#I always see these around but couldn't find a Bible-specific one

[delopsia]

i don’t remember if we ever see rhett’s truck parked in with the rest of his family’s, but wouldn’t it be interesting* (*sad) that he parks so far away because growing up he used to just up and leave? like, go for drives whenever he wanted just around wabang or the surrounding rural roads and whatnot? maybe even to the next town or towns over if it was early enough and had free time? never too alarmingly far away, but just to get away because he finally could? he bought that truck fair and square with his own money and his own labor.

he made royal (specifically) and cecilia nervous with his coming and going.

he always got his work and his chores done, and was always (mostly) at school when he needed to be, so they didn’t really have grounds to punish him. but one day cecilia brought it up like “rhett we’d like you to stay in tonight, okay? no more driving around at all hours...”

rhett just kinda rolls his eyes and nods to humor her, like, i’m eighteen now, ma.

until he goes out that night because he can’t sleep and sees he’s been boxed in.

the visual of it at first is jarring because cecilia had been so calm in her request that he didn’t realize it was actually a demand? or maybe she didn’t trust him to listen so she had the rest of their family try to physically keep him there at home with them...

it took a little maneuvering; he hit perry’s truck behind him and just barely missed the front edge of the house, but he got out—and maybe he stayed out? maybe it was summer vacation and he stayed with a friend from school who was still around.

cecilia did worry about where her youngest was, while ultimately being preoccupied with amy—but royal? royal just realized how much harder it was going to be to keep rhett down.

Now this is a hell of a concept omg 🌷forgive me, I got...a little too carried away with the concept of Rhett running away from home 💃

There's a very, very brief instance in episode 5 when Cecelia catches Autumn snooping around in their house, where you can very briefly see Rhett's truck sitting next to Cecelia's. But I think that's the only time he parks near them? And it's the middle of the day, so he may not even be parked there for long.

I only knew this because a while back, I spent a few hours trying to identify the make and year of his truck. General consensus: It's a 2nd Gen GMC Sierra 1500, made between 1999 and 2006. Regular cab with Indigo Blue Metallic paint.

Rhett just? Out? Wandering around in his truck? Finally, no longer restricted to the few miles his old horse and his own two feet can take him? 😭 Behind the wheel of his old new truck is the most amount of control he's ever had in his life; Royal isn't there to chastise him for small details, Cecelia isn't nervously breathing down his neck, doesn't have to worry about Perry reporting him to Royal. He's free to explore for the first time, venturing down roads just to see where they take him,

I like to think he was clever and made sure the vehicle was put in his name so that his parents couldn't take it and hold it over his head for punishment. And he's lucky he did it because Royal's grappling for control over him again, loading him down with extra work in hopes of tiring him into staying home, and Cecelia's of the 'you're up to no good if you're out past 8PM' mindset.

And now, all of a sudden, the ladies in her bible study are talking about how someone saw Rhett at the gas station at 11PM, saying how the devil is getting ahold of her youngest. And Cecelia's poor religious heart is so worried about what others think of her parenting that she tightens the reins on Rhett. But Rhett's always been one to resist, so while he's in the shower, the rest of the Abbotts play a game of car shuffle and box him in.

The problem is that they've literally raised their boys to use their heads to get out of a bind...and that morning, Cecelia walks into the kitchen to find Perry just "😑told you it wouldn't work." And a part of me thinks that Perry saw him leave, but this is one of his rare moments where he understands just how suffocating their parents can be, so he lets Rhett go. And at the end of the day, he's got a toddler to look after; he doesn't have the time nor the energy to police his grown-ass, little brother.

Omg, wait, wait, wait, Rhett, having a little summer adventure? 💃

I have this useless little headcanon that, because of Rhett having a June birthday, he was one of the youngest in his grade. He didn't turn eighteen until nearly a month after he'd graduated from high school, and that is the only reason he graduated in the first place. So maybe this gives him a big, "Well, I'm eighteen now. I can do whatever the hell I want!" moment.

As soon as he realized he was boxed in, he packed a bag and left with the intention of never coming back ❤ He crashes on a friend's couch for a few nights before wandering out into the world. Venturing down strange highways and into cities he's never seen before, and within a few weeks, makes a connection that gets him a job at a cattle ranch. Pays better than Royal ever did, and he makes a new friend that helps him sneak back to Wabang to nab his horse. There isn't a way in hell that he's leaving his baby back there for long.

He stays there for months, doing his own thing and feeling sore about how he left things back home. But he's enjoying himself. Taking late-night rides with new friends, exploring new places and things. He takes up steer wrestling, some old timer teaches him to play the harmonica, and he tries sushi for the first time.

Back at home, Cecelia reports him as missing because once he came back for his horse, it became very clear that he wasn't planning on coming back. Lying to the police isn't new for them, and they manage to construe a story that gets Wabang PD looking for Rhett.

Rodeo season is the only reason they find him because the one thing eighteen-year-old Rhett cannot give up is bull-riding. And who would have thought that a big News station would be covering one night and that he would wind up being broadcast on every television in the area? Once the police lead Royal to where Rhett's been hiding staying, it's all over.

And maybe the reason he sleeps in his truck is because he's clinging to that little taste of freedom he had when he just turned eighteen...

💃💃🏻💃🏼💃🏽💃🏾💃🏿

[saints-who-never-existed]

Bamboo, daffodil, mahonia, and papyrus for the flower ask game

Some loooong answers here, I'm afraid. I simply couldn't help myself! :)

Bamboo - Do you change into a different outfit when you get home?

Oh, 1000% percent yes!

The second I get home my jewellery is chucked in a box, my shoes hoofed into the nearest cupboard, my bra goes flying across the room like a slingshot to hit the floor with an audible thump, and my jim-jams are on for the evening!

Daffodil - Do you have siblings? If yes, in what ways do you think you’re similar to or different from them?

I'm sandwiched in the middle of two brothers. We're close in age - one is two years older, the other two years younger and we get along great!

My big brother is a little more like me personality-wise, I reckon. We're both very solid and dependable sort of people whereas my younger brother, god bless him, is and always has been the flakiest, most chaotic wee bastard on the planet.

I'd say the biggest thing we all have in common is our sense of humour which is absurd, filthy, and pretty sick at times if I'm honest. We're especially big fans of creative insults often rich in word-play and so silly that they can never actually be taken to heart, just begrudgingly appreciated. It was my birthday the other week and I received some lovely cards from the pair of them - one calling me a "chuckling fuck-biscuit" and the other calling me, simply, "weasel-tits".

Call me crazy but I find a delightful sort of poetry in nonsense like that!

Mahonia - What place/thing/activity inspires you most and how do you express yourself when it does?

Well, one thing I've always found hugely inspiring is nature in general and more specifically, the landscape around the loch near my home back in Scotland.

I've always been interested in mythology and religion and folklore but often found difficulty when it came to actually, truly believing in any of it. So I asked myself - 'Well, what do I believe in? What does inspire that level of devotion and ecstasy in me?' - and the answer was the land itself.

I was at art school at the time and found expression in planning and conducting a personal pilgrimage through several key locations around the loch. I created my own mythology of sorts weaving lots of different ideas and material together - fire and earth, stone and water, mothers, maidens and crones. My trek culminated in climbing my own personal 'Holy Mountain' - the highest in the region. And when I came down again, I made all sorts of things including a short film (which was shite lol), a series of sculptures in a variety of materials like stone, wood and wax, and the pièce de résistance - a pilgrim's guide/bible/grimoire.

I made the paper itself from scratch, I wrote the whole thing laboriously out by hand, and bound it lovingly together and it's still one of my favourite things I ever made.

Papyrus - If you put your ‘On Repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? What do you like about it/associate it with?

A lovely version of a song I've loved forever!

Not only is it just rollicking good fun, it's also a very entertaining challenge to see just how many verses you can add and how fast you can sing them before you run out of breath entirely!

It's a great song for drinking to but I discovered years ago that, oddly enough, babies also go absolutely wild for it? I think it's the rhythm and repetition they respond well to.

I've come to associate it with my nieces in particular as I have a lovely memory of singing it to them when they were younger. There I was - 4 month-old niece cradled expertly in one arm, lulled to sleep by my dulcet tones, and 5 year-old niece hanging from my other arm, spinning me round in an exuberant jig and having the time of her tiny wee life. <3

[birdco]

OnG its a TOYTTINN

(Not his ref sheet, I just wanted to post this and obesse over him. Also i dont know how to explain my ocs, so this is gonna be unorganized. )

So he's my oc, Toytin. And I love him very much. And he is literally physically incapable of being rude.

I made him 7'1 (big.) and the son of Baphomet. In my universe, there is layers upon layers of lore that can differentiate my hell from the hell in the bible. In this case, Baphomet is the pure embodiment of hell (his presence keeps it alive.) And is basically a copy of Lucifer.

Anyway.

He's half goat, you really can't tell because he is a doll- Like literally, his family was knitted and sewn by Baphomet himself. The only person besides Baphomet in his family that's organic is his mother, who was a angelic species used as tools

He's very special, and when I say special I mean he's autistic.

Toytin is infamous for his energetic behavior. He accepts anyone, actually. Well, besides food. Specifically meat, and that's because for the majority of his childhood/teen years (he's 16.) He grew up as a puppet. He's -quite literally- is crochet. His family dynamic was very dystopian. More joblike than family. And he had a big use in it.

The reason why Baphomet went to earth in the first place was his plan of conquest of earth. You see, between heaven and hell theres only one earth. And each fight over it to gain the bigger resource.

This is why he created a makeshift family to fulfill his greed. Toytins' role in the family is only a role for one. He's supposed to stay locked in a forest, in a trance, until a being approaches him. He befriends the person and takes them to his home, usually getting them to stay the night. Then they go missing in the morning.

He was obvious to what he was doing. and he always did this once a week. He just thought his friends left early, unaware his friends were his breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Baphomet grew a nasty habit of eating people.)

After finding out the real reason why they go missing- After breaking the cycle and finding his friend nearly butchered-His family turned into a guards system, protecting Baphomet. Toytin had no other choice but to fight them, as either they'd kill him or he'd kill them.

In the end, he banishes/sends Baphomet back to hell-By killing him..- yet Baphomet didn't permanently die. He just couldn't go to earth until the 'portal' was opened.

He's able to escape the forest-Barely alive due to his injuries.- And is taken to a hospital (He's found by a passerby known as Caleb.) Caleb stays with him, mighty curious as to what the thing is he found and takes great pity on him.

When Toytin is finally discharged Caleb takes him into his hooves (Caleb's a Llama.) And finds a man who can fit Toytin into his home. A manticore in the shader aprtd of town named Mars, he's around Toytins age aswell, making the meeting perfect.

