#How Jesus can help your counseling

[dkcdude]

Do You Want to Get Well?

In the fifth chapter of John’s gospel, we encounter a story of Jesus healing a paralytic man who had been waiting by the pool of Bethesda for 38 years to try to get healed. It’s easy to glide past this little narrative as another of Jesus’s healings or miracles in general. But instead of doing that, I’d like to pause to ponder the simple question Jesus asks the man before doing anything…

[yrrtyrrtwhenihrrthrrt]

Top Six Arcane Characters ranked in reverse-order of how much silly fucking nonsense they have to put up with throughout the runtime of the show

6. Cassandra Kiramman (daughter became a cop [I'm so sorry girl], daughter randomly goes missing for several days and breaks into her own house shot in the leg with a fucking homeless lesbian, gets killed by Zaun literally four seconds after being convinced to grant them sovereignty, and if there is an afterlife she had to watch her daughter crash out spectacularly using her very own initiative to gas the poor. Embarrassing.)

5. Ekko (every single Topsider he meets is next-level stupid and he has to hold their hand like a baby even when they are a literal genius. Had to watch Cait say "The enforcers aren't oppressing you guys that's not true :( !!" with a straight face, had to watch Jayce say "Oh yeah we put the hexgate here so that if it blew up it would only release dangerous arcane-gamma rays upon YOUR people so nobody who actually matters would die" with a straight face, had to find out the founder of the city that oppressed him his entire life was literally just a stupid old man with a banjo, Jesus fucking Christ. He is low on this list because of the amount of silly nonsense he subjected other people to, especially in the AU. Also he threw a time-machine bomb at God which wasn't so much something that happened to him but felt worth mentioning)

4. Jayce Talis (literally on a constant mission to keep his very fragile partner from killing himself through sheer scientific negligence and is consistently thwarted by either Viktor's impulsivity, the narrative, or him-fucking-self. Had to go to the shadow realm while Heimer and Ekko partied in Utopia playing the banjo and dancing to silly little songs and the first person he has the absolute misfortune to see when he gets back is fucking Salo I would kill myself)

3. Mel Medarda (practically runs a counsel full of idiots twice her age at like 25, himbo situationship's twink almost dies every time they try to fuck, has to deal with her mother ravaging twinks with her eyes right in front of Mel's salad, got kidnapped by witches for literally no reason)

2. Silco (Girldad who somehow, despite being one of the least mentally hinged people in the undercity, has an even less hinged daughter who so regularly blows things up and kills people that he scolds her about it as though she'd just snuck out past curfew. Has to work with a gaggle of dumbasses to produce and distribute his sterocainoin I mean Shimmer who regularly plot to kill him but are legitimately too stupid and useless to pull it off, his factory got randomly busted up and a bunch of his employees killed by an angry twenty-something with pink hair and also The Guy From The Fucking Posters [imagine Niel DeGrasse Tyson and a twenty-two year old homeless lesbian blow up your job like tell me you wouldn't have a stroke] and had to deal with a TREMENDOUS amount of nonsense in the AU where Ekko out of nowhere reminds him of his Most Traumatic Memory Ever and also the founder of Piltover blows up and his teenage stepkid is the only one who saw it happen.)

1. Sevika (Literally cannot ever catch a break for one second. Just wanted to help Zaun be free from Piltover and gets absolutely bodied by one or the other of Felicia and Connol's cursed fucking daughters every other episode in season 1, loses a combined total of like four??? arms, is forced to clean up the typically VERY bloody messes of her boss's unhinged daughter because he's such a pookie-wookie that he refuses to discipline her in any way, becomes the unwilling parent of two (2) mentally ill orphans, is subjected to Jinx's constant jokes at the expense of her missing arm (which Jinx is responsible for, by the way) gets given a political position as some form of shitty reparation when she is NOT a politician she is the guy who backs up the revolutionaries like miss girl just wanted to gamble punch people and fuck whores can you let her live her life??? Is one of the few people to survive and probably hates every minute of it)

[potatobugxo]

Hello! I saw your requests are open and I also saw that you did Mike headcanons (which were AMAZING by the way) so I was wondering if you can do the same for William? Both sfw and nsfw if that's cool with you. Thanks in advance🩷🩷🩷

awww thank you so much!! im glad you liked the mike hcs <33

🦋william afton sfw+ nsfw hcs🦋

sfw

you must be a special little something if william thinks you're worth his time <3

god knows how you met him, though it was probably through potential unemployment and you needed career counseling

well good ol' mr. steve raglan is here to help!

you catch his eye immediately, specifically, maybe its your quirkiness who knows haha

and hes such a silly little guy, how could you not fall for him on the spot?

he decides not to send you into the deathtrap that is the pizzeria, and instead gives you a job that completely goes against your skillset

psst, little secret, he wants you to get fired so you'll keep coming back to him for help

why would he want you to make money when he could spoil you himself? sure it hurts his pockets a little, but he's insistent on treating you to coffee shops, restaurants, etc

finds every nickname in the world to call you

"baby, honey, sweet-face" and his favorite, "bunny"

even with how mentally fucked he is, there's a tiny bit of goodness in there sometimes and only you get to see it ok???

you WILL have a collection of rabbit-themed merchandise and there is nothing you can do about it <333

pretty gentlemanly actually in public, likes to link his arm with yours, will ALWAYS hold doors for you, and he'll do it all with the cutest lil smile on his face

nsfw

boy howdy

he's very experienced, and he loves to show you a fucked up good time

absolutely knows what he's doing and likes to think you dont <3

i hope you have a knife kink because jesus christ

loves to pin you by your neck, whether it be your throat or from behind while he absolutely demolishes you

favorite place to do the dirty is his work desk 🤭 does not care how much of a mess it makes, as long as you're a mess after hes done with you

for the love of god call him sir or mr. raglan/afton he will quite literally pass away on the spot

daddy kink ok??? daddy kink <333

please yank him around by his tie and he might choke you in return <3

likes to stick his fingers in your mouth, loves it when you bite them and draw blood too

very much a masochist and a sadist 😈

loves when he fucks you to tears, wants to hear you whimper and cryyy his name

you'll have bruises on your arms, hips, legs, wherever he can grab jesus does he have an iron grip

likes to bite and nibble your skin too

oh yeah, he'll fuck you in costume too, doesn't care how weird it is

the springlock suit stays ON during sex 😚

[j-nor]

Hello fellow tumbler user janot, I have a pure breed fool and he has found a plastic gun, when fired a red cloth flag pops out with "Bang" printed in black lettering. I am greatly concerned about him having this vile object, it is against my pure Christian family and household. I am considering selling him to a butcher do you have any recommendations?

Hello epicsadman, as per Galatians 5:12, it would be impermissible to sell a clown to a butcher as killing a clown is akin to killing a child. If you truly feel that strongly about the toy gun, I would suggest seeking out couple’s religious counseling with your clown. Perhaps you can work out your differences with the help of a spiritual adviser. However, to offer my perspective, if God didn’t want clowns to have little toy guns that go ‘bang’, he wouldn’t have made little toy guns that go ‘bang’ so much fun to play with. Just as how god wouldn’t have made pool noodles if he didn’t want us to hit our snotty little brothers with them. If you really can’t find a solution, perhaps try replacing the flag that says ‘bang’ with a flag that says ‘JESUS OF NAZARETH’

I wish you the best and god bless.

