants”.“Congress people have made the situation worse in upper Assam, and are spreading the wrong message,” said Ranjeet Dass, state BJP chief.The Congress rubbished the allegations. “The state government failed to foresee and that is a failure of the state’s intelligence machinery,” said former chief minister Tarun Gogoi.A second senior government official said Sonowal – himself a former AASU chief -- had a fair idea that the protestors would hit the streets. “I wouldn’t say we were caught napping. But we didn’t anticipate the scale,” the official said, admitting there is genuine anger.There is widespread agreement that the AGP, which swept to power in 1985 on the back of the Assam Accord but which is facing brickbats for initially backing the CAA, is in poor shape. “The party is fragmented, there is not a lot of resources and its grassroots support is weakening,” said Dutta. In the face of the anger, the AGP has now said it may go to the Supreme Court against the new law.It is unclear whether a new grassroots formation will take its place because the AASU and Akhil Gogoi’s Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (who are heading the protests) have both historically stayed away from electoral politics. More importantly, experts say despite the protests, it would be wrong to say that the BJP will be badly defeated in the next election.There are three possible reasons for this. The first is that the BJP has consolidated its Bengali vote bank in Barak by including Hindus in CAA. The second is that the party has focused on welfare schemes and doles, especially targeting the tea tribes that form a sizeable chunk of the population in the Brahmaputra Valley. The third is the lack of an alternative because the Congress remains unpopular.“Elections are never fought on a single issue. Grassroots dissent may not yield electoral dividend,” said Dutta. He pointed out, referring to data by the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, that 75% of those who voted for the BJP in 2019 – when it won eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats – said they opposed CAB.Baruah said the connection between protest politics and institutional politics was complicated. “The BJP’s victories in Assam and the north-east are mostly the result of transactional relationships, not ideological conversion. I expect these relationships to change or become fluid. You may have voted for the BJP and still be in the streets now,” he added.COUNTING THE COSTAs the movement against CAA takes a new turn, and AASU activists fan out into villages to mobilise support, some experts have argued that the protests must be seen in conjunction with NRC to understand the human toll and the deep religious and ethnic fault lines that have been opened in the state.“CAA and NRC are both legitimate institutions of segregation, exclusion and discrimination. Their human costs will be borne by the minorities…Assam, the only state which currently bears the aftermath of both the processes, has seen deep social divides being foregrounded. The social boundaries that were asleep for a while are now awake and we see re-drawing of rigid boundaries supplemented by hate,” said Suraj Gogoi, a doctoral student at the National University of Singapore.In Chhaygaon, Dipanjal’s father Khagen -- now too old to ply a rickshaw -- has spent the past three days getting clicked for photos and bowing before leaders making a beeline to his home. Dipanjal has become a local hero and a small monument has been built in the village in his honour. “Everyone remembers dada,” said Bikash, his brother.Moushumi Begum has a new routine now. Every evening, the 24-year-old steps out of her home – located in a narrow lane in Guwahati’s Hatigaon – and walks 400m to the turn in the road where her brother, Sam Stafford, was shot. Locals have arranged bricks around a laminated photo of the boy, and people gather to light candles. In their home, Mamoni has insisted that the photo to be used in the funeral would be flanked by percussion instruments – the dhol, banjo and tabla – because Sam loved playing them. “They are still here, but he’s gone,” she said. Read the full article

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askfuneraldirge · 7 years ago

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Species:Ly-ren or Lurea

Society:Lurean Armada (Militant Meritocracy) , leaders:Senate of merit

Habitats:Forest,plains,mountains

Religion:Lurean Demi-Divitia (Grand hunt demi divines.)

gods:Aniu- Wolf mother, the white wolf. Goddess of fertility, hero’s, trickery, travel, trade, crafty counsel, plots, Slaughter.

Barak- The great wolf, the destroyer. God of brutal warriors, heroic deeds, thunder, strength, the hunt, Hammers.

Orlanadu(deceased)-The Great black wolf, the one eyed god. God of Ferocity, bloodshed, war, guarding of home and hearth.

Lira-The hermit goddess, the dire wolf. Goddess of enchantment, music, lore, secrets, destiny, the fay, Shields.

Laviticus- The degenerate, the shadow wolf. God of secrets, advancement, betrayal, depravity, sorcery, fate, Scythes.

Porthos- The iron god, The bronze wolf. God of the forge, alchemy, Defense, persistence, fire, sun, Bone craft.

