#Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus again refuses to give a sign

1-4 Once the Pharisees and the Sadducees arrived together to test him, and asked him to give them a sign from Heaven. But he replied, “When the evening comes you say, ‘Ah, fine weather—the sky is red.’ In the morning you say, ‘There will be a storm today, the sky is red and threatening.’ Yes, you know how to interpret the look of the sky but you have no idea how to interpret the signs of the times! A wicked and unfaithful age insists on a sign; and it will not be given any sign at all but that of the prophet Jonah.” And he turned on his heel and left them.

He is misunderstood by the disciples

5-12 Then his disciples came to him on the other side of the lake, forgetting to bring any bread with them. “Keep your eyes open,” said Jesus to them, “and be on your guard against the ‘yeast’ of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” But they were arguing with each other, and saying, “We forgot to bring the bread.” When Jesus saw this he said to them, “Why all this argument among yourselves about not bringing any bread, you little-faiths? Don’t you understand yet, or have you forgotten the five loaves and the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up afterwards; or the seven loaves and the four thousand and how many baskets you took up then? I wonder why you don’t understand that I wasn’t talking about bread at all—I told you to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they grasped the fact that he had not told them to be beware of yeast in the ordinary sense but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter’s bold affirmation

13 When Jesus reached the Caesarea-Philippi district he asked his disciples a question. “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

14 “Well, some say John the Baptist,” they told him. “Some say Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he said to them. “Who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You? You are Christ, the Son of the living God!”

17-20 “Simon, son of Jonah, you are a fortunate man indeed!” said Jesus, “for it was not your own nature but my Heavenly Father who has revealed this truth to you! Now I tell you that you are Peter the rock, and it is on this rock that I am going to found my Church, and the powers of death will never prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; whatever you forbid on earth will be what is forbidden in Heaven and whatever you permit on earth will be what is permitted in Heaven!” Then he impressed on his disciples that they should not tell anyone that he was Christ.

Jesus speaks about his passion, and the cost of following him

21 From that time onwards Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem, and endure much suffering from the elders, chief priests and scribes, and finally be killed; and be raised to life again on the third day.

22-23 Then Peter took him on one side and started to remonstrate with him over this. “God bless you, Master! Nothing like this must happen to you!” Then Jesus turned round and said to Peter, “Out of my way, Satan! … you stand right in my path, Peter, when you look at things from man’s point of view and not from God’s”

24-26 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps he must give up all right to himself, take up his cross and follow me. For the man who wants to save his life will lose it; but the man who loses his life for my sake will find it. For what good is it for a man to gain the whole world at the price of his own soul? What could a man offer to buy back his soul once he had lost it?

27-28 “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father and in the company of his angels and then he will repay every man for what he has done. Believe me, there are some standing here today who will know nothing of death till they have seen the Son of Man coming as a king.” — Matthew 16 | J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS) The New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Cross References: Job 34:11; Psalm 42:2; Psalm 49:8; Psalm 129:2; Proverbs 26:5; isaiah 22:22; Isaiah 57:3; Jeremiah 1:1; Matthew 1:16; Matthew 3:7; Matthew 4:10; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:30; Matthew 8:20; Matthew 10:38-39; Matthew 12:40; Matthew 14:17; Matthew 14:20; Matthew 21:25; Mark 8:15; Luke 9:18; Luke 12:54; Luke 12:56; John 1:42; John 12;25; Revelation 3:7

[biblebloodhound]

The Church that Makes a Difference (Matthew 16:13-20)

Many long to see a Church that seeks to understand the world, provides relevant ministry to others, and tackles the injustice that exists everywhere.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living…

[munsster]

hii!! i'd like to request a steve harrington x fem!reader fic pls <33 reader confesses to steve, but he says he doesn't like her. then reader's all 'okay fine, i'm gonna move on' and when she actually does that, steve is 🥺 lots of angst please and some steve grovelling teehee <33

gut feeling

A/N: okay yes 😏 i screwed this up the littlest bit, but i hope it still tickles ur fancy. also i’ve seen this done for king!steve and i wanted to write it for s4 steven

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: You have big feelings for Steve, he’s just not sure he feels the same way. 3.6k words.

Warnings: angst, but it resolves into fluff, unrequited love trope, lots of feelings, friends to lovers?, CURSING!, italics, established friendship, feat. Keith 😑

"You think it would be gross if we kissed?"

Steve thinks you might actually sound hurt, but he also thinks the face he's making is hilarious beyond belief: kind of contorted and screwed inward, nose scrunched and trying really hard to batten down a grin. You glare at him from the passenger's seat, arms crossed tight over your green Family Video vest.

You think he's wonderful despite his naiveté. If only he knew how handsome you thought he was, all caramel locks and big brown eyes and the kind of smile that reaches his eyes before he's even thought of it. No wonder he has an ego up to the moon. No wonder he still manages to weasel his way into the creases and crevices of any living creature's heart. Even yours. Hell, especially yours.

"Yeah, duh!"—and he's so sure of it, you could cry—"You're like the little sister I never had!"

You chuckle but you look like you're about to hurl yourself out of the car or get yourself arrested for manslaughter. Thank God he's only a block away from your house, or he'd never see the light of day again. Does he really think of you like that? The soft laughter peters out into a grating silence that burns right down your throat and feels like hard metal settling in your lungs.

He doesn't dare glance over at you. He only bites down hard around nothing and grimaces, eyes set hard on the lines dashing beneath the grill of his car. Jesus Christ, he does not think of you like that. And he begs whatever stupid pride is keeping him steady in this nonexistent pissing contest to leave it be, but its jaw is set in the tender meat of the game.

"Don't have to be so jovial about it," you grumble.

"What?"

"Mine's on the left," you grumble, nodding out the window. Oh, he's definitely in trouble. You only ignore him like this when he's done something boyish to a fault.

"I know. I drive you home every—hey!"

"Bye," you coo, booking it up the steps to your door, refusing to turn over your shoulder for fear that you'll burst into tears upon seeing him smile or frown or crack the slightest look of confusion.

He watches you slam the door and rolls the passenger window up with a frustrated sigh. Where the Hell did that come from and why. All while you're sitting against the foot of your bed, chattering into the phone at Robin, still wearing your uniform and tugging at strands of your hair as expletives weave themselves between every three words.

"Oh my Fucking God, I'm so fucking embarrassed right now, Robs—Does he—? Does he think I'm some sort of fuckin' baby? I just don't—"

"He's just being Steve, okay? He probably didn't mean it—"

"The way he looked at me, Robin, I felt like a fucking imbecile. Of all the dickheads in the world I could fall for, my heart chose Harrington? Maybe I'm the idiot." You sigh and kick your feet out, the frustration winding up new nerves and letting them go like tight springs to fling out over your body.

She sighs and it rattles through the grainy speaker. "You're not an idiot; he has his moments. Don't beat yourself up, you know how he gets. He's probably not thinking straight, just... tell him? The worst he can say is—"

"That I'm like a sister to him? Oh, how delightful. That's even worse than just flat out admitting I'm unattractive."

"You're not unattractive, don't do that."

"I am to him," you groan.

"Hey," she hums after a beat of crackling silence. You close your eyes and grip the sickly yellow receiver a little tighter.

"I really like him."

"I know."

"And it sucks."

"I know." The other end rustles and you let out a curt sigh just as you move to stand. "I love you, and I'm here for you. Especially when dumb boys make you feel like shit. You'll always be the most amazing and most beautiful girl in my life, don't forget that."

"Thank you. I'll see you, Robs."

"Take it easy."

—

Steve wakes up to an ache in his neck and a soreness in his knuckles. You didn't call him last night. And he's assuming you didn't call him before school this morning because his alarm clock flashes eleven, first period starts at eight-thirty, and the tone his ancient landline emits is shrill enough to deafen a man. Let alone wake him up in a cold sweat. He concocts a sick feeling in his stomach of burnt orange shame and maroon guilt because he has to wait until closing shift tonight to explain himself to you.

