#Shiloh is my disaster child

[cambriancrew]

Genuine question, with so much childhood trauma how can you be sure you're endogenic? Not doubting you or anything, just curious how you know for sure

Brace yourself, this is kinda long.

For starters, we Willows don't fit any of the trauma models. None of us are Apparently Normal Parts or Emotional Parts, though each of us HAVE an ANP and an EP. (We have C-PTSD, so that tracks.) And while we have issues with disorganized attachment, it's not like one of us is secure and another is avoidant - all of us shared the same issues with attachment when we were younger and now we're all pretty secure, and still plural.

As a child, one of our most common punishments, in conjunction with physical and verbal abuse, was to sit on our bed and think about what's wrong with us. We spent literally hundreds of hours, maybe even thousands, doing just that. We poured over memories. We argued with each other about which of us was to blame for us being in trouble. And over time we eventually recognized that there wasn't anything wrong with us. And that our plurality was because of our innate differences in values and perspectives and our opportunities to grow independently of each other, and our innate stubborn independence (which admittedly was made stronger by trauma, but existed independently of that trauma as an innate trait we all share.) We still thought of ourselves as parts of the same person, and thought everyone had independent parts like us. But we knew it wasn't that we were made to be the way we are due to trauma. We ourselves are responsible for our plurality.

And even if us Willows were traumagenic, we still have the other eight members of our system who are parogens or soulbonds or both, depending on which of us you ask. We clearly remember sitting down and creating or connecting with Jas at 15. We remember her creating Varyn around 19. We used to have all of our notebooks with Jas and us Willow writing back and forth. (Those notebooks were lost in a storage unit that got everything in it sold or thrown away due to an issue with payment - they kept sending the bill to our old address even though we asked them to change it several times. Without the bill we forgot to pay it, and it got emptied. We sometimes refer to this as the Great Storage Unit Disaster, or Fiasco. We lost a lot of really important stuff. ☹️)

At the end of the day, we're all of us Crew affected by our trauma history. But none of us are a reaction to that trauma. None of us hold any of it more strongly than any of the others. Our different responses to it are related to our innate characteristics — Crystal has more perfectionism and, accordingly, self-directed negative emotions due to her values, for instance, and Shiloh being the peace lover that they are is very conflict avoidant — not due to any of us being formed as a response to a traumatic event.

We have sometimes wondered if we were each of us made from conflicting rules and expectations from our tumultuous history as a young child being shuffled from family member to family member until our dad got his shit together and married our stepmom who he's been with ever since when we were 6. But we know who we were with, and none of that really tracks. Crystal's highest value being truth and knowing things was present before we started school, and almost every household we were in emphasized us learning our letters and numbers and things about our early childhood religion and other things like that. Shiloh's highest value being peace was present very early and similarly doesn't match up with one place either. My (Sunni) highest value being living in the moment also doesn't match up. Anna's protectiveness/Mama Bear tendencies could maybe be traced to the household we briefly lived in when our dad married the stepwitch between our biomom and our stepmom. But we don't feel that was the reason she came to be who she was, just the first place we remember her being able to express that, and that place held a very minimal expression — our younger half brother was spoiled and protected by the stepwitch over us Willow so there wasn't really much opportunity for Anna to be protective of anyone. She didn't really have the opportunity to be a Mama Bear until our baby sister was born when we were 9, and she has existed since we were at least 4.

And one of the biggest issues with that theory is that we Willows are literally inseparable. If we were created to fit different household rules and expectations, us four always being together and able to effortlessly communicate with each other doesn't really make sense. And again, even if we were traumagenic, the rest of our system definitely is not.

Hope that helps explain it.

[lennart11412]

New King James Version Par ▾ 

Judgment on the House of Jeroboam

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. 3Also take [a]with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.” 4And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were [b]glazed by reason of his age.

5Now the Lord had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”

6And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 10therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the Lord has spoken!” ’ 12Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. 13And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall [c]come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

14“Moreover the Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; [d]this is the day. What? Even now! 15For the Lord will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond [e]the River, because they have made their [f]wooden images, provoking the Lord to anger. 16And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin.”

17Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. 18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

Death of Jeroboam

19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. 20The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. Then Nadab his son reigned in his place.

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 22Now Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23For they also built for themselves high[g] places, sacred pillars, and wooden images on every high hill and under every green tree. 24And there were also [h]perverted persons in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.

25It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. 27Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and [i]committed them to the hands of the captains of the [j]guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. 28And whenever the king entered the house of the Lord, the guards carried them, then brought them back into the guardroom.

29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 31So Rehoboam [k]rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. Then Abijam[l] his son reigned in his place.

[forgiven-whimsy]

Speak, o mun, and tell me about Shiloh and Aymeric! (And Hien too, if you've a mind- I'm a sucker for dang near all shippy stuff ^_^)

Bless you!!!! Thank you for the ask!! 

This got long....so it’s under a cut. 

Shiloh and Aymeric started with both of them being incredibly intimidated by the other, they pined from afar for waaay too long. Shiloh was intimidated by Aymeric’s poise and intelligence, how he managed to remain calm and level headed. Lord Commander is an impressive title, and while Aymeric is a bit older then Shiloh, he’s still so young, and from working with him it’s plain to Shiloh that his position was earned. Not to mention how beautiful he is, the first time he spoke Shiloh’s mind stuttered. So handsome, accomplished, calm, kind, brave, Shiloh was flat out overwhelmed and convinced herself he was either already taken, or that he was out of her league. So she was content to simply be friends. For Aymeric’s part, he had been following Shiloh’s exploits, and while he knew the Warrior of light was a woman, he had expected someone much like Estinien,with a sword or an axe, someone physically intimidating, So when he met her, and she was a 5′2 soft spoken, Au Ra with a staff, who insisted she was a healer above all else, he was thrown off, her power was evident from the first, the way she carried herself, how her smile could be soft but her eyes steel when she put her mind to something. It was when he first saw her do battle, weaving light aether with deadly efficiency, floating above the chaos her eyes glowing with power, not only the vanguard but the support as well, that he became smitten. Hydalyns chosen, beautiful and deadly, and yet a bastion of succor, she must be taken, and if she wasn’t she was out of his league. He would be content and count himself lucky for her friendship. 

Shortly after Shiloh and Alphinaud’s arrival in Ishgard a ball was held, nobles and people of rank were invited, and the Fortemps, and their wards, were no exception. It was here that Shiloh discovered that Aymeric, like Haurchefant, was a bastard, and that while women and men enjoyed flirting with them, they weren't considered marriage material. The ridiculous injustice of it upset her, and it was a moment on a balcony with Aymeric during said ball, that they discovered that perhaps they weren't as unattainable as they both thought, they slow danced in the snow...and I think I need to write a proper fic for this moment....

I’ll leave their break up for a separate fic as well, but it can be boiled down to unhealthy coping, distance, failure to communicate, incompatible lifestyles, and Shiloh being afraid. Hien came on the heels of Shiloh’s beak up with Aymeric. She had sworn to Alisaie and Lyse both that if they saw her falling for another head of state to please kick her, thank you very much. And then stupid Hien, with his stupid smile, and easy humour, and gentle soul was waiting for her in the stupid Azim Steppe. And he was so different from Aymeric, relaxed and a bit more crass, with a penchant for teasing, and for the first time in a long time she truly felt seen, not as the Warrior of Light, but as Shiloh, a person, and not a symbol. Their chemistry was near instant, their friendship fast forming, and Hien while not forward, made no secret of his attraction or admiration, not shying from flirting with her, puffing with pride every time he managed to make her blush. Shiloh insisted on friendship. That she would be nothing more, surely if they remained friends she wouldn’t ruin it, the way she had with Aymeric. Well, sometimes friends hug for a little too long, and sometimes they kiss when they’ve had a touch too much sake before a big battle, and friends comfort each other in bed after losing loved ones. Sometimes friends have hurried passionate trysts after sparring with each other. And Hien tries...so hard for them to stop being a secret, the worst kept secret in Doma, and wants their relationship to be out in the open, but Shiloh’s old fears, disguised as the Warrior of light must be impartial, and dating the leader of a nation would give the alliance the wrong impression, means that they never formalize their relationship, means that she never tells him how much she loves him. It means that Hien learns not to tell her how much he loves her, because he tried that once and she left without a word, or reply for months on end, and then she came back, waved her absence away as WOL business, no mention of his confession of love, and let’s have a drink friend, a drink that turns into a late night of passion, and guilt the following morning with her in his bed. And he starts seeing his love for her as a curse, or a drug, because he won’t willingly stop, and she keeps coming back. He comes to hate the word friend when it comes to Shiloh, a knife she plunges in his heart every time she calls him dear friend. I’m not sure how the Shadowbringers msq affects Shiloh or her relationship with Hien yet. She’s suffering from some serious mind fuckery (more so then the usual,) and she’s terrified at the implications of Hydalyn being a primal, and what that makes her. I’m sure a theme can be seen, and that is when Shiloh is afraid she withdraws and isolates, she has trouble being honest with herself, and she’ll rationalize pushing people away as protecting them, her lovers are no exception. She needs someone willing to call her on her bullshit, and I don’t know if Hien is up to the task yet. And if she and Hien end, then she’ll likely remain single for a while, and perhaps once she’s figured herself out, and is ready to be honest, and communicate without fear, then she can have a healthy relationship with the Prince of Doma, and if not him, whoever she falls in love with next. 

[vampirecatboy]

haha ok this is going to be a lot but :3c

Kira:(5,18,20,27,31,39,40) / Rhys:(4,12,28,35,37) /Murdoch:(6,14,23 but circus troupe, 32 previous to merrow transformation, 38) / Petra:(any question you feel like answering for him? c:)

oh hell yeah buckle up

Kira:

What was their childhood fear?

I don't think it was "getting lost" because he wouldn't go wandering around so much if he was scared of getting lost. I think he was really nervous around his siblings' friends, because they were all so much older than him and bigger than him, plus they were like that candy-sweet, cloying level of nice to him that really rubbed him the wrong way. They babied him basically and it made him very uncomfortable, so whenever Aoife or Teague had friends over he would either hide in the woods or his room if it was cold/rainy.

If they could live or visit anywhere, where would they go?

I'll skip over "home" because that's obvious I think. I think he would want to go somewhere secluded and remote, like a cabin in the woods, or a lighthouse. He's never actually been able to discern anything from a map so there aren't cities he wants to see, but he would like to see Inverness someday.

What did they dream of “growing up” to be?

I have a line I've never been able use in any one shot, where he says "I wanted to be cool and sexy when I grew up, and I think I've checked both those boxes." In all seriousness, he wanted to be an adventurer like his mom, an expert archer like Nikita, and he wanted to study the plants that grew around his home.

Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

He's achieved all of them, surpassed the one about studying plants because he's seen so much beyond his home. Unfortunately, becoming an adventurer came at a cost. He hasn't been able to stop since he was sixteen. His dreams have changed. He only has one now, and it's to see his family again.

Who are they when they aren’t with the party?

That's a tough one. When he's not with the party he's either alone, or with one of his love interests, and even between those he's different. When he's alone, he gets kind of spacey and in his own head, because there's no one else to interact with, and he probably won't choose to interact with anyone. When he's with a love interest, he gets very affectionate, and typically matches their energy and behavior. It's sort of like unconscious masking. Sometimes I refer to him in my head as a "sexual chameleon" but it's not just levels of sexuality he mimics. He'll work with whatever they give him in all fields.

If someone could tell them anything about the future they asked, would they want to know? Would they ask?

He absolutely would want to know, but I don't think he'd ask because he'd be afraid of the answer. He wants to know if he'll ever get home, he wants to know how things turn out with Rhys (he might not believe the answer he would get lol), and he wants to know if he'll survive the prophecy he's a part of.

What sets them free?

A sky full of fluffy white clouds, the weight of his crystal pendant around his neck, the first chill in autumn, the warm embrace of a lover, the sound of an arrow hitting its target, his father's shepherd's pie

Rhys:

Who was their childhood hero?

If I knew more about the character I'd say Long John Silver from Treasure Island because pirate. Otherwise, it's his dad. When he was young, he was the type who dreamed of getting married and starting a family, because he saw how his dad was with his wife, and how he was with him and Elsie and Erin, and thought "I want to be like him." (and now Cat's in the Cradle is stuck in my head lol)

What were their favorite hobbies as a teen?

He was a shy little bookworm who loved to read. He used to get in trouble in elementary school because he would read during class when he should've been paying attention. There was a point when he was a teenager and doing his apprenticeship with the book binder that he considered writing for a living.

If they could change their class(es), would they? To what?

I don't think so, he likes being a rogue, but.... he's always been a little envious of people with magic. He'd stay a rogue, but that insult spell that Kira used to k.o. him was pretty cool...

What do they see in the dark?

The things he's hiding from.

What is their sleep/trance like?

He's a sleeper, and he's a deep one. There's a reason he doesn't take naps anymore, he'd wake up after four hours completely disoriented and feeling pretty much dead. He'll occasionally have nightmares, not really triggered by anything, just when his subconscious is like "Hey, fuck you :)" All that being said, lately he's been sleeping less, not for any emotional reason, it's just that the sparse times the cat wakes up have been late at night, and shh don't tell his sisters but especially don't tell Kira, but he loves that cat to death and he's happy to see him awake because that means Kira is actually sleeping. Also sometimes the cat will make a little noise at him and his icy heart melts.

Murdoch:

Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Murdoch is the super spoiled only child of Shiloh and Rosemary Heffernan. That being said he had a lot of friends growing up, so he was never lonely. His moms let him have a lot of sleepovers because they knew it would be good for him to socialize and learn how to cooperate with others.

What does their midday meal look like? One big meal? Lots of snacks throughout the day?

I don't think he really gets lunch breaks so much as someone else will run over to concessions and get him something to snack on when he's not performing. Minor spoiler for my follow up to Kira's disaster threesome (or something he'll actually do in a session, we'll see), but I was thinking a day or two after that night, Kira gets a candy apple or something from concessions and brings it to Murdoch which is unintentionally a very sweet gesture.

What is their role in the party? Not just their class on a meta level, but among the individuals who make up the party?

He's the idiot brother with a heart of gold. I said a while ago, before he was part of the circus in canon, that he dumbs himself down and plays the fool so he'll seem less scary? Like he's got the eyes and the teeth and the deathly pallor, he feels he has to make up for that with how he acts, so he seems less threatening.

Do they have any expectations of how they might die?

He always felt he would die young, and part of him hoped it would be in some poetic way. Killed by a lover, or for love, in some pretty bloodless fashion, like with poison or through, well, drowning. Idk if we have Shakespeare in universe, but to put it in a way that I think fully encapsulates his feelings: he read Hamlet and hoped to die like Ophelia.

Do they remember their dreams?

Not often. That's one thing that didn't really change after he died. His dreams while he sleeps are pretty scattered and strange, things that are so ridiculous and nonsensical that unless it really scares or arouses him, it fades within minutes.

Petra:

Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

I chose this one for Petra because I had this sudden vision of him having a twin sister (Renate, pronounced reh-NA-tuh, Renny for short) who he's really close with, as twins typically are. They both got into all kinds of mischief together. Renny I think became an urban druid, she and Petra both developed an affinity with the environment. In Petra that looked like parkour and and a crossbow, and in Renny that looked like talking to pigeons and (eventually) shapechanging into them. They still live together, their parents actually gave them the house and moved out to the countryside when they felt the city had gotten too fast for them. And one other thing, they've both got the same purple eyes.

[ask-thehappykids]

The Visitor’s Guide to My OCs (and Cantolope’s)

I wanted to make a list/key that I could update easily without drawing a whole new reference sheet for everyone, so here’s a list of all my OCs with short descriptions you can recognize them from. Also including @cantolopejeevas‘s OCs because I mean they show up here so often why wouldn’t I?

Anyway, all under a cut!

Firefly: Very rarely called by his birth name, Evander. Big gold eyes, always being followed by fireflies. Brown curly hair. Cheerful but tired. Snail: Punk fuckboy-looking one with lots of piercings and sometimes tattoos. Usually involved in smut. Really likes their boyfriend Daniel. Andy: Blonde robot with bright blue eyes. They dress like a fashion forward mom and talk like they don’t know lying is an option. Bo: Tall bat boy with a lot of flair, usually holding some type of booze. British accent, incredibly obnoxious. Esky: Short bunny with four eyes. Usually has a gun in her hand. Also British. Bailey: Bright pink hair, chubby with a crop top and piercings. Loves art and painting. Megan: Long red hair with a big pink bow. Constantly done with everyone’s shit. Physics major and enthusiast. Nikki: Half buzzed blonde hair and lots of ear piercings. Plays the bass, usually talking about her band. Cookie: Soft, round sheep boy. Loves his mom and his boyfriend Mortar. Also bakes a lot. Maxim: Absolute garbage disaster demon. Muted blue hair with black eyes and a red hoodie. Asshole. Just an asshole. Gigi: Looks like she stepped out of a 40s Disney cartoon. Short little lesbian. Rory: Big, buff, long hair. Farm boy. Has scars across his eyes. Seer. Ellie: Emotional blonde skinny white girl. Sometimes glows purple. Wolf: Werewolf boy with ripped clothes. Doesn’t get enough sleep. Has a thing for vampires. Ant: Tiny elf child with four eyes, one of which is scarred. Very very dirty. Adara: Elf ears, deer legs, fire hair. Half of their body/face is scarred. Full of self-hatred and love for animals. Balthazar: Big ol’ teef, big ol’ ears, big ol’ armor. Stoic. Very royal king. Lorna: Kinda looks like a mime. Completely white eyes, pretty blind. Gay for a cute demon girl. Anubis: Four armed dog goddess. Not to be trusted. Wears an amulet around her neck. Cici: Part bunny, part deer, part beaver, part buffalo. Wears a giant sweater. Gentle. Kind. Soft. Azzie: Purple forest witch with green magic energy. Talks in broken third person. Always trying to sell you something. PJ: Bird mask with a high ponytail. Wears a trench coat. Tall rebel child. Pepper: Mouse mask with long hair and buck teeth. Wears a tutu. Leader rebel child. Pudding: Cat mask with twin pigtail puffs. Wears a leather jacket. Mediating rebel child. Dolly: Sometimes looks like a lizard, sometimes looks like a human. Loves to run so much she summoned a demon to do it. Trying her best. Arden: Dragon dumbass that loves crystals and fashion. Especially fond of crop tops and slushies, but also newspapers and princesses. Ilor: Mermaid princess. Long red hair, one eye is scarred. Melodic voice. Gay for another princess. Gillian: Fish girl. Loves to work out. Drinks protein shakes on the regular. Mimi: Snail and Daniel’s adopted child. Loves to play video games. Bright red hair and pikachu hoodie. Snarky little shit. Talyn: Cookie and Mortar’s son. Black sheep boy. Wears a leather jacket like his dad, but he’s actually a doctor this time. Zelda: Andy, Rory, and Daniyal’s daughter. Big poofy golden hair. Can wield the Master Sword but also just loves getting dirty and hurt. Good at bike tricks. Micah: Little maid alien boy. Has three eyes and bright blonde hair. Can only see in auras, but still loves to clean. Crys: D&D Tabaxi boy. Loves everyone even if they don’t love him back. Desperately trying to adopt some feral wolves. Nadia: Monster punk goth girl. Loves theater. Green skin and mismatching eyes. Loves her pastel punk girlfriend. Juliette: Peterbald cat adopt. Wears cute sundresses. Looks like she belongs in a furry rendition of a summer picnic renaissance painting. Felix: Bunny boy adopt with his eyes fully covered. Gray hair, gray sweater, sunny attitude. Wears a little carrot necklace. Kai: Little mouse with wings adopt. Pink beans!!! Looks like he’d cry if you blinked at him. Bones: Grim Reaper from Cryptid Haunters. Doesn’t have a mouth. Murders to make friends. Lola: Ghost girl from Cryptid Haunters. Has a big mouth and lots to say with it. Just wants to go home. Edgy 13 year old goth phase.

Canotlope’s OCs: Aurel: Vampire boy. Looks classy. Has hypno eyes, but also teef. Lucas: Actual Satan. Mostly just sleeps and supports Avery. Has the >:3 face on his t-shirt. Avery: Glasses and sweater nerd. A beautiful and innocent child. Just trying to get by and maybe make a friend. Shiloh: Cat boy who loves anime. Wears a lab coat. Scrawny and probably not eating correctly. Someone help him. Mortar: Tiny badass knife-wielding organ salesman. Sometimes also wears sweaters his boyfriend knitted for him. Fuck you. Shian: Dragon lesbian. Badass queen of dragons. Kinda cold, but we love her anyway. Anthea: Snake lesbian. Wears a magical blindfold. So sweet, so gentle. Carves wooden gifts for her friends. Daniel: Sassy and classy. But also a slut. Usually depicted being a slut. Sometimes wears a suit, other times wears nothing at all. ;) Daniyal: Farm boy with a heart of gold. Just wants the best for his loves and his friends. Sometimes shown with a chicken he calls Cluck-Cluck. Solace: Tiny ghost demon child. All black with white eyes. Full of terror and smiles. Hadrian: Spotted bunny boy in a jester’s outfit. Hates his life almost as much as he wants to slay a dragon. Xania: Dark summoner with way too many eyes to be necessary. There’s five of them. Has a lot of dark shadow demon babies that she loves. Lumeria: Big ol’ moth. Loves bright lights. Is soft. Ash: Dark red hair, thick jacket. Looks like they ride a motorcycle. Would and could punch you unconscious. Nito: D&D tiefling. Sweet summer child with long blue hair, wings, tail, and horns. Trying their very best. Sielya: Fae princess that doesn’t know they’re fae. In love with a mermaid and friends with a dragon. Fang: Vampire magician. Really good at magic, really bad at talking. Wears a hat with a face on it. Dianthus: Pink pastel punk lesbian. Loves flowers and her girlfriend. So many bright pink eyes.

