#Wilkerson Pas

[rabbitcruiser]

Forest (No. 77)

Wilkerson Pass, CO

[eblu3]

before twitter collapses anyone want to sco pa tu bomboclaat gumball third eye bacon timeline threat slayer bean dad icks that have you like snacks anime food dearest nintendo carter wilkerson nuggs black and blue yanny cake bowsette???????? ladies get the best coke the old fashioned way. just found my sister's loudencer fried chicken

[christophe76460]

LE REMÈDE POUR UN CŒUR ENDURCI

“Un homme qui mérite d'être repris, et qui raidit le cou, sera brisé subitement et sans remède” (Proverbes 29:1).

Le terme hébreux pour “repris” dans ce verset se réfère à un enseignement correcteur. “Sans remède” signifie ���sans traitement, sans aucune possibilité de délivrance.” Ce verset nous dit tout d’abord que l’endurcissement du cœur vient en résultat d’un rejet répété d’avertissements et d’une mise de côté de la vérité.

Ensuite, il nous dit qu’un tel endurcissement devient impossible à guérir, avec le temps. Qui sont ces personnes qui entendent ces avertissements, la plupart du temps ? Ce sont sans doute les chrétiens, ceux qui sont assis dans la maison de Dieu chaque semaine et qui entendent des messages qui devraient les reprendre.

Qu’est-ce qu’un cœur endurci, exactement ? C’est un cœur déterminé à résister à l’obéissance envers la Parole de Dieu, impossible à toucher et immunisé contre la conviction et les avertissements du Saint-Esprit.

La vérité tragique, c’est que malgré les messages enflammés venus du Ciel qu’ils entendent, une multitude de chrétiens ne mettent pas en pratique ce qu’ils entendent. Ils refusent de permettre à Dieu d’entrer dans certains domaines de leur vie et l’endurcissement s’installe au fur et à mesure qu’ils continuent à entendre sans en tenir compte.

Pourtant, il y a de nombreux pécheurs dont l’endurcissement de cœur a été guéri. Au début, ils ont maudit Christ et agité le poing devant Dieu sous l’effet de la colère, mais leur cœur a fondu quand ils ont entendu l’évangile et senti la réprimande pure et pleine d’amour du Saint-Esprit.

La vie du fils de Madalyn Murray O’Hair l’illustre bien. Il a été élevé dans ce qui était certainement le foyer le plus athée de toute l’Amérique et il a travaillé ensuite pour sa mère, en croisade contre Dieu et la religion. Quand il a entendu l’évangile, il a été sauvé et est devenu Pasteur, prêchant Christ plutôt que de le maudire. L’endurcissement de cet homme a pu être guéri parce que, quand il a entendu des messages pour le reprendre, il les a acceptés.

D’après mon expérience, les cœurs les plus durs, qui paraissent les plus incurables, sont souvent guéris lorsqu’ils entendent des prédications ointes par le Saint-Esprit. De tels cœurs ne fondent pas dans des églises froides, mortes, formelles, où l’évangile a été corrompu pendant des générations. Non, la guérison a lieu quand une parole pure est prêchée depuis le pupitre et là où la repentance naît au milieu de l’assemblée.

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

[valleyledger]

ArtsQuest Receives International Festival & Events Association Pinnacle Award for Best Sponsor Partner Category with Yuengling

Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., September 30, 2024 – The International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) paid tribute to Musikfest’s 40th anniversary on Sunday, September 29 during the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Awards Ceremony held at the IFEA Annual Convention & Expo presented by atVenu in Pittsburgh, PA. Sponsored by industry leader Haas & Wilkerson Insurance, the professional…

[yes-bernie-stuff]

« Ce que Dieu a déclaré pur, ne le regarde pas comme souillé. » (Actes 10:15)

Pierre est invité par le Saint-Esprit à dépasser les préjugés religieux qui lui interdisent d’entrer chez des païens. 

Pour pouvoir atteindre les étrangers aux choses de Dieu, il est capital de se débarrasser de toute forme de préjugés, et même de mépris de ceux qui sont dans l’ignorance de l’Évangile.

Dieu invite Pierre à ne pas considérer sa tradition religieuse, imprégnée par les lois du judaïsme, comme étant supérieure à la culture romaine du centenier Corneille. 

Le Saint-Esprit nous pousse à sortir de nos zones de confort pour aller vers ceux qui ont des cultures que nous pourrions considérer comme non orthodoxes. 

À titre personnel, je n’aime pas certaines formes musicales, mais je rends grâce à Dieu pour ceux qui, poussés par le Saint-Esprit, pénètrent ces milieux et y témoignent de l’amour de Jésus. Prions pour ces chrétiens métalleux, rappeurs qui, poussés par le Saint-Esprit, communiquent l’Évangile à ces populations qui ont, comme tous les hommes, besoin de Jésus. 

C’est poussé par le Saint-Esprit que le pasteur de campagne, David Wilkerson, est allé vers les jeunes, peu fréquentables, des gangs de New-York, pour y accomplir une œuvre connue dans le monde entier.

Plus nous voulons maintenir, avec insistance, les normes religieuses convenables, plus nous creusons un fossé entre nous et les personnes que nous voulons amener à Christ.

Pour atteindre la Samaritaine, Jésus a franchi plusieurs barrières culturelles.

« Seigneur, nous te prions pour tous ceux qui, comme Pierre, poussés par le Saint-Esprit vont dans des milieux que nous pouvons considérer comme impurs, pour y faire connaître Jésus. 

Que les préjugés et les a priori ne nous empêchent pas d’entendre les directives du Saint-Esprit pour aller vers ceux vers lesquels tu nous envoies ! Au nom de Jésus ! Amen ! »Avec amour, Paul

[liondejudastuff]

David Wilkerson, La vision, Etre prêt n'est pas une plaisanterie, en Fr...

[jpbjazz]

LÉGENDES DU JAZZ

DAVE ‘’FATHEAD’’ NEWMAN, DE RAY CHARLES À DUKE ELLINGTON

“He was such a jewel. He had a rich heritage, and the different qualities in his playing, from Buster Smith to Dexter Gordon, gave him an identity of his own.”

- Marcus Belgrave

Né le 24 février 1933 à Corsicana, au Texas, David "Fathead" Newman a grandi à Dallas, où il a d’abord étudié le piano puis le saxophone alto. Newman aurait obtenu son surnom durant ses études au Lincoln High School après qu’un de ses professeurs l’ait surpris en train de jouer une marche de Sousa de mémoire plutôt que sur du papier à musique. Même si l’auditoire avait éclaté de rire, Newman, qui avait un excellent sens de l’humour, ne s’en était pas formalisé. Il avait même porté le surnom durant toute sa carrière, même si personnellement, il préférait être appelé David.

Parmi les camarades de classe de Newman, on retrouvait le pianiste Cedar Walton et le saxophoniste James Clay.

Sous l’influence du chanteur et saxophoniste de blues Louis Jordan, Newman avait adopté le saxophone alto en septième année. Son mentor était l’ancien saxophoniste de Count Basie, Buster Smith, un des anciens professeurs de Charlie Parker. Après avoir décroché son diplôme, Newman avait commencé à jouer avec des groupes locaux comme ceux du saxophoniste Red Connors, qui comprenait à l’époque un jeune saxophoniste inconnu nommé Ornette Coleman.

Par la suite, Newman avait étudié en musique et en théologie au Jarvis Christian College de Hawkins, au Texas, mais il avait abandonné après trois ans pour devenir musicien professionnel.

DÉBUTS DE CARRIÈRE

Newman avait amorcé sa carrière en jouant principalement du jazz et du blues avec des musiciens comme Buster Smith, le pianiste Lloyd Glenn et les guitaristes Lowell Fulson et T-Bone Walker. Avec le groupe de Smith, Newman s’était notamment produit dans les salles de danses dans le cadre de tournées au Texas, en Arkansas, en Oklahoma et en Californie.