Oxana- The whore goddess, the twin wolf. God/dess Fertility, wisdom, sexuality, personal gain, enjoyment, vengeance, Archery.

Oriana-The seer, the star gazing wolf. Goddess of prophecy, celibacy, duty, honor, integrity, vows, War strategy.

Sylvana- The forest maiden, the flower wolf. Goddess of nature, full circle, the seasons, decay ,rebirth, fury.

Sondiver- The prince, The vigilant wolf. God of borders, commanders, strategy, advancement, luck, nobility, senate.

The lurea are a militant people who value personal power in high regard. They consider themselves the masters of warfare in the world, and to their credit there is no nation they have met who can refute the claim. The lurea value a sense of community and merit to be the path to power in the society, a philosophy known as ‘Do right by’ has lead to a strong sense of community among them. They place the society as a whole as the highest priority, followed by duty to one's personal community, under that is duty to one's comrades, under that is duty to one's family and finally duty to oneself. But to achieve the greatest results one must do right by themselves to do right by there family and up the chain the belief carries.

The lurea are often seen as primitive, still relying on use of spears, swords and armor fashioned out of the hides of animals and trees of their legendary man eater forest, long after other civilizations have moved onto industry, firearms and even advanced sciences. The lurea begin their training as a soldier to the armada at the age of 7 until they are 16 when they take their rites of adulthood. Given a brief meeting with their gods and a taste of their promised heaven Lyren. Those who survive the trials are made full members of society with the right to vote, have their voice heard in court, find a mate, and serve in the military.

Military service is mandatory in the lurean society with a few rare exceptions. Even the lowest political office in lurean society demands 10 years of service to the Armada. Lurea have many paths in life open to them both in militant training and domestic life outside of the war machine. Every citizen of the lurean people is a soldier ready to lay down their life and fight on the shield wall, but many do pursue lives as artisans, storytellers, bakers and more when not pledging to never let the blood dry upon their blades.

The lurean people have a strong connection to their various gods and are said to all descend from the head goddess Aniu, though ‘generations vary.’ The lurea have very little care about a member’s gender, sexuality or personal beliefs as long as you hold the tenets of society closely and will defend it with your last breath.

The society does have many strict tenets enforced by the members who make up the community, those who do not wish to live by the rules of society are free to leave it, but doing so is a final farewell for they do not accept back those who choose to leave their society.

A few examples of unique lurean tenets

Rule of two-A lurea will play parent to two children. This tenet focuses on the community, with a strict war militant belief each member is expected to help raise there own replacement to the society, raising or having children beyond this is optional.

On behalf of- this is a rule in society where a dowry can be presented to another lurea to take on a task on behalf of them. This can be used on almost anything.

Birth rite-Due to the life of a lurea, the birth rite plays a unique role. Mates may seek to have children with specific traits and pay a dowry to a male or female to sire or bear a child for them. This is commonly used by same sex couples or woman who do not wish to bear their own children to still follow the rule of two.

Do right by-A belief of what is most important in a simple break down to the society and what one must work on.

Right of glory- All lurea have a right to glory in combat. When a war campaign is called, all lurea are allowed to volunteer as long as they are fit for war. If there are too many volunteers a lottery is held to see who will be taken. Career soldiers and certain specialist groups are always given the right to join but everyone will have their chance.

Honorable combat- If two have an argument that cannot be settled, the two will have the right to a fair and honorable duel to determine who is correct in the argument. These may also be called if your honor has been stained by another. These are rarely to the death but often come close. By pack-The belief that whom raises you and your comrades are more important then a connection of blood. this tenet also comes with the thought any race can be lurea as long as they except the beliefs of the society truly.

The lurea also shepard a series of unique animals, some key animals being:

Lurean war wolf

Mage hunter hounds

Woarg

Riding spiders

Layline hawks

A sacred animal of the lurea:Byrons

The lurea are famous for their arms and armor made from the parts of animals they hunt in their forests. Though some items are passed down through the family, much of a lurea gear is crafted based on the militant profession they specialized in and the animals hunted at the rite of adulthood. A standard lurean kit though consists of.

Spear, Shield, War armor, Casual armor, casual cloth, javelins, short sword.

Gear is further specialized based on training paths. Art by @jonfawkes Edited by Sixkiller5

#crimson universe #lurea #society #oc #world building #custom setting #man #woman #tribal #primal clothing #custom species

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