[muchlovedson]

Warning for America

1“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord,

“Return to Me;

And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight,

Then you shall not be moved.

2And you shall swear, ‘The Lord lives,’

In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;

The nations shall bless themselves in Him,

And in Him they shall glory.”

3For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem:

“Break up your fallow ground,

And do not sow among thorns.

4Circumcise yourselves to the Lord,

And take away the foreskins of your hearts,

You men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,

Lest My fury come forth like fire,

And burn so that no one can quench it,

Because of the evil of your doings.”

An Imminent Invasion

5Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say:

“Blow the trumpet in the land;

Cry, ‘Gather together,’

And say, ‘Assemble yourselves,

And let us go into the fortified cities.’

6Set up the standard toward Zion.

Take refuge! Do not delay!

For I will bring disaster from the north,

And great destruction.”

7The lion has come up from his thicket,

And the destroyer of nations is on his way.

He has gone forth from his place

To make your land desolate.

Your cities will be laid waste,

Without inhabitant.

8For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth,

Lament and wail.

For the fierce anger of the Lord

Has not turned back from us.

9“And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord,

“That the heart of the king shall perish,

And the heart of the princes;

The priests shall be astonished,

And the prophets shall wonder.”

10Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!

Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem,

Saying, ‘You shall have peace,’

Whereas the sword reaches to the heart.”

11At that time it will be said

To this people and to Jerusalem,

“A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness

Toward the daughter of My people—

Not to fan or to cleanse—

12A wind too strong for these will come for Me;

Now I will also speak judgment against them.”

13“Behold, he shall come up like clouds,

And his chariots like a whirlwind.

His horses are swifter than eagles.

Woe to us, for we are plundered!”

14O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness,

That you may be saved.

How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?

15For a voice declares from Dan

And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim:

16“Make mention to the nations,

Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem,

That watchers come from a far country

And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.

17Like keepers of a field they are against her all around,

Because she has been rebellious against Me,” says the Lord.

18“Your ways and your doings

Have procured these things for you.

This is your wickedness,

Because it is bitter,

Because it reaches to your heart.”

Sorrow for the Doomed Nation

19O my soul, my soul!

I am pained in my very heart!

My heart makes a noise in me;

I cannot hold my peace,

Because you have heard, O my soul,

The sound of the trumpet,

The alarm of war.

20Destruction upon destruction is cried,

For the whole land is plundered.

Suddenly my tents are plundered,

And my curtains in a moment.

21How long will I see the standard,

And hear the sound of the trumpet?

22“For My people are foolish,

They have not known Me.

They are silly children,

And they have no understanding.

They are wise to do evil,

But to do good they have no knowledge.”

23I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void;

And the heavens, they had no light.

24I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled,

And all the hills moved back and forth.

25I beheld, and indeed there was no man,

And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

26I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,

And all its cities were broken down

At the presence of the Lord,

By His fierce anger.

27For thus says the Lord:

“The whole land shall be desolate;

Yet I will not make a full end.

28For this shall the earth mourn,

And the heavens above be black,

Because I have spoken.

I have purposed and will not relent,

Nor will I turn back from it.

29The whole city shall flee from the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.

They shall go into thickets and climb up on the rocks.

Every city shall be forsaken,

And not a man shall dwell in it.

30“And when you are plundered,

What will you do?

Though you clothe yourself with crimson,

Though you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold,

Though you enlarge your eyes with paint,

In vain you will make yourself fair;

Your lovers will despise you;

They will seek your life.

31“For I have heard a voice as of a woman in labor,

The anguish as of her who brings forth her first child,

The voice of the daughter of Zion bewailing herself;

She spreads her hands, saying,

‘Woe is me now, for my soul is weary

Because of murderers!’

Jeremiah 4 NKJV

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.

“For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. “Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, ” says the LORD.

And now, because you have done all these works,” says the LORD, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer, therefore I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.

The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke Me to anger. Do they provoke Me to anger?” says the LORD. “ Do they not provoke themselves, to the shame of their own faces?” Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place—on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.”

But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.

“So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’ For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the LORD. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭7:3, 5-11, 13-14, 18-20, 23-26, 28-30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

* fireworks in Honolulu

15Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar,

O house of Israel,” says the Lord.

“It is a mighty nation,

It is an ancient nation,

A nation whose language you do not know,

Nor can you understand what they say.

16Their quiver is like an open tomb;

They are all mighty men.

17And they shall eat up your harvest and your bread,

Which your sons and daughters should eat.

They shall eat up your flocks and your herds;

They shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;

They shall destroy your fortified cities,

In which you trust, with the sword.

18“Nevertheless in those days,” says the Lord, “I will not make a complete end of you. 19And it will be when you say, ‘Why does the Lord our God do all these things to us?’ then you shall answer them, ‘Just as you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve aliens in a land that is not yours.’

20“Declare this in the house of Jacob

And proclaim it in Judah, saying,

21‘Hear this now, O foolish people,

Without understanding,

Who have eyes and see not,

And who have ears and hear not:

22Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord.

‘Will you not tremble at My presence,

Who have placed the sand as the bound of the sea,

By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass beyond it?

And though its waves toss to and fro,

Yet they cannot prevail;

Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it.

23But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;

They have revolted and departed.

24They do not say in their heart,

“Let us now fear the Lord our God,

Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season.

He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”

25Your iniquities have turned these things away,

And your sins have withheld good from you.

26‘For among My people are found wicked men;

They lie in wait as one who sets snares;

They set a trap;

They catch men.

27As a cage is full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit.

Therefore they have become great and grown rich.

28They have grown fat, they are sleek;

Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked;

They do not plead the cause,

The cause of the fatherless;

Yet they prosper,

And the right of the needy they do not defend.

29Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.

‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’

30“An astonishing and horrible thing

Has been committed in the land:

31The prophets prophesy falsely,

And the priests rule by their own power;

And My people love to have it so.

But what will you do in the end?

Jeremiah 5:15-31 NKJV

[bldgrelationshipwgod]

RE: Playing Religion

1 Kings 14:1-3 | At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, & Jeroboam said to your wife, “Please arise, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, & go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, & a jar of honey, & go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy.”

Jeroboam is not a good king.

He has already disobeyed God’s voice in erecting idols for Israel to worship, & he has refused to repent after hearing the prophetic warning in Kings 13.

But something happens here that shakes him to his core. His child & rightful heir to the throne is sick.

Disobedience: Human Effort & Denying Divine Intervention

So Jeroboam comes up with a plan. He has his wife disguise herself to go to the prophet Ahijah [who anointed Jeroboam king] & plead for help for her son.

Why not go as she was? Because Jeroboam knows he has dismissed obedience to the Lord who gave him the throne. So he has to hide & play religious games, trying to rig the system through deception & offerings.

He does not want to repent, he simply wants God to bless his life in spite of his clear disobedience.

This is a sad revelation of many who play religion.

They actually think they can fool God with pretense, denying His omniscience. It is a warning to those who think their high position in life is some kind of sign that their piety in the eyes of others is enough to garner favor with the Lord.

This is not so & the prophet Ahijah is NOT fooled:

1 Kings 14:6 [ESV] But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, He said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another? For I am charged with unbearable news for you.

Ahijah announces tremendous judgment upon Jeroboam’s dynasty:

1 Kings 14:9-10 | You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods & molten images to provoke Me, & you have flung Me behind your back. Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, both slave & free; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!

Ahijah continues speaking judgment but note what he says about the boy:

1 Kings 14:12-15 | As for you, get up & go home. When your feet enter the city, the boy will die. All Israel will mourn for them & bury him, for this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam. ...

It is interesting that the only thing pleasing to the Lord was the son about to die as a judgment from the Lord.

From that point on those two religions have never changed. There is the true religion that requires death, the death of the substitute. There were many animal deaths through all of Israel’s history.

None of them could atone for sin; but they all pictured the one who would die as the Lamb of God & take away the sins of the world.

They communicated the message that the bridge to God - true religion, the way to God - is through the death of a perfect sacrifice.

Turned out that that perfect sacrifice was Jesus Christ. True religion has always realized that the sinner deserves death, that God will provide a substitute, that God will forgive & mete out His punishment on someone else who is innocent. That’s what the sacrificial system communicated.

RE: The Dangers of Adding to the Gospel by John MacArthur

But it speaks to a Biblical truth that troubles Americans: Sometimes the death of the innocent is sparing them from judgment for their wickedness.

The prophecy of judgment continues & extends past Jeroboam & into the future of the entire nation:

1 Kings 14:15 | Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today! For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, & He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger. 

Here we have the first mention of the exile that is still decades away but the Lord knows exactly what is going to happen even here.

It reveals the sad reality of national spiritual deterioration - humans are incapable of reversing course. The sin of Jeroboam would be replicated & compounded in successive kings until the demise of the Northern Kingdom.

The reality is a nation [or a person] in decline is only saved by spiritual awakening in their heart(s) by the grace of God.

America needs this now. May it come soon, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

This article is by @thebible365 

[araitsume]

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 581-591: Chapter (57) The Ark Taken by the Philistines

This chapter is based on 1 Samuel 3 to 7.

Another warning was to be given to Eli's house. God could not communicate with the high priest and his sons; their sins, like a thick cloud, had shut out the presence of His Holy Spirit. But in the midst of evil the child Samuel remained true to Heaven, and the message of condemnation to the house of Eli was Samuel's commission as a prophet of the Most High.

“The word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; and ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; that the Lord called Samuel.” Supposing the voice to be that of Eli, the child hastened to the bedside of the priest, saying, “Here am I; for thou calledst me.” The answer was, “I called not, my son; lie down again.” Three times Samuel was called, and thrice he responded in like manner. And then Eli was convinced that the mysterious call was the voice of God. The Lord had passed by His chosen servant, the man of hoary hairs, to commune with a child. This in itself was a bitter yet deserved rebuke to Eli and his house.

No feeling of envy or jealousy was awakened in Eli's heart. He directed Samuel to answer, if again called, “Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.” Once more the voice was heard, and the child answered, “Speak; for Thy servant heareth.” So awed was he at the thought that the great God should speak to him that he could not remember the exact words which Eli bade him say.