Au début de 1951, Newman avait fait la rencontre de Ray Charles qui se produisait alors avec le groupe du guitariste Lowell Fulson comme chanteur et pianiste. Newman s’était éventuellement joint au groupe de Charles trois ans plus tard comme saxophoniste baryton, avant de passer au ténor un an plus tard et de devenir le principal soliste du groupe après le départ de Don Wilkerson. Par la suite, Newman avait constamment alterné entre le ténor, le baryton et l’alto (il jouait aussi de la flûte). Il avait d’ailleurs enregistré des solos sur les trois instruments.

Plusieurs des plus importants enregistrements de Charles durant les années 1950 et au début des années comprenaient d’ailleurs des solos de Newman. Parmi ceux-ci, on remarquait des succès comme "Lonely Avenue", "Swanee River Rock", "Ain't That Love", "The Right Time" (avec Newman au saxophone alto) et "Unchain My Heart". Même si les solos de Newman étaient plutôt brefs, ils étaient devenus, comme l’avait écrit plus tard un critique du New York Times, "crucial to the Ray Charles sound". Le producteur des disques Atlantic, Jerry Wexler, avait d’ailleurs qualifié plus tard Newman d’alter ego de Charles au ténor. Très proche de Newman qu’il surnommait affectueusement ‘’Brains’’, Charles avait déclaré que le saxophoniste"could make his sax sing the song like no one else". De son côté, Newman avait commenté: "I became famous for playing 8-bar and 12-bar solos!"

En 1958, Newman avait enregistré un premier album comme leader intitulé ‘’Fathead: Ray Charles Presents David Newman.’’ Charles jouait d’ailleurs du piano sur l’album qui n’avait cependant été publié qu’en 1960. Parmi les pièces de l’album, on retrouvait une version du classique ‘’Hard Times’’ de Paul Mitchell. Le second album de Newman comme leader avait été publié en 1961, et était intitulé ‘’The Sound of the Wide Open Spaces’’. L’album mettait également en vedette le saxophoniste James Clay et avait été produit par le légendaire Cannonball Adderley.

Newman, qui était demeuré avec le groupe de Charles jusqu’en 1964, était cependant retourné avec le groupe en 1970-71. Après avoir quitté le groupe de Charles, Newman était retourné brièvement à Dallas où il avait dirigé ses propres formations avant d’aller s’installer à New York.

Dans le Big Apple, Newman avait enregistré plusieurs albums pour les disques Atlantic, Warner Brothers et Prestige. Il avait également travaillé comme musicien de studio avec de nombreux artistes, dont Aretha Franklin, Hank Crawford, Aaron Neville, B.B. King, Joe Cocker, Doug Sahm, Donny Hathaway, Gregg Allman et Dr. John. Il avait même accompagné Natalie Cole sur son album ‘’Unforgettable.’’ Durant son séjour à New York, Newman s’était également produit avec de grands noms du jazz comme Lee Morgan, Kenny Drew Sr., Billy Higgins et Kenny Dorham. Il avait aussi fait une tournée sur la Côte est avec son quartet tout en se produisant en Europe et au Japon avec ses propres groupes. Il avait également collaboré avec le pianiste Red Garland.

Après avoir rencontré le multi-instrumentiste Herbie Mann dans une session en studio, Newman s’était joint au groupe "The Family of Mann" qui comprenait également Cal Tjader (qui se ferait bientôt connaître sous le nom de Roy Ayres) à la guitare. Newman avait fait partie du groupe de Mann durant dix ans.

En 1978, Newman avait publié un simple intitulé ‘’Keep the Dream Alive’’ tiré de l’album du même nom. La pièce sur laquelle Newman avait joué de la flûte sur un rythme disco s’était hissé aux premières positions du Hit Parade et des palmarès disco. Au cours de cette période, Newman avait également accompagné Jimmy Scott, B.B. King et Lou Rawls. À partir de 1980, déterminé à trouver son propre son, Newman avait enregistré plusieurs albums de type ‘’mainstream’’ pour les disques Muse avec des artistes aussi diversifiés que Cedar Walton, Jimmy Cobb, Buster Williams, Jimmy Cobb, Louis Hayes et plusieurs autres excellents musiciens de New York.

DERNIÈRES ANNÉES

Continuant de s’orienter toujours davantage vers le jazz, Newman avait retrouvé en 1988 son ancien partenaire du groupe de Ray Charles, le saxophoniste Hank Crawford, dans le cadre d’enregistrements pour les disques Milestone (1989 et 1996). Il avait également enregistré un album live au Village Vanguard avec Crawford et Stanley Turrentine en 1989.

Newman avait aussi composé des musiques de film et joué sur la bande sonore du film Kansas City de Robert Altman. Il avait même fait une tournée nationale avec le groupe en 1996. Newman avait aussi fait de nombreuses apparitions à la télévision dans le cadre d’émissions comme Saturday Night Live, le David Letterman Show et Night Music animée par le saxophoniste David Sanborn. En 1998, Newman avait également participé à un épisode de la série Billy Taylor's Jazz. Dans le cadre de l’émission, Newman avait fait une prestation avec le trio de Billy Taylor. Il avait aussi répondu aux questions de Taylor et de l’auditoire.

Newman, qui jouait également de R & B et du blues, avait fait des apparitions sur des albums de Jimmy Scott, Stanley Turrentine, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, the Average White Band, Jimmy McGriff, Eric Clapton, John Stein, Natalie Cole, Hank Crawford, Aaron Neville, Queen Latifah, Richard Tee et Dr. John. Newman avait également enregistré avec la chanteuse Cheryl Bentyne du groupe Manhattan Transger et l’artiste de country-rock Doug Sahm.

En 1994, Newman avait rendu hommage à Duke Ellington dans le cadre de l’album ‘’Mr Gentle, Mr Cool.’’ L’année suivante, Newman avait collaboré avec le trompettiste Roy Hargrove lors de l’enregistrement de l’album ‘’Family.’’ Hargrove, qui admirait énormément Newman, avait reconnu qu’il l’avait grandement influencé lors de ses études au high school.

David ‘’Fathead’’ Newman est décédé à Kingston, dans l’État de New York, le 20 janvier 2009, des suites d’un cancer du pancréas. Il était âgé de soixante-quinze ans. Au moment de sa mort, Newman vivait à Woodstock, dans l’État de New York. Il laissait dans le deuil son épouse et gérante Karen Newman, ses fils Terry, Andre, Cadino et Benji, huit petits-enfants et trois arrière-petits-enfants. Ironiquement, deux autres anciens membres du groupe de Charles, Hank Crawford et Leroy “Hog” Cooper étaient décédés durant le même mois.

De 1998 jusqu’à sa mort, Newman avait enregistré plusieurs excellents albums pour les disques High Note, parmi lesquels on remarquait de nombreux - et inévitables - hommages à Ray Charles. Newman avait publié un dernier album de son vivant sous le titre de “Diamondhead” en 2008. En décembre 2008, Newman avait participé à une dernière session. L’album a été publié après sa mort sous le titre de ‘’The Blessing.’’ Parmi les autres albums de Newman, on remarquait ‘’Wide Open Spaces’’ (1960), ’’Straight Ahead’’ (1962), ’’Mr. Fathead’’ (1976) et ‘’I Remember Brother Ray’’ (2005).

À l’époque de leur collaboration, Newman et Charles étaient tous deux de grands consommateurs d’héroïne. C’est l’acteur Bokeem Woodbine qui avait incarné le rôle de Newman dans le film biographique ‘’Ray’’ de Taylor Hackford en 2004. Tout en saluant la performance de Foxx dans le rôle de Charles, Newman avait critiqué l’interprétation qu’on avait fait de son propre personnage, en particulier lorsqu’on l’avait dépeint comme comme celui qui avait familarisé Charles avec la consommation de narcotiques.

Le trompettiste Marcus Belgrave, qui avait collaboré avec Newman dans le groupe de Ray Charles, lui avait rendu hommage en déclarant: “He was such a jewel. He had a rich heritage, and the different qualities in his playing, from Buster Smith to Dexter Gordon, gave him an identity of his own.” Le All Music Guide to Jazz  avait écrit pour sa part qu’il existait très peu de saxophonistes qui étaient ‘’more naturally soulful than David 'Fathead' Newman."