[rucbarthatbowtiesarecooldw]

Saturday Morning Session

Conducting: President Henry B Eyring

Press Forward Saints

Sustaining Vote

I Will Follow God’s Plan

Elder Niel L Anderson

Faith + Hope + Charity

Sacred and Eternal Hopes

Confident Expectations

Hope brightens the darkened room so we can see the glorious future

Hope is a precious blessing

If you have faith, then you have hope – faith is the substance of hope

Joy comes in Jesus Christ as we triumph over the challenges in this mortal life

Alma 32:21 – or just all of Alma 32

Nothing can darken our hope as we believe and hold tightly to our covenants

Every righteous person can receive every blessing

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.” President Nelson Oct 2016

His Joy is constant

As you trust in the Lord His peace will come

Our Hope is the Savior Jesus Christ, He is our Hope and our Triumph

President Emily Bell Freeman YW General President

In order for an ordinance to manifest the power of God in our lives it must be done with authority from the Son of God

We don’t just make covenant promises, we must keep them

Do you recognize how God’s power works within you? D&C 25

Women can fully access the gift of God’s power through priesthood ordiances

Emma was given revelation about how priesthood ordiances would work in her life

Who she was, and whose she was – her place in His Kingdom

Invited to walk the paths of virtue

You are an essential participant in the Restoration

Set apart to expand scriptures and exhort the church

Daughter in the Kingdom-> elect Lady -> Queen

The restoration and the Lord’s counsel to Emma will guide and bless us

We all get a chance to witness and use God’s power. 😁

Times we get to participate in the ordinances of the Gospel

Sacrament

Passing the threshold of the temple

Power of Godliness is manifest

Elder Karl D Hirst 70

He feels Heavenly Fathers love through the love he feels for his children

It’s wonderful that at times we can feel so fully and personally loved and noticed

If Nephi can call Jesus “His Jesus” we can call Him that too

God’s love is where we all overlap on the circles of the Venn diagram

What circumstances help you to feel God’s love?

We’re all Jesus’s favorite and we should all be our parents’ favorite, each of us.

Broken people, perfect love

However misshapen we might feel His arms are not shortened.

You are not beyond the reach of God’s love – He will never stop loving us

When you can’t feel God’s love, we shouldn’t consider the possibility that it’s because God has stopped loving us until after the mountains and hills have gone.

There are different ways of feeling and receiving divine love.

Looking at the starts

Feeling the rain on your skin, or a breeze

Music

Keeping a journal

Ask people you trust to share how they feel divine connection

If you could choose a place for you and Jesus to meet – He may have already found you there.

If you are waiting for Him to come, He may already be there within reach

Hold onto God’s love as effectively as a sieve full of water. When you share it, this can help you feel joy.

Joy is our purpose not the gift of our circumstances.

How Firm a Foundation

Elder Dale G Renlund

The story of Nobel and nitroglycerin turning it into dynamite

Undiminished explosive power

The Gospel provides powerful and transformative benefits for us

The combination of Christ’s Gospel, and the Church of Jesus Christ

The church is not a location or a building – it’s the people

The church is an instrument

Keeping our covenants provides us access to God and transforms us

The church is special only if it is built on His gospel.

The church enables access to God’s power because it’s authorized by Him to teach His gospel and offer His ordinances

Jesus Christ wants nothing more than for us to repent and come unto Him so He can sanctify us. He is relentless and unwavering.

Immerse yourself more fully in the church and the gospel – this is God’s dynamite and with it He will transform us

Elder David P. Homer 70

We have a loving Father in heaven who will care for us wherever we are no matter the circumstances

The boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define – they were already established by God

While some things may depend on context, not everything does.

Don’t be surprised if our personal views are not initially in harmony with the teachings of God’s prophets. – in time you will receive more spiritual clarity

If we heed God’s word, we will receive more. If we ignore God’s counsel, we will receive less and less until we have none. This does not mean that God’s will is wrong, just that we have lost the capacity to understand it.  

D&C 6:36

Look unto the Lord before acting; our faith will overcome our concerns.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.

Don’t let doubt stop us from seeing God’s divine gifts in our lives.

God loves us wherever we are, whoever we are. In any circumstance you can cry out to Him “oh God, help thou mine unbelief”.

The submission of one’s will, is one of the only uniquely personal things we have to bring to Christ

Our agency is not diminished by staying with Christ it is magnified.

We can be of good cheer as we trust Them more than anyone

Elder Gregorio E Casillas 70

What does our Heavenly Father desire from us?

It is crucial for us to learn to be disciples of Jesus Christ

He uses us to help bring His children to Him

Service shows us charity

Story of the mother who had had chemotherapy the day before and so did not have the energy to take care of her disabled son

Your spiritual abilities are unique and personal

Follow the impressions of the Spirit – God will bless your life, he will bless your family, he will bless his children that you encounter

We have the privilege to watch over people who need a helping hand, and embrace a feeling of comfort, or simply for us to be with them in silence

The Savior always reminds us as oft as we repent and seek forgiveness with real  intent, we will be forgiven.

Get rid of destructive thinking. Keep hope!

Give someone hope enough to try once more ourselves.

Be the reason someone has hope in crappy situations

The Lord Jesus Christ is your savior and knows you personally

The Holy Spirit will revive us

God’s Gracious Love

President Dallin H Oaks

Come Follow Me

Following Christ is not a casual or an occasional practice

Obey what He defines as the great commandment in the Law: Love the Lord thy God with all they Heart, love thy neighbor

If you cut the string off a kite it will not fly. That string is our covenants – keeping them enables us to soar to celestial heights

Keep you connection to your celestial ties.

We covenant each Sabbath during the sacrament to always remember and keep His commandments

Faith, repentance, baptism, enduring, and becoming as a little child (trust the Lord)

Temporary commandments are for the needs of the Lords church to be set aside once the need has come to pass

Pioneers

While still in force these commandments are still to be obeyed

Law of Tithing

Needed re-emphasis

Proclamation to the Family needed re-emphasis recently

Avoid contention

Jesus’s doctrine is not one of contention

Matthew 5:44-45

Show unselfish love for all

Blessed are the peacemakers – true disciples of Jesus Christ are peacemakers

What are you going to choose? Contention or reconciliation?

Sermon on the Mount

Follow the golden rule

Love and do good to ALL

Does not mean to compromise our principles and priorities, but to STOP ATTACKING PEOPLE FOR THEIRS!!!!

Will you allow His voice to take priority above any other?

Let us seek to be holy like our Savior

While we advocate for our positions let us qualify for the blessings of Jesus Christ as peacemakers

Teach Me to Walk in the Light

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Will We Listen?

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Matthew 15:20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally, they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.

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SUBJECT: Will We Listen?

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM OBEDIENT

I AM BEAUTIFULLY, WONDERFULLY MADE

I AM POWERFUL

I AM HUMBLE

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READ TIME: 7 Minutes

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THOUGHTS:

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 Jesus wanted his disciples to know about the hard times they would face. A lot of us don’t get warnings about what will happen in our lives, and maybe some of us do, and we ignore it. I can remember my parents telling me; you're going to wish for days that your back sitting under my table and not having a care in the world because life is tough. I remember thinking to myself I won't, and as I got older, I wished every day to go back to being a kid and not having a care in the world; I didn’t realize how life can be tricky and dealing with life would be challenging,   

   As I gave my life to Jesus, he makes it so much better. And some of us lack that in our lives; we lack guidance and truth, and Jesus can give us this if we listen to Jesus and he can comfort us if we let him. It's about letting him guide us; he guided his disciples because they wanted that from him. Do you desire that from Jesus

  Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

  God can instruct and teach us, but will we be willing to learn? He even said in a verse if they will listen to me, they will listen to you, a lot of people heard Jesus speak, and a lot of them didn’t hear anything he had to say, but Jesus made sure anyone that had ears could hear him, but it’s a difference in hearing someone and listening, I can listen all day but am I hearing, & am I applying what they say, Jesus was willing to teach, but not everyone was willing to change their ways to adapt to his ways, God is trying to get us to adapt to our new lives with him but are we hearing him.