So Caleb, a close friend to Mars, Gets Mars to take Toy in. Mars home situation isn't the best for Toy to live on. The home is a wooden antique shop, shut down a decade ago or so. It was practically given to Mars for free, and it has Mar's own shine on it now.

Now, for a short character bio, Mars is a short (5'11) Albino manticore. He works at a small diner nearby (where he met Caleb.) And nobody seems to really know where he came from. Not as if it mattered to them though, Mars had many enemies and little friends due to his sharp temperament. Which, in a way, was the polar opposite of Toytins.

But despite holding a grudge Mars grows close to Toytin. Mars immediately disliked Toytins loud, joyful personality but they had similar experiences in life. It caused them to grow strongly connected.

But even with such a strong hate, after a while of being together, Mars finds himself attracted to Toy. And when "sick" for a month, he advances on Toytin, and sleeps with him. (ALSO. Now both of them are 18 atp.)

For once, knowingly sinning, Toytin has a existential crisis. And tries to redeem himself by using magic -incapable of accepting his flaws.- he creates a near-death experience he has eith his father.

Now, let me explain his deep connection to Baphomet. Because Baphomet made Toytin, Baphomet has the "doll" that controls Toytin. Yet, when he was killed and the doll was lost the connection between them broke (This connection was similar to a hiveminds, their consciousness connected.). The "experiment" Toy performed rebonded this connection. And in a need for vengeance and power, Baphomet ate at the potential.

First, he'd wake up in the middle of the night at the spot where his old home was. After, He nearly killed Mars in a accident at school. And finally, jumping at the chance, when Mars and Toytin were playing a video game together Baphomet sucked both of their consciousness into the game. That game he turned into a vessel, straight to hell.

Okay, okay, let me explain how it works. In this universe, or my theory is that the consciousness can be broken and ascended different dimensions. Your consciousness is the only thing in your body that doesn't go by pattern, it's ideas are completely natural. So, with a disconnected consciousness. A force in another dimension could possibly take you -If your mind broke enough.-

What about Mars however? How did he get in? It was a simple error on Baphomets part, and if I ever post his lore it'll explain it.

-

Thats kinda all of the lore I want to share/have the mental capacity, too. Sorry if it's generic. Anyway, boombayah.

[l-pandamatic-l]

Young Sheldon OC introduction. ( Don't judge me. I have Asperger's and relate highly to Sheldon's character )

It was a typical Sunday morning. I was woken up by the complaints of my little brother as momma shook him awake, leaving me to drag myself sluggishly out of my own bed.

I pulled on my usual Sunday dress, a light purple with little lace ruffles around the bell-shaped sleeves. Then, my Mary Janes and my typical piggy-tails were next. My favourite bows dawned the top of each one.

My family, after clambering into the crowded minivan, scrambled into the church, momma finding her friends to gossip as they stood outside, my dad finding a pew near Mr. Vince and his buddies. My brother was dropped off at the kids section and I was left alone, next to the Coopers. Again. They had been the talk of the town lately. Georgie apparently knocked up some older girl. It was insane the things people 'round here said about the Coopers because of it. I kinda felt bad.

I turn to see Sheldon. He lived a few houses down from me. I hang around his grandma's video store pretty often. Especially since Missy comes around sometimes. She's in my class with me at school and we hang out a lot. She constantly complains that I'm too much like her brother. Mainly because I watch the shows he does too. Things like Star-Trek, or StarWars. Yoda is my favourite character. Either him or Han Solo, I always liked the rebellious ones.

Missy says 'hi' but she's alot more quiet than usual. Really skittish, too. Must be the rumours that've been flying around. I smile and say 'hi', giving her a hug before I hear my momma gasp, pulling me out of the seat and away from the Coopers. I roll my eyes and follow her, unfortunately sitting across from my friends.

-------------------------

Sheldon's outburst surprised the church, and everyone inside it was silent for the rest of the sermon. I went home, his words curling around my head, momma's too. Everything he said made so much sense. Why did we preach about loving everyone no matter the circumstances but treat the Coopers this way?

I glanced at Momma and frowned. She was such a hypocrite. I spent the rest of that day locked up in my room, reading through my bible. It didn't make any sense to me anymore. I couldn't figure out specifically why, though. Like everything I'd known was suddenly just some story in some old book.

I had to get help. I knew just where to go, too.

-------------------------

I knocked on the Coopers' door. Mrs. Cooper opened it with her usual smile, eyes slightly red, either from anger or crying. I didn't want to find out.

"Is... Is Sheldon here?" I asked, cheeks pink. It must've been awkward,. showing up like this after all that happened yesterday.

"Shelly," Mrs. Cooper called through the house, "That nice girl from down the street's here to see you!"

She welcomed me inside and I was met with a begrudging Sheldon walking down the hall, a look of surprise on his face when he saw me.

"Oh, hello, Maggie." He said, monotone voice ringing through the empty living room.

"Hey, Sheldon. I uh... I need some help." I say, pulling out my bible, "With this. I thought about what you said on Sunday. And I think you have a point. I'm confused. And I need your... sciencey things explained to help."

His face lit up and suddenly I was whisked away to his room, filled with trains and Professor Proton posters, missing the way his mother leaned over to her husband and said,

"Oh George, he's got a friend. Maybe there still are some good people at church."

[booksbwaybadflower]

Inktober Challenge!

Bible verse edition!

Day 1: Your favorite verse about fear Day 2: A line from your favorite parable Day 3: Favorite quote from Jesus Day 4: Verse that was relevant to your life once Day 5: Verse that reminds you of someone Day 6: Verse that reminds you of a specific event Day 7: A line that's also in a song Day 8: Verse with multiple meanings to you Day 9: Verse you would be willing to graffiti somewhere Day 10: The hardest verse to live by Day 11: A verse that used to mean something different to you than it does now Day 12: Verse you're tired of hearing Day 13: A verse that makes you excited for the future Day 14: Favorite Psalm or proverb Day 15: Your favorite verse about sadness Day 16: Your favorite verse about love Day 17: Your favorite verse about anger Day 18: Your favorite verse about God Day 19: Your favorite verse about creation Day 20: Verse that you interpret differently than most people Day 21: Verse that makes you feel powerful Day 22: Verse that blows you away Day 23: A verse you believe defines Christianity Day 24: A verse that helped you in a time of crisis Day 25: Sum up your life in one verse Day 26: A verse you've memorized Day 27: Verse that keeps you going Day 28: The verse you put in social media bios Day 29: Verse you wish everyone knew Day 30: Verse you love to analyze Day 31: A favorite verse you haven't yet lettered

(Bonus: try not to use the same verse between multiple days!)

Use #inktoberverses to tag your calligraphy!

[purposelynana]

Vegas And Pete, An Essay.

Genuinely I did not watch any KinnPorsche before episode 12. I tried to watch episode 1 and then nah I just couldn't take any of that seriously. Then, I decided to just saw it through GIF and clip which scattered around Tumblr and Twitter. But episode 12 is really the one that changed the game for me.

It's always fascinating to watch a broken relationship. That's why, subjectively Love Mechanics is such a dear to my heart. Because its depiction about love is truly ugly. Because in real life those unfortunate situations could happen to you despite its trigger warning. It sparked discussions whether it was about the stupidity surrounding its characters, or perhaps the plot which is closer to makjang rather than an actual young-adult romance show. To me this kind of tropes is constantly evolving and left me with so much new perspective.

And then came, episode 12 of KP. We came so far from dead-fish kissing era. KP's love scenes already proved that. But there was something different in Vegas and Pete, something sinister lurking behind the shots and lighting. Everything was designed to be weird and strange. And hell, I can't stop thinking about it. It seemed like a B-movie because of the Dutch angles, but at the same time the lightning and its colors reminds me with Wong Kar Wai's stuff. Okay. This sounds like a complete bonkers. It was by no any means that this series is an outstanding piece of art. It still has plenty of problems but that particular scene, it did something to me. It was so unsettling and yet, we kept watching it to kill time. Why? Is this some kind of foreshadowing? Is it me being dramatic ass bitch? After all this is just some tv-show that will probably gonna sit comfortably at the back of my mind.

In addition of the technical aspect of the scene, we moved into a rather controversial point and generate its own conversation revolving that. Which is the treatment of BDSM practice. Yep. People have their own takes, it's fine. A lot of discussion narrowed to one specific thing. Trauma can lead someone to their preferable sexual activity but I dunno I'm not a psychologist and certainly not a BDSM practicer. Yet, it was rather engaging to find discussion and people trying to give their analysis for that matter. And to me, it felt like I was gaining new knowledge.

Vegas is still maddening piece of shit. The series didn't walk away from his horrendous attitude that had been portrayed in the novel. But the screenwriter clearly removing a few harmful traits which makes him yeah not so far from redemption, even though, subjectively, he doesn't need any redemption arcs. What for? We love a character who's proud being a bad guy.

Meanwhile, Pete. Ah Pete. What a treat to get something as complex as him. If this is called VegasPete The Series, it would be wonderful to see what makes him, him. Is it child abuse? Is it the days that he spend during Vegas' captivity? What is it? What is it that makes him entrancing? Because to me he never stood out, he was lurking in the back, and the choice of production team to made him as invisible as possible paid off because by the time he was on his own story arc, he was explosive.

Oh God.

The acting, oh my god. Rarely I found a pairing that complete each other in terms of acting. The last time is definitely Ohm and Nanon. And now this. Whatever BoC did on their workshop, it worked. My god. I was bawling to see the emotional scenes. I was relieved when finally they got their happy ending. I was mad because maybe I'm not going to see such a brilliance in a long time. BIBLE BUILD RULESSSSSS!!!!

In conclusion, it seems conflicted for me to recommend KinnPorsche because as a whole series this is not the greatest thing out there. In fact, I have so much disapproval towards everything except the cinematography and how they handled VegasPete. It felt like all over the place. It appeared to be that the 3 directors who helmed this, never consulted with each other. So, sometimes it did sense like 3 different series put into one.

Now I wonder someone on youtube make a VegasPete cut. Come on universe do your thing.

a very suitable song for vegaspete indeed.

[death-witch-speaks]

Devotional Writing #5- Musings on Death Work

It's no great secret that the majority of what I do consists of energy work, divination, death work, or a combination of the three.

I spent the first four years I was practicing only doing energy work, to the point I can sense minute changes in energy around me, even when incredibly distracted or working on something else. I can figure out the energy of whatever or whoever is around me with startling accuracy, because I couldn't rely on anything but my own interpretation of the energy around me for so long.