“And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.”

Before receiving this message from God, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him;” that is, he was not acquainted with such direct manifestations of God's presence as were granted to the prophets. It was the Lord's purpose to reveal Himself in an unexpected manner, that Eli might hear of it through the surprise and inquiry of the youth.

Samuel was filled with fear and amazement at the thought of having so terrible a message committed to him. In the morning he went about his duties as usual, but with a heavy burden upon his young heart. The Lord had not commanded him to reveal the fearful denunciation, hence he remained silent, avoiding, as far as possible, the presence of Eli. He trembled, lest some question should compel him to declare the divine judgments against one whom he loved and reverenced. Eli was confident that the message foretold some great calamity to him and his house. He called Samuel, and charged him to relate faithfully what the Lord had revealed. The youth obeyed, and the aged man bowed in humble submission to the appalling sentence. “It is the Lord,” he said: “let Him do what seemeth Him good.”

Yet Eli did not manifest the fruits of true repentance. He confessed his guilt, but failed to renounce the sin. Year after year the Lord delayed His threatened judgments. Much might have been done in those years to redeem the failures of the past, but the aged priest took no effective measures to correct the evils that were polluting the sanctuary of the Lord and leading thousands in Israel to ruin. The forbearance of God caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and to become still bolder in transgression. The messages of warning and reproof to his house were made known by Eli to the whole nation. By this means he hoped to counteract, in some measure, the evil influence of his past neglect. But the warnings were disregarded by the people, as they had been by the priests. The people of surrounding nations also, who were not ignorant of the iniquities openly practiced in Israel, became still bolder in their idolatry and crime. They felt no sense of guilt for their sins, as they would have felt had the Israelites preserved their integrity. But a day of retribution was approaching. God's authority had been set aside, and His worship neglected and despised, and it became necessary for Him to interpose, that the honor of His name might be maintained.

“Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.” This expedition was undertaken by the Israelites without counsel from God, without the concurrence of high priest or prophet. “And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.” As the shattered and disheartened force returned to their encampment, “the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines?” The nation was ripe for the judgments of God, yet they did not see that their own sins had been the cause of this terrible disaster. And they said, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.” The Lord had given no command or permission that the ark should come into the army; yet the Israelites felt confident that victory would be theirs, and uttered a great shout when it was borne into the camp by the sons of Eli.

The Philistines looked upon the ark as the god of Israel. All the mighty works that Jehovah had wrought for His people were attributed to its power. As they heard the shouts of joy at its approach, they said, “What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid; for they said, God has come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? These are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.”

The Philistines made a fierce assault, which resulted in the defeat of Israel, with great slaughter. Thirty thousand men lay dead upon the field, and the ark of God was taken, the two sons of Eli having fallen while fighting to defend it. Thus again was left upon the page of history a testimony for all future ages—that the iniquity of God's professed people will not go unpunished. The greater the knowledge of God's will, the greater the sin of those who disregard it.

The most terrifying calamity that could occur had befallen Israel. The ark of God had been captured, and was in the possession of the enemy. The glory had indeed departed from Israel when the symbol of the abiding presence and power of Jehovah was removed from the midst of them. With this sacred chest were associated the most wonderful revelations of God's truth and power. In former days miraculous victories had been achieved whenever it appeared. It was shadowed by the wings of the golden cherubim, and the unspeakable glory of the Shekinah, the visible symbol of the most high God, had rested over it in the holy of holies. But now it had brought no victory. It had not proved a defense on this occasion, and there was mourning throughout Israel.

They had not realized that their faith was only a nominal faith, and had lost its power to prevail with God. The law of God, contained in the ark, was also a symbol of His presence; but they had cast contempt upon the commandments, had despised their requirements, and had grieved the Spirit of the Lord from among them. When the people obeyed the holy precepts, the Lord was with them to work for them by His infinite power; but when they looked upon the ark, and did not associate it with God, nor honor His revealed will by obedience to His law, it could avail them little more than a common box. They looked to the ark as the idolatrous nations looked to their gods, as if it possessed in itself the elements of power and salvation. They transgressed the law it contained; for their very worship of the ark led to formalism, hypocrisy, and idolatry. Their sin had separated them from God, and He could not give them the victory until they had repented of and forsaken their iniquity.

It was not enough that the ark and the sanctuary were in the midst of Israel. It was not enough that the priests offered sacrifices, and that the people were called the children of God. The Lord does not regard the request of those who cherish iniquity in the heart; it is written that “he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Proverbs 28:9.

When the army went out to battle, Eli, blind and old, had tarried at Shiloh. It was with troubled forebodings that he awaited the result of the conflict; “for his heart trembled for the ark of God.” Taking his position outside the gate of the tabernacle, he sat by the highway side day after day, anxiously expecting the arrival of a messenger from the battlefield.

At length a Benjamite from the army, “with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head,” came hurrying up the ascent leading to the city. Passing heedlessly the aged man beside the way, he rushed on to the town, and repeated to eager throngs the tidings of defeat and loss.

The sound of wailing and lamentation reached the watcher beside the tabernacle. The messenger was brought to him. And the man said unto Eli, “Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead.” Eli could endure all this, terrible as it was, for he had expected it. But when the messenger added, “And the ark of God is taken,” a look of unutterable anguish passed over his countenance. The thought that his sin had thus dishonored God and caused Him to withdraw His presence from Israel was more than he could bear; his strength was gone, he fell, “and his neck brake, and he died.”

The wife of Phinehas, notwithstanding the impiety of her husband, was a woman who feared the Lord. The death of her father-in-law and her husband, and above all, the terrible tidings that the ark of God was taken, caused her death. She felt that the last hope of Israel was gone; and she named the child born in this hour of adversity, Ichabod, or “inglorious;” with her dying breath mournfully repeating the words, “The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.”

But the Lord had not wholly cast aside His people, nor would He long suffer the exultation of the heathen. He had used the Philistines as the instrument to punish Israel, and He employed the ark to punish the Philistines. In time past the divine Presence had attended it, to be the strength and glory of His obedient people. That invisible Presence would still attend it, to bring terror and destruction to the transgressors of His holy law. The Lord often employs His bitterest enemies to punish the unfaithfulness of His professed people. The wicked may triumph for a time as they see Israel suffering chastisement, but the time will come when they, too, must meet the sentence of a holy, sin-hating God. Whenever iniquity is cherished, there, swift and unerring, the divine judgments will follow.

The Philistines removed the ark in triumph to Ashdod, one of their five principal cities, and placed it in the house of their god Dagon. They imagined that the power which had hitherto attended the ark would be theirs, and that this, united with the power of Dagon, would render them invincible. But upon entering the temple on the following day, they beheld a sight which filled them with consternation. Dagon had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. The priests reverently lifted the idol and restored it to its place. But the next morning they found it, strangely mutilated, again lying upon the earth before the ark. The upper part of this idol was like that of a man, and the lower part was in the likeness of a fish. Now every part that resembled the human form had been cut off, and only the body of the fish remained. Priests and people were horror-struck; they looked upon this mysterious event as an evil omen, foreboding destruction to themselves and their idols before the God of the Hebrews. They now removed the ark from their temple and placed it in a building by itself.

The inhabitants of Ashdod were smitten with a distressing and fatal disease. Remembering the plagues that were inflicted upon Egypt by the God of Israel, the people attributed their afflictions to the presence of the ark among them. It was decided to convey it to Gath. But the plague followed close upon its removal, and the men of that city sent it to Ekron. Here the people received it with terror, crying, “They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.” They turned to their gods for protection, as the people of Gath and Ashdod had done; but the work of the destroyer went on, until, in their distress, “the cry of the city went up to heaven.” Fearing longer to retain the ark among the homes of men, the people next placed it in the open field. There followed a plague of mice, which infested the land, destroying the products of the soil, both in the storehouse and in the field. Utter destruction, by disease or famine, now threatened the nation.

For seven months the ark remained in Philistia, and during all this time the Israelites made no effort for its recovery. But the Philistines were now as anxious to free themselves from its presence as they had been to obtain it. Instead of being a source of strength to them, it was a great burden and a heavy curse. Yet they knew not what course to pursue; for wherever it went the judgments of God followed. The people called for the princes of the nation, with the priests and diviners, and eagerly inquired, “What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place?” They were advised to return it with a costly trespass offering. “Then,” said the priests, “ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”

To ward off or to remove a plague, it was anciently the custom among the heathen to make an image in gold, silver, or other material, of that which caused the destruction, or of the object or part of the body specially affected. This was set up on a pillar or in some conspicuous place, and was supposed to be an effectual protection against the evils thus represented. A similar practice still exists among some heathen peoples. When a person suffering from disease goes for cure to the temple of his idol, he carries with him a figure of the part affected, which he presents as an offering to his god.

It was in accordance with the prevailing superstition that the Philistine lords directed the people to make representations of the plagues by which they had been afflicted—“five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for,” said they, “one plague was on you all, and on your lords.”

These wise men acknowledged a mysterious power accompanying the ark—a power which they had no wisdom to meet. Yet they did not counsel the people to turn from their idolatry to serve the Lord. They still hated the God of Israel, though compelled by overwhelming judgments to submit to His authority. Thus sinners may be convinced by the judgments of God that it is in vain to contend against Him. They may be compelled to submit to His power, while at heart they rebel against His control. Such submission cannot save the sinner. The heart must be yielded to God—must be subdued by divine grace—before man's repentance can be accepted.

How great is the long-suffering of God toward the wicked! The idolatrous Philistines and backsliding Israel had alike enjoyed the gifts of His providence. Ten thousand unnoticed mercies were silently falling in the pathway of ungrateful, rebellious men. Every blessing spoke to them of the Giver, but they were indifferent to His love. The forbearance of God was very great toward the children of men; but when they stubbornly persisted in their impenitence, He removed from them His protecting hand. They refused to listen to the voice of God in His created works, and in the warnings, counsels, and reproofs of His word, and thus He was forced to speak to them through judgments.

There were some among the Philistines who stood ready to oppose the return of the ark to its own land. Such an acknowledgment of the power of Israel's God would be humiliating to the pride of Philistia. But “the priests and the diviners” admonished the people not to imitate the stubbornness of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and thus bring upon themselves still greater afflictions. A plan which won the consent of all was now proposed, and immediately put in execution. The ark, with the golden trespass offering, was placed upon a new cart, thus precluding all danger of defilement; to this cart, or car, were attached two kine upon whose necks a yoke had never been placed. Their calves were shut up at home, and the cows were left free to go where they pleased. If the ark should thus be returned to the Israelites by the way of Beth-shemesh, the nearest city of the Levites, the Philistines would accept this as evidence that the God of Israel had done unto them this great evil; “but if not,” they said, “then we shall know that it is not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.”