Malheureusement, la longue collaboration de Newman avec le groupe de Ray Charles avait contribué à occulter sa carrière de musicien de jazz. Au cours de sa carrière, Newman avait enregistré une quarantaine d’albums comme leader. En 1990, Newman avait aussi été mis en nomination pour un prix Grammy pour ses enregistrements avec Art Blakey et Dr. John. Très influencé par le blues, David ‘’Fathead’’ Newman était un représentant de la célèbre école des saxophonistes ténor du Texas qui étaient caractérisés par un son très énergique et très sensuel.

©-2024, tous droits réservés, Les Productions de l’Imaginaire historique

[gatheringbones]

[“Fewer than one out of five sharecroppers ever saw a profit at the end of the year. Of the few who got anything, their pay came to between $30 and $150 in the 1930s for a year of hard toil in the field, according to a leading Yale anthropologist of the era, or between nine and forty-eight cents a day. The remaining eighty percent either broke even, meaning they got nothing, or stayed in debt, which meant they were as bound to the planter as a slave was to his master. There was no place to appeal. “How a man treats his tenants is not felt to be a matter of public concern,” the anthropologist Hortense Powdermaker wrote, “but is as much his private affair as what brand of toothpaste he uses.”

(…) The planters could not conceive of why their sharecroppers would want to leave. The dance of the compliant sharecropper conceding to the big planter year in and year out made it seem as if the ritual actually made sense, that the sharecropper, having been given no choice, actually saw the tilted scales as fair. The sharecropper’s forced silence was part of the collusion that fed the mythology. And so it came as a shock to many planters when their trusted sharecroppers expressed a desire to leave. Like one planter in Florence, Alabama. Year after year, he would go down the list of staples he said his sharecropper, Jack Fowler, owed: I LB FLOUR I LB RICE I LB CORN MEAL I LB COFFEE The planter scanned the page and decided to add a few more pounds of coffee, increasing Fowler’s debt to him. One year, the sharecropper finally spoke up, careful not to suggest the planter was a liar or an outright cheat. “Mr. Perry, you know I don’t drink coffee.” With that, the planter added another pound of coffee to the list. The sharecropper could do nothing but watch.

One year, the planter’s son happened to come in during settlement and spoke up himself. “Pa, you know Jack don’t drink coffee.” And, for once, the sharecropper didn’t have to pay for something he had never consumed in the first place.”]

Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns

[guerrerense]

Sit this one out Virginian por Ken Wilkerson Por Flickr: NS 1069, the Virginian Heritage Unit warms the bench while the 1068, the Erie Heritage Unit runs the bases in charge of train 17N (Conway, PA to Elkhart, IN, manifest) through downtown Corunna, Indiana on NS' ex-LS&MS/NYC/PC/CR Chicago Line. The 1069's rear truck had set off the defect detector in Brimfield while serving as the lead unit of train 26W a few days prior, and it was eventually decided by all involved its trip was over. Both the 1068 and 1069 are SD70ACe's and were built by EMD not far away in Muncie, Indiana for NS in May of 2012 as two of their original heritage units. NS 8419 that's riding second out on 17N is a C40-8W and began life as CR 6230, built by GE for Conrail in June of 1994. For a look at a few seconds later see here: www.flickr.com/photos/97918773@N08/39685660605/in/album-7...

[shalomelohim]

- Boker Tov / Bonne Journée -

Marcher avec Elohim dans la souffrance

« Si je voulais me glorifier, je ne serais pas un insensé, car je dirais la vérité; mais je m'en abstiens, afin que personne n'ait à mon sujet une opinion supérieure à ce qu'il voit en moi ou à ce qu'il entend de moi. Et pour que je ne sois pas enflé d'orgueil, à cause de l'excellence de ces révélations, il m'a été mis une écharde dans la chair, un ange de Satan pour me souffleter et m'empêcher de m'enorgueillir. Trois fois j'ai prié le Seigneur de l'éloigner de moi, et il m'a dit: Ma grâce te suffit, car ma puissance s'accomplit dans la faiblesse. Je me glorifierai donc bien plus volontiers de mes faiblesses, afin que la puissance de Yahshua repose sur moi. C'est pourquoi je me plais dans les faiblesses, dans les outrages, dans les calamités, dans les persécutions, dans les détresses, POUR YAHSHUA; car, quand je suis faible, c'est alors que je suis fort. » (2 Corinthiens 12:6-10)

 « Trois fois j’ai prié le Seigneur. » Pourquoi ? Afin qu’il enlève une souffrance.

Paul croyait que sans son infirmité, il pourrait mieux servir Elohim, se rendre utile et fournir un travail plus considérable. Ainsi, pensait-il, et Celui qui a guéri tant d’hommes, le guérirait aussi certainement puisque c’était pour lui et son œuvre…

L’histoire de nos douleurs est toute là. Nous avons des échardes nous aussi. Chacun pourrait raconter les siennes, et avec quelle complaisance nous énumérerions tout ce que nous aurions pu faire, tout ce que nous n’avons pas fait, à cause de telle épreuve. Nous avons été arrêtés, contrariés ; notre ascension dans la vie a été contrecarrée, notre vie aurait certainement produit davantage sans l’écharde dont nous avons été affligés.

La réponse d'Elohim fût : « Ma grâce te suffit. » Tout à fait inattendue, imprévue, déconcertante. Cela signifie : « Tu me serviras avec ton écharde… Tes vues ne sont pas les miennes ». Paul a mieux compris quand il a entendu : « Ma force s’accomplit dans la faiblesse ». Il en avait eu l’intuition, d’ailleurs, et même la preuve en accomplissant tout ce qui s’offrait à lui avec son écharde. Sans elle, pensait-il, je ferai bien davantage. Erreur.

Nous marchons sur les traces de Paul en persistant à demander à Elohim ce qu’il nous refuse obstinément : Telle infirmité intellectuelle ou mentale, telle défaillance de caractère… Elohim les maintient. Pourquoi donc ? Pour nous tenir dans l’humilité.

L’écharde-mal devient l’écharde-bien.

Voyez donc Paul. Supposez-le à la fin de sa vie et délivré de l’écharde au moment de sa première prière ; il pourrait dire : « Tu vois Seigneur, comme j’ai bien fait de te demander la délivrance ; sans mon écharde, j’ai pu fonder tant d’Églises, convertir tant de païens, effectuer tant de voyages… »

L’orgueil aurait pénétré en lui. Il aurait attribué à ses capacités personnelles un pouvoir qui venait de Dieu seul. 

En maintenant l’écharde, Dieu sait très bien que Paul attribuera à la puissance d’en haut ce qu’il a pu accomplir dans sa faiblesse. 

La gloire de Dieu est plus manifeste dans la faiblesse de l’homme. Voilà la leçon.

Nous nous plaignons de nos échardes. Bénissons-les. A travers chacune d’elles, Elohim veut se glorifier. Acceptons la condition qui nous est faite et marchons humblement avec notre Dieu.

Considérez l’une des promesses les plus puissantes de toute la Parole de Dieu :

« Dieu est pour nous un refuge et un appui, un secours qui ne manque jamais dans la détresse. C'est pourquoi nous sommes sans crainte quand la terre est bouleversée, et que les montagnes chancellent au cœur des mers, quand les flots de la mer mugissent, écument, se soulèvent jusqu'à faire trembler les montagnes. Il est un fleuve dont les courants réjouissent la cité de Dieu, le sanctuaire des demeures du Très Haut. Dieu est au milieu d'elle: elle n'est point ébranlée; Dieu la secourt dès l'aube du matin. Des nations s'agitent, des royaumes s'ébranlent; il fait entendre sa voix: la terre se fond d'épouvante. L'Éternel des armées est avec nous, le Dieu de Jacob est pour nous une haute retraite… C'est lui qui a fait cesser les combats jusqu'au bout de la terre… “ (Psaume 46.2-8, 10)

Quelle puissance, quelle immuabilité dans cette parole de Dieu pour nous ! En d’autres termes : « Vous n’avez plus besoin d’avoir peur. La terre pourrait trembler, les océans enfler, les montagnes s’effondrer dans la mer et tout ce qui vous entoure plonger dans un chaos total. Pourtant, en raison de ma Parole, vous connaîtrez la paix comme une rivière. »

En ce moment, le monde entier vit des temps affreux. Terrorisme, désastres économiques, faillites personnelles et un flot croissant de souffrances font trembler les nations. Mais au milieu de tout cela, le Psaume 46 se fait l’écho de la voix de Dieu à son peuple sur toute la terre : 

« Je suis au milieu de vous. Je suis avec vous dans toutes ces choses. Mon peuple ne sera ni détruit ni ébranlé. »

Dieu le sait, nous sommes tous confrontés à des tourments, à des tentations et à des périodes de confusion qui font trembler notre âme. Le message qu’il nous délivre au Psaume 46 vaut précisément pour ces moments-là. 