I have a talent in divination. Tarot cards and pendulums are some of my favorite materials to work with, and I could probably rant about the beauty of the weight of paper in regards to tarot for far too long. The simple beauty of having good, solid objects in your hands, helping you to interpret the things you are already feeling or sensing, is something I am more than happy to have around me.

Death work is my passion. I do death work more than anything else, finding joy in speaking with spirits who have been long forgotten, children lost to time, those who just need someone to be in their corner again.

Combining all of these things has never really been anything other than extremely natural for me, seeing as they are all things that I already have talents in being combined into different ways to help those who can no longer help themselves.

Finding death work, finding ways to help those who have come before me and those that will pass on during my time, that is something I can never be grateful enough for. Hades has helped me in more ways than I can ever fully explain, especially when it comes to realizing the importance of my specific brand of death work.

I started out, before I met May, with just honoring and helping the forgotten dead. They still hold a special place in my heart (and it just-so-happens a lot of the forgotten dead are children nobody ever had a record of), and I am extremely happy to have started my journey with them.

Tending cemeteries is something my grandma and I do together, and we have since I was a very small child. It was there that I learned exactly how many people time has forgotten, to the point their final resting places are in complete disrepair.

I have worked tirelessly next to my grandma repairing these places, making them better for the spirits that live there, remembering those that time has forgotten with the respect they have always deserved.

I have been told the stories of generations past, listening carefully at the feet of my great grandmother as she spoke of the reality of her childhood, of what it was like to be poor in a time it seemed like nobody was, and how that affected her relationship with things like food, money, clothing, etc.

I have first hand accounts of things that you will never find in history books, the untold stories of generations past, gently relayed in hushed tones and carefully written histories.

I have seen the old family bibles, the only record of so many births and deaths, with the swooping handwriting of old being the last reminder that these people had ever lived and died.

I have held the cemetery records for relations long past, pacing out the ground to find whereabouts their body had to have been, as their headstone had fallen so far into disrepair it was completely illegible.

I have wept with my grandma at the sight of headstones, plucked from their place and thrown around like they didn't matter at all.

At the sight of headstones placed randomly against trees instead of repaired like they should have been, the body they once marked now lost to anyone who enters.

At the sight of graveyards and cemeteries so overgrown you can't hope to find a readable headstone anymore.

I have walked in the family woods, silently mourning for the people who had walked the paths before me, wishing they could experience the cool breeze on their faces one last time, feel the peace that comes with being utterly surrounded by the calm blanket of nature.

I have felt the sorrow of untimely death, tasted the bittersweet memory of life. I have rejoiced in the release of finally being free of pain, cried with mothers whose children were taken far too young.

I have spent years pointing out which fence rows probably had bodies buried on them, collecting bones and rocks and feathers, passing comfortably through cemeteries and graveyards like they were welcoming me home.

I have spent hours upon hours discussing how to help the spirits around me with Hades and Persephone, seeking out Their guidance and doing everything I could to learn what They wanted me to learn.

I have understood for a long time the elation of living comes with the pain of death, and the pain of living can come with the elation of death. You cannot have one without the other, they are not mutually exclusive, and every single person will react differently to their own fragile mortality.

-Jae

Hades/Persephone Discord || Asks

[book-o-scams]

Ed, Edd n Eddy Series Bible (1996) -Analysis-

You can all finally read/download Ed, Edd n Eddy's official Series Bible right here! Thanks again to Chuckletons for sharing this with me and to Joey/Kongiscool0518 for sharing it in the first place, the Holy Grail of lost Ed, Edd n Eddy trivia!

One of the first posts I made for this blog was the Series Bible page. It was a composite of every source we had ever seen reference the series bible so far-- storyboarders in interviews, CN's old character guides, and the biggest source, an old CN UK posting about the show. Well, I figure now that we have the official source, I better update the old page (so everyone knows it's out of date), and make this new Series Bible post using the official source! Not much new information, but I was intrigued to finally learn the true phrasings of some things we had only heard paraphrased, as well as at least one detail from the movie that I couldn't believe came up this early in conception...

Unfortunately, Tumblr has apparently updated its post system to only let me add 10 images? Gonna try and only use images for what I need since you can read the actual document above, I guess I'll transcribe it too for easier reference and so we don't ever lose some archive of this.

Quickly, let's review what a series bible is:

A series bible is how creators pitch shows to networks. They can be called “pitch bibles” as well. Bibles do not usually get posted publicly, because they are initially under a strict Non-Disclosure Agreement by the network; also the creator may simply not wish to share it because it reflects the earliest stages of development.

The pitch materials typically include early concepts for characters, locations and episodes. Sometimes it exposes secrets, in this case, Ed and Eddy’s home lives, and sometimes the stuff in it is completely abandoned because it’s so early in production, in this case, casual references to school and adults.

Alright, everybody, it's time to gather 'round and read the Ed, Edd n Eddy Bible!

THE YEAR IS 1996.

YOUR NAME IS LINDA SIMENSKY. YOU WORK AT CARTOON NETWORK. A FRIEND OF YOURS, DANNY ANTONUCCI, IS WRAPPING UP A SHOW ON MTV. YOU GET THIS FAX.

Linda Simensky immediately fell in love with this concept because as a child, she was best friends with 2 other Lindas for seemingly no reason other than the shared name.

I love how Danny decided last second to pencil in the correct names over each Ed, since they're arranged out of title-order.

"They're friends because they have the same name."

-the Logline for the series.

Fun fact: one storyboard artist for the movie observed that the movie is essentially all about challenging the series' original notion that the Eds are friends ONLY because of their name.

"A Danny Antonucci Cartuna"

-the label Danny used to use under announcements of new productions.

PAGE 1:

Ed, Edd n Eddy

They're best friends because they have the same name.

A gag laden, beat generated CARTOON bumper car ride of 3 misfit youths on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs of America.

Through summer vacation, part-time jobs, or just hang'n out at the corner mail box, they want to belong....but CAN'T.

From home chores, helping neighbors or eating jaw breakers, they want to fit in...but CAN'T.

Ed is into "B" monster movies, model kits and is quick to break out into rashes.

Lots of luck...

Edd is into chemistry, biology and prone to crushes.

Later...

Eddy is into pranks, is stylish and flaunts himself to the world.

Ya Right...

Ed, Edd n Eddy is a show about confusion and contradiction, that awkward part of youth, pimples, big feet, oily hair and... girls???.

Puberty is unforgiving.

I was fascinated by the lack of art on this page, it makes the pitch feel very focused. AKA logo in the corner, the title logo again up top, then the logline appears again below.

I really love the breakdown of Danny's vision of the show. "Gag-laden, beat-generated, CARTOON bumper ride." Very accurate, and I think "beat-generated" is the phrase that interests me the most. I typically think of "animation beats" as sort of a give-in-- technically all things fit a rhythm, so all stories are essentially just a montage of beats. But this does make me realize how important the strength of the beats and their rhythm are to the pacing of a cartoon and making you feel like "that was a good one." I feel like the "seasonal rot" viewers feel over the course of a show, and the way that perception differs from person to person, depends on the type of beats you want. Even though I am very into the experimental beats of a show in its later seasons, I can definitely see how season 1's beats are more typically appealing to a wide-audience, and how important a focus on that is to the longevity of a show.

I found it really interesting how the scams are initially conceived of here as "summer jobs." It adds to the sense that adults were originally meant to be present. Honestly a little surprised nobody with access to this bible had ever thought to mention that-- scams are not referenced ANYWHERE. Their image in the Series Bible is that they have summer jobs and help neighbors, which is certainly a much cleaner reputation than the Eds ended up with in the show. Makes me realize though, were some of the early scams, like Ed's Hive Bee Gone and their newspaper routes, supposed to be leaning into this early idea of them with almost legit jobs for unseen adults?

I was very amused by the repeated phrase that the Eds simply CAN'T fit in.

Loved to finally see the official phrasing for the confirmation that Peach Creek is in America. Not much different than I was led to believe, but still nice to have the true quote.

Also love Eddy being described as "stylish and flaunting himself to the world." The bold-print reactions to each micro-description is a cute idea too, I truly wonder who we were meant to picture saying those things in reaction. Each Ed? Kevin?

The "corner mail box" is an oddly specific phrase-- the Eds do hang around mailboxes throughout the series, especially seasons 1-3, and I believe the canon map does have a corner mailbox, but the idea that the Eds hang out at one specific mailbox went the way of Bro's supposed secret treehouses.

PAGE 2:

Ed, Edd n Eddy

Show Description

Gag laden. True cartoon style, inventive, non parody, fast paced, stretch and squash

Beat driven. (even when characters stop they hold with a bounce cycle. Adults never bounce. Music can play important part, not just fill.) But not a musical.

Cartoon surrealism. (viewers see the show as Ed, Edd n Eddy would, less important things tend to blend into the background, while objects of Ed, Edd n Eddy's desires are focused. Premise driven.)

The school year's over, (yeah!!!!) and the long HOT summer vacation begins (gulp). What to do?

Stuck on a cul-de-sac in the suburbs of America is the last place you want to spend summer break, especially when you find life confusing and contradicting.

Ed, Edd n Eddy is about friendship, and serves to remind us that they're no "good ole days," just smelly runners.

You can tackle anything, when your with your pals.

Their days are spent, for knowledge, acceptance and some cash for jaw breakers. Armed with pimples, big feet and oily hair the three amigos trek into the unknown.

Ed, Edd n Eddy are dying to be grown-ups, but they're kids, and attack adulthood as only kids would. Simple situations turn into a manic rollercoaster ride. (Don't forget your barf bag).

They just want to belong, and they're willing to pull off any insane stunt to prove it. First they need to figure out what it is they want to belong to.

Found it interesting that on this page, the show's logo is replaced with the title written in a jumbled font. Seems like the font from the show's end credits.

Hehe, the continued reactions to the descriptions. Allow me to be Double D for a moment and point out the increased use of parentheticals on this page, as well as one wrong "your".

I love Danny's insight that season 1 is framed by the context of how hyped everyone still is just to be out of school, but also the sense of pressure to make use of their break.

I really appreciate Danny getting further into the details of his summary of the show's style on the previous page. It only makes sense that he had this much of a vision that early.

A second confirmation of the cul-de-sac being in America! I'm also really into the repeated focus on the Eds finding the world "contradicting." I always loved how EEnE's inexplicable cartoon antics supported that sense that the Eds are highly aware of contradictions in both societal things and the actual characters.

WOW, so I'm fascinated by this dual reveal. Before the wiggling outlines, which Danny usually calls a "boiling line" and describes as a tribute to wiggling inking in early animation, the series bible instead refers to him wanting the characters to do the iconic Fleischer "bounce," which is a much more commonly recognized rubberhose animation technique. Very interesting that Danny decided not to stick to that. Did it feel too out of place? Or was the overseas team not willing to animate a weight-shifting for every single held pose? Haha, guess I can see why boiling was an easier compromise. I wonder if he had any other ideas for how to make it more of a 1930s cartoon.