  Isaiah 30:21 And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or turn to the left.

  We can hear him now telling us which way to go, but a lot of us don’t want to listen because we think the way he is telling us isn’t right or the way he is telling us could be wrong, and I'm going to be transparent I have had those days were I didn’t listen, but as I got older I regret being stubborn, we must ask God to help us to release us from the spirit of stubbornness and disobedience, God can't make us change, but he can get it where we see we need to ,he can show us that its best we do, but until then we will never hear him and do what he said until we realize we need him, I realize that I need him in my life and I can't do anything without him going forth in my life , the lord loves you and wants you to follow him in everything you do

 John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me

  If we call ourselves God's sheep, we must hear and follow his voice. Many of us say we are his, but do we listen to him when he whispers, don’t say that, or don’t do that? We allow our ways to take over then his. And he also says, and I know them, Jesus knows the ones that are trying to strive to do what is right, and he knows the ones that do what’s right just to get a blessing; he knows we are just doing that to get what we want, we can’t fool God we can fool man, but we will never fool God.

  John 8:47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

  Some of us have gone so long and have ignored the voice of God that now we don’t hear anything, and the reason is that we have ignored him repeatedly, and the word tells us the reason we don’t hear him it’s because we aren’t of God. Every day, we must place ourselves in the presence of God and allow ourselves to soak in his presence. Do you soak in his presence?

  ***Today, we learned how our stubbornness and disobedience could cause us not to hear the voice of God; we sometimes go through seasons in our lives where we ignore God's voice, but we shouldn’t; this is how we know when we are wrong and when we are right the lord is trying to guide us, but if we continue to go on this road, we will not be able to hear him when he speaks.

  Luke 11:28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it

  It’s hard to keep the word of God because we want to do it our own thing. Many of us find it hard to keep it because we have already made up our minds about what we want to do, but this mindset is leading us to the road of destruction. This kind of mindset has ruined tons of people's lives, but we want to follow God and be obedient children; a lot of people look at obedience as a sign of weakness, and it isn’t obedience is submitting to God and allowing him to guide us, because he’s our shepherd if you say he’s your shepherd allow him to lead you today. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, we thank you for everything; help us to hear your voice and to follow you, lord; we need you to guide us; lord, continue to help us to hear your voice and to hear you when you speak. Lord, if we are stubborn or disobedient, please help us to turn around and submit to you. Lord, we are so gratified for everything, and we praise you in Jesus' Name Amen

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REFERENCES

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+Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart

 

+ John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

 

+ Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 27

Exodus 26

Numbers 35

2 Samuel 22

1 Kings 5

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[l8rs-gat0rs]

Okay I literally just found your account with your post talking about Billie in SWARM I WEN ABSOLUTELY FERAL YOU DONT UNDERSTAND SHE IS ETHREAL

…okay anyways I have a request

So what if you end at the group’s house and you get the counseling cause like you have bad anxiety and social anxiety and you just push everyone away and run from your problems so that’s essentially how you end up at the house. And then you end up wanting to leave like Dre did but it’s because you don’t think that they can help you. BUT Eva convinces you to stay and like you slowly fall in love…or something..maybe add some smut. Literally add anything you want I am just so excited to read it♥️

Save Me From Myself

Pairing: Eva x Female reader

Wow thank you so so much for this request! I actually have social anxiety so I am excited to write about it. Also trust me, I went feral too. She is definitely ethereal. The sexual tension she had with Dre was crazyyyy and she's such a good actress, the micro expressions and everything really got me. I didn't put smut into it only because it feels more like a soft fluff story that doesn't really need any smut, so I hope you're okay with that :)

Warning(s): angst, social anxiety, general anxiety, slow burn, y/n use

summary: You have social anxiety and Eva has been helping you with it. After messing up a game of Twister, you feel like you can't be helped so you decide to leave. Eva stops you from leaving, which leads to a confession...

Word count: 2k

Disclaimer: I have never talked to a therapist abt my anxiety or social anxiety at all, so If some things aren't accurate I apologize, but I'm just writing down what I have experienced and how I interpret it.