On being set free, the kine turned from their young and, lowing as they went, took the direct road to Beth-shemesh. Guided by no human hand, the patient animals kept on their way. The divine Presence accompanied the ark, and it passed on safely to the very place designated.

It was now the time of wheat harvest, and the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping in the valley. “And they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine of burnt-offering unto the Lord.” The lords of the Philistines, who had followed the ark “unto the border of Beth-shemesh,” and had witnessed its reception, now returned to Ekron. The plague had ceased, and they were convinced that their calamities had been a judgment from the God of Israel.

The men of Beth-shemesh quickly spread the tidings that the ark was in their possession, and the people from the surrounding country flocked to welcome its return. The ark had been placed upon the stone that first served for an altar, and before it additional sacrifices were offered unto the Lord. Had the worshipers repented of their sins, God's blessing would have attended them. But they were not faithfully obeying His law; and while they rejoiced at the return of the ark as a harbinger of good, they had no true sense of its sacredness. Instead of preparing a suitable place for its reception, they permitted it to remain in the harvest field. As they continued to gaze upon the sacred chest and to talk of the wonderful manner in which it had been restored, they began to conjecture wherein lay its peculiar power. At last, overcome by curiosity, they removed the coverings and ventured to open it.

All Israel had been taught to regard the ark with awe and reverence. When required to remove it from place to place the Levites were not so much as to look upon it. Only once a year was the high priest permitted to behold the ark of God. Even the heathen Philistines had not dared to remove its coverings. Angels of heaven, unseen, ever attended it in all its journeyings. The irreverent daring of the people at Beth-shemesh was speedily punished. Many were smitten with sudden death.

The survivors were not led by this judgment to repent of their sin, but only to regard the ark with superstitious fear. Eager to be free from its presence, yet not daring to remove it, the Beth-shemites sent a message to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, inviting them to take it away. With great joy the men of this place welcomed the sacred chest. They knew that it was the pledge of divine favor to the obedient and faithful. With solemn gladness they brought it to their city and placed it in the house of Abinadab, a Levite. This man appointed his son Eleazar to take charge of it, and it remained there for many years.

During the years since the Lord first manifested Himself to the son of Hannah, Samuel's call to the prophetic office had come to be acknowledged by the whole nation. By faithfully delivering the divine warning to the house of Eli, painful and trying as the duty had been, Samuel had given proof of his fidelity as Jehovah's messenger; “and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.”

The Israelites as a nation still continued in a state of irreligion and idolatry, and as a punishment they remained in subjection to the Philistines. During this time Samuel visited the cities and villages throughout the land, seeking to turn the hearts of the people to the God of their fathers; and his efforts were not without good results. After suffering the oppression of their enemies for twenty years, the Israelites “mourned after the Lord.” Samuel counseled them, “If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only.” Here we see that practical piety, heart religion, was taught in the days of Samuel as taught by Christ when He was upon the earth. Without the grace of Christ the outward forms of religion were valueless to ancient Israel. They are the same to modern Israel.

There is need today of such a revival of true heart religion as was experienced by ancient Israel. Repentance is the first step that must be taken by all who would return to God. No one can do this work for another. We must individually humble our souls before God and put away our idols. When we have done all that we can do, the Lord will manifest to us His salvation.

With the co-operation of the heads of the tribes, a large assembly was gathered at Mizpeh. Here a solemn fast was held. With deep humiliation the people confessed their sins; and as an evidence of their determination to obey the instructions they had heard, they invested Samuel with the authority of judge.

The Philistines interpreted this gathering to be a council of war, and with a strong force set out to disperse the Israelites before their plans could be matured. The tidings of their approach caused great terror in Israel. The people entreated Samuel, “Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.”

While Samuel was in the act of presenting a lamb as a burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for battle. Then the Mighty One who had descended upon Sinai amid fire and smoke and thunder, who had parted the Red Sea and made a way through Jordan for the children of Israel, again manifested His power. A terrible storm burst upon the advancing host, and the earth was strewn with the dead bodies of mighty warriors.

The Israelites had stood in silent awe, trembling with hope and fear. When they beheld the slaughter of their enemies, they knew that God had accepted their repentance. Though unprepared for battle, they seized the weapons of the slaughtered Philistines and pursued the fleeing host to Beth-car. This signal victory was gained upon the very field where, twenty years before, Israel had been smitten before the Philistines, the priests slain, and the ark of God taken. For nations as well as for individuals, the path of obedience to God is the path of safety and happiness, while that of transgression leads only to disaster and defeat. The Philistines were now so completely subdued that they surrendered the strongholds which had been taken from Israel and refrained from acts of hostility for many years. Other nations followed this example, and the Israelites enjoyed peace until the close of Samuel's sole administration.

That the occasion might never be forgotten, Samuel set up, between Mizpeh and Shen, a great stone as a memorial. He called the name of it Ebenezer, “the stone of help,” saying to the people, “hitherto hath Jehovah helped us.”

[junkfoodvideous-blog]

Covington GA Crime Scene Cleanup Costs & Biohazard Cleaning

New Post has been published on https://crimescenecleanup.company/Covington-Georgia-crime-scene-cleanup.html

Covington GA Crime Scene Cleanup Costs & Biohazard Cleaning

Crime Scene Cleanup Covington

The law enforcement have fleed the scene of a crime, but blood is nonetheless there, they advised you get in touch with Enviromax of Covington to ensure that suitable crime scene cleanup in concluded. With EnviroMax Cleaning Solutions you get the optimum good quality you can locate from a business that has expended the previous 10 years helping families clean up after catastrophe scenes like a death. To help with this we deliver a staff of EnviroMAX qualified crime scene cleaners who can get the work completed. Obtain our Tips for what to do when an individual dies and verify our Video library for far more information as we are constantly updating our pages to support you. Our packages for criminal offense scene cleanup jobs are continually becoming posted and you will also find our useful resource library extremely valuable when knowing the different classifications for crime scene cleanup. When you are hit by a biohazard or environmental contamination you have the company referred to as my the Armed forces and Law enforcement when they want assist, contact EnViroMax cleanup options. No make a difference the disasters classifications or crime scene, you can count crime scene cleanup completed by EnviroMax to remedy your crime scene cleanup troubles.

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Crime Sceen Cleanup Services

Death Cleanup Covington

Suicide Cleanup Covington

Blood Cleanup Covington

For in excess of a 10 years, a single hazardous cleaner of crime scene cleanup in Covington has helped set regional Crime scene clean up to near and far municipalities of citizens who are in require. Photographs of Covington Crime scene cleanup present our cleaners functioning in extreme conditions to clean up following grotesque fatal injury and grotesque fatalities that are not straightforward to check out but depict the real nature of a crime scene. Figures from the Doctors and Hospitals in Covington present that infectious diseases are rising and new details hits the news feeds and our facebook feeds each and every day demonstrating us that we are not just concerned any a lot more about HIV but also new strands of Hepatitis, Ebola Virus, MRSA, and even strands of Bird Flu proceed to propogate around the planet. The good news is we do not see as numerous exotic situations in Covington of the United States, but we still have our truthful share of risks. These risks are just some of the numerous causes folks in your local community employ the service of crime scene cleanup to carry out the event. With the capability to carry out the functions of cleaning 24 hrs a working day, we are one of the most focused service centers for crime scene clean up in the United States. Our cleaners are constantly listed here to attempt and aid fix your blood cleaning difficulties, and are leading professionals in decomposed body cleanup. If you are encountering a loss of life clean up and need quick attention in cities near Covington and privacy, we are the crime scene cleaning office for you and our employees are all set to respond to your questions and decontaminate the space concerned in the loss of life or crime.

Crime Scene Cleanup Salaries in United States

We sat down with some leaders in the business community of biohazard restoration which is commonly referred to as crime scene cleanup, to discuss a very important top of salaries and wages. As many of you may of seen with recent news coverage discussing the high wages and salary of some of the professionals in this business. We decided to take a deeper look into this controversial business and see exactly what are the wages like and do they really deserve these high salaries.

First we decided to get on the record with some of the owners of a crime scene cleanup company in Covington Georgia to find out if the wages we are hearing about are accurate. What we discovered will surprise you and may make you want to look for crime scene cleanup jobs in Covington. First, there are a few ways people are paid when they work from crime scene cleanup companies. One is by hourly pay and the average hourly pay is starting at $11 a hour and can easily get as high as $25 a hour with experience. Some people in a company may opt for a crime scene cleanup salary because they are looking for more benefits like health care and home child care. With a salaried position you may have more responsibilities and could be looking at a supervisory position. With a supervisors jobs you could be getting paid a salary anywhere from $40k to start to over $70,000 plus benefits. Although, we should emphasis that the pay for anyone doing crime scene cleanup in Covington Georgia may vary drastically. As many people have pointed out to us, not all companies are the big gorillas in the industry. Small companies just starting out may demand more for less, but they may do other things to keep employees and contractors happy. One company we talked to will even provide small amounts of ownership which can add up over time as a way to really get people interested in employment.

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[dfroza]

the closing of an ancient Letter

that includes a warning for those who abuse power and money, as well as encouragement for those who stand in the truth of Love

from Today’s reading as the 5th chapter of the book of James:

[Destroying Your Life from Within]

And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You’ll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you’ve piled up is judgment.

All the workers you’ve exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You’ve looted the earth and lived it up. But all you’ll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you’ve done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.

Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.

Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.

[Prayer to Be Reckoned With]

Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

The Book of James, Chapter 5 (The Message)

A chapter in the pairing of the Testaments accompanied by chapter 26 of Jeremiah (as a mirroring of the 26th letter Z of the alphabet and the halfway point through the 52 chapters of the writing of Jeremiah)

[Change the Way You’re Living]

At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this Message came from God to Jeremiah:

“God’s Message: Stand in the court of God’s Temple and preach to the people who come from all over Judah to worship in God’s Temple. Say everything I tell you to say to them. Don’t hold anything back. Just maybe they’ll listen and turn back from their bad lives. Then I’ll reconsider the disaster that I’m planning to bring on them because of their evil behavior.

“Say to them, ‘This is God’s Message: If you refuse to listen to me and live by my teaching that I’ve revealed so plainly to you, and if you continue to refuse to listen to my servants the prophets that I tirelessly keep on sending to you—but you’ve never listened! Why would you start now?—then I’ll make this Temple a pile of ruins like Shiloh, and I’ll make this city nothing but a bad joke worldwide.’”