The other reveal to me here is that the movie's choice, that adults don't always wiggle in the show, was an idea from the very beginning! I guess I can better understand now why it's just too difficult to communicate a stylistic choice like that overseas-- no point making Bro not wiggle, that'd just create confusion.

Also, really disappointed that my wish for a musical is officially squashed in the series bible itself. That's a tragedy. The show's over, ya couldn't let me dream, Danny!? Conversely, I love Danny's forethought to say "non parody," I definitely noticed and appreciated EEnE's avoidance of derivative parody humor.

My spouse had to point out to me that Danny probably means sneakers here, lol. Canadianisms!

The comments about the Eds wanting to grow up but needing to figure out what they want to belong to are so great and relate to the movie so well. I've heard those comments before, but the correct phrasing was cool to see.

PAGE 3:

Ed, Edd n Eddy (image of Ed in right corner)

Character Description

Ed

Attention deficiency syndrome.

He has trouble...

He can't....um...

OK, he draws all day in class.

When Eddy gets a bright idea...Ed's in.

Ed is easily talked into doing Eddy's "hard work". He has great physical strength.

Ed's happiest with his Model kits and B-monster movies. He draws his knowledge from his movies.

Ed smells. Flies are attracted to him.

Ed has sayings for all situations

ED: "you can change your shirt, and Bingo was his name..."

Ed's perpetually a slave to his younger sister's whims and whines.

Ed may have to baby-sit his sister, or let her watch whatever she wants on TV, or let her dress him up in mom's clothes.

Ed breaks out in Rashes. He's allergic to practically everything, especially Guinea Pigs.

Ed's Mom xerox's his sketches and doodles for her therapist.

Ed's Dad hopes to pass on to his son, his knowledge on "pre-owned" auto sales.

Very cute bit wasting the space at the top of the page. Danny seems very invested in Ed's personality already. The old sources we used to have definitely tried to condense these down to simpler blurbs.

Weird how Danny wants to essentially diagnose Ed with ADHD here (phrasing it very poorly, but it was the 90s and... Canada?). I don't know enough on the subject to debate it, but I still gotta point out Ed's canonical cracked skull!

Interested in the comment about Ed being most allergic to Guinea Pigs. I don't think that animal was ever even mentioned in the show. Eddy mentioned an old gerbil once....

Neat to finally have the real phrasing of the official word on Ed's parents! I saw someone comment earlier that this seems to be hinting Ed's Dad is selling stolen cars. I've never thought to question the legality of his apparent second-hand-car dealership (I imagined he works with Eddy's dad, who has received a legitimate award for his salesmanship), but those quotation marks are certainly making Mr. Ed's practices questionable! Best case scenario, Danny meant that more like italics or something, but maybe Ed's dad IS up to no good...

PAGES 4 & 5 (Ed's turn sheet and expression sheet)

PAGE 6:

Ed, Edd n Eddy (image of Edd in right corner)

Character Description

Edd

is really smart.

is really quiet.

Edd is unnaturally-- polite.

Edd hasn't been allowed to take gym ever since the Dodge ball incident. He's been excused to free study time in the library.

Edd doesn't like it when people touch his things.

EDD: "You may enter in my room, but don't touch my Lego robot. Thank you."

Edd's learning to play Peddle steel guitar. (his Mom makes him)

Edd's prone to "crushes". Girls in School, in his neighborhood, TV, anatomy books. He mails "true loves" his socks.

Edd is always ready for action, even though he can calculate the implications.

Edd constantly mumbles.

No one ever sees Edd's parents. They both work nights. They communicate to their son solely through Post-it notes. Edd's not allowed to touch anything in the house while they're gone. Anything.

Interesting how Danny slightly differentiates the barely-used space at the top here from Ed's description, to characterize Edd as more quiet and mumbly, adding an awkward "--" mid-sentence, perhaps to create the impression that Edd halts to choose words carefully.

Everything on this page feels familiar, from the character guides and other old sources. The most interesting thing to me here is that Edd's Mom forcing him to practice Pedal Steel Guitar is established this early, don't think I knew that, but I had noticed that it existed in his room from ep 1.

I love how the explanation in the beginning for why Edd goes along with their dumb schemes even though he's smart is basically just "he's always ready for action." ?!? I guess in a way???

That weirdly phrased Edd quote amuses me because it references Lego, just like the original concept background for his room before somebody nixed the copyright-namedrop.

Edd's prone to crushes thing has been reaffirmed over and over in character bios even though it really doesn't come up outside of the cupid magic in HPH and the pilot-episode heart eyes at Sarah that are barely canon. Still, I've always loved the truly disturbing statement that he mails "his true loves his socks" and how that managed to make it into canon with a comic book example, a cel animation example and a digital era example.

PAGES 7 & 8 (Edd's turn sheet and expression sheet)

PAGE 9:

Ed, Edd n Eddy (image of Eddy in right corner)

Character Description

Eddy

Exhibitionist.

Megalomaniac. (quote from his report card)

Eddy is the unofficial leader of the trio.

He's always got a plan, a stunt or a weird noise.

Eddy's the "class clown". He loves showing off. He loves being the centre of attention-- no matter how stupid the reason is.

Eddy is the only kid in his grade to have been expelled for aw hole week from school. It was his turn to set up the video for science class. He switched "Our Friend Yeast", for a video he "borrowed" from his parent's room.

Before Eddy's brother went....away, he enlightened Eddy with the "legends" of the neighbourhood. Eddy knows where all the abandoned tree houses are, which sewer pipers are safe to spelunk, and the secret recipe for the "El Mongo Stink Bomb" (it's been in the family for years).

He is the one who is most able to pretend that he knows it all... and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about him.

His genes are working the fastest.

Eddy's Dad is constantly concerned that Eddy may grow up to be a ...figure skater.

Eddy's Mom never believes his little darling was involved in such a heinous act.

Funny choice that Eddy's wasted-top-space is just two one-word descriptions, and allegedly lazily swiped from his negative report card.

Wow, we knew the report card quote and the "Our Friend Yeast" story from the UK show guide, but now we also know Ed's page says that Ed draws in class, and now I realize that Ed and Eddy have series bible school blurbs to match Edd's classic dodgeball incident blurb. Anyway, it's great that Eddy's showed his entire school some sort of sex video his parents have.

Very interested that the phrasing for the Bro/El Mongo Stink Bomb blurb even seems to suggest it's a family recipe. Eddy's Dad did have prankster stuff in his closet in JJJ... did Bro learn his prankster ways from Dad?? The neighborhood's secret tree houses have come up in other descriptions (at best, I'd say this could be related to that creepy shack the Eds found in the woods), but I think it's new info that Eddy personally learned the sewer routes from Bro. Interesting...

Thankfully, I had already heard about the Bible's awkward reference to Eddy being the most pubescent as "his genes are working the fastest," lmao.

Once again the Double D in me comes out to point out that the description of Eddy's Mom seems to switch to the Dad's pronouns.

PAGES 10 & 11 (Eddy's turn sheet and expression sheet)

PAGES 12-14 (Sarah, Jimmy, Rolf, Jonny, Nazz, and Kevin lineup of all 6, then 2 zoomed in lineups of the first 3 kids and last 3 kids)

(Funfact: the kids' designs were allegedly freelanced to an outside studio, hence why their refined later-season designs are so different from these lizardy starting places, lmao)

PAGE 15: (images of Sarah and Jimmy next to their blurbs)

SARAH

Ed's baby Sister.

It's her way or the Highway.

She has everything done for her, if NOT she'll "make" them do it.

She can be quick to judge.

Whinney.

A tatrum for every occasion.

More than a handful for Ed...or Edd and Eddy.

Thinks Edd is kinda cute.

Wants Eddy to MOVE...to another planet.

JIMMY

Sarah's best friend

He is always playing with girls, boys are just too tough.

He is accident prone, when ever we see him he has a different affliction, ie: band-aids, patches, casts, lumps...etc.

He is very clean.

The Ed's frighten him, "They're such brutes".

I'm surprised how much of the UK guide was accurate to what was really in the bible for them! Also surprised Danny misspelled "whiney" and "tantrum," one right after the other. Is this how Sarah spells them? ...Sorry, Danny, I yam what I yam.

PAGE 16: (images of Rolf and Jonny next to their blurbs)

ROLF

First generation of a landed immigrant family.

Nationality not important.

He's proud of his heritage.

He has peculiar traditions and/or customs.

He eats "weird" things.

He has hair on his back..... "yuck".

He confuses the Ed's to no end.

He confuses the other kids to no end.

JONNY 2x4

He is a wanderer and very inquisitive

From early morning to supper time, he is always outside playing, with his buddy, "Plank".

"Plank" is a wooden board that Jonny drew a face on with a crayon.

Jonny has wonderful conversations with Plank. ...Plank is a piece of wood.

Jonny makes himself very "accessible" to the Ed's.

Found it interesting that Rolf's bio is less clearly phrased than the UK bio set it up to be-- there they made it sound more like he mixes up who the Eds/kids are, here it's unclear whether it means that or (more likely) just means the obvious statement that everyone finds him confusing. If it's that, what a lame hollow bio Rolf got. This kid's based on you Danny, show some of that personal side!

Always loved Jonny's description, his life sounds so cute. Playing outside literally all day. Interesting to have it confirmed that Jonny drew Plank's face, I preferred to think the Eds drew him and sold him to Jonny, but whatever.

"Accessible" has always been an important vague description of Jonny to me. It really only applies to how chummy they could be with him in season 1, but it still sorta applies to his personality throughout the series as well.

PAGE 17: (images of Nazz and Kevin next to their blurbs)

NAZZ

She's cool, calm and assertive.

She is the most matured of the kids, or so she thinks.

She's into make-up and fashion magazines and Boys.

Sarah thinks she's awesome, wants to be just like her when she grows up.

When she enters a scene, all activity stops... boys freeze, they sweat, their hearts beat faster and faster. They lose their ability to talk. When she leaves, they recover and conclude it was something They ate.

She thinks the Ed's are funny.

KEVIN

He is cynical and sarcastic.

He thinks he knows the "routine". That's because he watches "60 Minutes".

It got a big laugh out of me that Kevin's description is only 2 sentences long. Nazz even has a more detailed character description from inception than Kevin. Love this for them.

Who's the Eds' rival? Well, he's cynical, sarcastic and he watches 60 Minutes, doesn't that tell you enough!?