Special thanks to @hereforthepoet for helping me with this fic :)

~~~~Happy Reading!~~~~

You lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, replaying the story of how you ended up here over and over again in your head.

Eva had found you when you were a blushing, stuttering mess trying to speak to the waitress in a restaurant.

Were you blushing out of embarrassment? Yeah.

Anxiety? Yeah.

Because she was hot? Absolutely.

Eva smiled at you when you looked up from your head in your hands and made eye contact with her while she was sitting at a table facing you.

You groaned and shoved your face back into your hands because yet another hot woman had seen you embarrass yourself.

When you looked back up you jumped a little, seeing as Eva was now right in front of you.

The two of you had food together, Eva noticing your stuttering, rambling and fidgeting with your rings. The tell-tale signs of your anxiety.

You told her about how you managed to push everyone in your family away after your parents died, you were an only child so there weren't many people to push away, but still.

You lived by yourself in a tiny apartment, you were thinking about getting a cat, but then, Eva invited you back here with promises to help with your anxiety.

But here you were, in the bed, Eva had lent to you.

You felt like a lost cause, all the other girls in the group had shown major signs of progress over the course of a few weeks, but you were still here, holed up in your room because you could barely even talk to the girls, despite the fact it had been almost a month already and you have had numerous sessions with Eva.

You heard a knock on the door and you mustered a small "Come in."

You looked up and saw Eva walking through the door, causing your heart to race.

Come on y/n, don't embarrass yourself in front of her for the 10,000th time, please.

"Hey y/n, why aren't you out there with the rest of the girls, we're playing twister right now."

Don't stutter.

"Oh- uh, I don't know, I'm don't-

wait. I mean I don't-

I- I'm NOT feeling that great, I guess."

Jesus Christ.

She looked at you for a moment before walking closer to your bed and sitting down on the corner of it, by your thighs.

"Remember what I told you during our last session y/n?" Eva started, as she leaned over you, bracing herself up with one hand on the other side of your thighs, and using the other to check your temperature.

Your brain short-circuited as soon as you felt her skin against yours.

"I told you, the reason you stutter is that you either rehearse what you are going to say over and over in your head before saying it, or you think so fast that the words mess up when you try to say them out loud. Either way, you need to focus on what you want to say rather than thinking of all the ways you could say what you want to say."

"Yeah, I know..." Uou muttered.

"Well how can you be working on it when you don't even hang out with the rest of the girls?" Eva smiled patiently.

"I'm working on it, I just..." You trailed off, looking anywhere but Eva's eyes.

"Hey, eyes," Eva said, causing your eyes to immediately shoot to hers.

"Good girl. Now, why don't you come out of your room and join us." Eva got up from the bed and held her hand out for you to take it.

Your stomach turned at the Praise but you ignored it.

You took Eva's hand and picked yourself out of bed.

Eva didn't let go of your hand as she led you out to the living room. You willed your hand not to get sweaty.

"Hey guys, look who's here!" Eva announced to the group.

"Woooo y/n!" Cricket cheered while holding the spinner.

"Come, join us!" Isis urged, smiling at you from under Salem's arm.

You looked at Eva uncertainty, but she just gave you a patient smile and nodded, urging you to join them.

"Uhh, yeah, sure." You nodded, looking back at the pile of girls twisted around the mat.

Your heart started to beat rapidly.

Come on y/n, you cant be the one to fuck up the whole game.

Don't lose, don't lose, don't lose....

"Okay y/n, let's spin for you."

"Right leg green!"

You moved your right leg to the open green dot.

"Eva, want to join?" Cricket asked as she spun the spinner.

"Nah, I'm good. I like to watch" Eva said with a smirk.

You shivered at her words even though it was a normal comment.

Jesus Christ y/n get a grip. She's your mentor.

But she had also been the one holding your hand through the entire process of trying to get over your anxieties.

Did you have feelings for her?

"Left foot red" Cricket called out to Grace.

"Don't fuck it up!" Audrey laughed, balancing on one hand.

"Shut up!" Grace responded playfully, before carefully placing her foot down.

"Bam!" She cheered, causing the other girls to giggle.

You smiled a little but the tension would not leave your chest as the game continued.

The girls keep playing as normal, each taking their sweet time moving to their respective places while the others urge them to hurry up. You're trying to focus, to stay present, to participate...but all you can think of is the loud beating of your heart. How the girls' laughter fades and your consciousness seems to trade places with your subconscious; "They're only letting you play out of pity." "You need to leave before you embarrass yourself." "You look ridiculous standing like this and they know it, they're all thinking it." You vaguely hear directions for someone's turn being called but there's a water-like roaring in your ears and your palms are sweaty and-and-and-

"Y/n!? Right hand yellow?"

"What?"

You can't think slow enough, you can't move fast enough, your body is shaking and- 

Everyone's falling. A twisted mess of loud laughing bodies and you can't breathe.

"Y/n? Are you okay? Breathe!" You hear Eva say.

You shoot up from the pile of girls and suddenly the laughter has died and they're all looking at you with concerned expressions.

Staring.

They think you're pathetic.

You're so embarrassing.

"I can't do this anymore!" You suddenly shout through your heavy breathing.

"Woah, it's okay y/n-" Cricket starts, putting the twister spinner down.

"No, it's not! Look at all of you! You're getting better every day. But me? I'm hopeless. I can't even play a game of twister without fucking it up! I can't stay here any longer. I've overstayed my welcome and I can't be helped. I'm too broken." You said before turning away from them.

You heard the girls start to protest and get up but out of the corner of your eye you saw Eva shush them and make them sit back down. Tears started spilling from your eyes and you ran to your room.

When you got to your room, you took your suitcase out of your closet and opened it on your bed.

You started to pack when you heard Eva's hurried footsteps approach your door.

"Y/n, what are you doing?" She said sadly.

"I'm leaving. I can't stay here anymore" you were unable to look at her so you continued quickly packing.

"Hey. Stop." Eva said as she gently stopped you from going over to your suitcase with the clothes in your hand.

You stopped and looked down at the floor, still unable to look at her.

"Look at me. I wanna see those gorgeous eyes." She gently grabbed your chin and turned your face to look at her.

"Here, give me those," she took the clothes from your hands and put them on the other bed that was next to yours.

"Sit." She guided you to sit down next to where she left your clothes.

You sat down and took a shuddering breath in as tears continued to fall and your lip quivered as you silently cried.

"You're even gorgeous when you cry." Eva smiled, causing you to let out a choked laugh as you tried to halt your tears.

"You're just saying that" You felt your face heating up.

"No, I'm not. don't degrade yourself like that. You are truly beautiful, and I'll keep saying it till it gets through your pretty little head." She got on her knees in front of you and put her hands on your thighs.

You looked down at her hands on your thighs, hyper-aware of her touch.

"Y/n please don't leave." Eva spoke up somberly.

You looked back to her eyes before responding.

"I- I can't Eva. My thoughts are so confused a-and I can't be helped. I don't deserve to stay here." You sniffed as your tears subsided.

"That's not true! Everyone is able to be helped, some people just have a longer process than others. Also, even with all the facts considered, you're here because I want you to be, not because you're a patient or something." Eva explained.

"Yeah, I guess...but I'm still...c-confused." You internally cursed yourself for stuttering and you looked down back to her hands that were still on your thighs.

"About what?" She smiled softly.

You sighed heavily trying not to stutter.

But of course, you did.

"Y-" You sighed in annoyance as Eva looked at you expectantly.

"Y- You!" You managed to get out, causing Eva to let out a laugh.

"You're confused about me?" She asked with a smirk.

"Yes! Why is that funny!?" You huffed.

She laughed a little again before responding.

"It's not, it's not, Why are you confused about me?" She asked you curiously.

"Well, I- I don't know. Just...my feelings towards you..." You said more quietly.

Eva's hands rode a little higher on your thighs causing your eyes to widen for a second before you steeled your expression.

"And what are you currently feeling towards me?" Eva asked, staring down at your lips.

"Attraction" You breathed out, getting lost in the way she looked at your lips.

"And, that's a bad thing?" She smirked, her eyes looking back up to yours.

"I- I mean no! But like, you're my mentor or whatever. I shouldn't be feeling attracted to you. Right?" You backtracked.

"Who said that?" She laughed.

Wait, that's true...

"Uhhh, no one I guess. It just- I don't know I thought it might be wrong or something. You never dated anyone else here." You gestured to the door.

"Who says I didn't?" Eva smirked once again.

"O-Oh! I'm sorry I didn't mean to assume!" Your eyes widened.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Eva smiled.

"S-so, who was it?" You said quietly after nodding.

"Isis, it wasn't very long though. We both decided we were better as friends" Eva shrugged.

"Oh, I see." You said, mulling over all the interaction you've seen Eva had with Isis.

"But back to your feelings?" Eva urged you to continue with her brows raised and a questioning tone.

"I guess, over my time here I've been slowly falling for you and...I've tried to suppress it, but I guess, the feelings have always been there, bubbling up,"

You sighed once again before continuing.