Si nous cédons à la crainte, à l’abattement et au désespoir, nous vivons de façon contraire à la réalité de sa présence dans nos vies. 

La Bible nous enseigne que Yahshua lui-même est en nous et que nous sommes en lui, ce qui nous permet de nous réjouir, peu importe la violence avec laquelle le monde est ébranlé.

Différentes sources dont un texte de David WILKERSON

=====

Notes : En cas de souffrance (physique ou émotionnelle), une douce louange en paroles ou en esprit avec le cœur en prière permet d’élever l’âme.

Avoir des plaisirs simples, s’émerveiller facilement permet également de se réaligner sur la volonté du Père.

“ L'Eternel est mon secours, Et je me réjouis à la vue de mes ennemis. Mieux vaut chercher un refuge en l'Eternel Que de se confier à l'homme; Mieux vaut chercher un refuge en l'Eternel Que de se confier aux grands. “  (Psaume 118:7-10)

L'Eternel est près de ceux qui ont le coeur brisé, Et il sauve ceux qui ont l'esprit dans l'abattement. Le malheur atteint souvent le juste, Mais l'Eternel l'en délivre toujours. (Psaume 34:18-19)

[webionaire]

Karibu, meaning "welcome" in Swahili and owned by Simba Sana, Yao Hoke Glover III and Karla Wilkerson-Glover, started in 1993 on the streets of Washington and the Howard University and Bowie University campuses.

The bookseller used the motto "books by and about African people" and said its philosophy was "to empower and educate people by providing complete access to books by and about people of African descent." It said too, that African Americans are reading "at a larger rate than ever. Karibu believes if there is 'access,' people will buy."

In a conversation with Shelf Awareness two years ago, CEO Simba Sana said that Karibu was challenged by the task of going from a business with just "two of us doing everything" to one with more than 40 employees and six outlets. "We're at a critical stage of trying to mature and become a full-fledged company," he said. Karibu had just hired its first district manager, was "tightening up" management, trying to train employees better and improving technology and systems. Had its business solidified, it planned to open more stores as far away as Philadelphia, Pa., and Richmond, Va.

[rabbitcruiser]

Forest (No. 78)

Wilkerson Pass, CO

[artisticestheticreads]

XI // CheckMate

[Element by Kendrick Lamar plays]   

    It was the day after Sierra Mona’s service and Maxine wanted off with Carlos and his goons. She stood in a room full of about fifty people under Rodney’s house. Everyone wore black hoodies, cargo pants and combat boots with their undivided attention on her and Donnie. Maxine done enough crying and now it was time for blood. Rodney stood to her right and Donnie to her left; Maxine finally spoke. “Good morning, everyone. I know it’s a tad bit early but we got a lot of shit to cover. With the lost of a woman who was family to me, I’m a little hungry for vengeance. I hope y’all don’t mind.”; silence fellthe room. She raised a brow and nodded with a smirk. “Good. Because we move out in about, I’ll say, about two days. I know I’m new to this but I’m ready for any fuckin’ thing. It was one thing to get his boys to take me out with their bare hands BUT it’s another thing to gun down my impregnated friend.” 

    She began pacing the floor with her arms folded. “So, Rod mentioned to me that no one in here is the rat which is good, for y’all. He also mentioned to Big Dawg and myself that Carlos ships out shit from New York and Texas but he is in the A Town, Big Peach.. Atlanta, Georgia. His hometown, rumor has it. So we will be splitting into teams with cargo and ammunition provided by Jean.” She nodded towards him and he returned it. “Two teams will all be in a variety of transportation dressed normal workers to avoid any unwanted attention. Jean will stay back home to care for his family and so will Tariq since he is injured. Babe, you split the teams.” She stood behind him as he stood in front of her. He lifted his arms and split them inches  away from one another. He looked to his right and said “Beta, you will be heading to Houston, Texas. Rodney will be giving you your “care packages” and anything else you’ll may need.” He looked to his left then said “You’ll be the omega team and heading to New York. We already took care of everyone’s ticket for your group and your flight leaves tonight at eight. Jean’s brother has all the shit you need.” He put his arms down and looked down at the middle. “You will be Alpha team and you’ll have me, Baby Girl and Rod right along with you. I wanna take out that muthafucka myself.” 

    He looked around the room then at Rod. “Follow me to the dining room to get all you need as in more information. Transportation will be ready tomorrow morning at five. Meeting dismissed.” Rodney lead the groups upstairs to get everything leaving Maxine and Donnie alone sitting at the conference table. “We will be staying at the Marriott in downtown ATL. The Presidential Suite with concierge lounge access, 1 bedroom suite, a king sized bed, and 1.5 bath. Nothing but the best for my queen” he kissed her hand as she smiled. “We need to get someone to watch Abel. I don’t want him alone”, she said. “We’ll find someone. Don’t worry. Let’s get on out of here and pack our shit for our flight. We roll out tomorrow afternoon.” He grabbed her hand as they walked out.

[ELEMENT by Kendrick Lamar fades; LOVE by Kendrick Lamar starts]   

    They went back home and started packing. The ammunition was on their way to their pinpoints and the troops were all saying goodbye to their families and heading out. Maxine packed everything into their shared suitcase as Don got their carry on bags ready; both had a black leather mock croc quilted nylon backpack. As he packed the bags on the bed where we sat, he watched Maxine in the closet packing. She paid him no mind as he slipped a secretive velvet box into his bag. Maxine came out with their shared suit case with two crowns painted on them. She placed the bags by the front door and made a phone call. “Hey, Justin”, she said as she sat on the bed beside Donnie. “So, Don and I are going out of town for a while and we was wondering if you can watch our place and Abel?” She nodded and said “yeah our flight is tomorrow at noon but we gonna get their way earlier because we packed a lot of stuff.” She laughed and replied “yeah, a whole lot. Can you get here at eight so we can run through somethings?” She smiled and said “thanks, babes. We’ll see you tomorrow.” She hung up and saw Donnie looking at her. 

   “You got something to say”, she said as he smiled. He shook his head and held her close to him. “Baby, you know there is no turning back now, right?” She looked at him and kissed his lips. “I know. We gotta end this all or we’ll both be next.” He nodded as he rubbed her back and kissed her neck. She straddled his lap and held his face in her hands while kissing him. “This might be our last time making love, Donnie.” He looked up into her worried eyes and said “baby, kings and queens don’t die. We got each other, okay? I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. I got you.” He held her face to his and began kissing her on the lips softly while pulling her hoodie off. She did the same for him, never breaking the kiss. He unhooked her bra with one hand and threw it to the side; placing her right nipple in his mouth. She ran her fingers through his kinky curls and moaned softly while smelling his hair; the scent of black castor oil filled her nostrils. He held the small of her back as he placed the other in his mouth. He lied her on her back and stood while looking at her. He thought about the first time they met at the club on his 30th birthday. The fire in her eyes, her tempting skin and the way her aura was the reason they got here, together. He always kind of knew she could be the one, he just knew that it had to be her.

    Maxine rested on her elbows and looked up to him. She thought about their first kiss. The one they shared when Don asked her to be his lady. The way his lips felt all over her. The way he held her so close in those arms. He always made her feel protected, like she was secured even when he wasn’t around. He stripped out of his clothes and gently took her cargos off. He started to kiss her from her head and down to her stomach with soft kisses. He took her lace panties off and kissed her inner thighs with his eyes closed. She let out soft moans and felt tears streaming down her cheeks. He placed her legs on each of his shoulders and began pleasing her slowly, mouth and fingers being used; he wanted to make ever second count. He wanted to make love to her like never before because this might be the last time they had the chance to do so. Her body began shaking indicating she was close and as she did, he kissed her body again starting at her vagina and to her lips. He scoot her body to the middle of the bed and hovered over her. He saw the little tears she had and he used his finger to wipe them away. “Pas de larmes ce soir, mon amour.” She nodded and held him close to her chest as he inserted inside of her. She would miss the way he filled her. The way he pleased her, mentally and physically. The way he looked at her in the eyes. 