I love the "mature... or so she thinks" remark about Nazz, a grounded flaw for her to have, being a little overcommitted to being mature like Eddy. It also perhaps suggests naiveté that makes it a little more reasonable that they didn't notice they were dumbing her down at the end of the series, but I do think the movie version of her better reflects the Bible's concept.

PAGE 18:

The Other Neighborhood Kids

Lineup of May, Lee and Marie.

The Kanker Sisters

These gals are tough. They bother, bully, provoke and bewilder everyone.

They live in a motor home park on the other side of the Cul-de-sac. The other kids have never been there.

They are proud of their Tammy Faye Baker memorabilia.

Their project "Cooking with Ketchup" closed down their school for a whole week.

No one likes them, especially the Eds.

They are determined to marry the Eds. They want them to do their dishes.

Amused that the Kankers are essentially being labeled backgrounds characters here, the role they mostly fell into in season 5. "Other" neighborhood kids...

I love that the Kankers have a school blurb to match each of the Eds', and that theirs has similar destructive-intentions to Eddy's video premiere story.

I believe all of this was all known from the UK guide as well, but still, neat stuff!

PAGES 19 & 20 (zoomed in Kanker lineup and their height chart with the Eds)

PAGES 21 & 22 (early promo art that used to be on CN's old Eds webpage, the art of the Eds eating jawbreakers at the end of ep 1 with the overhead text "Ed, Edd n Eddy love JAWBREAKERS!!!", and the art of the Eds all running with overhead text "Ed, Edd n Eddy see something shiny...."Jiggers." That weird "jiggers" statement at the end was normally edited out and I don't know what it means. Looked it up and it seems to be Chinook jargon (like when Ed said he was "skookum at X's and O's") usually said in the same sense as "CHEESE IT!")

PAGES 23+:

The rest of the pages in that bible download are from a 2004 storyboard test. The storyboard sample "It's Raining Eds," which we've seen some submitted samples of before, interpretations with Ed attempting to fly or chew gum and Edd making radioactive gum, I was surprised to find out the outline is just the original outline for the opening sequence to season 3's 'For Your Eds Only', seemingly Jonny was not written into the original outline (or was excised for easier testing purposes) but Kevin's brief cameo was. Now I wonder if they knew this would be used for a test when they wrote it, and if they would've come up with a less random way to include him if weren't forced to be a concise bit for testing's sake. (Your limit is typically 40 storyboard pages in my experience.)

I also noticed that in the included background references, the anonymous adult neighbor house next door to Ed's is officially just referred to as a "generic house."

My analysis ends here, but be sure to download that sometime and enjoy all the raw storyboard sketches at the end of the document!

[catholicartistsnyc]

Meet: Laura Pittenger

LAURA PITTENGER is a NYC-based writer and director, and a Catholic Artist Connection board member. (www.laurapittenger.com)

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from?

LAURA PITTENGER (LP): I graduated from Ball State University (go Cards) in 2012 with a degree in theatre production and moved here almost immediately from Fort Wayne, Indiana. I have known I wanted to live in New York City since a high school drama club trip. Living here has shattered my illusions about what it would be like, but I think in some ways the reality is better than the fantasy. I never knew New York was so diverse and fascinating outside Manhattan, but I've really fallen in love with the entire East Coast at this point.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist? 

LP: In mixed company, I call myself a theater artist, or a Catholic, but not often both. When I get to introduce myself as such, it is a real joy, because that’s a much more complete picture of who I am. I think it's a label that is often maligned and misunderstood, but I don't make it a personal mission to correct every single person's presumptions about what it means. I try to let my work speak for itself. I couldn't have the ideas I do about life and being human if I weren't a Catholic, and it shines through everything I create, whether I like it or not. (I think that's the Holy Spirit. Right?)

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

LP: Being on the board of Catholic Artist Connection, while it has been a lot of work, has also been so faith-building and rewarding and communal. Because I have not often found the support I need as a Catholic artist in the church proper - aside from individual priests and friends, who have been lifesavers - I want to make it my mission to be that open door for other Catholic artists. This is something I believe the laity can do and can do well. 

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

LP: It really depends. Some people can see that the theater is a place where diverse creatures gather to present and grapple with interesting questions, and that gives them the curiosity to explore what it means to be a Catholic during this strange period of history. Some people aren't yet in that frame of mind, and that's okay. If I can be Christ to them, that's what I care about, and that's in my power to do. I'm actually embarking on a process with Project Y Theatre right now where I'm going to be doing a short adaptation of a piece by Hrotsvitha of Gandershaim, a Catholic religious sister who wrote plays in the 10th century, of all things. 

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

LP: By supporting groups like the Catholic Artist Connection! 

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

LP: Ask more questions about faith instead of relying on pat and easy answers. Let religion appear onstage as more than a punchline or punching bag. Let's have stories about religious persons struggling, yes, but let's also have stories about them thriving in religious communities. We could all benefit from that kind of open-mindedness.

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment? Do you recommend any particular parishes?

LP: I attend a parish in Queens - reach out to me directly if you want more specifics. Otherwise, in Manhattan, I'll recommend a few parishes that stand out:

St. Francis of Assisi is fantastic, very welcoming, diverse community, and caters to so many marginalized people.

If you want spectacle and the Seat of Everything in NYC, St. Patrick's Cathedral.

I have a special place in my heart for the Dominicans over at St. Vincent Ferrer, it was one of the first churches I attended regularly in the city. You might see a few familiar faces at the noon mass, and sometimes the Sisters of Life go there.

If you want to go to an 11pm mass in Times Square, check out the The Actor's Chapel/St. Malachy's. It's quite something. They have actors and singers galore so the liturgy is pretty beautiful.

St. Ignatius Loyola is a BEAUTIFUL Jesuit parish on Park Avenue, and the music is out of this world good.

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?

LP: I have done a lot of work with Turn to Flesh Productions with my good friend Emily C. A. Snyder. I've worked with a lot of companies, some of which have moved away or developed into other companies - such is the nature of the theater!

To get inspired, I visit new places in the city. There are always new places to go. There are still neighborhoods I've never even set foot in and I've been here since 2012.

I read about 50 books a year on average. You have to keep your mind moving so it doesn't get stagnant. And there are a lot of independent used bookstores in the city that you should DEFINITELY support. The Strand is an institution. And Heaven help us, when we get the Drama Bookshop back, you should support them, too.

I also took a class recently with the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research when they had one on "Bible as Literature." Take any class that you can afford. Sign up for Barnes and Noble alerts, they always have famous people come to read from their books in Union Square. 

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice?

LP: I pray throughout the day. My prayer life is extremely simple, basic, and conversational. I spent a long time dealing with anxiety and depression, and I have found it best to just live in the silence with God. I expect a lot of myself by nature, and so my biggest challenge has been learning when to ease off and just know that I am loved by God. I find a lot of comfort in spiritual reading. Read Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke.

I'm self-conscious of the fact that it seems like I often do the bare minimum of what is expected of me as a Catholic, but my heart is at peace - most of the time. It helps to find a spiritual director or regular confessor who knows you well and can guide you when you're feeling lost, and it was important to me when I moved here that I find one quickly. He's busy, but he'll make time.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?

LP: When I was writing my novel I wrote several times a week, and it was a real pleasure. It's good sometimes to work on creative projects that are simply for fun, because it's easy to lose sight of your art as anything but hard work. But, in general, I try to be really protective of my time and energy. I wouldn't say I have a daily practice, but I am trying to get better at doing at least one creative thing a day, even if it's just composing funny dumb tweets. 

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist. What happened, and what brought you the most joy?

LP: A collective of playwrights including myself have been meeting regularly with the New Sanctuary Coalition at St. Francis Xavier Church in order to write plays based off the interviews the NSC does with immigrants living in the city. It’s been a salve to the soul to find a way to share those stories with the world, they are urgent stories for our times.

CAC: You actually live in NYC? How!?

LP: If you want to move here and are not sure what you want, or if you don't have a big budget or any credit, or some other reason why you don't want to or can't rent your own apartment right away, I recommend starting in a short-term sublet. I arranged a sublet on Facebook in the month before I first moved here, with a girl I hadn't met. I found a sublet group on Facebook, and I know Craigslist (although sketchy) does have sublet opportunities as well. Technically speaking not all subletting is "legal," but NYC subletting laws are pretty draconian. There are legal sublets out there but I can't speak for all of them. It's a little ridiculous, but only the strictest of landlords really seem to care. Just something to keep in mind.

I will be very candid with you - if one of your parents has a very high paying job, you'll be in much better shape to rent your own place. Oftentimes landlords want renters with a guarantor who makes anywhere from 40x to 90x the monthly rent.

If you can find a roommate, do it. Keep open lines of communication about what your priorities are in a living situation. Those things typically come down to:

1. Distance from the train/Manhattan/jobs 2. Space in the apartment 3. Personalities 4. Interest in the neighborhood

If your roommate has a parent who can be the guarantor, or one of yours can be, you will be in great shape to find your own place, even without jobs right away. If not, subletting is your best bet. Do NOT be afraid to speak openly and candidly with each other about finances. You have to be realistic. You have to be wise.

I live in a neighborhood in Queens called Astoria. I share a 3bed convert (meaning it's 2 bed with no living room now because we made it into a bedroom) with a big kitchen, a decent bathroom, and a great landlord. I pay around $900 every month for this, and I'm paying for proximity to the train, proximity to Manhattan (I can be in Times Square in 25 minutes if the trains are running on time), and space. The price jumps up at least $500 a share once you try to find a similar place like that in Manhattan. Yes, the prices are insane. The cheapest studios I see are somewhere around $1500 and you usually don't get much space for that money. The more roommates you have, the cheaper your rent can be, but you will have to sacrifice things like privacy and quiet.

When I first moved here, I paid $750 a month for one half of a 2 bedroom apartment in the same neighborhood, but the landlord was not great, and we had mice and heat problems. You really get what you pay for, and sometimes neighborhoods (like mine) get trendier every year.

I found both apartments with a local broker who knows the neighborhood, and I found her on Craigslist. This is not a blanket endorsement of Craigslist. If something seems too good to be true, it definitely is.

Stay away from Williamsburg, or anything off the L train for now. Look up where the train lines are going to be shut down for long periods of time, and don't move there. Good neighborhoods to look at for lower budgets:

Manhattan: Inwood, Washington Heights, Harlem, Queens: Sunnyside, East Elmhurst, Astoria, Long Island City Brooklyn: Bushwick, Crown Heights.

I don't know Brooklyn super well, honestly, but there are parts of Brooklyn that are still affordable. The ones I listed are all really vibrant and diverse communities, and if you want to be a part of them, they'll be glad to have you. If you have your heart set on Manhattan, you will be paying a lot more for a lot less convenience (longer walk to the store, higher prices, fewer laundromats), but you will have proximity to a lot of cool stuff. 