"I mean, I don't know... You're just so...." You started, before looking at Eva and feeling your face heat up.

"Go onnnn." Eva urged.

"Hot." You ended quietly.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you!" Eva said loudly.

"Oh shut u-"

Before you could finish your reflexive response, or even have time to be anxious about it, Eva pushed up off her knees and kissed you.

You were shocked at first but you quickly closed your eyes and melted into her lips.

You couldn't lie and say you hadn't thought of kissing her multiple times.

Once Eva pulled away she sat back onto her knees.

"I can't lie, I've thought about kissing you so many times." She let out a breathy laugh.

"Woah did you just read my mind?" You pulled back shocked.

"What?" She looked confused.

"Nevermind,"

You shook your head before continuing,

"Okay, back to kissing."

"I think..." You added shyly.

[froizetta]

Chapter 5 is here! In which superbat get fucking Counselled.

Rating: Explicit Fandom: DCU Pairing(s): Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne Length: 20.5k Chapters: 5/8

“Be honest with me. All those times I told you guys to go talk to each other about it, did you just…not?” There was a guilty silence from both men on the couch. “Right,” said Hal tiredly. “I figured. Jesus fucking Christ. What did you two even do for the two plus years before I came along? Just stew and not talk about shit?” “We talk,” said Clark, with an undeniable edge of defensiveness. Oh boy. Hal was getting déjà vu. “Yeah, you fucking don't. But look, I'm not trying to like, shame you about it or whatever. I want to help you fix it. Because as your friend, I genuinely want the best for you guys; but also because it’s annoying as hell watching you continuously fuck this up, especially when you’re coming to me to bitch about it. And to be clear!” Hal said quickly when Clark opened his mouth to, presumably, apologize for expressing a goddamn emotion once in a while. “I’m still happy to lend an ear, because that’s what pals are for, yadda yadda et cetera and all that jazz. But I feel like it would really streamline this whole process if you guys cleared some things up first. “So here’s how this is gonna work. You’re both gonna say one true thing to each other that you’ve been holding back, and I’m gonna sit right here and make sure that actually happens, because apparently neither of you can be trusted to do it without a babysitter. And once I’ve metaphorically held your hands through that first step, I’m gonna leave for at least half an hour, and you guys are gonna fucking talk about it. Got it?”

[spurgie-cousin]

I’m sorry, Austin wrecked his truck and Joy felt that she still had to CALL HER DAD to ask if it was ok to go to him because she would have been unchaperoned??? And then she didn’t go? So Jim Bob must have said “no?” So was Austin trapped in his wrecked truck getting assistance from the person who caused the accident while Joy continued driving to meet with Jim Bob? Girl that would have been an “act now, ask forgiveness later”, “Jesus would have helped a person in need and not waited for a chaperone” type of situation.

Also maybe it’s just me speaking from a secular, over the age of 30, “my every decision is not influenced by someone with authority over me” perspective, but if the roles were reversed and teenage me had just wrecked and called my boyfriend-soon-to-be-fiance and he said said “I’m gonna drive ahead to wait for my dad and we’ll both come back”, I’d probably have rethink the relationship. (My parents alone would have raised HELL at my bf and his dad on my behalf) Because how are you just going to leave me alone in my wrecked car for an unknown amount of time because your dad didn’t give you permission to come back alone? They both mention how he could have died, so it had to have been a serious accident? Could have come back to a lifeless body but thank heavens you brought a chaperone with you so the corpse of your betrothed doesn’t cause you to stumble? I don’t really want to be hard on Joy like that because she was 18/19 and probably in a state of panic and in need of help but damn and yikes.

Also hella curious to know who the shithead brother was and I cannot fucking believe that he’d look back at his own sobbing daughter, who grateful that her future fiance is alive and have the balls to side with her brother and tell her “let go of him”. Although he sided with the oldest son all of those years so I guess I can’t be too surprised he continues choosing his sons over his daughters.

I cannot fucking fathom how any of the rest of his older children remain in contact with him.

I think all of that speaks to how important it was for the kids to follow the Duggar "rules", especially the girls when it came to the opposite sex. The girls can insinuate that they followed those courtship rules just out of "respect" all they want, but if that were the case, I don't think Joy would've thought twice about going to see that her soon-to-be-husband was ok after a literal car wreck. If it were all just about "respect", you'd think there would be understanding on her parents' end during a freakin life or death emergency, but even then Joy was still concerned enough to make sure it was ok with her dad. Which to me means there would've been consequences for her otherwise. Not only that, but it was considered serious enough that a younger sibling felt like they needed to call her out on it (and like you mentioned, Jim Bob apparently agreed).

I just get so frustrated at the way the adult Duggar kids talk about their parents, especially in situations like this where they're literally sitting down to talk about religious questioning, trauma, struggles, etc. They always address the consequence of being raised by JB and Michelle, like having nowhere to really go for religious questioning, without addressing the cause: their parents' choices and actions. There is rarely any accountability given to JB and Michelle and that drives me up a wall.

I think they do that because unfortunately, JB is still that morality cop in their brain, and it's just easier to not talk about it. I hope it's something they've all at least addressed in counseling (even Christian-based counseling), but I have a feeling deconstructing that part of their lives would put a real crack in their foundations, which would have ripple effects in every single area of their lives. And to be fair, that is daunting for anyone, and it is a reason a lot of people stay indoctrinated, but god I wish just one of them ONE TIME would say "You know what, this sucked, this wasn't great for me, and I wish my parents would've had more empathy for me as a person at this moment" y'know?

Edit: Jill Dillard is better about this and has at least called her dad's financial abuse out, that is true. I will say though, it does still seem really hard for her to be candid about other areas of her life and upbringing even when she tries (like in the Duggar doc series), and I think that's because JB still has some relationship/influence over her. I genuinely think the only way any of them could be 100% open and honest is cutting him off.

[generative-sorcery]

God, i'd do so well as the protagonist of the inn sanity game.

"Robin, I know we aren't supposed to be trusting anyone, but, you know, the old man nextdoor is completely chill, how about we invite him over? I know, food supply is already low, but you know just as well as me that we can survive without even for a week! And it's not like we won't have any food at all, have you seen how many supplies i found? We can't just let him rot in there i'm certain he'll start getting famished if we don't share, c'mon let's go"

"Hey, ghost lovely white lady my wife? I know we're in a rough position right now, me not remembering anything about you, but... can you maybe, please, tone down on the killing aspect? Don't you remember how much time we spent together on couple counseling trying to get you over murdering and me over my disgust for human corpses? we were both doing astonishingly good, that's what the therapist said! What do you mean you don't remember? What about the priest? Don't you remember that one evening after the sermon where... we... invited him for dinner, and he told the joke about... how jesus couldn't heal lazarus and had to resurrect him once he died because jesus was God born as man, and not a doctor? Wait... doesn't it mean that both of us have amneisia about ourselves? Oh, how wonderful it is that our love for one another has stayed! But please, can you not kill that priest guy, or can you maybe even help him with survival? He was always such a great friend to both of us, we can't just let him die!"

"My lovely ghost wife, i have wonderful news! I've just found out that our long-lost daughter, she... she's alive! Yes, i also didn't remember i had a daughter at first, but... just... just look at her! She has your... body curvature, yes! She said that i look just like her father, who she doesn't remember very well, since i left you... i'll tell you both about why i've done this, just... not yet, okay? I'm... i'm just so happy that you both are here, this is the greatest day of my life! All that trouble which caused me to leave, it's all over now, we can finally live like a normal family again! You, my amnesiac ghost wife, our astranged daugher, and me!"

(In case you think the protag couldn't bullshit to this degree, trust me, i fooled actual people who are not demented and stupid ghosts into thinking that i remember them and that i'm super glad to see them)

(As for the pale beast- well, the priest has a gun, right? If we gather our forces, there's four living people and a ghost who is at least not a hallucination that only a single person has, at least one spear can be fashioned out of chair legs, the razor and the duct tape found in the hikers' room, it might have supernatural strength and intense bloodlust but c'mon we used to be able to fell fucking mammoths wirh nothing but pointy rocks on long sticks don't you remember?)

[traumacatholic]

Can you please pray for me im suffering too much and i am very suicidal. Thank you so so much. <3

Of course, may God bless you and have mercy on you. May He send you the comfort and strength that you need. Please also do try your best to reach out to people in your life about this, preferably a doctor if possible or look into a mental health support service that you can call or send an email to. It's always a good idea to have multiple forms of support that are aware of how you're currently feeling. And charitable mental health resources might be able to help you to engage with accessible resources and support. I know that at least here, some of them do offer workshops or free counselling and support that you can access.