    As he was thrusting into her slowly, he looked into her eyes as she moaned. He could see so much love and care in them. She was the ONLY woman who made all the stress disappear with one touch. He thought of being with her for a life time. Now, he might be right or wrong but for now he tried to not think about it. “Je t'aime, Maxine Piers”, he groaned. She smiled at how he loved showing how good she made him feel. She moaned “Je t'aime aussi, Donnie Wilkerson.” He began to speed up just a little and held her close. He loved the way her hands feel. He placed his head in the crook of her neck and smelled a mixture of their scents intertwining with one another. He could feel Maxine getting close as she clenched around him like a glove. She had moans spilling from her mouth and finally came. He kept going until he can feel himself doing the same. “Shiiiiit.” He finally did so, looked down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

The Next Morning; 7:45 am

     Maxine and Donnie had just gotten out the shower together and started getting dressed; of course in all black with plain v-necks, jeans with rips and comfortable shoes for the long ride. Maxine put her jewelry and grill in a safe baggy and placing it her bag. Donnie put his chain on and did the same for Maxine; they looked inside of the mirror and saw their reflections. They saw determination, ambition and anger. Donnie kissed the top of her head and took her  hand as the door bell rung. It was Justin in a sweatsuit and a overnight bag. “Good morning, guys”, he said not sounding like himself. “How you holdin’ up, babe” Maxine asked. Justin shook his head and said “I can’t be there. It’s just not the same anymore without her”; he couple nodded in agreement and Maxine rubbed his hand into her hers. Donnie spoke “so, uh, you’ll be in the guest room. There are some fresh towels and everything you need in there. Abel is in the back sleep.” Justin nodded and looked around. “You can trust me, guys.” Maxine held Justin and kissed his cheek while rubbing his back. “It’s okay, Justin. It’ll be okay.” They let go of each other when they got a text from Rodney. ”I’m here in the UberXL.”  They looked at each other, grabbed their bags and left out the door as Justin watched. 

     They drove off in the truck and everyone sat in complete silence until the UBER driver started to talk. “So, you guys going to LAX, uh? Where you heading?” Maxine rolled her eyes and said “Occupe-toi de tes affaires,imbécile.” They all smiled at her reaction. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know y’all spoke French”, the driver replied before driving silent. Donnie looked at her and smiled before saying “Tellement impoli, mon amour.” Rodney added “Eh bien, merde. Cela a fonctionné cependant” with a chuckle. Donnie held her hand and kissed it as she smiled at him. They soon arrived to LAX and checked in. They all walked through with the terminal looking for their destination. They went by Starbucks first to get coffee first and went to sit and wait for their flight for 11:45 am. 

[GOD by Kendrick Lamar plays] 

    Rodney, Donnie and Maxine sat next to one another. Maxine leaned over to Rodney. “Rod, is the shipment there?” He nodded. “Jean has his boys guarding it at their location Downtown.” She nodded and looked at Donnie as she sat back. She sipped her Mocha Frappuccino® made with almond milk and no whip cream with her headphones on looking at the files on each of Carlos’ men. Donnie leaned in to whisper something in Rodney’s ear; Rodney nodded and shook his hand. Donnie looked at Maxine then at his phone to check on every team. The Texas team was already an hour away from their location and New York were already at their hotel getting ready for orders. The Alpha team wanted to ride in the van with shipment so they were on their way to Atlanta for the hit tomorrow evening; they started their trip yesterday afternoon and were about eight hours away taking turns driving. 

1:00 pm pst

     They were finally on their American Airline flight and the plane took off. Donnie moved his arm rest from between Maxine and himself to hold her close. She looked up at him and smiled. “You okay, babe”, she asked. He nodded and said “I’m just proud of you, Maxine”. “Why?” He shrugged. “Because you planned this shit all by yourself. You make a great Queen.” He pulled her in closer and she rested her head in his chest. The flight was long as heck but he enjoyed every minute; Maxine was fell asleep and he played with the tip of her locks. They were together at the end of all of this. In each other’s arms after the war. Happy in there bed again but then she looked up and he was gone. She tried calling his name but no sound came out. She looked everywhere but he was no where in sight. She went to the backyard and saw Abel howling and crying. She looked to the pool and saw nothing but red liquid. She got closer and saw Donnie’s body floating to the top, lifeless. She tried pulling him out the pool but her grip kept slipping. She let out silent screams and felt a pair of strong hands on her. Maxine’s eyes flew open to Donnie and he smiled at her. She looked around and saw people leaving the plan. “Welcome to the Big Peach.” 

[GOD by Kendrick Lamar ends and YAH plays]

6:40 pm est

   They stood at baggage claim to retrieve their bags and made it outside waiting for their ride. The sky was already dark with a purple sunset. Maxine looked up at the sky and smiled. “It’s amazing.” He looked at her and said “yeah, it is.” Their ride pulled up and they drove off to the I-85 North in Fulton County from the South Terminal Pkwy, followed the I-85 N to Atlanta, took the exit for 248C from I-75 N/I-85 North and continued on Andrew Young International Blvd NE and finally arrived to the hotel. Rodney grabbed his duffel bag and backpack before holding the door open for Don and Maxine. Maxine wore her bag in while Donnie rolled their huge huge suitcase in. The bell boys came to them with their keys, helped them to their room and said “your shipment is inside your rooms. enjoy your stay”; they winked and left. Rodney went to his room next door and the couple went into theirs. Maxine looked around and was amazed. The room itself was like a lavish apartment. Maxine took her bag off and placed it on the couch before taking her shoes off. She sat down and took everything in. “Is it nice, baby?” She nodded and bit her lip. He sat the luggage by the door and sat beside her, holding her. 

    His phone started to vibrate and it was a call from one of the Los Angeles troops’ he put it on speaker phone and placed on the table. “Hey, boss. We see that you made it safe. We all ready for the attack tomorrow. Jean is here with us now.” Maxine poured some white wine that sat in the ice bucket into a glass and sipped. “Put us on speaker”, said Don in as serious tone. Jean began speaking. “Hello, Big Dawg. Hello, Lady Dawg.” Maxine smiled and said “hi, Jean. So, have the New York team been told their plan?” “Yes. Apparently, Carlos is located near Trump Towers right around the corner. We have cameras on them that my brother put in himself this morning.” Donnie nodded “good thing them muthafuckas needed camera work done.” Jean replied “exactly, boss. They didn’t expect a thing. Dumb fuckers.” Maxine sipped from her glass with a smile before speaking. “So, you can see everything, correct?” “Yes, ma’am.” We also found away to tap into the cameras systems for Houston and the ATL as well. Wasn’t easy but we did. Also, I’ll have you rides ready tomorrow. Y’all be riding in style.” Donnie said “good job, man. Just stay home and keep us updated. You’ll be safe there and you can take care of your family.” Jean replied “yes, Sir. I’ll send the footage to all the vans computers and do everything to make this easy. And by the way, I got a little gift for you two in your glove compartments. Get some sleep, man.” He hung up and looked to Maxine who smiled at him. “You ready, baby girl?” She smiled “I’m ready, Big Don.”

The Next Morning; 10:50 am

[YAH ends and BOSS by The Carters play]

      The Alpha team all met in their room which held all of them on the couch; thirty members. Rodney stood on one end them while Maxine and Don stood at the other beside her. “Good morning, men”, said Donnie. “So, I take it that everyone has what they need, yes?” Everyone nodded and Donnie looked at Maxine as began to speak to the men. “Okay, here is the deal, men. Jean sent us all footage to all of our vans of the warehouses.” She looked at the conference phone on the coffee table and began. “Apparently, neither of our locations know where we are. Which is good. So this can be an easy attack. According to Jean, we all have bulletproof suits that will protect us all from shots being fired. Omega team, you’ll be posing as ambulance and firefighters. We have an actor out there to pretend to be hurt in front of the building and that’s when you come in, ambulance will take the supplies while firefighters take them bitches out.” The Omegas, who were on the conference call, replied. “Yes, ma’am.” 