CAC: But seriously, how do you make a living in NYC?

LP: When I first moved here, I got a job at a hotel as a food runner and then a server by attending an open call I found on Craigslist. I also got a job as a host at a Times Square chain restaurant because I had friends who were working there at the time and got me an interview. Another friend recommended a temp agency to me. I got a decent amount of work through there. Basically, it's easier to get a job if you have an "in," but you may have to start at the bottom of the barrel and work your way up.

Some weeks I worked five days at the restaurant, one day at the temp job, and mornings at the house of an actor preparing for a one-man show he was doing. I had to keep really careful track of my paychecks and budget to make sure I would have enough for rent. I made sure I had a cushion of money in my checking account just in case I had an emergency.  

The hours will be long and frustrating and you might cry a lot, but if you can stick with it through the tough times, I promise you that you will be able to work anywhere in the world and do anything you want to do, because you did it in New York. Go to open calls. Make phone calls. Walk in and be ready to fill out an application in person, and ask to see the manager right away. Be proactive. Let the rush of energy and fear from being in a new place help you take action.

The one thing I will say is don't let the job become your whole life. There are so many things to see and do here, and you want to have the time to enjoy them. It's not just about survival, it's about living well, and about having time to work on your art. Now I have one job in due diligence, with benefits and healthcare, that allows me to work on my theater stuff, my real passion, in my spare time. I've been with that firm for a little over four years. 

CAC: How much would you suggest artists moving to NYC budget for their first year?

LP: I moved here with about $5k, and it took me about $3k to get settled over a period of three months. I lived out of suitcases but clawed my way into an apartment, and took it from there. I also talked to my parents to figure out what my "bailout" fund looked like, and they gave me a ballpark figure - if things ever got really bad, I knew I could call them, but there was a limit, so that encouraged me to stay frugal. I didn't consider that money part of my budget, just a little peace of mind - and I still haven't used it. (But keep in mind, this was in 2012, so adjust for inflation!)

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in NYC?

LP: Apply for an IDNYC. It's a municipal (city) ID card that comes with yearlong museum memberships that you can sign up for via the website and it's also a valid ID card if you're somewhat irregular in your living situation - anyone who can prove residency, even homeless persons, can get one! Also, make www.broadwayforbrokepeople.com your bookmark for discounted play tickets. Most theaters have discount programs based on age. You can also try for lotto tickets using the TodayTix app. 

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

LP: 1. Go to Mass, every Sunday. Try out different parishes until you find one where you feel comfortable and welcome. We have so, so many and they are waiting for you to fill them up with your time and talents. If they are in your neighborhood, so much the better.

2. Invest in your neighborhood. Shop local. Get to know the community. Attend local events. You're going to meet people you'd never have met back home, and most of them won't be artists, or Catholic - although some might be both! It will inform you creatively more than you know.

3. Surround yourself with people who treat you with the respect and dignity you deserve. This might seem like general life advice, and it is, but as a Catholic you'll find yourself facing challenges in the city, and as an artist in this city, you'll certainly be challenged. But at the end of the day, when you lay your head down, wherever you find a spot, you have to know you are safe and loved. Nothing is worth your respect and dignity, and do everything you can to maintain it. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel trapped and afraid. You aren't the only artist (or Catholic) to feel this way in this city.

[dailyaudiobible]

10/31/2018 DAB Transcript

Lamentations 4:5-22, Hebrews 2:1-18, Psalms 103:1-22, Proverbs 26:23

Today is the 31st day of October. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it's great to be here with you as we end our 10th month together. Seven days a week we’ve been taking this journey and, I mean, we’re just right around the bend from being able to see the home stretch. So, well done. This is our 304th day together as we've taken daily, step-by-step, to get this far. So, we’re reading from the New Living Translation this week and we will move back into the book of Lamentations, chapter 4 verse 1 through 5:22 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in Lamentations, you know, there's some pretty awful mourning going on. I mean, obviously it's a lament. These are poems of lament and we can certainly enter into them as we spoke of when we began the book of Lamentations because they give us language, right, for this pouring out of the heart from such deep sadness. But as we read of the deep sadness in Lamentations we can go like, wow, like those are some…it's pretty bad if a tenderhearted woman is cooking her…her starved child to survive. Like, that's pretty awful and we can look at that and go, like, that's pretty awful, and why is in the Bible? Why would God let that stuff happen? Why would God bring that kind of judgment on people? And that's the thing about the books of prophecy. We get this very, very angry God kind of mentality. But we have to pause. So, push pause for a second on that idea. All we have to do is go back one book, one book to the book of Jeremiah. We could go lots of other places but all we have to do is go back one book to the book of Jeremiah and understand in this prophet Jeremiah prophesied for 20 years about what was on its way and had specific counsel from God. And that specific counsel was, the generational sin has gotta be wiped off the map, and the king of Babylon is coming and is part of that process. Surrender to the king of Babylon and you won't die, right? Now we explored all that when we were going through the book of Jeremiah and we can understand why that would have been a difficult instruction. Had the old bead God's word though, had they obeyed we wouldn't be reading the book of Lamentations because there wouldn't be the events that brought the book of Lamentations to lament about. So, yes, we are reading definitely sad territory and it is pretty, pretty sad stuff but it didn't have to happen, which is the nature of the prophetic books, they’re prophetic, right? So, they’re words in advance of something that doesn't have to happen. And we can pause. You know, maybe we don’t have our own personal book of prophecy to us about what specifically might, you know, where the trajectory is leading but we can pause and go like, we have allot of material in the Bible to show us the paths that people take and where they lead. And we can think, okay, where am I heading? Where is this going? Is this the road I want to be on? Because if it's not than we need to be on different road. And if there's one thing that the Bible has instructed us on is that there is one road and it is a narrow path and it leads to life and few ever find it. And, so when we go through these prophecies we can go like, yeah, they didn't they didn't find that. But they were certainly invited too. And what was the primary invitation? Return to me. It’s like, come home, come home son. What are you doing this for? Come on, come on sweetheart. Why are you going in this direction that is going to destroy you? Turn around. Come home. It doesn't have to go this way. And may we remember this. May we spend some time contemplating the trajectory that we are on because it's going somewhere. We’re all going somewhere and we’re gonna end up right where we’re going. And we can look and see whether that's where we want to go.

And then in the book of Hebrews, I just want to remind us, we’re moving into Hebrew territory. And, so, the Christian faith that we believe comes out of Judaism and is affected by Judaism. The apostle Paul spends a lot of his ministry trying to make distinctions about what has ended and what is beginning, like what the new thing God is doing in the world through Jesus is. But it comes from that context. The book of Hebrews is even more so. There's no way that we can read the book of Hebrews and understand any of it without understanding the Jewish context. And we’ll explore that as we go through it but we need to understand just how intertwined what it is that we believe is and where it comes from because the Christian faith is certainly influenced by Judaism. I’ll just give you one example. Like, we read about Jesus being a high priest. And we’ll explore this more because the book of Hebrews will explore this more. Well, if we're Gentile and we have never in any way ever been around Judaism, we would be thinking like, who cares? Like, high priest of what? Like what does this matter. So, these things that we kind of take for granted in our faith, we’re going to explore them in detail because the book of Hebrews explores them in detail. And if a pay attention it will be a very rich foundation for our faith.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You. We thank You with our whole hearts. What will we do without You? And this gift that You have given to us in Your word that guides and directs every day of our lives, what a gift it. It's beyond words and were grateful because it continually orients us to You. And, so, we trust You Lord and we glory in You and we rejoice in You and we worship You for You are the God of heaven's armies and the Lord of our hearts. We love You Jesus. Come Holy Spirit, plant the words that we read from the Scriptures today in our lives and let them stick, let them change us from within we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website's, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here. So, be sure to stay connected and explore.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, that can be done at dailyaudiobible.com as well and I couldn't…I mean…there’s a lot of years of practice, but the words…the words fail me. It's…it's a grateful heart. We wouldn't be here, we wouldn't have a community, we wouldn’t be doing this every day if we didn't do it together. And, so, I’m glad we’re doing it together. Thank you for your partnership. There's a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi family, this is Gee and I just wanted to say thank you. __ welcome home __ any time soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you everybody for your calls for me, for the women who called, and the men who stood up like men, for those who shared their stories. __ you have given me strength. __. Thank you. I feel a huge weight off my shoulders and your calls encouraged me. There are so many horrific things from that night I could’ve shared but I just know that you’re __ and I hear your advice __ seeking help. And if there’s anybody, anyone, anyone, anyone that has gone through something like this, please tell somebody. Say it to somebody. Thank you so much family. Thank you.

Hello DAB DABbers, family, I’m calling from Arkansas and I’m calling to let the parents, the mother of a young man named Josh, that I am praying for him, mightily. I have put him on the altar and I know that he is safe there and God will hear our prayers. I want to know that you’re not alone in praying for your son Josh. I empathize with you because I have grandsons that I am praying for but I’ve already put them on the altar but remind God about them every now and then, reminding Him that they are there. But he has a purpose for each and every one of us and my prayer is that Josh will be surrounded by friends that God has placed in his life that he will become a new creation as God says that we are really come to Him. My prayer is for you also to hold out. Don’t let the devil make you nervous or anxious. God hears the prayers of the righteous and He does answer prayer but He does it in his own time. God bless and God keep you and remember that someone in Arkansas is praying for you and your family. Bye-bye now.

Good morning Daily Audio Bible family, I greet you in the name of our beautiful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is the 29th October. This is Egbert from California by way of __ city. I’m calling in for Asia this morning my sister. Psalms 30 and 5, we’ve been named __ for a night but joy comes in the morning. I want to let you know that Jesus said that He ever stands on our behalf to make intercession for us. So, just know that He is there, and He is interceded on your behalf. I greet all the brothers and sisters, Brian, his family, all the Daily Audio Bible family in the name of Jesus. I pray that you would keep me in your prayers. I thank you for the compassion and for the love this community provides in the name of Jesus. Alleluia, I pray. Amen.