I'm going to attach some prayers under the read more, hopefully some of them will be of help to you. Please also check my mental health tag, as I do share a lot of workbooks and other resources and apps that you might find beneficial to engage with. A lot of these resources are free.

Prayer against Depression: Prayer to the Mother of God

O my beloved Queen, my hope, O Mother of God, protector of orphans and protector of those who are hurt, the saviour of those who perish, and the consolation of all who are in distress: Thou seest my misery, thou seeset my sorrow and my loneliness. Help me; I am powerless. Give me strength. Thou knowest what I suffer, thou knowest my grief. Lend me thy hand, for who else can be my hope but thee, my protector and my intercessor before God? I have sinned before thee and before all people. Be thou my Mother, my consoler, my helper. Protect me and save me; chase grief away from me; chase away my lowness of heart and my despondency. Help me, O Mother of my God!

Prayer against Depression and Sorrow

O Greatly-merciful Master, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and cleanse me from every sadness and disturbance and cowardice. Drive away from me every spiritual choking and demonic sorrow, that I sense in my body and my soul. For You are our Joy, and the Hope of all the ends of the earth, and those far off at sea. Be merciful to me, O Master, upon my sins. Take from me the heavy burden of sin and despair. Drive far away from me every sadness and laziness. Confirm me in Your Love, and with unassailable hope and unshakable faith in You, through the intercessions of Your Spotless Mother, and all Your Saints. Amen.

Prayer for Mental Health

O Master, Lord my God, in Whose hands is my destiny: Help me according to Thy mercy, and leave me not to perish in my transgressions, nor allow me to follow them who place desires of the flesh over those of the spirit. I am Thy creation; disdain not the work of Thy hands. Turn not away; be compassionate and humiliate me not, neither scorn me, O Lord, as I am weak. I have fled unto Thee as my Protector and God. Heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee. Save me for Thy mercy's sake, for I have cleaved unto Thee from my youth; let me who seeks Thee not be put to shame by being rejected by Thee for mine unclean actions, unseemly thoughts, and unprofitable remembrances. Drive away from me every filthy thing and excess of evil. For Thou alone art holy, alone mighty, and alone immortal, in all things having unexcelled might, which, through Thee, is given to all that strive against the devil and the might of his armies. For unto Thee is due all glory, honor and worship: To the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen (source)

Prayer to St. Anastasia the Greatmartyr

O holy saint Anastasia, healer and minister to captives, who did suffer greatly as a martyr while relieving the suffering of the poor and the sick, pray for us who are ill in soul and in body. Relieve us by your intercessions from the illnesses of our minds, from all evil temptation that seeks to disturb us, and from the suffering of our many afflictions. We ask these things boldly of you as you boldly approach the throne of our Lord Jesus Christ who alone is the Healer and Lover of Mankind. Amen.

Your lamb Anastasia, calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice: ‘I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering. In baptism, I was crucified so that I might reign in You, and I died so that I might live with You. Accept me as a pure sacrifice, for I have offered myself in love.’ Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.

Prayers to Saint Dymphna (These can be said individually, or you could put them all together)

I turn to you, dear virgin and martyr, confident of your power with God and of your willingness to take my cause into your hands. I praise and bless the Lord for giving you to us as patron of the nervous and emotionally disturbed. I firmly hope that through your kind intercession He will restore my lost serenity and peace of mind. May He speak to my heart and reassure me: "My peace I give you. Let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid." Pray for me, dear St. Dymphna, that my nervous and emotional turmoil may cease, and that I may again know serenity and personal peace. Amen.

I appeal to you in my illness, dear St. Dymphna. I would be so grateful for a total and happy recovery, for the blessed gift of health in every fiber of my being. May the Lord Jesus, who mercifully healed the sick during His earthly days, have pity on me and make me well again. Ask Him to command sickness to depart and grant me a full measure of health, that I may rejoice in giving Him glory and praise. Amen.

Glorious St. Dymphna, you are the patron of the nervous and emotionally disturbed. I am certain, however, that your charity embraces everyone. I am certain that you lend a listening ear to any prayer offered for any special need. You will, I am sure, take my problem to heart and pray for me that it may be happily settled. (Here mention your special problem or difficulty.) You will plead for me and obtain the help I need. Already I offer you my sincere and grateful thanks, so great is my confidence that God will hear and answer your prayers. Amen. St. Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us. St. Dymphna, patron of nervous and emotional illnesses, pray for us. St. Dymphna, crowned for the glory in heaven, pray for us. St. Dymphna, faithful to your covenant with Christ, pray for us. St. Dymphna, precious in the eyes of the Lord, pray for us. St. Dymphna, our helper in every need, pray for us. St. Dymphna, our friend at heave's court, pray for us.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

God’s Design: From Creation to Salvation

Have you ever thought about the purposeful design in the world around you? Have you ever wondered about the meticulous orchestration behind the workings of the universe? Do you trust in the wisdom of God and His perfect plan?

In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will, — Ephesians 1:11

God's wisdom suggests a well-defined plan for the salvation of humanity. Think about it: Would creation be as wonderful without His design? Is there any creature on earth that came into existence merely by chance? Each intricate detail of every living thing--each bone, joint, muscle, gland, and blood vessel--manifests the presence of God. His design pervades every aspect of creation. Should not this design extend to grace as well?

Take a look at Providence, the divine governance of the universe. Do you not see that even a sparrow does not fall without the Father's knowledge? Even the number of hairs on your head is known to Him. God measures our grief and trials with utmost precision. Can there be a God in providence and not in grace?

He who orchestrates the vast cosmos also has a clear vision of the spiritual edifice He is building. He is aware of every 'stone' that He takes from the quarry of nature and polishes with His grace. He knows the exact placement of every single piece in this grand structure, from the foundation to the pinnacle. In the end, it will be evident that He did as He willed with His own. Every part of the work of grace will reflect His purpose, glorifying His name.

Father, may we find comfort in Your divine plan, May we embrace Your wisdom and trust Your design. May our hearts be receptive to Your grace Guiding us closer to Your divine love and light.

Questions for Reflection

How does the concept of God’s design in creation influence your understanding of your own life?

In what ways can you see God's wisdom reflected in your day-to-day life?

How does acknowledging God's omnipresence help you handle current challenges?

How can the idea of being 'chosen and polished by God's grace' change the way you see your life and struggles?

What does 'God's work of grace' mean to you personally?

How can you apply the understanding of 'God's design' to your relationships, career, and personal growth?

How does the imagery of a spiritual edifice inspire your faith and commitment to God's plan?

What practical steps can you take to acknowledge and incorporate 'God's counsel' in your life decisions?

How does the concept of being 'chosen as God's own' influence your sense of identity and purpose?

How can God's precision in managing the universe affect your trust in Him handling your life situations?

In what ways does God's role in the natural world connect with His role in the spiritual world?

Supporting Scriptures

Romans 8:28: And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:29-30: For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

1 Corinthians 2:7: No, we speak of the mysterious and hidden wisdom of God, which He destined for our glory before time began.

2 Timothy 1:9: He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Romans 9:23: What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of His mercy, whom He prepared in advance for glory—

Ephesians 3:11: according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

[walkswithmyfather]

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20

“What Is the Meaning of 'Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock' in Revelation 3?” By Clarence L. Haynes Jr.:

“In the book of Revelation Jesus gives messages to seven different churches. Some scholars would say these churches represent seven types of churches you may find or seven types of people you may find in the church today. One of the churches that received one of his strongest messages was the church of Laodicea. In light of this church and the challenges this church had, what is the meaning of 'behold I stand at the door and knock'?

What Does 'Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock' Mean? Are there any Laodicean spaces in your heart where you think you are doing fine, but you have shut Jesus out? Where you are neither hot nor cold so you are not good for anything. If there are then the same invitation extends to you as it did to this church. Behold he stands at the door and knocks. Will you let him in? The difference between experiencing all God’s best and settling for much less and much worse hinges on whether you decide to open the door. We often use this verse to talk to unbelievers but remember he was talking to the church. Let’s make sure we always have the door of our heart open to Jesus so that he is able to do everything he wants to do in our lives.