    She spoke again. “Betas, you will be posing as waiters and staff since they do their work at a motel. We paid the owner good money to keep his mouth shut. Staff get supplies and waiters gun them down, got it?” Betas responded and her attention went to the men the room. “Alphas, you’ll all be just in all black. If we roll up there, we rollin’ in style, men. Cargos, hoodies, leather jackets and combat boots. In your bags, you all received ski masks and full bulletproof suits. There is about thirty of you so fifteen will go with Rodney to get all supplies and money while the rest will be guarding us and taking everyone except for Carlos.” She looked at Donnie and said “that’s the king’s job.” Donnie finally spoke. “We move out in transportation in five hours.” Everyone set their timers and looked at one another while rising. Donnie said “what do you guys have to say to Max? On the count of three. One. Two. Three.” “Welcome to the Team, Queen Maxine.” She smiled as she thought about her old team at her past job and thanked them all. “Meeting dismissed.” Everyone hung up and the men in the room left. 

 Three Hours Later  

    Donnie and Maxine held each other in a warm embrace. “No going back now”, she said looking up at him and he shook his head. “Nope.” They began to get ready. Donnie placed their suitcase that Jean gave them and opened. Inside, there were two of each for both of them, glocks,  HK USP Tacticals, and UZI Pistols. In suit bags, they both had tailored suits and dress shirts. Maxine looked at him confused and he smiled; he loved when she made that face. “These are bulletproof suits. Everyone else have the basic ones but I want my queen to be in style.” She smiled and started to unpack everything so they can both be prepare. She wore a black lace set, her dreads in a ponytail, the outfit Jean provided and a pair of black heels. Donnie got dressed and wore black dress shoes. They both grabbed their holsters and packed their guns in. They threw their coats on, buttoned them and looked in the mirror before adding on the finishing touches. He put on his chains, diamonds studs, grill and rings while she did the same. 

     She noticed a note from Jean.  "Hola, Maxine. En caso de que las cosas vayan hacia el sur, he proporcionado cierta protección adicional en tu bota derecha. Solo da un puntapié en la dirección y estarás bien".  She smiled and nodded. Donnie asked “what does the note say?” She looked at him with smirk and said “we will see”. They locked up the room and left as Donnie spoke to Rodney through the mic on his earpiece. “Aight, Rod. We are on way down. Is our ride here?” “Um, Big Dawg. You gotta see this.” They hurried down stairs to the lot and saw Rodney with the cars. They were all matte black with gold accents to them; a Chrysler 300, Jeep Wrangler and BMW i8. “These are nice”, Maxine said with a big smile. Jean spoke to them through their ear pieces. “Okay, team. Carlos and his boys just arrived to the warehouse. It’s an unmarked brown building on Luckie Street. You should find it because it’s the only brown building. Don’t let the look fool you, it’s nice as hell on the inside. Now, Maxine you got the i8, Don has the Jeep and Rod got the 300. Don’t worry, they are all bullet proof. ” They all got in and got comfortable with hands on their steering wheels and starting their cars. 

[APE SHIT by THE CARTERS play with intense bass]     

    Don said “betas ready?” The Beta team replied dressed in the transportation. “Ready.” Rodney said “omega, we good?” Omega replied “we in this muthafucka.” Maxine then said ‘What about you, Alphas? Are we ready?” Alpha announced “yes, Queen.” She smiled as they all pulled off. Maxine drove ahead of the pack with Donnie behind to her right and Rodney to her left. The matte black vans drove in front making the group of cars in the shape of an ‘X’. Jean talked into the leader’s earpiece. “Ok, guys in twenty five minutes I will be knocking out all cameras and that will give y’all time to get in with out being detected. Now, Rod in your backseat, you have bulletproof head gear.” He saw the swat team looking mask that had gold trimming and the name ROD written on it and put it on. He replied. “Thanks, man.” Jean told Donnie and Maxine “you two have bullet proof masks but not just ordinary masks. Open your glove compartments.” They both did; Maxine saw a matte black mask with gold studs on it and grabbed it to put it on. “Got it, Jean. Thank you”, she said. Don saw a white and gold skull mask and was impressed. He moved his twists to the back to put his masks on.

     Back in Los Angeles, Justin was in the guest room looking at Netflix when he heard a big knock at the door. It startled him and he instantly called Maxine; she answered with it on speaker phone. “What’s wrong, Justin?” “There is someone knocking on the door”, he said still shook. Donnie could hear them and said “shit, they know where we stay. Babe, tell him to grab the pistol I placed under the bed!” Maxine had a scrunched up face and said “Don said grab the gun under the bed.” Justin looked under and, sure enough, there was a silver handgun under the bed. He grabbed it and his hand couldn’t stop shaking. “I got it. N-now what?” Maxine said “go to the door and look through the peep hole. Control your breathing.” He did what he was told and then a voice belted through. “Max, open the door. It’s Candy and Ricky JR.” Maxine heard the voice and told Don “it’s Candace.” Don said “he can open it”. Max told Justin to open the door. He did so and she had a worried look on her face. “Who are you”, she asked. “I’m Justin. I’m house sitting.” “Can I come in?” He stood to the side as they walked in. He locked the door and stood by her. “I need to talk to her. Give her phone”, Maxine said. He handed the phone to her and Maxine started talking. “Candy, what’s wrong?” “TARIQ IS MISSING!” Maxine was worried. “Ricky is missing?!” Don and Rod heard her and were also grew worried but still focus. 

   That was until Rodney saw six motorcycles rolling behind them. “Don, we got visitors, blood.” Don looked back and saw the bikes. Maxine looked in her rear view mirror and saw them, too. “Candy, don’t worry. I’ll take care of it. Just stay with Justin and you’ll be safe.” She hung up and looked towards Don. “ALPHA! We got visitors. Assume the positions” he said. The vans pulled back and Rod, Max and Don were now in front speeding, the vans swerved to block the first four bikes but two sped up and eight more came out of nowhere. “Jean, we got bikes on us”, Rod said. Jean said in a calm voice “you have AK47 under  the  passenger seats! ” Maxine let off shots at the two that rode in front of them and watching them fall. Rod aimed for the two on his right and they fell hard to the concrete ground; he had to congratulate himself with a howl. Don set off rounds in the men on his left and they flew off their bikes and crashed into street poles. They all continued driving and then all of sudden a bike stopped in front of Maxine’s car and held out a machine gun. She steered with her left hand and set off a clip into his skull with her right. Don swerved into the biker and got back in place. 

     “Thanks, my king.” “Don’t mention it, Queen.” More bikes came out and had names written on their jackets. Christian, Mario, Navo, Enrique and Tico Jr. “We got more”, Maxine said. Rodney said “fuck, Tico had a baby boy.” Donnie chuckled and said “they’ll be together soon.” Jean said “Rod you gotta leave them and get to the warehouse with the vans. We need them now!” Rod yelled out “FUCK! good luck”; he drove off with the Alphas leaving Maxine and Donnie to take care of the bikers. “Babe, take out Navo and Tico. I got Christian, Mario and Enrique”, Don said. Maxine reloaded her gun and aimed for Nav and Jr.; she got both easily. “Sorry, fellas. No hard feelings?” Donnie chuckled at her. Donnie aimed for the other biker gas line and saw each one blow except for Enrique who drove off in between the smoke and fire. They lost him but that was until the masked driver appeared on the left of Maxine’s car and said “Bienvenido a Atlanta, hijos de puta” while pointing his gun. All of sudden, she felt like she was yanked from the car and placed into the passenger side of Don’s. She looked to Donnie who crashed Maxine’s car into the rider; Maxine shut her door and buckled up. “Sorry, Jean.”, Donnie said. Jean laughed “I’m used to it by now, man. The cameras are out so make your way, now.” They turned onto Luckie Street and Maxine saw the building.