But by then, he's feeling spiteful. You weren't home when he went to pick you up and he waited ten minutes and knocked on the door in bulk. Until someone who was not you answered and told him that you'd gotten a ride with some jerk from the Hawkins High football team. That's not how it was originally said, but that's how he heard it. So you're avoiding him? It makes him spit up a little in his mouth, and he's going about twenty over the speed limit the entire way to make it on time.

By the time he can fling open the glass door and hear the sound of the tiny bell, he spots you in the back corner with a stack of tapes under your arm. Listening to music. To drown him out. And it makes him frown. Six hours. That's how long he'd have to endure this, then he could go home and not call you and not be able to sleep.

The casette in your Walkman can only run for so long, right? But he watches you rewind it after an hour and a half and slumps against the front desk when you grab a new stack of tapes from behind him. He simmers down after the first half of the shift, and of course, the fact that you won't talk to him rubs him the wrong way, but what's even worse is that now you're bumming rides off of losers on the worst football team in all of Indiana.

He gets worked up thinking about that guy's motivation and how many times he probably tried to make a pass at you. Steve would never do that to you. Even if he wanted to, he's a gentleman at heart. He could beat that jerk to a pulp just imagining him giving you the look. God forbid that sucker puts his hands on you. Steve would get charged with battery before ever letting that happen.

It's not like he can say anything to you about it either. He's pissed, and he knows himself. He'd get all angry and confrontational, and you deserve better than that. It's his fault you got there first, and it's his fault you got to stocking, and it's his fault you're tuning him out. But he didn't think what he said last night would be worth all that trouble.

"If you keep up the optic blast, I'm gonna buy you a ruby-quartz visored monocle." And that droning voice could only belong to one overbearing manager.

"What do you need, Keith?" Steve grumbles, and out of the corner of his eye, he catches you looking to the front of the store to watch the encounter with a smirk.

"Duty calls, Harrington. Corporate sent us more shelf space. Need someone to unload it into the office," Keith murmurs, shooting a glance your way, "And, uh... it's kind of unwieldy, so get the kid to help you out."

It makes Steve's eye twitch because you're not some kid. And if you heard Keith refer to you as such, you'd unleash a fleet of curses on him. Only Steve is allowed to call you that. Because it's funny, duh. You're a year younger than him, obviously he's going to use that to his comedic advantage. Oh.

He lets out a sigh—"alright"—and leaves Keith to man the front while he skirts to the back of the store and leads you by the hand through the office.

"'The Hell, Harrington?" you hiss, but you keep your fingers locked between Steve's, abandoning the rest of the tapes on Keith's desk and jogging to catch up with his stride. As forward and demanding as his grip may be, you have to admit, the warmth of his palm is comforting and it makes your heart race because you've never held hands with Steve before. And in any other circumstance, you might've been able to enjoy it a little more.

"Keith told me to tell you that you have to help me bring a shelf in from the truck."

"Oh, I have to?" you bark, now pulling your hand away and putting your headphones around your neck once you exit through the back door with him. "And you didn't think to give me a warning before yanking on my arm?"

"Yes, you have to, and maybe if you weren't listening to that shit so loud, you would've been in the loop." It comes out far more harsh than he intended, and that was exactly what he was afraid of happening in a confrontation with you. His brow softens, and the tension in his upper back and jaw dissipates into his own self-pity party. "And I didn't yank on your arm. Or at least I didn't mean to, so I'm sorry for that much."

Steve hops up into the truck and offers you a hand you don't take as much as you both wish you would have. Because he looks like a kicked puppy, and you have to stop yourself from cheering yourself on. Maybe this will be your first literal step towards getting over him. Once and for all.

After about fifteen minutes of heaving and ho-ing, the two of you manage to haul the shelf into the office as per Keith's request. He was right: it was unwieldy. The awkward grip spots caused a lot of overlap, and you both flinched away from the physical contact in a matter of milliseconds. But Steve couldn't deny he felt bad, and you couldn't deny that you definitely still had feelings for him.

You grab your previously abandoned stack of tapes to scurry out of the office, but Steve stops you by the elbow. And you glare back at him.

"Sorry. The... yanking, I know"—he shoves his hands in his pockets and looks down—"Look, I'm not entirely sure what happened last night in the car, but it clearly made you uncomfortable, and I'd like to apologize."

He can see the neurons firing when he looks you in the eye, but he can also see that his apology wasn't effective in the slightest. Because you're still anger-ridden and fuming at him. You put your headphones on and go back to restocking shelves.

He checks the digital clock above the door. Two hours till eleven. Great.

And they creep by like refrigerated molasses. Second by second. Every time he glances at the clock, only a minute has passed. Eventually, though, he starts cleaning up for closing: vacuuming, cleaning the windows, fixing the display. And he finds himself getting a little more efficient at checking tapes back in and rewinding them only so you'll cruise by the front—scowling at him, but nonetheless at him—to grab a new stack and shelf it.

Five minutes to closing and a sleek, blue sedan pulls into the parking lot, and you practically beam at it, grinning and skipping to the front. You grab your bag from under the counter next to Steve's hip and shove your Walkman into it.

"You know, my car works perfectly fine," he grumbles, "don't have to replace me with some football jerk." He knows that struck a nerve because your smile immediately flickers away into a squint.

"That football jerk is bilingual, a painter, and lets me listen to the music I like in his car."

"But that's not the rules," he whines, desperately defending himself against some sports guy who's probably taking advantage of you.

"Well, I like him and he's nice to me." You sling your bag over your shoulder triumphantly, marching towards the door.

Steve is aghast at the implication. He thought you liked listening to the radio. Plus he took Spanish and art for the required two years, it's not that great of an achievement.

Still, he sputters out, "Yeah, well—"

You wave over your shoulder. "Later, Steve."

Since when did he become such a loser.

He watches jerk-face open the car door for you then glance over to wave at him with a perfect smile and perfect hair and perfect manners. What an asshole. Steve does not wave back.

—

"That's the kinda guy she likes?" he fusses into the phone, palming his face while Robin chuckles on the other line. This whole time he thought for sure you liked the self-assured, cocky, college-age boy type. And now you're dating a high schooler. Come on, jerk-face is not even that good looking.

"First of all, they're not dating. Second of all, don't lie to make yourself feel better; even I can admit he's basically a Greek god," Robin says, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Third... why do you care? You’re acting like it’s your job to protect her, but it’s not. She’s an adult now, you know, she can take her of herself.”

He lets out a puff of air through his nose, blinking hard and leaning into the pale yellow receiver. Then mumbling: "She told you."

And she replies, cheerily: "Yup."

"Well—! I just... don't want to see her get hurt. I know that type of guy. I used to be that type of guy. He's bad news, I can tell."

"Right,” Robin scoffs, “It's definitely not because you love her.”

"I don't love her. She's just a baby, and we don't even like the same things. It would never work out between us, there's no connection." They both know it’s a lame excuse, but it’s worked up until this moment. It’s worked since the day you met. You’re too young, the end. Sure, you can be cute sometimes, but you’re also a pain in the ass and you two could never get along long enough to stitch together a real relationship.

But Robin sees through all of that shit. And she’s over it.

“Okay, maybe, but she listens when you talk about cars, and you buy the albums she likes even when she only mentions them once. Plus, you both love Dustin like he's an extra limb”—she’s right, you love that kid to death and Lord knows Steve looks after him like a son—“I think as much as you wretch and complain over her being too young and the connection not 'being there', it seems like you try an awful lot to get her to like you."

He immediately rejects the idea with a scoff.

"Of course I’d want a cool person to like me, old fuckin’ habits die hard. But that's all. She's cool and has a good sense of style and tells the best jokes and makes me feel smart and listens to me, and right now I'm feeling pretty crazy because maybe I do love her and I blew it because... because? Because I don’t know why—but she's probably sitting in some jerk's car listening to her favorite songs and watching him paint the sunset while speaking Spanish or whatever."