Why Did Jesus Say 'Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock' to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3? Jesus didn’t have anything positive to say about this church. Here are the strong words Jesus used to described the church in Laodicea.

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.” – Rev. 3:15-18

Here are three characteristics of the church at Laodicea:

They were lukewarm. This was a church that was neither hot nor cold. Many people believe this lukewarm only means they were straddling the fence between the world and the church. What it really means is that they were good for nothing. They had no value they could offer. Laodicea was situated near two other cities, Hieropolis which was known for its hot springs that were good for healing and Colossae which was known for cold waters which provided refreshment. Because Laodicea was lukewarm the water they produced was not good for healing or refreshment and thus was not good for anything. As one scholar put it, you can drink hot tea or cold tea but warm tea is pretty much useless.

They were materialistic. This church was rich in material possessions which created a false sense of God’s blessing. This church is a reminder that you cannot equate the blessing of God to anything material, that is not a representation of spiritual maturity, or an indication God is pleased with your life.

They were spiritually poor. The worse part of this church is that they were spiritually bankrupt and they didn’t even realize it. If you would have asked them, they would tell you everything is alright, we are experiencing the blessing of God because look at all we have. Yet amid physical riches, they were lacking in any real spiritual blessings. Sad to say, many in churches today are unaware of their own spiritual lack.

How Does This Tie into Verse 20 ‘Behold I Stand at the Door and Knock’? Knowing what was happening in Laodicea helps you know the meaning of behold I stand at the door and knock. Let me point your attention to a few thoughts.”

[Read more here.]

[psalmonesermons]

Who cares wins- Part 3/5

How do we express our care and to whom?

This scripture tells us what is important to Jesus and those situations where we ought to show his love and his care.

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Ask yourself if you are a sheep or a goat.

It is interesting that neither the sheep nor goats were aware of doing good or evil in the context of showing care. Also please note just how much Jesus identifies with the poor and vulnerable.

Who do the sheep target? They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, help the foreigner or outsider, visit the sick and those in jail.

How can we do this today in our times and context?

Philip’s story- out on the street a beggar (homeless person) asks Philip for money- Philip thinks that he sees something familiar about the tramp. Suddenly recognises him as a former rugby player and police sergeant! What happened to this man? Well, it was a tragic story, his wife died, he hit the bottle, lost his job, lost his house – now living on the street and begging!

Always remember this, that there but for the grace of God go I!

What resources may be required in caring for the poor? Time, material resources, sympathy, empathy and counsel-Practical help-Sharing faith-being Mindful of them in prayer.

Prayer: Lord, show me how I can let your love flow through me expressing care to my fellow human beings. Amen

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

22nd January Fr. Martin's Reflections/Homilies on Today's Mass Readings for Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time (Inc. Mark 3:1-6): ‘He looked angrily round at them’.

Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except GB & USA) Mark 3:1-6 Is it against the law on the sabbath day to save life?

Jesus went into a synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they were watching him to see if he would cure him on the sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him. He said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up out in the middle!’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?’ But they said nothing. Then, grieved to find them so obstinate, he looked angrily round at them, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and his hand was better. The Pharisees went out and at once began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him.

Gospel (GB) Mark 3:1-6 ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to save life or to kill?’

At that time: Again Jesus entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Come here.’ And he said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. And he looked round at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

Gospel (USA) Mark 3:1-6 Is it lawful on the sabbath to save life rather than to destroy it?

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Reflections (6)

(i) Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading, when Jesus walked into a synagogue, he seems to have walked into a trap. It was the Sabbath day. A man with a withered hand was there and the Pharisees were waiting to see if Jesus would cure him, thereby breaking the Sabbath law. There is a suggestion that he was placed there by those who wanted to catch Jesus out. Using a vulnerable person to catch out and bring down someone clearly doing God’s good work has to be one of the darker arts in human relationships. The human tendency to use others for our own personal gain is always with us. On this occasion, it evoked two strong emotions in Jesus, he ‘grieved’ and ‘looked angrily round’ at the hardness of heart of these religious leaders. The presence of such strong emotions within us is often a sign that something is not right with the world. Jesus directed his strong feelings into the healing of the man’s hand. We can sometimes struggle to use our strong emotions in the service of the well-being of others. All of our emotions, even the most potentially destructive, can empower us ‘to do good’ and ‘to save life’, in the words of the gospel reading. If that is to happen, we may need to call upon the Spirit of the Lord to help us harness these emotions in the service of the coming of God’s kingdom. There was no aspect of Jesus’ humanity that did not serve God’s life-giving purpose. He shows us what a fully human life looks like.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Second Week of Ordinary Time

In some ways, Mark’s portrait of Jesus in his gospel is the most human of all the portraits by the four evangelists. Mark, for example, is never slow to ascribe emotions to Jesus. In this morning’s gospel reading, Mark says of Jesus that he was grieved at some people’s hardness at heart, and that he looked angrily round at them, before healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. Grief and anger are two emotions we all experience from time to time. We know too that they can be difficult emotions to deal with; their impact on us can be negative. Grief can drag us down; anger can make us say and do things that we subsequently regret. In the gospel reading, however, Jesus shows us that those difficult emotions can be harnessed for good. It was in grief and anger that Jesus gave new life to the man with the withered hand. Jesus channelled those emotions in the service of God’s kingdom. Paul says in his letter to the Romans that ‘all things work together for good, for those who love God’. Paul is saying there that if God is our first love, God can work in a life giving way through all things, even in and through those emotions, those events, that we might judge to be negative and of little value or worth.

And/Or

(iii) Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

In the gospel reading this morning, Jesus does good on the Sabbath; he does God’s work on the Sabbath by healing the withered hand of a man in the synagogue. Yet, because of the good that Jesus did, some religious and political leaders immediately began to plot together to destroy Jesus. This is only the beginning of the third chapter of Mark’s gospel, and, yet, it points ahead to the end of the gospel story. It was because Jesus was faithful to doing God’s good work that he was crucified. Jesus’ life shows very clearly that the good that we do does not always bring a reward; sometimes it can bring the opposite of a reward. It is a strange paradox, but one that is often true to life, that good sometimes generates evil. The goodness of some brings out evil in others. Yet Jesus was faithful to the good work that God gave him to do, regardless of how negatively it was received by some. Jesus teaches us that goodness is its own reward. We try to be faithful to what God wants of us, because it is what God wants of us and not because of any benefit it might bring us. We remain faithful to our calling to share in Jesus’ work of bringing healing and life to others, even though it may, at times, bring us suffering.

And/Or

(iv) Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

Mark in his gospel gives us the most human portrait of Jesus. He more often attributes emotions to Jesus than the other evangelists. In this morning’s gospel reading he makes reference to Jesus’ grief and anger. Jesus was grieved to find the religious authorities so obstinate and so opposed to his work of healing a man on the Sabbath and he looked around in anger at them all. Jesus channelled these strong emotions in a life-giving way. He healed the man with the withered hand. We can sometimes make a very negative judgement about the strong emotions that we experience within us. Such feelings in themselves are not something negative; it is how we channel them that matters. Like Jesus, we are called to channel our strong emotions in ways that serve God’s purpose for our lives and for the lives of others. Grace builds on nature and grace can transform all our emotional energies into sources of life and well-being for all who cross our path in life. The Spirit can direct all our emotional energies towards the doing of God’s work.

And/Or

(v) Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

