#Be of Good Courage

[scripture-pictures]

[minnesotafollower]

“We Are the Church: Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good” at Westminster Presbyterian Church 

On October 8, 2023, Rev. Dr. Tim Hart-Andersen, Senior Pastor at Minneapolis’ Westminster Presbyterian Church, delivered the sermon, “We Are the Church: Be of good courage. Hold fast to that which is good,” which was the fourth of his final seven sermons before his retirement at the end of October. Scripture: Joshua 1: 1-9 “After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to…

[tom4jc]

September 15, 2023 Verse Of The Day

[giantkillerjack]

Today my therapist introduced me to a concept surrounding disability that she called "hLep".

[plain-text version of this post can be found under the cut]

Which is when you - in this case, you are a disabled person - ask someone for help ("I can't drink almond milk so can you get me some whole milk?", or "Please call Donna and ask her to pick up the car for me."), and they say yes, and then they do something that is not what you asked for but is what they think you should have asked for ("I know you said you wanted whole, but I got you skim milk because it's better for you!", "I didn't want to ruin Donna's day by asking her that, so I spent your money on an expensive towing service!") And then if you get annoyed at them for ignoring what you actually asked for - and often it has already happened repeatedly - they get angry because they "were just helping you! You should be grateful!!"

And my therapist pointed out that this is not "help", it's "hLep".

Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hLep.

At its best, it is patronizing and makes a person feel unvalued and un-listened-to. Always, it reinforces the false idea that disabled people can't be trusted with our own care. And at its worst, it results in disabled people losing our freedom and control over our lives, and also being unable to actually access what we need to survive.

So please, when a disabled person asks you for help on something, don't be a hLeper, be a helper! In other words: they know better than you what they need, and the best way you can honor the trust they've put in you is to believe that!

Also, I want to be very clear that the "getting angry at a disabled person's attempts to point out harmful behavior" part of this makes the whole thing WAY worse. Like it'd be one thing if my roommate bought me some passive-aggressive skim milk, but then they heard what I had to say, and they apologized and did better in the future - our relationship could bounce back from that. But it is very much another thing to have a crying shouting match with someone who is furious at you for saying something they did was ableist. Like, Christ, Jessica, remind me to never ask for your support ever again! You make me feel like if I asked you to call 911, you'd order a pizza because you know I'll feel better once I eat something!!

Edit: crediting my therapist by name with her permission - this term was coined by Nahime Aguirre Mtanous!

Edit again: I made an optional follow-up to this post after seeing the responses. Might help somebody. CW for me frankly talking about how dangerous hLep really is.

Plain-text version:

Today my therapist introduced me to a concept surrounding disability that she called "hLep".

Which is when you - in this case, you are a disabled person - ask someone for help ("I can't drink almond milk so can you get me some whole milk?", or "Please call Donna and ask her to pick up the car for me."), and they say yes, and then they do something that is not what you asked for but is what they think you should have asked for ("I know you said you wanted whole, but I got you skim milk because it's better for you!", "I didn't want to ruin Donna's day by asking her that, so I spent your money on an expensive towing service!") And then if you get annoyed at them for ignoring what you actually asked for - and often it has already happened repeatedly - they get angry because they "were just helping you! You should be grateful!!"

And my therapist pointed out that this is not "help", it's "hLep".

Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hLep.

At its best, it is patronizing and makes a person feel unvalued and un-listened-to. Always, it reinforces the false idea that disabled people can't be trusted with our own care. And at its worst, it results in disabled people losing our freedom and control over our lives, and also being unable to actually access what we need to survive.

So please, when a disabled person asks you for help on something, don't be a hLeper, be a helper! In other words: they know better than you what they need, and the best way you can honor the trust they've put in you is to believe that!

P.S. Also, I want to be very clear that the "getting angry at a disabled person's attempts to point out harmful behavior" part of this makes the whole thing WAY worse. Like it'd be one thing if my roommate bought me some passive-aggressive skim milk, but then they heard what I had to say, and they apologized and did better in the future - our relationship could bounce back from that. But it is very much another thing to have a crying shouting match with someone who is furious at you for saying something they did was ableist. Like, Christ, Jessica, remind me to never ask for your support ever again! You make me feel like if I asked you to call 911, you'd order a pizza because you know I'll feel better once I eat something!!