Everybody there—priests, prophets, and people—heard Jeremiah preaching this Message in the Temple of God. When Jeremiah had finished his sermon, saying everything God had commanded him to say, the priests and prophets and people all grabbed him, yelling, “Death! You’re going to die for this! How dare you preach—and using God’s name!—saying that this Temple will become a heap of rubble like Shiloh and this city be wiped out without a soul left in it!”

All the people mobbed Jeremiah right in the Temple itself.

Officials from the royal court of Judah were told of this. They left the palace immediately and came to God’s Temple to investigate. They held court on the spot, at the New Gate entrance to God’s Temple.

The prophets and priests spoke first, addressing the officials, but also the people: “Death to this man! He deserves nothing less than death! He has preached against this city—you’ve heard the evidence with your own ears.”

Jeremiah spoke next, publicly addressing the officials before the crowd: “God sent me to preach against both this Temple and city everything that’s been reported to you. So do something about it! Change the way you’re living, change your behavior. Listen obediently to the Message of your God. Maybe God will reconsider the disaster he has threatened.

“As for me, I’m at your mercy—do whatever you think is best. But take warning: If you kill me, you’re killing an innocent man, and you and the city and the people in it will be liable. I didn’t say any of this on my own. God sent me and told me what to say. You’ve been listening to God speak, not Jeremiah.”

The court officials, backed by the people, then handed down their ruling to the priests and prophets: “Acquittal. No death sentence for this man. He has spoken to us with the authority of our God.”

Then some of the respected leaders stood up and addressed the crowd: “In the reign of Hezekiah king of Judah, Micah of Moresheth preached to the people of Judah this sermon: This is God-of-the-Angel-Armies’ Message for you:

“‘Because of people like you,

Zion will be turned back into farmland,

Jerusalem end up as a pile of rubble,

and instead of the Temple on the mountain,

a few scraggly scrub pines.’

“Did King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah of Moresheth because of that sermon? Didn’t Hezekiah honor him and pray for mercy from God? And then didn’t God call off the disaster he had threatened? “Friends, we’re at the brink of bringing a terrible calamity upon ourselves.”

(At another time there had been a man, Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim, who had preached similarly in the name of God. He preached against this same city and country just as Jeremiah did. When King Jehoiakim and his royal court heard his sermon, they determined to kill him. Uriah, afraid for his life, went into hiding in Egypt. King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan son of Achbor with a posse of men after him. They brought him back from Egypt and presented him to the king. And the king had him killed. They dumped his body unceremoniously outside the city.

But in Jeremiah’s case, Ahikam son of Shaphan stepped forward and took his side, preventing the mob from lynching him.)

The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 26 (The Message)

and not that it’s wrong to have money, of course, because we need it. and money holds no inherent evil, as it is entirely neutral being directed by the hearts of those who use it. and so it’s the heart of the matter that truly matters.

Today’s wisdom from Proverbs 22 for August 22:

A good reputation is preferable to riches,

and the approval of others is better than precious silver or gold.

Rich and poor have something in common:

both are created by the Eternal.

Prudent people see trouble coming and hide,

but the naive walk right into it and take a beating.

A humble person who fears the Eternal

can expect to receive wealth, honor, and life.

Thorny branches and traps lie ahead for those who follow perverse paths;

those who want to preserve themselves will steer clear of them.

Teach a child how to follow the right way;

even when he is old, he will stay on course.

The rich lord it over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave to the lender.

Those who sow injustice reap disaster,

and their methods of oppression will fail.

Generous people are genuinely blessed

because they share their food with the poor.

Expel a mocker, and watch the wrangling go with him;

rivalry and rude remarks will also stop.

Those who love a pure heart and speak with grace

will find that the king is their friend.

The Eternal keeps a watchful eye on those with knowledge,

but He subverts the words of the faithless.

A lazy person says, “A lion! Right outside!

I will surely die in the streets!

Yet another good reason to stay in today.”

The alluring words of a seductive woman are a deep hole;

the Eternal is incensed toward those who fall in.

Foolishness consumes the heart of a child,

but corporal punishment, properly administered, drives it far away.

If you take advantage of the poor or coddle the rich to get ahead,

you will end up destitute.

[The Words of the Wise]

Lend an ear, listen to these words of the wise,

and align your thoughts with my instructions

Because true pleasure will be yours by learning them, living them,

and being ready to repeat them to others.

In order that you will trust only in the Eternal,

I teach them to you this day—yes, even you!

In fact, didn’t I already write down for you

Thirty axioms of good advice and sound knowledge

To reveal to you what is reliably true

so you can answer those who sent you with these truths you’ve learned?

Do not cheat poor people just because they are vulnerable

or use shady tactics in court to crush those already suffering;

For the Eternal is ready to take their case,

and He ruins anyone who is out to ruin them.

Do not befriend someone given to anger

or hang around with a hothead.

Odds are, you’ll learn his ways, become angry as well,

and get caught in a trap.

Do not be a person to guarantee someone else’s loan

or put up collateral for the debts of an acquaintance;

For if you do and you can’t repay,

won’t you risk having your bed ripped out from under you?

Do not steal property from your neighbors by moving the boundary markers

your ancestors established.

And as for those who are skilled in their work,

they will be recognized and invited to serve kings

rather than regular folk.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 22 (The Voice)

my personal reading in the Scriptures for August 22, day 63 of Summer and day 234 of the year:

[dailyofficereadings]

Daily Office Readings April 11, 2019

Psalm 131-133

Psalm 131

Song of Quiet Trust

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.[a]

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm 132

The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion

A Song of Ascents.

1 O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured; 2 how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6 We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. 7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool.”

8 Rise up, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might. 9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy. 10 For your servant David’s sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

11 The Lord swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. 12 If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne.”

13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation: 14 “This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it. 15 I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread. 16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy. 17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one. 18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam.”

Psalm 133

The Blessedness of Unity

A Song of Ascents.

1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

Footnotes:

Psalm 131:2 Or my soul within me is like a weaned child

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 140

Psalm 140

Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies

To the leader. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, 2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. 3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers.Selah

4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. 5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net,[a] along the road they have set snares for me.Selah

6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.” 7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot.[b]Selah

9 Those who surround me lift up their heads;[c] let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 10 Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! 11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!

12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. 13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.

Footnotes:

Psalm 140:5 Or they have spread cords as a net

Psalm 140:8 Heb adds they are exalted

Psalm 140:9 Cn Compare Gk: Heb those who surround me are uplifted in head; Heb divides verses 8 and 9 differently

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 142

Psalm 142

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A Prayer.

1 With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way.

In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.

5 I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low.

Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jeremiah 26:1-16

Jeremiah’s Prophecies in the Temple

26 At the beginning of the reign of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord; speak to them all the words that I command you; do not hold back a word. 3 It may be that they will listen, all of them, and will turn from their evil way, that I may change my mind about the disaster that I intend to bring on them because of their evil doings. 4 You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, 5 and to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently—though you have not heeded— 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth.

7 The priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying, “You shall die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and took their seat in the entry of the New Gate of the house of the Lord. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, “This man deserves the sentence of death because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”

12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “It is the Lord who sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard. 13 Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will change his mind about the disaster that he has pronounced against you. 14 But as for me, here I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. 15 Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”

16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Romans 11:1-12

Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final

11 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace.[a]

7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written,

“God gave them a sluggish spirit, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”

9 And David says,

“Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and keep their backs forever bent.”

The Salvation of the Gentiles

11 So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their stumbling[b] salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel[c] jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling[d] means riches for the world, and if their defeat means riches for Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!

Footnotes:

Romans 11:6 Other ancient authorities add But if it is by works, it is no longer on the basis of grace, otherwise work would no longer be work

Romans 11:11 Gk transgression

Romans 11:11 Gk them

Romans 11:12 Gk transgression

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

John 10:19-42

19 Again the Jews were divided because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews

22 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah,[a] tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand.[b] 30 The Father and I are one.”

31 The Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus replied, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered, “Is it not written in your law,[c] ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If those to whom the word of God came were called ‘gods’—and the scripture cannot be annulled— 36 can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand[d] that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. 41 Many came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

Footnotes:

John 10:24 Or the Christ

John 10:29 Other ancient authorities read My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand

John 10:34 Other ancient authorities read in the law

John 10:38 Other ancient authorities lack and understand; others read and believe

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[chrismuhammad-blog]

Best Intimate Flick For Male.

Will you prefer to be actually stronger, more versatile, have far better balance, as well as improved endurance? This suggests that she was in the washhouse a minimum of once daily every day coming from the moment of Beryl's loss on Nov 8 around the time the body systems were actually discovered on December 2-- a minimum of two number of possibilities to see one thing misunderstood. However I've finally allowed because you will certainly certainly never like me back due to the fact that I am actually an intersexual woman, and you have shown me frequently that you are actually certainly not listed here for me or even my area, even with the countless disparities we encounter in comparison to you and also the non-LGBTQ area. While our team continue to be primarily at night about the specifics of the other day's disaster, just what our company have actually learned from media records seems to be incompatible along with the carolinegymblog.info child we love. Some days after this squabble, Tim discovered Beryl had squandered family funds allocated for expenses. Dorks are like poor young boys on steroids. The brand new household was composed of a few, a young boy and lady under 10, and an adorable Yorkshire Terrier they contacted nappy (short for Napoleon). Girls typically connect with grown-up height due to the time they are 14 or even 15, and rate of metabolism will definitely possess reduced rather by then. I am the papa from 2 girls, as well as I can easily not picture just what it is to shed a youngster. Ergo, females do not like pleasant" people. The sentiment is from a stamp established off The Stamps from Life which I perish reduced utilizing a somewhat much larger group and affixed this document to the memory card using froth strip.

( HealthDay)-- Young men that favor porn to real-world sex-related meets could find on their own caught in a catch, incapable to conduct sexually with other individuals when the possibility presents itself, a brand-new research study documents. Yet negative children require our company. My boys enjoy all the Arthurian legends from occultists and also knights. Apparently she still contacts herself John as well as likes wearing boy's outfits, while star kid psycho therapists are actually mentioning things like Brad and also Jolie are performing specifically the ideal factor by enabling Shiloh to reveal herself as a kid" and also "this is actually usual, it prevails for gals to would like to spruce up like children and also the other way around". That silver lining of being a mother right now set up, our company now likewise have to accept that when factors don't go well for their little ones, moms can either boost to the plate (which is hard to accomplish sometimes) or be actually very dramatic (which is too easily carried out occasionally). You find girls are always searching for one thing exciting in the relationship which nice people cant offer whereas bad guys provide a considerable amount of experience and they are regularly up for something fantastic or even one thing new.

Today I go through Boy and also Girl the Declaration. Typical attributes: Electric tighten ride; Selogica command; mobile style. Kevin really failed to just like Sara significantly, she was actually tomboy as well as didn't like things females typically like, like girly garments, specifically outfits, she hardly ever wore a dress, simply when she possessed very.