    They pulled up to the corner and sat there as they watched each camera of all of Carlos buildings. She saw the teams ready to take orders; Maxine began to speak to the teams. “Everyone in place?” Everyone said yes. “On my count, Beta and Omega move on in. Trois. Deux. Un!!” They did what the were told. She heard gun shots go off and it pleased her as she watched them go off. She looked to Donnie and said “ready?” Donnie nodded as he said “Rod, move in.” They got out with guns ready. “We are right behind you.” The Alpha team stood in front of them and started to take out guards and watched them fall like dominos. Don and Max ran behind them and went to the elevator. “Rod, take your team downstairs. The supply is down there and take all of that my money”, Donnie yelled and Rod ran with his team. “Alpha, take the stairs and let us now when you up there on the fourth floor. Be generous with they the clips and light they ass up.” Maxine said and then she spoke again. “You five, get on. We will need you.” They all went their ways and Max pressed the fifth floor. Don lifted his mask over his hair and looked at Max; she did the same. “Maxine, before we get off. I just wanna say that I am very proud of you and that I am in love with you. You’re my everything. You're my lady. I love you so much. I am very lucky to have someone like you by my side.” She felt tears come down and he wiped them off. “Thugs don’t cry, baby.” He kissed her and put her mask back on then he did the same for herself. They loaded their guns as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

[Left, Right by YG plays]  

  The five Alpha members began shooting at incoming guards and henchmen. Donnie and Maxine were also setting off rounds into bodies and reloading at the same time. One guy came from the corner to Maxine and she had to show what was up. She was giving him blow after blow with her new gold brass knuckles. She watched him fall then set a bullet off between his eyes. Two more came up and she ducked every punch coming her way; she started to them with a right, left. She caught up with the team and started shooting again. Both Omega and Beta were about done and heading back to the vans. “Queen we got everything. Wer are out.” Max spoke. “Good job guys. Roll out.” More men came out and soon fell to the ground. All of a sudden, the lights flickered on and off. “What’s going on? Rod, what the fuck?!”, yelled Donnie.”We got everything but...the Rat is...” Rodney said before the earpieces went out followed by a woman’s scream hit Donnie’s ear along with some gunshots. The lights went on and his men were lied on the ground and Maxine was missing. He screwed up his face and yelled “MAX?!?!?!? Baby?!?!?!” ; he got hit in the side of his head. 

  He woke up lying on hard cold floor with his mask & jacket off, along with no weapons and tried to get up but felt the barrel of a gun to the back of his head. He looked up in front of him and saw a man crouched down in front of him. “Hey, man. Long time no see”, the Latin man gave him a smile. Don looked him in the eye and said “Carlos?” Carlos patted his cheek and said “my, my. You getting big on me man. I remembered when you were a young fool.” He walked around is desk and said “and now you a old fool.” He lit his cigar and Donnie looked around the room that was full of about fifteen Hispanic men surrounding him. The room was dark and the air was dry and humid. He felt defeated and can only think about Maxine and her smile. He began to speak “where is my lady, Carlos?” Carlos smirked at him and snapped his fingers.

   Donnie looked up and saw Maxine come out of a dark corner with a mystery figure who had a mask on and an all green biker suit like the man Enrique did. He threw Maxine on the ground next to Carlos desk and looked at Donnie. Her head had dry blood, along with her nose and she didn’t have her suit jacket or shirt on. Donnie’s eyes grew wide as he saw the woman he loved like this. He promised to protect her and he failed. Carlos looked over nonchalant. “Tsk. Tsk. You didn’t learn from the last bitch, huh?” Donnie looked up and met Carlos, eye to eye. “How the fuck did you know we were out here, man?” Carlos looked at Enrique and nodded to him. Enrique slowly walked up to Donnie and crouched down to him. He took off his mask and Donnie’s face was scrunched up with disgust. “TARIQ?!?!?!?!?!” Maxine looked up from the ground and felt her blood boil.

  Tariq looked at him and said “that ain’t my name, Donald. The name’s Enrique Munoz, the right hand man and business partner of this corporation.” Maxine looked at Carlos who paid her no mind and noticed he had a handgun in his belt buckle. Tariq circled around Donnie and began speaking again. “You see, I was supposed to end your life a long time ago after you birthday actually but then Maxine came in the picture. When I saw how you looked at her, I thought to be nice and let you get some pussy before but then I was told not to. Carlos and I had a lot shit to get done. Then, Maxine moved in and ruined the whole fucking thing. Then, her ratchet ass gang came around and made things more complicated.” Maxine looked at him and asked “what about you getting shot?” Enrique laughed and said while still looking at Donnie. “Maxine, that was my plan. Do you really think I would look that bad from a shoulder wound? I was only grazed.” “Does Candy know?” He said with a eye roll. “Candace is a fuckin’ idiot. She thinks my real name is Tariq and that I’m actually black.” He looked at Maxine with a smirk across his face and said “how is Sierra Mona doing btw”, turned back around, Maxine felt her adrenaline pump again and her fists balled up. 

   “And then, Max took out Tico, my cousin and that’s when I knew I had to take her out, too but you two were always together.” He pulled a gun out and aimed it at the top of Don’s right shoulder and shot into it. Maxine’s cried and then remembered what Jean said in the note. She looked at her heels and got on her left knee to Carlos causing Tariq to point his gun at her. Carlos said “what the hell is she doing!?” Maxine hung her head and said “we surrender, Carlos. You won.” He looked at the men and clapped. “Wooow. A beautiful black submissive kneeling before me. Is today my birthday?” Everyone laughed except Donnie, who shook his head in confusion. Once everyone stopped, Carlos stood in front and she looked up at him with a smile on her face, remembering what Sierra Mona said to her on her death bed. “I almost forgot. Queens don’t kneel down for anyone, ever.” 

   With she pushed him against the table and before he reached for his gun, she gave him a nice Mawashi geri kick to his through with back of her heel and a long knife came out. She froze as he watched the blood gush all over the table. She ripped the knife from is neck while everyone in the room stood still and then Tariq aimed the gun. She picked up Carlos’ body using it as a shield, grabbed his gun and aimed it at Tariq then said “ Ven a mí, puto!!!” She let off multiple rounds in his chest, his head hit the table, Rodney and the men busted through the doors and let off rounds at Carlos’ men who had their guns on Maxine. She dodged under the table, peeked over to Donnie and pulled his body underneath. Maxine used the knife from her boot to cut fabric from Carlos’ shirt to tie up around Donnie’s wound to stop bleeding. She wrapped it up and continued the fight; grabbing Tariq and Carlo’s hand gun. She got back unfer to tend to Donnie. “Baby Girl, you saved me.” She looked at him in his eyes and kissed him. “That’s because I’m in love with you too, baby. And you damn sure not leaving me with these crazy muthafuckas.” They laughed and she helped him up as the shots stop.

[LOYALTY by Kendrick Lamar plays]

Two Days Later

     Donnie was out the hospital and Maxine was right there the whole time. She helped him get dressed in the same outfit she had on; white tee, jeans and Air Max 90. The men were all on their way back to California but unfortunately ten didn’t survive. Rodney was in front of the hospital in their rented car, well, van with all their belongings while the alpha team drove the goods to the LA. He held the door open for Donnie who had an arm sling with a cast and Maxine who was just glad Donnie survived the surgery. She lied her head on his left shoulder and held him close. “You did great, baby. Especially with the Bruce Lee kick.” They all laughed until Donnie asked “does Candy know?” She nodded “yeah but I told her he tried to join in the battle but got shot in the process by Carlos and that ‘Tariq’s’ body will be transferred to Cali today for the funeral next week.” He nodded and said “damn, he was my boy. But rats gonna be rats.” Rod added “sorry, man. I’ve should’ve looked harder at his file.” Donnie shook his head. “Don’t be. His real name wasn’t on file.”