Edit: crediting my therapist by name with her permission - this term was coined by Nahime Aguirre Mtanous!

Edit again: I made an optional follow-up to this post after seeing the responses. Might help somebody. CW for me frankly talking about how dangerous hLep really is.

[purrvaire]

they're so in love im gonna throw up real quick

[sic-vita]

Aziraphale + guilt

[philtstone]

psych is all about contradictory truths and every character embodies that theme in a different way but i think gus may be my favorite one. of all the characters he’s the most obviously afraid — of death, of blood, of creatures and spooky things — but at the same time one of his defining traits is being an honest and candid yet very kind friend. to be real with your friends out of love for them without worrying about repercussions requires a lot of bravery and gus displays that emotional bravery more than every other character on the show. it makes him such a good and reliable friend and an excellent foil to shawn in a distinct but perfect way. in this essay i will

[steelestallion]

REAL MEN SUCK STRAP.

[raycatzdraws]

A Linked Universe meets The Dark Crystal AU! I don't even remember what started it at this point. I remembered that the Dark Crystal and Age of Resistance are things I like, blinked, and woke up three days later with an AU and a bunch of art.

The designs and the story are a wip and for fun so expect a lot of variation! (I have a few different beginnings, ideas for different designs, etc)! :D

In addition to #linked universe I'll be using the tags #the dark crystal lu au and #courage of the dark crystal!

[ljubitelj-sonca]

My job here is done

(Thanks @hey--look-a-squirrel for filming!!! And thanks @lovvecherrymotion for posting all the photos on tumblr when we found them!)

[scripture-pictures]

[blorbologist]

Oh. oh this has to be a deliberate callback.

Percy has the courage to put his heart on the line and start a relationship (knowing this could be trouble and taking the chance anyways) and Vex doesn't (throwing the bottle of Courage which, per sound effects, shatters)

And Vex's response to that statement from her brother...

And yet Percival is the cleverest man you know? hm?

not what I expected to get out of my s1 rewatch but I'll take it!

[ultimate-good-dog]

Ultimate Good Dog FINALE

[red-writes]

chubby! virgin! reader thinking that being a late bloomer is the worst thing that could ever happen to her! Every one of her friends knows what it's like to have sex while she's the only virgin left on planet earth. when she rants about it to best friend! gojo satoru, the man everyone wants to fuck (including her) he tells her that if she wants, he can take her virginity for her. sure enough she agrees, not because she's in love with him or anything of course not, he could never see her as more than a friend and she's come to terms with that (doesn't mean she can't be a little selfish). she keeps reminding herself that he is simply doing her a favor as her best friend while he lovingly kisses the side of her neck and leaves dark hickeys on the skin, marking her up for others to see. she tries not to let her heart skip a beat while he slowly kisses her as his long fingers thrust gently in and out of her, fingertips pressing against her sweet spot. this is just what friends do for each other she tells herself as he lines his cock up to her slick entrance and slowly sinks inside of her. what she doesn't expect is for him to be gazing so tenderly at her, for his hand to be holding hers as his hips rock back and forth and she doesn't expect sex with her best friend to feel so good. it's almost sinful how good his cock feels, his tip is always just pushing up against her g-spot and making her eyes roll into the back of her head and her toes curl at the new intense feeling. He stops once she cums for him, not that she's disappointed he didn't cum inside of her or anything crazy like that.

After her first time she can't stop thinking about sex and now she can't stop thinking about gojo, not that she could before. but whenever she sees him now a throb goes right to her pussy and her panties soak themselves as the memories come rushing back. it's unfair to him that she's thinking such dirty thoughts about him, he did her a favor after all and thinking about her best friend like this was wrong. so obviously she begins to avoid him. opting for hanging out alone rather than with the rowdy white haired male. but it's not enough because he invades her dreams at night and she wakes up with the urge to slip a hand under her panties.

eventually gojo realizes what's going on of course and he confronts her, asking her why she's been so distant ever since they hooked up. he just wants to know if she's been seeing someone else, the thought makes his gut twist and his mind race with thoughts of who it could be but instead she just looks down and admits her feelings for him, confessing that the reason she's been so avoidant is because she's in love with him and her body has a physical reaction whenever he's around. she admits that she knows she isn't his type but wishes if possible for them to at least be friends with benefits.

to which he agrees.

[givemedamage]

dont STEAL ANYTHING ON YOUR WAY OUT