Robin closes her eyes, and Steve’s annoyed by the fact that he can hear her smirking. "Jesus Christ, I need to start charging you idiots for my time"—and she sighs—"Just... tell her all that cheese. And maybe throw in an apology or two. I don't know, do what you usually do when you pick up girls.”

He’s frustrated. And annoyed. But he throws a thanks at her anyway and stomps down the stairs and to his beamer. It’s not until he’s shrouded in the piercing light of the convenience store that he realizes three things: he’s still in his work uniform, it’s midnight, and he’s pretty sure he does love you. He grabs a bouquet, not even realizing it’s a bouquet of amaryllis and baby’s breath—he’d prefer roses, but ‘tis not the season, as the cashier told him.

Minutes later, he’s muttering under his breath like he’s mad, waiting for someone to answer your door. And thank God you do.

“Steve—?”

“Oh, shit, did I—were you—?”

“Oh, no, I was just…”—thinking about him—“nothin’. What’re you doing here?”

He pushes a furious hand through his hair, then tucks a chunk behind his ear, worrying at his bottom lip. More nervous than he’s been in his whole life. Then he flashes those soft brown eyes at you, and you’re toast. You step onto your doormat and shut the door behind you because he starts into his sentence like a blazing fire:

"I feel so stupid, and I’m sorry for saying you're like a little sister to me; I don’t believe that, and it couldn’t be further from the truth. You're not like a sister to me, you're like the only thing that matters and I feel like I wanna learn another language for you and take a cooking class for you and listen to your music with you. I just, I mean I’m trying to say you make me want to be a better person, and I feel like I’m already a better person whenever I’m around you. I... what I’m saying—and I promise I’m getting to it—is that I’m sorry for being so stupid and not seeing it before, but I think you're beautiful and I'd be honored if you'd forgive me and maybe consider letting me take you out sometime. Like on a date."

He’s breathing heavily, looking and feeling manic, and your eyes are wide as you slowly process his confession. It goes down like sweet wine, floral down your throat and settling in your tummy like candy. But still: what the fuck? Is he insane? Are you insane?

His hair is flopped to one side, and his work vest is snug around his shoulders. You step forward slowly, and the creases in his forehead seem to go smooth. And you point to the bouquet.

“For me?”

Steve glances down. "Oh, yeah, got em for you. Sorry they're not roses, it's not—"

"I love them, thank you."

He nods. And you smile. And despite how beautiful the soft pink and white flowers are, you’re not particularly focused on their safety when you hook your arms beneath his and rope him into a hug. It’s clearly just what he needed when he goes pliant and heavy against your chest, smiling into your neck as his hands wrap over your shoulders.

"I think we might both be stupid,” you whisper.

He chuckles. "Yup. Just a couple of stupids. Geez, what kinda pair are we?" You both pull away. Only to look at each other squarely. To see a smile creep and creep across the other’s face. And he cocks a brow and says, "By the way, worst twenty-four hours of my life—"

And that’s saying something after the last three years.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Steve, I was just so—"

"I know."

"So confused and disappointed, it was—"

"Torture, yeah, don't even think about doing that ever again,” he teases, pinching your side and scrunching his nose when you pinch him back.

"Yeah. Well, never tell me I’m like a little sister to you ever again.”

Gross.

"I don't plan on it"

With the slow bat of your lashes, and the tender curve of your lips, he can’t not think about kissing you. Not in this light. Not under the meddling moon, and not holding your waist like cupping pools of honey.

Then you look away. For all the shit you talk, he manages to make you far more shy than he ever anticipates. And it gives him butterflies to see you duck away.

"You know, I think you're pretty beautiful yourself, Harrington.”

Oh, he’s blushing now. The blood gushes hot to his face, he could sweat buckets right here and now. You can probably hear his heartbeat. Jesus Christ, what’ve you done to him? You can tell he’s nervous when he chuckles softly. "Does this mean I can start giving you rides again?"

You pretend to weigh your options. As if there would ever be a better alternative. "Only if you let me play my music sometimes.”

"Absolutely. I never liked the radio much anyway."

You let go of him only to cradle your bouquet in both hands, admiring the petals while Steve puts his hands back in his pockets.

"Then I'll see you later," he says. Grinning ear to ear, mind you.

"Yeah,” you coo, “I’ll see you."

With one hand on his shoulder, you plant a kiss on his willing cheek and let him go. But before he can make it to his car you holler, “Wait!” and he jogs back over to you.

"Did I forget somethin’?"

“Yeah,” you poke, "you forgot about our date."

He tilts his head a little, brows furrowed. "Our... our date? What do you mean our… Ohhhh”—he nods in understanding, suddenly hit with a wave of excitement and embarrassment—"Does tomorrow work? We could grab lunch or dinner or something and maybe stop by the arcade or—oh, the fair's in town, that could be kinda fun, unless you don't want to, I mean—"

"Steve?" you hum.

“Mhm?”

"I'd love to."

And suddenly his ego is miles through the roof; he's nodding and grinning and it’s like he can’t wait to wake up tomorrow just to see you again.

"Me too. Okay. Yeah! I'll see you then."

"Bye, Stevie.” You give him a small wave, and the shroud of plastic around the bouquet crinkles like the corners of his eyes at the idea of tomorrow.

masterlist

[webslingingslasher]

Sometimes I like to think Peter confessed to trouble one night after randomly barging into her dorm room thru the window, bleeding in like 20 dif places, and while she’s frantic asking what the fuck happened looking for a med kit he’s high off adrenaline and is like “SPIDER-MAN. ME SPIDER-MAN.” and she’s just like “what the FUCK did you just say?!”

it makes me giggle

-🪼

😭😭😭 i could imagine this fr. like, he was on the brink of blacking out, bleeding out and dying and all he had was you because may is at minimum, thirty minutes away.

peter leaves a bloody handprint on your window when he pushes it open, then collapses to your floor while heaving for air. you nearly jump out of bed at the sound, terrified and ready to call peter because who the fuck entered your room through your window in the middle of the night?

except it’s spider-man, and you jump into action, getting to him in two steps and hitting the carpet with your knees.

grabbing his shoulder, ‘oh my god, oh my god, spider-man, are you okay?’ he’s not okay, he’s dying on your floor.

peter doesn’t have it in him to play pretend, he rips the mask off. you gasp and throw him back into the wall, peter groans.

‘what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the-‘

‘trouble, please.’

you run around, your mom packed you a first aid kit when you moved to college, you’ve never used it. now you need it, where the fuck is it?

‘what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, peter?’

he’s clutching his side, there’s so much blood.

‘this is why you’re not allowed to do this, you promise me right now you’ll stop.’

‘you know i can’t,’ he gasps for air, ‘do that.’

‘oh what the fuck, this isn’t happening. what the fuck, this is how you told me? i mean, what the fuck?!’

‘you’re doing a great job at handling it, super stellar.’

you throw a towel at him, he holds it to his worst laceration.

‘don’t you dare get upset with me, you’re the one leading a double life showing up to my fucking window at deaths door. jesus christ, peter. what the fuck!’

‘can i please get a bandaid?’

you find the kit, you tear the plastic and open it.

‘you need a fucking trauma unit.’

peter pulls out a roll of gauze, then motions towards his suit, ‘do me a favor and get me out of this.’

‘oh my god, am i dreaming? this isn’t real life, you’re not real.’

peter’s struggling to free himself, you help while dazed. your brain is melting. ‘is this a bad time to ask for an autograph?’

he stares at you. you blink back.

peter can’t believe he has to say it. ‘yes. it’s a terrible time.’

you pull the suit down to his hips, he’s cut a million different ways. ‘so, is that a no?’

peter wraps the gauze around his arm and tears it with his teeth, the sight makes your heart thump, he looks up at you. ‘don’t you dare get turned on right now, that’s sadistic.’

‘you’re hot when you’re bloody.’

‘oh, jesus christ. fucking cauterize me and you can live out your fantasies.’

you grab a handful of bandaids and a tube of neosporin. ‘on it.’

[aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman]

I know everyone remembers The Exorcist for Regan’s possession by the demon Pazuzu and the crazy head-spinning, projectile vomiting scenes, but for me it’s all about Father Damien Karras’ struggle with faith, belief in God, and being a Jesuit psychiatrist in a cold, modern, secular world full of evil and pain. Jason Miller’s performance is nothing short of epic, and he brings Karras to vivid life.

The character is basically just an autobiographical projection of author William Peter Blatty, who came from a similar ecclesiastical background and was also full of guilt irt to taking care of his Lebanese immigrant, poverty-stricken single mother who suffered from mental illness and as such, his childhood consisted of 28 apartment evictions and constant homelessness and deprivation.

Karras also deals with the pain of a dependent, difficult mother, as well as his ambiguous feelings towards humanity, as he constantly wonders how it is possible to love the most horrible, seemingly unredeemable, and downtrodden individuals, as the Catholic religion and the teachings of Jesus instruct one to do.

The question of human suffering also plagues him, as he wonders how God can allow it to exist. When he comes in contact with the demon-possessed Regan, he finally realizes that Good cannot exist without Evil, and that faith in God often requires an extreme amount of sacrifice and humility.

Through his philosophical and religious struggles, the audience sees their own reflected within. For example, Father Karras feels repelled when people constantly burden him with their own suffering. A homeless man begs him for money, a lonely young Jesuit seeks company in him, Regan’s mother confesses a murder on the part of her daughter, a police chief unloads his guilty conscience, and so on. Finally, Karras sacrifices himself in a Christ-like manner at the end.

Blatty acknowledges that it’s often easier for humanity to hate than love. That’s our real tragedy. Hatred comes so easily, but it’s unrequited love that’s the most painful thing, yet that’s the first tenet of the Christian faith and what most of us are stuck on. But Karras’ allegorical tale somehow shows that redemption and love for humanity are technically possible within everyone. And that’s why it’s such an amazing book/film that goes way beyond the surface label of being just an average cliched horror movie!

[thewordfortheday]

After Jesus rose from the dead, He met His disciples on the beach one morning. This was the third occasion He appeared to a group of them (John 21:14).

Until this moment, Jesus had yet to comment on Peter's denial. The disciple might have expected the Lord to say, "Didn't I tell you that you would be cowardly under pressure?" At the very least, Peter would have expected a firm rebuke, such as he received when he refused to believe Christ had to die (Matthew. 16:21-23).

How does Jesus convey that all is forgiven and Peter is restored to service? He tells Peter to tend His flock. In other words Jesus still believed in Peter. He believes in you today. He is the only one who can restore you.

Do you feel unusable because of past sin? If so, confess your disobedience in genuine repentance, and God will be faithful to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Then ask Him to direct you to the service or work He has for you. Our heavenly Father is the God of second chances.

[cult-of-the-eye]

Jmart songs part two electric boogaloo:

Night Shift by Lucy Dacus (it's just so lonely coded, it's Martin's pov during his Peter Lukas arc)

This Side of Paradise by Coyote Theory (obviously it's Jon's pov to Martin like come be lonely with me duh)

Kiss Goodnight by IDKHow (it's just such Jon working late while Martin was living at the archives and it sort of becomes domestic and they wish each other goodnight every night)

Your Best American Girl by Mitski (I don't know why but it just works. I think it's the mommy issues)

Everyone Adores You (at least I do) by Matt Maltese (this is so jealous pining Martin core oh my god)

Good Looking by Suki Waterhouse (Martin to Jon I just. trust me on this one.)

GOODBYE, MY DANISH SWEETHEART BY MITSKI (oh my god it's so fucking jmart coded I'm making a whole fucking post about this actually)

Hey Lover! By Wabie (you can imagine Jon dancing with Martin to this song it's such a Jon talking to Martin song)

Sweet Tooth by Cavetown (Jon to Martin. Like come on. Martin makes him tea and it's slightly sweet the way he likes it)

Never Love An Anchor by Crane Wives (yeah. it's jon to Martin. he thinks he's a burden by loving him and putting him in danger it's so fucking him)

The Moon Will Sing by Crane Wives (jesus Christ. So mag 160 lonely confession core)

Stress Relief by late night drive home (Martin sees his crush on Jon as a distraction from the stress of everyday)

And many others!!!

[sevlinop]

Nature vs Nuture in Hunter X Hunter, The Spider's "Founding" vs "Hisoka's Past"

In celebration of Hunter X Hunter returning, I wanted to go through and analyze the differences between the Spider's origin story in the recent chapters of the manga, as opposed to "Hisoka's Past, which is Sui Ishida's one shot depicting Hisoka's origins that was published back in 2016. Fair warning, there are spoilers ahead, so I wouldn't read this unless you're caught up with the manga! (It will also be quite long!)

To get the obvious out of the way, this one shot is not really canon. That being said, considering Togashi did a joint interview with Ishida and was open to letting him write his characters, I think at the very least Togashi likely isn't strongly opposed to how Hisoka is characterized in it. Ultimately though, I love Ishida's work so I'm just going to treat it as canon for the purposes of this.

In chapters 395-397, the focus shifts to a flashback of the origin story of the Phantom Troupe. It's cute and heartwarming, but also unsurprisingly, quite depressing. We see the hard life that orphans have in Meteor City, and ultimately the motivations for forming the Spider. I think the key thing you can take away from these chapters is that the Troupe did not became mass murdering criminals by happenstance. In these chapters we see Chrollo's leadership qualities almost immediately, and his ability to bring opposing personalities together. He's clearly the main protagonist for this interlude, and it focuses on his perspective, with the videotape motif making another appearance. Young Chrollo comes across as good natured, and deeply sensitive. He struggles to protect and stand up for himself, something alluded to by another orphan Sheila, when she describes him as everyone's "little brother". Most of the others tease or bully him, with Uvogin being the primary one.

On the other hand, we also see his ability to put on a performance, dubbing multiple characters and captivating all of the other kids. He doesn't win the other kid's admiration through force or intimidation, but charisma. Initially his only friends seem to be Shalnark and Franklin, neither of whom seem to see Chrollo as the leader of their little trio. On a side note it's adorable, and fitting that these three would get along. He's also close with Pakunoda, who seems to be the first of the children to have an unshakeable confidence in Chrollo. While their caretaker sees Chrollo's obvious potential, most of the other kids don't. All of the other founding spiders make appearances, but Uvogin is probably the closest to a Deuteragonist in these chapters. From the start he's clearly presented as almost already an authority figure, in part due to being older, even if ultimately the other kids respect for him is driven more by fear. It's his approval of Chrollo that solidifies him as the leader of first the performing Troupe, and then after Sarasa's death, the leader of The Spider.

Considering The Phantom Troupe, and Chrollo in particular, seem heavily tied in with references to The Gospels in The New Testament, I don't think it's a stretch to see a biblical reference here. In Matthew 16:16, Simon Peter states that Jesus is the Messiah.

"Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

I won't quote the entire Confession of Peter, suffice it to say I saw parallels with that section in this particular panel. Peter is famously hot tempered and argumentative, similar to Uvogin. However unlike Jesus who initially praises Peter, but then ultimately admonishes the disciples not to tell anyone he's the Christ, Chrollo is unsure of taking the role as leader. His becoming a leader isn't a sure thing.

This to me ties back into the main themes of these chapters, nurture, and the initial events that pushed Chrollo to become who he is by the time we're first introduced to him in Yorknew. He's deeply traumatized, and his deterministic, pessimistic worldview is a reflection of that. It also ties into his last name, Lucilfer, a blatant reference to Lucifer. Chrollo has imagery that ties to him to Christ and also The Devil. The most important moment to me though, is Chrollo stating he knows this warpath to get back at the human traffickers, and broader society in general, isn't what Sarasa would have wanted. This is a really impressive level of self awareness for anyone, let alone a young child. It shows Chrollo is fully aware of and comprehends how harmful his actions will be, and that his very high empathy gives him the option to lead people in a constructive direction, or a destructive one.