Hi DAB family, I’m just so grateful right now to be able to call in these prayer requests. Please pray for Callie, she is a sick week-old baby that is in Children’s Hospital with RSD right now and she’s in intensive care. And I’m just so thankful that she is in the hospital and being cared for. Just pray for healing. I also ask for prayer for my fifth-grade son who was beat up in the locker room school on Wednesday and is also being bullied by another kid. And I just…I pray for protection over our kids. And then I also would like to lift my husband up in prayer. He’s been battling alcohol addiction and one of his friends passed away. And now he’s really starting to assess his own self and he really wants to break free of this bondage. And I am just asking for all of your prayers to cover him so that he can he can have victory over this and allow God to continue to work in his life. Family, I’m so thankful for you and your awesome and just…this is such a great body of believers. And for those of you that are listening that aren’t sure if God is speaking to you, He is. He is speaking loud and clear. So, He has called because He wants you home with Him someday. Thank you, family. Love you, bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is Nathan from Bloomington Illinois. I know it’s been several months before I called but I was recently reminded of a few phone calls we’ve heard regarding similar circumstances and yet opposite circumstances. Joe the Protector’s daughter, age 15, I know this is not the way you pictured life and probably more so for your daughter. But now you’ve got this challenge in front of you. You’ve got a baby coming into your presence whom you can have influence. And Asia, oh my, we’ve been with you a long-time girl and this is not the way you pictured life. This has been your hope to have another baby and yet this is not what you asked for. Very similar circumstances, a picture of life that we did not ask for and yet we’re faced with and we can be sad and it is a sad moment and we can be troubled and it is a troublesome moment and we can feel hopeless. But the root word of hopeless is still hope. The root word of testimony is still test. And we cannot provide that testimony if we are not tested. So, I come preaching to people who know exactly what I’m talking about. So, we are praying for both your situations, that there is still a God who knows what’s going on despite the fact that we may not. I used to and, have a great day make it a great day but I’m going to start ending with a motto of my wife’s practice. Listen to this. Embrace your journey. Thanks family.

[theirondragonrants]

Oh hello my favorite thing about high school. I did MUN for 4 years as a delegate and 2 years as a chair (or the host as some other people who responded said) and it's awesome.

Buckle in bc I couldn't figure out how to shorten this breakdown:

You get assigned a country and a section of the UN's apparatus (my school would let you pick your country and topic but I guess it varies from program to program). Depending on which UN body you get that would p much dictate the kind of debate you'd have. For example if you get the UNHRC (human rights council), and say, the Russian Fed, and the topic would be refugees in Syria.

You're expected to do a lot of research on your country's position on refugee solutions, how your country helps with funding with NGOs and the UN, past refugee solutions or resolutions your country has signed on, the position of your current government on international aid and specifically on how the current government has spoken about refugees/Syria—if your conference bans technology you should be walking in there with a binder the size of the Bible with all your research. You have to build a "position paper" before the debate, p much a one page paper explaining what your country thinks about the Syrian refugee situation and what solutions you might propose when you get there—the chairs are the only ones who get a copy of your paper so don't worry about giving information to other debaters ahead of time.

In the debate people will suggest debate topics that fall under the larger overall topic, in this case the Syrian refugee crisis, with smaller bite sized topics like "long term solutions to the Syrian refugee crisis", "what organizations can benefit from funding to solve the crisis", "how the international community can increase its effectiveness in solving the crisis" "how to aid the Syrian refugees without intruding on Syria's independence", etc. The chairs will let the countries vote on the topic and whatever topic wins gets discussed, usually for about 10min with 1min per speaker or something depending on what was proposed by the country giving the topic, the size of the conference, and what the chairs suggest. If you have anything from your research to say on the topic you can raise your placard so the chairs can let you participate. Part of your research prep is also finding "dirt" on other countries so if you catch someone bs'ing to look good you can always raise your placard to say "funny the US would say that considering they've done this and that in the past". These debates usually take up the chunk of the first day/first few hours of a conference.

The final part is working paper/draft resolution writing. During the debate you get un mods which are time for you to walk around and talk to other delegates in free not debate ways. You have to rally as many people onto your solution as possible, with solutions that make sense put together, and once you have enough "sponsors" which are countries that propose solutions to your paper and help write it, you go around getting people as "signatories" which can't be the ones writing it, these are people who want to see your paper get voted on or think your ideas are good and want to hear about them and maybe make them into solutions that will be "implemented". You'll know who you want to work with from listening to their debate points, so you know, it's important to pay attention to what people say bc you'll need it later. If you have a big country like one of the P5s: Russia, the US, France, the UK and China, or countries with money like Germany or something, people will go to you. So you have to be sure you have enough wherewithal to pick countries with good solutions, countries who can help fund your initiatives, and countries directly impacted by the situation who'll give your paper credibility.

And the final part is draft resolution voting. The chairs read everyone's drafts, sometimes they suggest mergers if one or more of the drafts look really similar (you don't always have to merge but if the chair tells you you should think about it, really try. However for mergers sometimes chairs will force you to stay under a cap of sponsors, which means some people who helped write clauses might bet booted off and that sucks, so it's not always necessary but it's recommended to listen to the chair). Your 'bloc' of sponsors will read your draft resolution outloud and take questions. The chair might give you some time after to fix any mistakes or clarify things other delegates asked you about. Then the drafts get voted on and if they pass (usually the voting it's a 2/3rd majority of the room) your draft becomes a resolution and, if it were real life, it would get sent to the GA/the people with the money and be implemented in the real situation.

There's weird technicalities that experienced MUN debaters use, like unfriendly amendments or demanding roll call votes but overall it's a really chill experience, if it's a few days of a conference people want to see all their hard work pay off so they'll be nicer, sometimes you just get assholes in the room and it's exciting to outmanouver them. It's an awesome experience and it helps with a lot of things for the future: essay writing, debate skills, public speaking, creative problem solving, skills in people management, etc. Overall I think my school experience would've been really dull without MUN, and I totally recommend you give it a shot.

hey pspspsp people who’ve done Model UN

what’s it like and should I do it (if I can)?

[dailyaudiobible]

08/12/2021 DAB Transcript

Nehemiah 3:15-5:13, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40, Psalms 32:1-11, Proverbs 21:5-7

Today is the 12th day of August welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is awesome to be here with you today, every day as we come around the Global Campfire and just find a place here in the serenity of…well…of this little space that we create for ourselves each day, a space for the Scriptures to speak into our lives. And we are in the book of Nehemiah. We’re just getting started. It’s not a long book so it won’t take that long, but it reveals a lot for us to consider as we watch Nehemiah as he lives out a burning passion, a desire, a calling even to be a part of the rebuilding of the holy city of Jerusalem, and in specific rebuilding the wall in order to protect the temple. And, so, we pick up the story. Nehemiah chapter 3 verse 15 through 5 verse 13 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, in the book of Nehemiah which we began yesterday and in yesterday's reading we saw sort of the methodical approach that Nehemiah took from hearing about the exiles in Jerusalem and that kind of planting a seed as he pictured the temple of God in Jerusalem unprotected. And, so, he began to envision a wall, he began to pray about it and to intercede about it, think about it all the time until he had an opportunity as the Kings cupbearer to inquire of the king and ask permission to go and help restore and rebuild Jerusalem. And he was given permission. And, so, we watched that planning and what he took with him and their journey to Jerusalem. And then we watched him settle into Jerusalem for a few days and then go and inspect the wall all by himself, like not bringing a bunch of voices into the mix, assessing the situation, getting a true understanding of the scope of what it was that had been burning inside of him because he was in Babylon. He was several months journey away from Jerusalem. So, he's seeing this and inspecting what he's imagined in his mind for quite some time. And then he brings leadership into the mix, and everybody catches the vision and that's kind of where we pick up today in the middle of rebuilding. So, there are a bunch of people rebuilding different stretches of the wall and there's a lot of enthusiasm and vision for this. And, so, it's happening. The dream is happening and it's happening faster than was anticipated. The enthusiasm to continue the work is there. And that's what we would want…like that's what we would want. And it's like that could be the end. The wall was built. The end. That's how the story that we would like to be told. And that's how we would like it to be in our lives. We prepare, we pray, we plan, we execute flawlessly, it's awesome, it's a great experience and then we move on to what's next. It’s just that that…that basically never happens. And when we look into the Scriptures, we can see like it didn't happen then either. And, so, the people of the region, some of the leadership of the region came to see what's going on in Jerusalem and then they began the campaign of taunting and diminishing and criticizing. And we’re pouring our heart into something that we believe the Lord has commissioned us to do in some sort of way, and we’re pouring our life and our resources and taking the risk and doing these things than those of voices, those taunting words of criticism can be debilitating. In fact, they can take the whole thing down. And what we see is that they didn't just ignore it or that they didn't…that…that…that it wasn't acknowledged. It’s certainly acknowledged. We’re reading about it in the Bible. What we see is that Nehemiah turns to God. He essentially says Lord we’re here doing this work and you can hear what they're saying. That is a different posture than getting pulled into the argument, like taking the bait of the critic and going in and having that constant debate of criticism and how you’re not doing it the right way and all of these things. Nehemiah turned to God and simply said, we’re gonna…we’re gonna keep going. You can hear what they're saying. Let it not fall on us, let it turn around and let their words fall on their own heads. So, we move past this criticism, diminishment kind of phase, the taunting phase and then...then there's the threat of actual attack almost as if the…the taunting can't diminish them and stop the work then we’ll go in and disrupt the work. We’ll get into that city, and we’ll start sabotaging things. And people will start disappearing and we’ll disrupt and cause confusion and stop this work. Nehemiah's response to that is essentially to cut the workforce in half so that half the people are working on the wall and half the people standing guard are ready for an imminent attack so that they can defend themselves while still continuing to take the next step forward, continuing to build out wall. And, so, you know, certainly discouraging. When…when things had gotten off to such a great start and were going so smooth and they got the wall all the way around the city half its height, and now they got to go at half the speed at a more difficult portion of building the wall because now it's gotta get higher and higher and higher. And, so, things have gotten slow. They've been slowed down because of the threat of attack and because of the workload. What Nehemiah doesn't do is get discouraged and quit. They just keep going with what they have to work with. And then finally in...in today's reading, it's an inside job as well. So, there's an attack from the outside and an attack from the inside. And for any leader that’s like, okay I give up. I’m trying to serve here but the conflicting agendas are just overwhelming. So, it's a time of drought and people rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem and then they can't do all of the farming that they need to do and all the resources that they need aren't there. And, so, they have to mortgage their property, or produce a certain amount of crops and resources for…for their lenders and it's causing basically foreclosures and entrapments and enslavements that people are never going to get free from. And it's the Jewish people with means, with the resources, with wealth, the nobles that are enslaving the commoners in various ways, demoralizing the people from within. And, so, Nehemiah has to step into that and confront that situation by saying we've been trying to buy our fellow Israelites back from slavery from different places and here you are re-enslaving them. This is not right. This is not how this is supposed to go. And, so, the nobles then sense the shame of it and respond appropriately when Nehemiah had to deal with the injustice of it. And, so, that’s all the way around this whole story, keeping one foot in front of the other. Even in the injustice of it keep moving. There is a destination. And, so, there is plenty for us to ponder from the book of Nehemiah today as we apply it to our own stories and our own callings and our own missions.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit come. Thank You for the counsel of the Scriptures. Thank You for allowing us to look back into that story and understand that we have similar stories at various seasons and stages in our lives. And we see Nehemiah turning to You, not giving up and moving forward even if it's just a little bit at a time. So, come Holy Spirit and encourage us in our discouragement, in our seasons of trying to move forward as we turn our hope and affection and attention on You knowing that You are our only hope. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it is the website, and its where you find out what's going on around here. I say it every day because…well…for lots of reasons we need to be reminded of it, but every day is a first day for somebody coming into the community. And, so, welcome. This is where you find out what's going on around here. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can find out what's going on around here in the app by pushing the little…some people call it a hamburger icon, I call it more of a Drawer icon, little three bar icon in the upper left-hand corner. And that opens up a drawer.