[rachelsiwafan]

Goodmorning🇹🇿🇬🇧🌏#Cupoftea☕️Judgement on the House of Jeroboam 1 At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. 3 Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child.” 4 And Jeroboam’s wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age. 5 Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman. ” 6 And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. 7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 8 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; 9 but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 10 therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. 11 The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies..#1Kings14:1-31#PraisetheLord#wordoftheday#wordofGod#Godisgood#BwanaYesuasifiwe#Imani#NenolaMungu#Nenolaleo#barikiwa#beblessed#swahili#eastafrica#Tanzania#Kenya#Uganda#Burundi#Rwanda#Congo#Coventry#UK#Lifestyleblogger#Vlogger#RachelSiwa🙏❤️☕️

[johnchiarello]

Monday

MONDAY 5-15-17

James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. Samuel [Past links- verses below]

CCCF- https://youtu.be/MEBISFL6pRg

.Good coffee

.Vatican City

.Switzerland trip

.Prophetic word

.Why did James only write one letter?

.Trinity

.Proclaim the Son

 2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

 Travel ban n more- https://youtu.be/UrW4m_b35UY

.Sologamy?

.SNL- news?

.Nick Jimenez editorial

.SB- 4

.Kids in N.J.

.Pastor Don’s message

.9th circuit

.Out of control courts?

.Sanctuary cities

 Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

  [Note- I made this post today- one of my ‘roll-outs’ - but I did add some past teachings and verses below]

 NEW- Talked some about the travel ban that is being argued before the 9th circuit court today- and how the courts have become politicized.

A few years ago Austin [Texas] brought Rico charges against a Republican- and found him guilty!

Yes- for money laundering.

 I remember at the time- the same thing was being done on a regular basis by many Democrats- it simply was a way to get campaign funds- by ‘going around the loopholes’.

 Lots of people did it- but because Austin is a liberal city- they managed to get a Republican on charges that were intended to go after the Mafia.

 So today the 9th circuit court is grilling the justice department lawyers on whether Trump has made any comments to them in the past- about Muslims.

The judges are going back to campaign statements Trump made- all of this is ridiculous.

 Whether you are for the ban or not- this should have never been in the courts.

 I also shared some from the sermon Pastor Don preached Sunday.

How Hannah asked God for a son [Samuel] and when she had a son- she ‘lent him to the Lord’.

It was a good message- a Mothers day theme.

 Often times we ‘have not- because we ask not’.

I covered some of the local news as well- the caller times had a good editorial by Nick Jimenez on why SB 4 is not good.

 And Chief Markle also spoke well about how he will handle the new law.

He shed light on the law that hopefully will put our immigrant community at ease.

 If you are breaking the law- of course the cops will do their job- but the chief explained that local law enforcement always had the right to ask someone their immigration status.

 And the passage of SB 4 does not mandate cops to ask.

So our local cops more than likely will continue to do policing the way they have always done it.

 He tried to put the immigrants- who are not out committing crimes- at ease.

I agree with his approach.

 As of now I made 2 videos- that might be it for today- I’ll try and add some pertinent news links- and a few verses below.

 God bless you all.

 NOTE- I forgot to mention this on video- and I wanted to.

My friend Mike [artist] came by Saturday and gave me a beautiful Cross he bought at the flea market. It has Firefighter stuff on it- and he gave it to me as a gift of appreciation for ‘all that you do’. I thanked Mike- and spent about 3 hours just hanging out- this time at my house. If I remember I’ll post a picture of it on Facebook.

 24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Num. 6

 PAST POSTS- [ Past teaching I did that relates to today’s post-verses below]

https://ccoutreach87.com/1st-2nd-samuel-links-updated-3-17/

https://ccoutreach87.com/james-2015/

https://ccoutreach87.com/house-of-prayer-or-den-of-thieves/

 (882)1ST SAMUEL; INTRO, CHAPTER 1- Originally the books of 1st and 2nd Samuel were one volume. When the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament was made [the Septuagint] they were added with 1st and 2nd Kings and were called ‘The books of the kingdoms’. In order to keep this volume from becoming too big, they were divided into the present divisions. In chapter one we see the family of Elkanah and Hannah [and wife #2 Pininnah!]. They go up to the Tabernacle of the Lord in Shiloh to worship the true God. Hannah has no children while wife # 2 does. This becomes a point of contention and jealousy between the two wives. Hannah pours her heart out to the Lord and makes a vow. She tells the Lord if he gives her a son that she will dedicate him to the Lord. Eli the priest sees Hannah praying silently [her lips moving but hearing no voice] and he assumes she’s drunk! Why? Was she stumbling and acting drunk? No. It was because he thought she was mumbling [speech] like a drunk. In Acts chapter 2 the same thing is assumed. Those who received the outpouring of the Spirit were thought to be drunk. Why? Were they stumbling and falling? No, once again it was a speech thing. They were speaking all types of unknown languages [known to the various groups there that day] and people thought they were acting like drunks when they can’t talk clearly. I emphasized this because it’s common today for renewal movements to associate the Spirit with people actually stumbling and driving in a drunken type state. While I don’t want to be dogmatic and say this can never be of God, yet many of these believers will use the Acts chapter 2 example to justify their belief. Act’s 2 does not teach ‘being drunk in the Spirit’ in this manner. Now the Lord hears Hannah’s request and she gives birth to Samuel. She keeps him until he is weaned [2 or 3 years old] and then she honors her vow and dedicates him to the Lord. She actually gave him up to become a full servant of God at Shiloh. It was not an easy vow to keep. As we go thru this book we will cover lots of interesting history. Samuel will become a mighty prophetic leader in Israel. He will be the one to introduce king Saul as Israel’s first king. The last verse in Judges says ‘there was no king in the land in those days, every man did what he thought was right in his own eyes’. It’s common to think this means God punished Israel for not having a human king. In actuality God will tell Israel that they were rejecting his kingship over them by wanting a ‘king like the other nations’. We will learn that God did not originally intend for Israel to have a singular human king. The description from judges simply shows us that sinful people, who reject God’s law, will go astray. In these instances a king can bring some sort of stability and government. The kings of Israel will serve in this capacity.

 (884)SAMUEL 2- Hannah gives great praise to God for Samuel. This prophetic utterance is a lot like Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ in Luke chapter one. She says ‘God brings low the rich and helps the poor’. This week we had one of the worst financial disasters in U.S. history [9-2008]. It could have been worse, the government took over some major financial [and insurance] institutions. One of them was A.I.G., a major insurer. A day or so before they were taken over I asked my wife ‘did you take out the girls trust money’. We had a lot of money for our girls in the company [lets say between 50 and 100 thousand dollars]. My wife says ‘no, not yet’. I was a little perturbed to say the least. My wife is the trustee for the girl’s accounts, and I have been telling her for about a year to take the money out. So the day she makes the request all the talk on the financial shows is ‘will A.I.G. declare bankruptcy today’? I was upset. Another day went by and they said ‘overnight they will declare’. And we still didn’t get the money. Well the government stepped and basically took the company over and we got our checks. I was talking to my homeless buddies and they were somewhat aware of the crisis, but they could care less. Their lives were not tied up in these systems. They were still going to live the way they were living for most of their lives. Trusting God daily to meet their needs. It made me think of Hannah’s prayer. Also we see the first use of the word ‘Messiah’ [anointed] in the bible. ‘God will strengthen his king and exalt the horn of his anointed’. I read this yesterday and was quoting it all day. It’s appropriate that Mary uses this prophetic utterance while speaking of Jesus, the Messiah. The sons of Eli the priest are wicked. They are robbing the people and sleeping with the women at the tabernacle gate. Scripture says ‘the people abhorred the offering of the Lord’ because of their abuse. For many years I heard ‘if people are offended because the church emphasizes money so much, well let them be offended’. I never really questioned this reasoning. Then I began to see how the majority offence to unbelieving friends and family was the money issue. While most of the pastors were well meaning, they seemed to not realize that we do have a responsibility to not offend in the area of offerings. The apostle Paul adjusted his ministry in such a way that he would not allow the churches to support him while he was with them. [Not just Corinth either, but Thessalonica and Ephesus! Read Thessalonians and the chapter in Acts that deals with the Ephesian elders- 22?] The point being the church bears much responsibility to how the world views us in the area of offerings to God. Eli's sons abused the system to their own benefit and the people began to despise the whole concept of ‘church and money’. A prophet will pronounce judgment on Eli’s household and Samuel will ‘grow in favor with God and men’. Just like Jesus. Samuel is a type of Christ who knew his prophetic/priestly destiny from a young age. Jesus was in the Temple questioning the leaders at the age of 12, Samuel was serving the Lord at an even younger age.

  VERSES-

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:

2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb.

6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb.

7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore.

11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth.

13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.

16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her.

20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.

21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever.

23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young.

25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.

27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

28 Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.

 NEWS-

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-live-updates-9th-circuit-arguments-9th-circuit-court-of-appeals-says-a-1486678883-htmlstory.html

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/54869-sologamy-rises-as-the-latest-marriage-perversion-trend

  www.corpuschristioutreachministries.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/john.chiarello.5?ref=bookmarks

https://ccoutreach87.wordpress.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ4GsqTEVWRm0HxQTLsifvg

https://twitter.com/ccoutreach87

https://plus.google.com/108013627259688810902/posts

https://vimeo.com/user37400385

https://www.pinterest.com/ccoutreach87/

https://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_logo

http://johnchiarello.tumblr.com/

https://medium.com/@johnchiarello

http://ccoutreach.over-blog.com/

 Note- Please do me a favor, those who read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read them on- Thanks- John.#

[theeverydaysimple]

Traveling with a baby is something that gets a lot of attention. For the good and the bad.  People are always watching, waiting for something to happen. And then if it doesn’t, they are quick to share their surprise. Almost as if they know you and what your child is like.

However, in reality, you can’t really blame them. Children can be so unpredictable. Add traveling, jet lag, disrupted schedules, and overstimulation  on top of that, and it only heightens it. Unfortunately though, because of this, I feel like there is an unspoken rule that kids, especially babies, just really shouldn’t travel. Or not necessarily that they shouldn’t, but that they can’t.

In my little bit of experience with children, I am continually surprised at the capabilities of my daughter. Everyday she does things that show me how often I underestimate her, and how much she is really able to do if I will only let her.

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The more children experience, the more they can do. The more that is expected of them, the more they rise to the occasion.

The fear of inconvenience and disruption for a parent is so real though, and unfortunately keeps so many people from experiencing new things with their children. It paralyzes us as parents as opposed to challenging us. But just like most good things in life, why wouldn’t it be a bit of work?