In Sui Ishida's one shot on the other hand, we see a very different kind of origin story. One that lacks much emotional resonance, and is more centered on Hisoka's discovery of Nen. He joins up with a traveling circus after being found alone, and seemingly injured on the side of the road. We see him be taken in and mentored by a nen user, Moritonio who's the leader of the "Moritonio Troupe". Hisoka also gets to know a girl his age who's an aspiring hunter training under Moritonio, named Abaki. It's a stretch to say they become friends, but she's clearly the third most relevant character in this story. Unlike Chrollo's arc where he wins over Uvogin, and by extension the rest of the future Phantom Troupe. Hisoka has little interest in befriending Abaki or integrating into the Moritonio Troupe.

We then see Hisoka master both circus performance, and the basics of Nen incredibly quickly. It's very much presented as just due to his inborn talent. Then we get an allusion to Ging, when Moritonio mentions how he took the Hunter exam and was wiped out by an incredible young competitor. Finally, we also get a throwback with water divination, where Hisoka changes the water to have a sour taste as opposed to Moritonio, who changes the water to taste bitter. A hint at both of their true natures. Later on Moritonio is revealed to be the infamous serial killer, John Doe, who's been terrorizing the town the troupe is staying in. Hisoka ultimately figures out his identity, and challenges him to a fight, narrowly winning by deploying his Bungee Gum for the first time. He happens to also do an act of kindness, by using his Texture Surprise for the first time, and covering up Moritonio's face so as to hide the truth of John Doe's identity from Abaki, before leaving the group behind and slipping away. To me at least this is presented as more of Hisoka acting on a whim, rather than coming from a place of caring about Abaki's feelings. The entire one shot centers around this main theme of natural talent, or someone's nature, being the biggest factor in shaping how they are.

Upon rereading the one shot for writing this, I have a very different interpretation. I don't think this one shot is about Hisoka learning nen, because I think he already knew it to begin with. Between mysteriously being found laying on the side of the road, or his incredibly rapid advancement, I think the real talent displayed here isn't Hisoka's aptitude for Nen (though that's true as well.), but deception. My reading is that he deceives Moritonio and the others from the beginning, and that the entire theme of this origin story is that Hisoka is who he is by nature. Even as a relatively young child he's skilled at sleight of hand and lying. I don't think this is because of some key event that shaped who he is. Chrollo is defined by his focus on morality, though that doesn't mean he is moral, and the philosophical beliefs he holds about the Spider. Whereas Hisoka is depicted as ultimately uninterested in other people beyond the potential entertainment or pleasure they could provide him, and amoral and deceitful by nature. His character also doesn't seem to have any religious or literary references in this one shot. (And considering Tokyo Ghoul's extensive literary references, that seems to go against how Ishida usually writes characters. So I think it's definitely an intentional choice.)

The other biggest contrast to me is how Chrollo's entire backstory is defined by his relationships to others. From Sarasa and her cruel and vile death at the hands of human traffickers, and ultimately his connection with the other spiders and in particular Pakunoda and Uvogin. Whereas Hisoka's backstory seems to be defined by his shallow and transactional interactions with others. Every action he takes is out of self interest or a whim, in fact he seems to be beyond just selfish, but incredibly egocentric in a way that's almost more like a disorder. Still, he's paradoxical very smooth and good at reading others. Whereas Chrollo's empathetic and thoughtful, Hisoka's perceptive and cunning.

I want to add, the whole point of this post isn't to argue that Chrollo is just a kind soul who was forced into being a monster, or that Hisoka is just evil to the core. Or put more simply, that I'm not just saying Chrollo is good and Hisoka is bad. Interestingly enough, many of Hisoka's actions are actually quite heroic in this chapter, even if his intent is a different story.

As far as we know at this point in the story, Chrollo masterminded a genocide against the Kurta, and is a heinous criminal. Though undeniably with a very magnetic personality. My point more is that I think Chrollo and the rest of the spiders are who they are because of nurture, whereas Hisoka is defined by being who he is simply by nature. They're both horrible people by almost any moral standard, but they're horrible in different ways and for different reasons. Ultimately they're both fascinating characters.

Thank you for reading this, and I know we're all excited to see what happens with The Phantom Troupe and Hisoka in the upcoming chapters!

[witchofimber]

I have had four pints and I'm going to indulge in my "who fucked/wanted to fuck Sirius" headcanons ok:

James and Sirius were like the male equivalent of that deeply toxic semi-lesbian friendship you had at school. As teenagers they were like psychosexually obsessed with each other in a way that never translated into actual hooking up but as soon as they graduated their feelings instantly morphed into "of course not, he's like a brother to me!" with almost no memory of what came before. Occasionally while extremely plastered one of them will reference a fantasy they had about the other while young and then they won't make eye contact for 48 hours. Then the friendship-necessary amnesia will set in again.

I don't think Lily was ever actively interested in Sirius but, like - look, when I was a lass there was this one boy in class who me and my friends used to track our periods by. 24 out of 30 days we would find him disgusting but there were the 6 days where we'd be like "You know, his combination of terrible personality flaws and unearned confidence is actually incredibly sexy" and that's when we knew we were due soon. That's what Sirius is to Lily.

Remus went from 'look, everyone finds their friends a little bit hot' to 'ok, I do find Sirius slightly hotter than James, but that's only because Sirius flirts more' to 'I am deliberately and consciously thinking of people other than Sirius when I jerk off because this CANNOT become a thing' to 'just because I'm sleeping with him doesn't mean I feel anything' to 'NO. NO. I REFUSE TO BE IN LOVE WITH SIRIUS. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.' (James charted the stages on a calendar)

Mary and Sirius cheerfully slept together half a dozen times. When questioned about it they were just like "Yeah?? We're bros!! What about it!!"

Dorcas and Sirius slept together a few times in the name of Hot and Mean Solidarity, but then there was a pregnancy scare. Sirius broke down crying in the middle of Wizescos (Wizard Tescos) while Dorcas bought a test. They have silently agreed to never mention this episode again.

Marlene made out with Sirius once and then broke down crying and admitted she was a lesbian. Sirius claims this proves that he is the absolute peak of masculinity; once conquered, never bettered. James claims that this proves he is the nadir of men and enough to put women off for life. Everyone else claims they are idiots about this.

Sirius once slept with Pandora, guiltily confessed this to Xeno, slept with Xeno to make up for it and then discovered they were poly the next morning. He spent a solid week in discussions with them about forming a polycule before Remus reminded him he didn't actually want to do that.

I refuse to believe that Peter has ever fucked or wanted to fuck. I will not entertain the notion.

[404-found]

Once Saved, Always Saved

Perseverance of the saints, or an even better term to use is preservation of the saints. Means that those who are truly saved by God’s grace will persevere in their faith until the end. This means that genuine believers, once they have been regenerated (born again) and justified by faith, will never fully and finally fall away from their state of grace or lose their salvation.

John 10:28-29

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand."

Jesus promises that those who belong to Him have eternal life and cannot be taken away from Him, emphasizing God’s power to keep believers secure.

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Paul assures believers that nothing in creation can separate them from God’s love, underscoring the permanence of salvation in Christ.

John 6:37-40

"All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day."

Jesus promises that He will not lose any of those the Father has given Him and that they will be raised up on the last day, affirming security in salvation.

Philippians 1:6

"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Paul expresses confidence that God will complete the work of salvation in believers, indicating that God is faithful to finish what He started.

Ephesians 1:13-14

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory."

Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance, suggesting that salvation is secure and will be fulfilled.

2 Timothy 1:12

"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day."

Paul’s confidence is in God’s ability to keep and preserve what has been entrusted to Him, reinforcing the idea of eternal security.

1 Peter 1:3-5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time."

Peter describes an inheritance that is “kept in heaven” and “shielded by God’s power,” emphasizing the believer’s secure position.