There are two very contrasting attitudes in today’s gospel reading. There is the attitude of Jesus’ enemies towards him. They were watching him, hoping for something to use against him. Their only interest was to bring Jesus down, regardless of the good he may appear to be doing. They had no interest in the well-being of the man with the withered hand. He was of interest to them only as a kind of bait to allow them to bring Jesus down. In contrast, stands the attitude of Jesus. His only concern was to do good to the man with the withered hand, regardless of how that was perceived by others or its implications for himself. Jesus was honouring the Sabbath, and thereby God, by working to bring a fuller life to someone in need. Jesus’ enemies, for all their protestations in support of the Sabbath, were dishonouring the Sabbath, and thereby God, by trying to bring down Jesus in whom God’s Spirit was powerfully at work, while also ignoring the plight of one of the vulnerable members of God’s family. Jesus’ desire to build up stands in sharp contrast to their desire to tear down. His passion to give strength was opposed by their passion to undermine. We can all be tempted to tear down and undermine when the call of the moment is to build up and give strength. Jesus, now risen Lord, is always at work to inspire and empower us to honour God by strengthening the weak and encouraging the good that others are doing.

And/Or

(vi) Wednesday, Second Week in Ordinary Time

Both of today’s readings raise the question of how we relate to others. Do we relate to them in a way that blesses them or in a way that damages them? It is said of Melchizedek in the first reading that on meeting Abraham he blessed him, giving him a tenth of all his possessions. The way some people relate to the man with the withered hand stands at the opposite end of the spectrum. They are compounding his misfortune by using him as a kind of bait to trap Jesus. They were watching Jesus, ‘to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath day, hoping for something to use against him’. Jesus’ way of relating to the man was a source of great blessing for him. Jesus healed his withered hand, even though in doing so he was giving his opponents something to use against him. Jesus was prepared to put himself at risk so that this man could have a fuller life. Jesus’ only concern was to ‘save life’. Those who related to the man with the withered hand so disrespectfully now relate to Jesus with deadly hostility, ‘the Pharisees went out at once and began to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him’. What about the man with the withered hand? How did he relate to Jesus? It is evident that he responded to the call of Jesus to ‘stand up out in the middle’, even though he must have suspected that to do so was to enrage those who planted him in the synagogue to trap Jesus. As Melchizedek was a source of blessing to Abraham and as Jesus was a source of blessing for the man with the withered hand, we are all called to be a source of blessing for others. We will be a source of blessing for others if we listen to the Lord’s word and if, like the man with the withered hand, we have the courage to act on it.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Having Mercy & Pity On Others

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Proverbs 14:16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

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VERSE OF THE DAY

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+ Philippians 2:3- 4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM NOT SELFISH

I HAVE A CHRIST-LIKE MIND

I AM FOCUSED

I AM MINDFUL

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READ TIME: 8 Minutes & 25 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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  We were taught earlier in life to share what we have and not be selfish. I know many of us grew up hearing this, and as we grew up, we realized how rude it is to be selfish. Some of us grew up hearing this, and we refuse to change our ways, but what we must understand is that God wants us to share what we have; a lot of us find this odd, and we find it hard to do because we don’t want to give up our time, or things to help someone in need, some of us will say well if they don’t have it, not my fault or it’s not my job to give unto people that are in need.

• Philippians 2:3- 4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.

 

•1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his good, but the good of his neighbor.

 

•Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

 

  These verses tell us that we shouldn't be selfish and that we have to count other people's needs more important than our own needs; we have to care about what other people have and don’t have, and we have to bear the burden of others that’s what Jesus did when he was here he bore everyone's burden he even healed the sick, he had counseling at night with Nicodemus, he even had a woman wash his feet when he was at someone’s home having dinner , he wanted people to understand who he was and that was someone that loved with the biggest heart and that care for people more then he cared about his self he wasn’t selfish.

  Are you selfish? Do you just care about yourself and not for others? Even though David wanted water from this stream, it was near a gate in Bethlehem, and three men went and broke through the Philistine lines, drew water, and brought it back to David; he got precisely what he wanted. At that very moment, he could have drunk it and been done with it while everyone else suffered, but he didn’t he poured the water out, how many of us can say we will get what we need and say no because someone else doesn’t have . Through that difficult time or moment of having precisely what he wanted, he thought of others, and sometimes that’s hard to do, to think of others when we got exactly what we needed but to have the mind of Christ, we must think of others.

    1 Samuel 23:15-16 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!  So, the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

    Sometimes, we are selfish because it’s what we have been through. I was in this tough spot in my life, and I went without for a long time; no one would help me; everywhere I turned to said no, and I was comfortable with that, but when I finally got back up on my feet, and I had plenty to eat and plenty to drink, I had everything I needed. I had started carrying this selfishness about myself. The Holy Spirit came to me one day. He said lui, you must open your hands to give so that you can receive. I was afraid that if I gave what I had, what would I have? We must understand that we don’t have to worry about our sleeves when the Holy Spirit instructs us on how to give and who to give to.

 Romans 1:3 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.

   We must learn to please our neighbors, not look at what we have and look at what they have, because the more we do this, the more we close the door to our blessings. It's so easy to turn away from our neighbors, but when we are strong in God and strong in our walk with him, we must be there for the weak; it tells us Christ didn’t do what pleased him; he didn’t do what made him feel good all the time he did whatever he could to help others see, God is speaking to us to step out of selfishness into a life of pleasing others.

  David had a small moment of selfishness when he saw Bathsheba and wanted her in a way that wasn’t right. He went down this rabbit hole of getting back in good standing with God because he saw what he wanted; he didn’t take into account this woman belonged to someone else; he didn’t take into account his relationship with God, and this happens a lot to us when we set our mind on something or someone we make no regard on how this will taint our relationship with God because we let the enemy blind us, sometimes we must pray for God to take the blinders off our eyes so that we may see, how many of us aren’t seeing our selfish ways because we are too busy looking out for me myself and I , we must make time for others in our lives. 

***Today we talked about it being selfish and a lot of us don’t know where to even begin to remove this out of our lives the first step is prayer, we must go to God and pray that he change our ways and our thoughts process about loving others.

Luke 10:33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

We have to have pity on others but we can’t get to pity until we deal with our rooted issues , we can’t take pity until we let God change your heart condition, some of us have conditions of the heart that can’t be change until we have God change our heart ,

Verse 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

He took the extra step and he bandaged and pour oil and wine on him he went the extra step to make sure this man was taken care of . Do you take the extra step to see about others , do you place your selfish ways to the side to take care of others . How often do we stop and see about even our neighbors .

Verse 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

How much mercy can you give to someone in need ? How many times do we take pity and mercy on others , if we don’t feel any pity or any mercy we might need to ask God to remove whatever in our heart out the way so we can be like Christ even in our actions.

©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, please help us not be selfish but depend on you alone.  Help us not to look at what we have and not want to bless others; help us to desire to bless others regardless of what we think; help us to hear you when you speak, lord we give you every part of ourselves to change, lord we know we have parts of ourselves that need work but we ask you to continue to help us through our challenging time to see you lord we need more of you help us to make time for you in Jesus Name Amen

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REFERENCES

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+ Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ

 

+ Hebrews 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

 

+ Romans 8:2 But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

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FURTHER READINGS

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Proverbs 30

Leviticus 30

Mark 8

Exodus 2

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