And, so, you can access things like the Community section where the Prayer Wall is or the Daily Audio Bible Shop where there are…yeah…tons of resources there in different categories for the journey that we are on…not tons…but many resources there for the journey that we’re ongoing through the Bible this year. So, check that out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, first of all thank you. Thank you humbly from…from my heart. Thank you. We wouldn't be here if we weren’t in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership, especially as we navigate summertime. Thank you. What is it like five thank you’s in the last 15 seconds. Thank you. We wouldn't do this...we couldn't…we wouldn't...none of this would be happening if we were in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement…well…first of all, you can hit the Hotline button in the app. That's a little red button up at the top no matter where you are in the world and share your story from there. But if you want to use the telephone and actually dial a number there are a number of numbers you can use. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. In the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number to dial. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is the number to dial.

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

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey DAB family I go by Little Leaf this is my first-time calling in. I've been listening for a while, but I've really been getting into this platform just this past year, especially after learning about the affair that happened sometime earlier this year. And while it’s helping me grow closer to the Lord, I've also been experiencing a lot of hardness of heart and unforgiveness. And I just…even though my husband has come home he only recently started to disconnect from this partner and I've just been having a real hard time accepting the fact that I've lost someone so near and dear to me as a trusted friend and trusted partner. And I know my God is good and He can do anything but I just don't know how I can see myself with this person moving forward and I don't know if I even want to as much as I hate to admit that. So, I just ask that you lift us all up, the other woman included, in prayer and just that God would take away all the confusion, take away all the pain and just allow me to love, to show His love and that His will would be done in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Thank you, guys.

Hello, my wonderful DAB family this is Rosie also known as great to be free in Jesus. I'm calling in to let you know that I'm still praying for you and your families. Just because I don't call in doesn't mean I'm…I’ve stopped praying because I still pray. And that's still important to me because the Lord led me to do that. But I have a prayer request. My son Charles has been coming over now and he's been talking to me and he's been coming and seeing me but he is suffering with the spirit of fear and the spirit of rejection. And I told him a while back as part of my testimony, I told my family about how his dad wanted me to abort him because his dad had diabetes and he didn't want any of his children to have diabetes and have to live the way he's had to live. And I don't think that helped out with his…with the spirit of rejection. But he really needs prayer because he's been so hurt with rejection and now, he's become an offender and he really needs prayer. I brought him up in church but every time I talk to him about that he reminds me that I forced him to go to church when he was younger. And I know that nothing is impossible for God and I would really appreciate your prayers for my son Charles and thank you and I'm still praying. I love you guys. Bye.

DAB family it's Quiet Confidence from Virginia and I need your prayers I really need God to help me against the mental attacks, the fear, the anxiety, depression. I haven't left my house in two months. Wasn't able to work because the anxiety was so bad and my husband's been the only one working and I don't feel like this fear because he's tired. But really need God to deliver me. I don't want to go back on antidepressants or to the hospital because those drugs make me feel worse. But I know that God is able, and I just need your prayers. I need His strength. I want to be able to get a job. I want to be able to work and to help. And I know God can deliver me because He did it before. But I really need to be strengthened right now. I just can't do this on my own. And every day I cry out to God and I ask Him to help me and to give me the strength. I ask Him for His grace and his mercy, and the enemy just keep speaking so many lies to me telling me I'm backslidden and I'm going to hell and that I've abandoned my faith. But my faith just got weak for a moment. But I really need God to just deliver me and strengthen me and I've seen the power of prayer in this community. Thank you so much. I love you. God bless you.

Hello today is Sunday August the 8th and I just finished listening to July the 31st. I am behind and trying to catch up. I wanted to pray for loving heart in Saint Louis. She had called in requesting prayer for her daughter that is anorexic. And I am a recovered anorexic. I was anorexic for…for years and years. Just purely the hand of God that I'm still here and I just right now Father and name of Jesus Christ I pray for a loving hearts daughter, Father that she would be set free from this addiction, Lord that her…her eyes would be open. God that she would be willing to get the help. Sometimes there's such denial in anorexia or any addiction. Father, I just pray for her parents Lord that You would just comfort them and give them wisdom to know how to deal with their daughter and the situation. But we just pray Your intervention Father, that you would do it only you can do. We know that you can supernaturally deliver her or just lead her or to the right…the right treatment center. There's some really good Christian treatment centers. God, You know what she needs. We pray Your protection upon her. God we just pray Father for her deliverance and her healing for her parents right now in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hello DABbers Bubba D here and my prayer goes out today to the sister of gods Princess warriors. Father God we ask that you would bless the family, give them peace God as they lost their teenage son, 17 year old son of a drug overdose. Lord we trust that he's in Your hands we trust that You've given him a chance to see You to make that decision to follow even in his last minutes. We trust that You're able to perform miracles like that and to reveal Yourself like that to people even that side of eternity father. We just cast all the cares and the troubles and the…the feelings and the hurt and the loss and the cutting off of something that was part of You. We ask for Princess warrior’s sister too be comforted by Your Spirit these day Lord. We pray that You would even confirm to her Your love in ways that only You can God in the midst of this tragedy. Father bring Your presence around her in a mighty way Lord God. Comfort her. Lord we ask that You would give her the strength to see that You're with her, that You are walking right alongside her in this very very hard difficult times, hours, and days that will follow. Blessing her in Your name Jesus. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is LJ lavender Dream calling from western mass. I've been listening now for about a year, and I don't usually call in. I'm praying for everyone who's struggling right now and especially those with their children who've lost their children who are dealing with eating disorders and the family who lost their son because he was saving his little sister and everything. We're going through something right now. I am with my son. I had to call psych crisis on him because he was suicidal and we're waiting for inpatient and it's very difficult. I tried to leave him where he was, and he was very upset that I couldn't take him home and it took three staff members to allow me to be able to leave. And I just felt like he felt like I was abandoning him, but I am not qualified to keep him safe at home. So, I'm just asking for prayer for my son and for our family and I'm also trying to advocate for my mum and I had to do something that is causing a rift in the family but it's also, you know, doing the right thing and doing the right thing doesn't always mean it's the easy thing. So, I'm just praying for mended bridges and that God will cover his hands and peace that will surpass all understanding and that He will give a clarity and an understanding for my son because he's really having a difficult time dealing with my chronic illnesses. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[deservedgrace]

I was a firm believer before I left. I wasn't always an "all in" Christian, but for much of my time there I put in the effort. I went to Christian school until high school, went to church every Sunday, started going to youth group in high school, and went to camps and such. I genuinely believed all of it for a long time.

That's not to say I enjoyed going to church. But it was what you did, what we did, and I absorbed a lot even when I wasn't giving the pastor 100% of my attention.

I lost my faith very gradually. I can't even remember my first inkling that something was off to be honest. This was literally all I've ever known. Up until high school, I really didn't see any other views At All, & even then I went to a high school where most everybody was Christian anyway.

I do remember very well that being in church started giving me anxiety around 16. I had zero clue where it was coming from and subsequently thought this was how it was supposed to be, that this is how it felt for everybody. I must just be interpreting the feeling of the holy ghost in a weird and incorrect way. Feelings from God can't be bad, therefore this was actually peace and happiness. I pushed through because I was supposed to, and because I Knew this was the truth. On the one hand it Had To Be, because this was literally the foundation of my entire life and being, but on the other... I truly believed it. And even when believing wasn't possible, because you can't really "choose" to believe something, you either do or you don't, I desperately wanted to.

My first big wake up call was when I was doing inpatient treatment for my bipolar and OCD. I can't remember what specifically did it, what specifically was said, any of that, but it was my first time being exposed to secular therapy. And what I got from it was that it's not only okay to take care of myself, but that I was allowed to put myself first, before anybody else. AND by doing so I would be able to heal from this depression I've been in for 7 years and anxiety I'd been in for 4-5. I had never heard that before. It was life changing.

And after doing IOP 4 times, 2 more hospitalizations, slowly learning how to take care of myself and put myself first, learning about things like codependency and boundaries, getting put on medication, cultivating effective coping skills... I start the recovery process. And I start to realize that the "peace" and "happiness" I was feeling... was actually anxiety. And the ache I felt wasn't god either; it was depression.

Every time I try to go back to church, and I do mean every single time, it sends me spiraling. Every time I try to read the bible, and I do mean every single time, I have panic attacks and paranoia episodes. Every time I associate with christianity in any way, it's a negative experience at best. And at this point I've learned to prioritize my own happiness over everything, including religion, which we all know is not allowed in Christian circles. Emotions are fleeting, god is forever. Why would you base your relationship on emotions, on things that are human (read: sinful and unholy) and change so frequently they can't be trusted? The happiness I was seeking and feeling outside of the church wasn't real happiness.

Only... it was. They were lying to me. They only said that because that's their selling point: here, and only here, is where you can find true happiness. But more than that, they told me I couldn't trust my emotions, that they weren't real and didn't matter. Only god was real, only god mattered, and that was the only thing I could trust. I was left with two choices: I could either listen to God, or listen to my human emotions.

I listen to my emotions. I stop going. I start healing.

I left because I started prioritizing my own happiness. I left because I got better.

I'm not all the way better. Not even close. I'm still dealing with a massive amount of trauma that affects me immensely and, truthfully, I don't know if I'll ever recover from it fully. But I couldn't have even started healing had I not opened up to some amazing people in my life: my therapist, the one person I know in my real life that has been through this, and my online friends, and had I not found the ex religious community on here.

The bottom line is, I can either be happy, or I can be religious. I know many don't think I made the right choice, but it doesn't matter. I'm happy. That's what matters to me now.

What was it that convinced you to leave religion behind?

Reply, reblog and add your text, send me an ask or a chat.

Did you firmly believe or were you always unconvinced but dragged to meetings/church/mosque/synagogue/temple?

Did you lose your faith at once or gradually?

What helped the most?