Hebrews 10:14

"For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

This verse highlights the completeness and permanence of Christ’s sacrifice, indicating that those who are in Christ are made perfect forever.

These passages collectively emphasize that:

Believers are kept by God’s power and love.

Salvation is a completed work by Christ that God promises to finish.

Believers are marked with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee.

Now, what if someone converts. Confesses Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Becomes a pastor. 40 years later says he's decided he doesn't believe and it's all hogwash and denounces the faith. Did he lose his salvation? No. I would argue he never had salvation to begin with. False conversion. I don't know why he played along for 40 years. But it wasn't because he loved Jesus. Or else he would still be with Jesus. He was never saved.

Jesus had more than 12 disciples in the beginning who all claimed to believe that he was the Messiah. Yet, they had left or "fallen away" from the faith. Did they lose their salvation? This is what John had to say about them.

1 John 2:19

"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

John is talking about those who appeared to be Christians but later left, revealing that their commitment to Christ and the community was not genuine. This verse suggests that true believers will remain in the faith because of their genuine relationship with Christ.

Someone converts. Confesses Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Very next day go out into the street and murders someone in cold blood. Then die themselves. Do they go to heaven? I would argue again of a false conversion. If God truly calls you to Christ and you are saved the sanctification process begins in that moment. You've come to know Christ you've come to love Christ. It would be against everything in your heart and soul to kill someone after that. I would argue this person was not truly saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

God's grace is not an excuse to sin. If you have truly received God's grace and love Jesus you won't want to sin.

John 14:15

Jesus says "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Here, Jesus is linking love for Him with obedience. This statement underscores that true love for Jesus will naturally lead to a desire to follow His teachings and commandments. It’s a call to genuine discipleship, where love is shown through action and obedience.

This however doesn't mean that we won't ever sin. We definitely won't be going out and killing people. But we will slip up with lust and other various sins. But the idea is that the more we grow our relationship with God the more he's able to change our hearts and minds. When a person is saved that person will start to sin less and less.

1 John 1:8-9

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Our salvation is not in our hands. We didn't earn it. It was given as a gift from God. If we have grace, which has not been earned. How can we lose it?

If you could lose your salvation you would. How arrogant does a person have to be to believe that it's possible for them to lose their salvation but they haven't.

Who do you have to think you are in order to be "I'm a christian and i'm saved and I'm on my way to heaven when I die but there's a possibility that I can mess this thing up but I haven't."

You probably just did.

[ohmyenjolrass]

things i adored of the catalan version of jesus christ superstar

so i just saw the catalan version of after discovering there is one (it's here, check it out!) and i think it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. shoutout to @this-is-a-name-dont-worry for making me discover it <3

catalan is my favourite language and i am lucky enough to speak it every day, and this production didn't disappoint at all!

so as a tradition in this blog, let's review my favorite parts!

first of all, i adored the setting and the cast. the costumes were also fabulous. so the whole aesthetic of the show was impeccable, giving me the same vibes as the 2018 nbc version. 10/10 for scene.

now, specific things. many of these things have to do with lyrics because i think the translation was EVERYTHING.

heaven on their minds is always a banger, no matter the production. one thing i loved about this particular version was the lyric obri els ulls i escolta el que t'he de dir / que no veus que no vull veure't morir?, which literally translates to open your eyes and listen to what i have to say / can't you see that i don't want to see you die? (more or less).

that translation changed my life forever.

the percussion break right before what's the buzz? gave me +20 years of life.

then, judas's expression during mary's bit was so funny.

and also, some note changes during strange thing mystifying that i LOVED.

i also think it was clever how judas was arguing with the apostles in the background during the first chorus of everything's alright.

moreover, the way mary soothes judas in the second chorus

AND HOW THEY CHANGE THE LYRICS SO THEY CAN MAKE IT PLURAL (like mary talks to both jesus and judas).

ANNAS IS A GIRL !!!!! and an amazing performer, gotta say.

also, the little dancing of the priests during this jesus must die.

i adored how in hosanna, jesus and judas enter together and then mary joins them (and judas gives her a little kiss!!).

also judas telling the crowd to be chill while caiaphas sings.

and how he gets mad when jesus talks about heaven.

SIMON IS A GIRL !!!! and also SPECTACULAR.

the way pilate and jesus look at each other just before pilate's dream.

the priests being in the temple during the scene.

mary confessing to jesus during i don't know how to love him and jesus ALMOST KISSING HER???? WOAH.

a priest offered judas some food while he was having a mental breakdown in damned for all time and i thought it was the funniest thing ever.

okay so during the last supper happened a lot of things

first, JUDAS SMOKING. i'm always a fan of that (please, don't smoke).

also, during their first confrontation, judas says deixa'm que t'expliqui (let me explain) to jesus, and I WANTED TO CRY

the way the apostles tidy up the table after jesus and judas's first fight.

at the end, judas looks for comfort in the apostles AND THEY REJECT HIM???? the audacity.

gethsemane was in general absolutely stunning, but some things i liked about it is the way it was translated. the song in catalan seems like jesus is asking god to show himself so that he can see that everything is real. HEART B R E A K I N G.

ANOTHER HEARTBREAK. the lyrics just before the song starts say ningú es vol quedar despert amb mi? / no em deixeu sol avui, which translates to none of you wants to stay awake with me? / don't leave me alone today. I MEAN.

some other lyrics that destroyed me were the pre-chorus. in catalan, jesus sings: vas donar-me llum / però ara sols veig fum / esperant que tú vinguessis / vaig donar-te el que tenia / una vida / no pots esperar més d'un home sol, which translates to you gave me light / but now i only see smoke / waiting for you to come / i gave you what i had / a life / you cannot expect more from only a man. I MEAN X2.

peter's voice was one of my favorites.

and also, herod serving cunt in that animal print trousers. chef's kiss.

judas's death affected me more than any other production

in superstar, judas singing de debò el teu sacrifici et converteix en salvador? which translates to does your sacrifice really makes you a savior? in the cuntiest way possible. yes, king.

and to finish, the timer above the cross going down before jesus's death.

if you reached this point, hi! i hope you enjoyed it, 'cause i know i did. check out this production, it is truly amazing. see you in the next post! x

[findingrome1]

Peace be with you all friends, happy All Hallows Eve to you!! This will be a somewhat lengthy post because I think I have some ideas worth sharing.

So for those of you who don't know All Hallow's Eve is the day before all saints day. The day when the Church remembers her saints. The Catholic and Orthodox churches alongside high church protestants observe the day as to keep alive the memory of those who gave their lives to the faith, either working tirelessly to spread the Gospel, help us to understand the nature of God better, or literally gave their lives in witness for the Gospel.

A few saints outside of the Bible I think are worth sharing.

Saint Athanasius- 5x exiled for defending the divinity of Christ and kept fighting heresy.

Saint Anslem- Theologian who made the ontological argument of God.

Saint Patrick- Herald of God's kingdom to Ireland.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe- Took the place of a married Jewish man destined to be killed in WW2 at the cost of his life.

Saint Justin Martyr- Early Church Father who recklessly defended the Christain faith, to the point of writing letters to the Roman Emperor to debunk rumors. This cost him his life.

Sadly (at least to me) this day marks the anniversary of when Dr. Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses, which contained 95 points of protest against the perceived and real problems occurring within the Roman Catholic church. Ofc the indulgences scheme to build Saint Peter's Basicillia comes to mind yet there was plenty of clerical and liturgical abuses, inconsistentcy in training for the priesthood going on too. I am not going to talk about why I think the Catholic position is more correct. Plenty of smart people have done this before me. What I will offer are a few ideas to foster deeper unity.

Working in common interest- while having deep differences Catholics, Orthodox and Lutherans share a common foundation and values. For example Christian orthodoxy (just right belief, not the churches) rejects aborti0n. Think about how much more of a statement it would be if Catholics and Protestants if instead of holding separate marches were one big march at state capitals?