Think about this. How many things in life can you say that you and your child have experienced it for the FIRST time together? Probably not many. So much of parenting is showing and guiding our children through things that we have done before them. When you travel to a new place together, you both are experiencing something together for the first time. You are equals for that moment, and that is really such a beautiful thing.

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Last week our family got the chance to go to Europe for about 10 days with my sister and brother in law. I can say, without a doubt, that it was the best trip we have ever been on, with or without children. Being honest, I was kind of nervous before it, even though we have done trips with my daughter before. We had a 9 hour flight, both ways, and being gone for 10 days, off a schedule, in a different time zone,  just seemed like a recipe for disaster. However, the disaster seemed worth it if there were going to be incredible experiences in between, so we did it.

Well, here we are, home, and all alive and well. She did so incredibly well. Yes, I will give credit to the fact that she is pretty flexible and adaptable, but a lot of that credit also has to go to being properly prepared and having realistic expectations. Just like ourselves, children need certain things and products in order to deal with specific situations. Having the proper necessities, and making small arrangements really made this trip so enjoyable and even possible.

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This is the list that made this trip possible. It is not only products that we used and loved, but also specific tricks or things that we did that just helped make the trip and traveling that much smoother. Without a doubt, these are the things I highly recommend to anyone. Especially when traveling, but even when not. These are all things that make going out, and being flexible just a little bit easier for a child.

Wildbird Sling: This was by far the most important and helpful thing that we brought. There were a lot of times that we were out walking around during her nap time. Between this sling and her stroller, she took 90% of her naps on the go. The amazing thing about this sling is how incredibly comfortable it is. Even though Shiloh is almost 2, it was so easy and comfortable to carry her. It was especially helpful when we were in areas that were too tight for the stroller, but we didn’t really want her walking. Another amazing thing about this sling is what “baby-wearing” does to the child. Shiloh is not a snuggly child, and hates being constrained. However, whenever she was having a hard time (whether it was fatigue or overstimulation), if we put her in the sling, she immediately calmed down. The even pressure on her body was an instant source of comfort.

Colorform Stickers : Everyone needs to buy these immediately. This is a small sticker book, and reusable stickers. The beauty of these is that they fold up small, so they can be easily tucked in a purse or bag. They also can be used over and over again. We used them at EVERY SINGLE meal, and even on the train and metro on the widows. 

Headphones: Because we had such a long flight, we definitely watched a lot of movies. These headphones were perfect for her. She was able to lay down with them on, because they are flat and so soft. They also served as a noise barrier while she was sleeping and the announcements happened on the plane. 

Stroller: Invest in a good umbrella stroller. This one was perfect. We wanted one that was compact, light, had a canopy, under basket, and laid down. This stroller has 4 seat settings, and lays almost completely flat. It was perfect for naps on the go. It also is very reasonable. We have a BOB jogging stroller, but because it is fairly large, we chose something smaller and better for the city streets and on the metro. 

Lollipops: These are just always a good idea to have on hand. Whether its for a museum, waiting for your table at a restaurant, or on the plane. Also, these organic ones don’t stain their mouths. 

Playground: Over the course of the trip, we went to 3 different playgrounds. We didn’t do many “kid focused” activities, but instead found ways to interest her in whatever it was that we were doing. It was amazing how even if we were just at a museum  if we walked with her and explained what we were looking at, how intrigued she would be. However, we did find opportunities for her to run around, play, and just be a kid throughout the trip. 

 Realistic Expectations: My goal over the course of the trip was to have an enjoyable vacation full of wonder, learning, and intentional time with family, all while keeping my 2 year old’s needs in mind. As stated above, we don’t plan our trips around “kid’s activities” and more expect her to do with us what we are doing. With that being said though, there were times that we chose a restaurant, a park, or a carousel solely for her enjoyment. Just like anytime you go on a trip with someone, there has to be compromise. No one person calls the shots, but everyone is viewed as equally important, and their needs and wants are kept in mind throughout the planning process. She played that same role throughout it as well. 

Passport: I wrote an entire post about this, because it is quite the process. But my biggest tip in this is to get it before you need it. It’s easier to get it before you are in a time crunch.

Next time you are planning a trip, and just for the sake of convenience want to do it sans baby, reconsider. I’m all for alone time or a weekend getaway with your spouse, but if it is solely to avoid traveling with a baby, don’t avoid it. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. If we let them, they can show up and enjoy it just as we do, it just takes time and some effort to be prepared, but it is beyond worth it.

I would love to hear any other tips for travel. These things worked for us this time, but as said before, children are unpredictable and always changing. Always a good idea to have a few extra in the back pocket.

So, what has worked for you/where have you traveled with your little one? 

Traveling with a baby is hard, but so worth it. A little preparation goes a long way. Traveling with a baby is something that gets a lot of attention. For the good and the bad.  

[junkfoodvideous-blog]

Clearlake CA Crime Scene Cleanup Costs & Biohazard Cleaning

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Clearlake CA Crime Scene Cleanup Costs & Biohazard Cleaning

Crime Scene Cleanup Clearlake

The law enforcement have fleed the scene of a crime, but blood is nonetheless there, they advised you get in touch with Enviromax of Clearlake to ensure that suitable crime scene cleanup in concluded. With EnviroMax Cleaning Solutions you get the optimum good quality you can locate from a business that has expended the previous 10 years helping families clean up after catastrophe scenes like a death. To help with this we deliver a staff of EnviroMAX qualified crime scene cleaners who can get the work completed. Obtain our Tips for what to do when an individual dies and verify our Video library for far more information as we are constantly updating our pages to support you. Our packages for criminal offense scene cleanup jobs are continually becoming posted and you will also find our useful resource library extremely valuable when knowing the different classifications for crime scene cleanup. When you are hit by a biohazard or environmental contamination you have the company referred to as my the Armed forces and Law enforcement when they want assist, contact EnViroMax cleanup options. No make a difference the disasters classifications or crime scene, you can count crime scene cleanup completed by EnviroMax to remedy your crime scene cleanup troubles.

With cleaners who have undergone crime scene cleanup schools in Clearlake Television exhibits like NCIS deliver a false impression of what happens when blood is at a residence. Many television exhibits and films alike share scenes depicting murdered victims being removed from a crime scene in human body baggage by the Law enforcement. They even often will demonstrate friends collecting collectively with their buckets of cleaning soap and water to cleanup the blood after the dead body is removed. This is much from reality and what really has to be completed to correctly clear up a crime scene; far from what Crime Scene Clean Up Clearlake must do and has brought on many people to really feel as if they must attempt to do it themselves. It is in fact, this is generally regarded as a extremely dangerous cleanup, and the blood in many cases can be outfitted with diseases and pathogens that could cause damage to the wellness of the person performing the cleaning concerned. To avoid sickness and additional injury is why men and women are counting on Crime scene clean up Clearlake to be finished by specialists. With huge quantity of portable clean up professionals this elite team of cleaners are not your normal carpet cleaner, they are trained in removing harmful materials like blood and human feces and particles. With a emphasis in protection the crime scene cleanup realize the quantity of issues that can go improper when dealing with a Crime scene clean up in Clearlake or any variety of cleanup with blood splatter. To make specific this is not a difficulty they work additional hard to guarantee that all basic safety steps are taken for their health sake and the household or other inhabitants of the dwelling.

Crime Sceen Cleanup Services

Death Cleanup Clearlake

Suicide Cleanup Clearlake

Blood Cleanup Clearlake

For in excess of a 10 years, a single hazardous cleaner of crime scene cleanup in Clearlake has helped set regional Crime scene clean up to near and far municipalities of citizens who are in require. Photographs of Clearlake Crime scene cleanup present our cleaners functioning in extreme conditions to clean up following grotesque fatal injury and grotesque fatalities that are not straightforward to check out but depict the real nature of a crime scene. Figures from the Doctors and Hospitals in Clearlake present that infectious diseases are rising and new details hits the news feeds and our facebook feeds each and every day demonstrating us that we are not just concerned any a lot more about HIV but also new strands of Hepatitis, Ebola Virus, MRSA, and even strands of Bird Flu proceed to propogate around the planet. The good news is we do not see as numerous exotic situations in Clearlake of the United States, but we still have our truthful share of risks. These risks are just some of the numerous causes folks in your local community employ the service of crime scene cleanup to carry out the event. With the capability to carry out the functions of cleaning 24 hrs a working day, we are one of the most focused service centers for crime scene clean up in the United States. Our cleaners are constantly listed here to attempt and aid fix your blood cleaning difficulties, and are leading professionals in decomposed body cleanup. If you are encountering a loss of life clean up and need quick attention in cities near Clearlake and privacy, we are the crime scene cleaning office for you and our employees are all set to respond to your questions and decontaminate the space concerned in the loss of life or crime.

Crime Scene Cleanup Salaries in United States

We sat down with some leaders in the business community of biohazard restoration which is commonly referred to as crime scene cleanup, to discuss a very important top of salaries and wages. As many of you may of seen with recent news coverage discussing the high wages and salary of some of the professionals in this business. We decided to take a deeper look into this controversial business and see exactly what are the wages like and do they really deserve these high salaries.

First we decided to get on the record with some of the owners of a crime scene cleanup company in Clearlake California to find out if the wages we are hearing about are accurate. What we discovered will surprise you and may make you want to look for crime scene cleanup jobs in Clearlake. First, there are a few ways people are paid when they work from crime scene cleanup companies. One is by hourly pay and the average hourly pay is starting at $11 a hour and can easily get as high as $25 a hour with experience. Some people in a company may opt for a crime scene cleanup salary because they are looking for more benefits like health care and home child care. With a salaried position you may have more responsibilities and could be looking at a supervisory position. With a supervisors jobs you could be getting paid a salary anywhere from $40k to start to over $70,000 plus benefits. Although, we should emphasis that the pay for anyone doing crime scene cleanup in Clearlake California may vary drastically. As many people have pointed out to us, not all companies are the big gorillas in the industry. Small companies just starting out may demand more for less, but they may do other things to keep employees and contractors happy. One company we talked to will even provide small amounts of ownership which can add up over time as a way to really get people interested in employment.

Reviews & Ratings

4.8/5 based on 87 reviews

We Serve Nationwide Cities

UnionCity, Martinsville, Brighton, Milpitas, stLouisPark, Bountiful, Millbrae, BraintreeTown, Westminster, Riverdale, TakomaPark, Mineola, Springville, Harrison, FortLee, Sharon, Beachwood, Thornton, Montrose, SouthernPines, Hayden, Lovington, Englewood, Florence, Manhattan, Warrenville, Macon, Shiloh, Garfield, Mustang, Choctaw, Sturgis, SouthHouston,

#crimescenecleanup #deathcleanup #bloodcleanup #suicidecleanup