Learning from one another- As Thomas Aquinas said "All truth, is God's truth". While I don't believe God intended his beloved Church to fracture this to me seems very human. God works with human errors as he did with Israel when they fractured, God's grace and power works through all who strive to know him. While I am Catholic I still consume non-Catholic Christian media. For example on Youtube the Lutheran Pastor Jordan B. Cooper, makes videos about the Lutheran confession explaining it. These videos help inform me so I don't strawman Lutherans and I better understand the Catholic faith by seeing the differences. Furthermore he makes other videos especially on etiquette which is informative.

Talk to each other- similar to my first point, but different enough to be worth mentioning. If we talk to each other, it will do so much good. When we talk to each other it will break down prejudices and enlighten both parties quickly. We will see each other as more than souls 'on the wrong side' but friends who we value and care to learn more about.

I hope this post gives some helpful thoughts. May the love of Jesus Christ that surpasses all understanding br with you all.

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

How to deal when you work with gay people? I have yelled at them in the past, but I believe I sinned by doing that since we are to be longsuffering, not wrathful. I'm afraid people don't see Christ in me. It certainly IS a problem in society. But we certainly don't solve it by acting like Westboro Baptists. Someone even compared me to Steven Anderson, and since Anderson believes homosexuals cannot repent and are without hope, this comparison really grieves me. How can I reconcile both Romans 1 and Galatians 5? I fear that I am going to hell for showing too much wrath as a person :(

Jesus paid for your every sin. Every single one of us has failed to preach and represent Christ the way we should. Just look at Peter. He cut a guy’s ear off. God knows we will fail and that is part of His plan. He uses the shameful and weak things of this world, sinners like you and me, to glorify His name. Our salvation is not dependent on how good we are. It depends on God’s kindness to us through Jesus.

When you remember this, that you were a lost and blind sinner until God transformed you, it helps you to look at other sinners the same way. The homosexual is a slave to his sin who God loves and wants to show His mercy to.

When a baby cries to have its diaper changed, you can’t get mad at it. That’s what babies do and they need the love of someone older and wiser to clean them up until they can understand how to change. We are all that helpless infant swimming in our filth while our Father who patiently cared for us until we could understand how to be clean.

When you are angry with the sin of others, remember that God is in control and He loves to save guilty sinners. It doesn’t mean you approve of their sin or ignore it. Instead you surrender control to God and seek out ways to be His love toward them. Find ways to serve them and get to know them and make yourself available so they can get to know you.

As they get to know you, they will see the things you believe and how you hold to them with integrity. If you mess up, confess it and tell them how you fall short and need God’s grace like everyone else. This is how God reveals His grace to those who need it.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible by James Russell Miller

How Christ Comforts (John 14:1-2)

The words of the fourteenth chapter of John were spoken by the Master to His friends in a time of deep grief which seemed inconsolable. Yet He said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” This seemed a strange thing to say to those men that night. How could they keep their hearts from being troubled in such circumstances? To think of all that Jesus had grown to be to them! For three years they had been members of His personal family, enjoying the most intimate relations with Him.

How much a friend can be to us, depends on the friend. If he has a rich character, a noble personality, power to love deeply, capacity for friendship, the spirit of pure unselfishness; if he is able to inspire us to heroism and to worthy living what he can be to us is immeasurable. Think what Jesus Christ, with His marvelous manhood, must have been as a friend to His disciples, and you can understand something of what His going from them meant to them.

Then He was more than a friend to them. They had believed in Him as the Messiah, who was to redeem them and lead them to honor and glory. Great hope rested in Him. His death was, as it seemed to them the defeat and failure of all their hopes. The announcement that He was to leave them, swept away, as they thought, all that made life worthwhile. There are human friends whose death seems to leave only desolation in the hearts and lives of those who have loved them and leaned on them. But the death of Christ was to His personal friends and followers the blotting out of every star of hope and promise. Their sorrow was overwhelming.

Yet Jesus looked into their faces and said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” It is worth our while to think of the grounds on which Jesus could reasonably say this to His disciples, when they were entering into such great and real sorrow. The first thing He bade them do, was to believe. “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.” Thus far they had believed in God. Jesus had taught them a new name for God. They were to call Him Father. He had not been known by this name before but Jesus used no other name for Him. The word Father is a great treasure-house of love-thoughts. It told the disciples of personal thought, love and care, extending to all the events of their lives. The very hairs of their heads were all numbered. It told them of goodness which never failed. It was a great lesson they had been learning, as they came to think of God as their Father. In the shock of the last terrible days; however, the danger was that they would lose their faith in God. But Jesus said to them: “Believe in God. Let nothing take this faith out of your heart. Let nothing take from you what you have been learning from Me about God.”

“Believe also in Me.” They had accepted Jesus as the Messiah. You remember the splendid confession made by Peter, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” In this confession, all the disciples had joined. They believed that He had come to be the world’s Savior. Now, in the announcement that Jesus was to die at the hands of wicked men, there was danger that they should lose their faith in Him. But to save them from their loss of faith He exhorted them to continue to believe. Not one of their hopes had perished. “You believe in God, believe also in Me.”

We are always in danger of losing faith in time of sorrow or any sore trouble. Many times people are heard asking such questions as, “How can God be a God of love, and allow me to be so bereft, so stripped of good things? Where are now the promises of blessing which are made in the Scriptures over and over again? Has God forgotten to be gracious?” To those questions of doubt and fear the answer is, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me.” Let nothing disturb your faith. Though it seems that God’s love has failed, that God has not forgotten you, that Christ is no longer your friend still continue to believe; believe in God, believe also in Christ.

Sorrow is full of mystery. We go everywhere asking, “Why?” “This is not love,” we say. “This is not goodness. This is not salvation.” We cannot answer the WHY. Should we expect to know why God does this or that? How could we, with our narrow vision and our small knowledge, understand the plans and purpose of God? God does not plan to give us an easy time in this world He wants to make something of us, and often the way to do this is to give us pain, loss, and suffering.

A German writer speaks of the “hardness of God’s love.” Love must be hard sometimes. A writer tells of keeping the cocoon of an emperor moth for nearly a year, to watch the process of development. A narrow opening is left in the neck of the flask, through which the insect forces its way. The opening is so small that it seems impossible for the moth to pass through it. This writer watched the efforts of the imprisoned moth to escape. It did not appear to make any progress. At last he grew impatient. He pitied the little creature and, in a weak kindness to it, decided to help it. Taking his scissors, he snipped the confining threads to make the struggle easier. In a moment the moth was free, dragging out a great swollen body and little shriveled wings. He watched to see the beauty unfold but he watched in vain. “It never was anything but a stunted abortion, crawling painfully about, instead of flying through the air on rainbow wings.” Nature’s way that is, God’s way with moths is the only true way, although it is a way of pain, struggle, and suffering. Human pity may make an easier way but the end will be destructive .

God’s love never makes this mistake, either in nature or in dealing with human lives. God lets us suffer if by suffering we will best grow into perfect beauty. When the mystery of pain or hardness comes into our life let us not doubt. Let us suffer and wait. The disciples thought all their hopes were gone but in the end they learned that no hope had perished or failed. Blessing and good came out of what seemed irretrievable disaster. “You believe in God, believe also in me,” is always the word of faith and comfort. Trust God. Nothing is going wrong. You cannot understand but He understands.

The disciples were in great distress because their Master was going away from them. They were dismayed as they thought of their loss. They thought they could not live without Him. But He explained that He was going away for their sake. They thought they would not have His help anymore, and He explained that He would still be active in their behalf. “In my Father’s house are many mansions… I am going to prepare a place for you.”

He told them where He was going to His Father’s house. These are precious words. They tell us that heaven is home. On this earth there is no place so sweet, so sacred, so heart-satisfying as the true home. It is a place of love, purest, gentlest, most unselfish love. It is a place of confidence. We are always sure of home’s loved ones. We do not have to be on our guard when we enter our home doors. We do not have to wear masks there, hiding or disguising our real selves. Home is a refuge into which we flee from the danger, the enmity, the suspicion, the unkindness, the injustice of the world . Home is the place where hungry hearts feed on love’s bread .

Mrs. Craik in one of her books had this fine picture: Oh, conceive the happiness to know that some one person dearer to you than your own self, some one heart into which you can pour every thought, every grief, every joy; one person who, if all the rest of the world were to calumniate or forsake you would never wrong you by a harsh thought or an unjust word; who would cling to you the closer in sickness, in poverty, in care; who would sacrifice all things to you, and for whom you would sacrifice all; from whom, except by death, night or day, you never can be divided; whose smile is ever at your hearth. Such is marriage, if they who marry have hearts and souls to feel that there is no bond on earth so tender and so sublime.

This is a glimpse of what a true home is. The picture is sometimes realized on the earth. There are homes which are well-near perfect. But the home sought, will be realized full in heaven. The Bible paints heaven in colors of dazzling splendor, its gates and streets and gardens and streams and fruits, all of the utmost brilliance; but no other description means so much to our hearts as that which the Master gives in these three words, “My Father’s house” home!

“My Father’s house.” That is the place to which we are going! That is the place where those we have lost awhile from our earthly homes, falling asleep in Jesus, are gathering. That is the place to which the angels have carried the godly dead. What a vision will burst upon our eyes when, some quiet day or night, we shall fall asleep to awake no more on earth but to awake in heaven, in our Father’s house! You have read of men coming over the sea as immigrants, and landing in a strange city as utter strangers throngs all about them but not one familiar face, no welcome in any eye, no greeting. But it will not be this way with you when you leave this world and enter heaven. Loved ones will meet you and receive you with joy.

Jesus said also to His disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you.” They thought His dying was an interruption of His work. The Messiah they had conceived of was to live and be a glorious King, conquering the world. Suddenly they were told that soon they should not see Him He would be gone. They were bitterly disappointed. All their homes were now to perish. Jesus comforts them by telling them that the reason He was going away was to prepare a place for them. Nothing was going wrong with His Messiahship. They had misunderstood it that was all. He could easily have escaped from the plots of the rulers, the betrayal of Judas, the arrest by the temple officers. But hat would have been to fail in part of His work.

The reason He was going away was that He might continue and complete His work in heaven. “I go to prepare a place for you.” The thought is very beautiful. How does Christ prepare places for us? We need not understand but it is a sweet thought to know that He thinks of us as you think of a dear guest who is coming to visit you lovingly, and prepares for your coming. You good women, when you are expecting a friend you love very much, make the guest room just as tidy and beautiful as you can. You think of the friend’s tastes, and prepare the room with this in mind. You put up a picture you think will please him. You lay on the table the books you know he will like. You gather his favorite flowers and place them on the dressing bureau. You do everything you can to make the room beautiful, so that he will feel at home in it the moment he enters it. Christ is preparing a room for you!

There is something else here. “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” This is more of the work Jesus went away to do for His friends. First, He would make ready for them, build a home for the, prepare a place. Then, when all things were ready, He would come for them and take them home. That is what He does when we leave this world. Men call it dying but dying is a gloomy, forbidding word. Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes on Me shall never die.” What we call dying is really only Jesus coming to receive us unto Himself. Why, then, should anyone dread to leave this world? It is the Master coming to tell you that your place in the Father’s house is ready for you and that He has come to take you to it!

When Stephen was being stoned to death he had a beautiful vision. He saw the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. As the mob stoned him, Stephen was calling upon Jesus Christ and praying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (see Acts 7:58-60). It was the Savior coming for His servant. The place was ready for him. His work here had been short but it was all that had been allotted to him. His departure was tragic he died at the hands of a religious mob; but it mattered not how he was taken away really it was Jesus who took him away receiving His spirit into strong, gentle and secure hands.

The comfort to us in our sorrows and bereavements, is that nothing has gone wrong, that God’s purpose is going on in all the wrecks of human hopes. Your friend passed away the other night. You thought he would have been with you for many years. You had plans covering a long future of happiness. You were appalled when the doctor said that your friend could not live. Life to you would be dreary, lonely and empty without this one who had become so dear to you. You say: “My friend stayed so brief a time! I could almost wish that I had not let my heart fasten its tendrils about this dear life, since so soon it was torn away from me!” Say it not! It is worthwhile to love and to let your heart pour out all its sweetness in loving, though it be for but a day and then to have the bliss give way to grief.

[sutherkins]

request / “Soo here's a request for our cutest boy Peter - how about working with Peter as a night agent for years, knowing him better than yourself and being best friends since, together at a mission where reader gets hurt and Peter totally freaking out and panicking leading him to confess his love for reader? Of course it's mutual but neither of them dared to say something until this moment because both thought the other one's not feeling the same way.”

warnings: blood, reader gets shot, bad writing

this kinda sucks, and i apologize for the wait! i wanted it to be longer but i got sick after i started writing it and i literally just finished it today. im also still getting used to writing in general bc i normally dont have any inspo or energy to do it

being part of a top secret organization within the government was certainly not on your list of things you’d wanted to accomplish when you graduated school. having a career at all was something you weren’t sure was in the cards for you, much less being a spy and being on a first name basis with the president. nothing about the job was easy — as you’d expected. living so cut off from the rest of the world was more difficult than you could have imagined.

now, several years later, you realized that the job was much more enjoyable when you had a partner. especially when that partner was peter sutherland. peter was hired about a year after you and assigned as your partner. both of you were still newbies to the other night agents and figuring out how to do the job with someone like him by your side made the loneliness you felt that first year completely vanish. it felt nice to have a best friend throughout all of this. you realized that was the key to this job – besides the training, having someone to lean on was the best way to succeed at being a night agent.

peter was the best partner you could have asked for. he was attentive and always took care of you, even when you didn’t think you needed it. now, you most definitely fucking needed it.

your most recent assignment was challenging to say the least. the both of you were constantly on the move and sleeping in run down motels. and now, much to your displeasure, you just got shot.

laying on the floor next to the bed you shared, blood began to pool around you. you tried to fight your blurred vision and the overwhelming desire to close your eyes but that was a losing battle from the moment the bullet pierced your stomach. you were getting ready to give up — but just then, the door opened and peters voice rang through the air.

“sweetheart?”

you would’ve blushed at the pet name if you weren’t bleeding out on the floor. trying your best to speak, you’re voice hoarse and thick with pain. “peter..”

as soon as he spotted you, peter shouted your name and immediately went into protection mode. rushing to your side and putting pressure on the obvious wound, his other hand cupped your cheek. “jesus christ. sweetheart? can you hear me?”

“yeah, i can hear you. ‘s not as bad as it looks.” even when you were bleeding onto the carpet you still tried to comfort him.

“not that bad?! you got shot in the stomach! if i didn’t come when i did you could’ve bled out on the floor and died!” tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

you whined, the pressure from his hand on your wound producing a stabbing sensation that you’ve never felt from a gunshot before. “please don’t cry, pete. ‘s really not that bad, i promise. just — just call an ambulence, okay?”

pulling his phone from his pocket, your best friend quickly calls for an ambulance and lets your bosses know what happened. his attention is back on you, his hands covered in your blood. “don’t tell me not to cry. you’re my best friend and i love you. honestly, i’m…i’m in love with you, okay? you’re hurt and i love you and when i saw you lying on the ground i thought i lost you forever. i thought i lost you before i even got the chance to tell you how i felt. i can’t lose you.”

a stray tear fell from your eye, your hand reaching up to caress his cheek. “peter sutherland, i love you. i’ve never loved anyone more, to be honest. you’re not gonna lose me, okay? i was serious when i said it’s not as bad as it looks. i’m gonna be fine. ‘sides, once i’m patched up we can spend my newfound vacation time at your cabin.”

peter lets out a small chuckle, grabbing the hand holding his face and kissing your palm. “you got yourself a deal.”