   Soon, Maxine fell asleep because she was watching Don in the hospital and he found that this was the perfect opportunity to dig in his bag. They finally reached the airport and were on their way to their terminal. Maxine was in line for a strawberry acai from Starbucks when Don and Rod waited for her across the way. “So, when you gonna do it? You know if you don’t do it soon, Sierra said she was gonna haunt that ass”, Rodney said with a smile. Donnie looked at Rodney with a grin and said “very soon.” They all began walking to their location until Don “felt” a pain shoot up is arm and he got on both knees. Maxine gave Rod her drink who had his phone out towards them, worried as she tended to Donnie while crouching to him and looking in his face. “Baby, are you okay?!”, she asked. Donnie said, “Max, you know I love you right?” She nodded. “And that you’re my everything?” She nodded again, confused with smile. “And that you’re my lady.” He got off his left knee and looked at her as she tried to help him up but he declined. He dug in his arm brace and pulled out a blue velvet box and revealed a 14k white gold pave halo and shank diamond engagement ring; she stood there speechless. Donnie smiled up at her and said “well, I want you as my wife and the beautiful mother of my children. Maxine Piers, will you marry me?” She just stood there...

TRANSLATIONS

Pas de larmes ce soir, mon amour. -No tears tonight, my love.

Attention à vos affaires, imbécile - Mind your business, dumbass.

Tellement impoli, mon amour. -  So rude, my love.

Eh bien, merde. Cela a fonctionné cependant  - Well, shit. It worked

Hola, Maxine. En caso de que las cosas vayan hacia el sur, he proporcionado cierta protección adicional en tu bota derecha. Solo da un puntapié en la dirección y estarás bien" - Hello, Maxine. In case things go south, I have provided some additional protection in your right boot. Just kick in the direction and you'll be fine

Bienvenido a Atlanta, hijos de puta - Welcome to Atlanta, motherfuckers

[govandalsncaa]

Idaho Vandals sign #25 ranked recruiting class following Dyansty Year #2

Following a season in which they finished #4 in the final BCS Rankings and played in the National Championship Game, the Idaho Vandals have announced their recruiting class for the end of Dynasty Year #2 / Start of Dynasty Year #3.

According to 24/7 Sports - the Vandals class ranks 25th best in the nation, after mustering just the 104th best class after Year #1 of the Dynasty.

Idaho was able to sign a total of 19 players

4-Stars: 4

3-Stars: 13

2-Stars: 2

---

4-Star: Akim Mills - QB - Bayonne, NJ - 76 Overall

3-Star: Alan Wilkerson - FB - Santa Rosa, CA - 71 Overall

4-Star: Brian Alexander - C - Berwick, PA - 71 Overall

4-Star: Jospeh Rogers - RB - Davenport, IA - 69 Overall

3-Star: Jermaine Lee - FB - Urbana, IL - 69 Overall

3-Star: E.J. Graham - WR - Parkway, CA - 67 Overall

3-Star: Tim Cook - OLB - Lakeland, FL - 67 Overall

3-Star: Sean Hadley - SS - Port Angeles, WA - 66 Overall

3-Star: Matt Hughes - DT - Heyburn, ID - 66 Overall

3-Star: Alex Rivero - DE - Roseville, CA - 65 Overall

3-Star: Trevor Russell - OLB - Rigby, ID - 65 Overall

3-Star: Terry Jack - OT - West Pensacola, FL - 64 Overall

3-Star: Clifton Harris - OT - Stanton, CA - 64 Overall

3-Star: Lance Williams - FS - Camp Verde, AZ - 63 Overall

4-Star: Frank Banks - WR - Defiance, OH - 63 Overall

3-Star: Phillip Kendrick - FS - Clinton, OK - 63 Overall

3-Star: D'Juan Harrison - OLB - Rexburg, ID - 63 Overall

2-Star: Timmy Harris - OT - Lakeland North, WA - 60 Overall

2-Star: Ryan Green - TE - Sarasota Springs, FL - 59 Overall

---

Obviously the name that jumps off the page in this class is QB, Akim Mills. In the 24/7 Sports rankings, he was the #5 rated quarterback in this class and should step-in to be the starter on day one of his college career after Matt Linehan has graduated.

Coach Idaho Coach spoke with the media on a conference call at the end of National Signing Day.

"We are so excited about this recruiting class, not only did we sign 19 great football players, but 19 young men that are going to be wonderful additions to our university campus. I think the flashiest commitment we got this year will likely be Akim Mills at quarterback. We have been on Akim since I was hired here, and have maintained a relationship with him that made us and him comfortable about what we are trying to build here. We think he can be successful as a freshman, but he won't just be handed the starting job, we have a strong quarterbacks room, so he'll have to earn that spot.

I'm really glad that we got a handful of in-state kids. As we elevate the status of our program, we don't want to leave our home state kids behind. I've seen that with another program down South of here, and it started to bite them in the back side. As long as I am here, we will continue to recruit players from the state of Idaho, not just to pander to our alumni, but because this state produces great football players.

We can't wait for spring ball to get started. A few of our commits will be graduating early and joining us for that, including Akim Mills. We're fired up and ready to start our third season here in Moscow.

Go Vandals."

Coach Idaho Coach is coming off of the best season in Idaho Vandals history, leading his team to a 13-1 finish, and an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game. Coach Idaho Coach himself, was also named the National Coach of the Year following Dynasty Year #2, and should be able to use those accomplishments as increased leverage for recruiting players in Dynasty Year #3.

[yes-bernie-stuff]

« Que tout ce qui est … vertueux et digne de louange, soit l’objet de vos pensées » (Philippiens 4 :8).

Nous arrivons à la fin de cette liste des huit vertus qui doivent remplir nos pensées, et nous pourrions nous sentir dépassés par l’ampleur d’une si noble tâche !

Comment pourrait-il être possible de ne penser qu’à ce qui est vrai, honorable, juste, pur, aimable, approuvable, vertueux et digne de louange, alors que nous sommes agressés, au travers des médias, par l’impureté, le mensonge, la violence, l’injustice, la guerre… ? Faut-il s’isoler et vivre en ermite, comme l’ont pensé certains ? Faut-il ne plus écouter une chanson populaire, ni aller au cinéma, ni regarder la télévision, ni lire et prendre connaissance des infos d’un monde à la dérive... comme l’ont prétendu d’autres ? Si nous voulions ôter de nos yeux, toute mention de ce qui est mauvais, nous devrions aussi arracher toutes ces pages de la Bible qui parlent de guerre, de jalousie, de meurtre, d’inceste… Nous aurions alors une Bible édulcorée, mais réduite à quelques dizaines de pages ! Or, Dieu n’a pas voulu qu’il en soit ainsi. Il nous invite à avoir des pensées nobles et vertueuses au sein même d’un monde où le mal est présent. Le mal qui nous entoure doit nous amener à penser au bien que nous pourrions faire.

Dans la Bible, malgré les récits sombres, tels le crime fratricide de Caïn, les tromperies de Jacob, l’adultère de David, l’inceste d’Amon, la cupidité de Judas… Dieu nous invite à penser purement à partir de ces récits scabreux. Il nous invite à penser aux lourdes conséquences générées par de tels comportements. Il nous invite à penser que, même s’il a accordé sa grâce aux repentants, ils ont dû subir cette loi spirituelle incontournable : « Ce qu’on sème, c’est ce qu’on récolte ». 

Penser à ce qui est vertueux et digne de louange, au sein de ce qui est ténébreux, rend nos pensées encore plus vertueuses et dignes de louange.

C’est en pensant aux jeunes délinquants, dealers, toxicomanes, meurtriers, vivant en bandes rivales à New-York, que David Wilkerson a initié, en faveur de ces jeunes, « Teen Clallenge », une œuvre digne de louange ! C’est en pensant aux pauvres, des quartiers Est de Londres, que William Booth a cherché une solution. Il a créé l’armée du salut, une des œuvres chrétiennes des plus vertueuses qui soient. 

Tout comme la nuit nous amène à penser à la lumière qu’il faut mettre en route, le mal doit nous amener à penser au bien qu’il nous reste encore à faire. Nos pensées seront vertueuses et dignes de louange, si le mal qui nous entoure nous amène à agir, et à prier pour que notre lumière brille au sein des ténèbres.

« Seigneur, je ne veux pas m’isoler et fermer les yeux sur le mal qui est dans le monde ; que ce mal suscite en moi des pensées de prière, des pensées d’action, pour que ta lumière brille au sein des ténèbres. Au nom de Jésus ! Amen ! »Avec amour, Paul

[liondejudastuff]

Partie 1 Dieu ne t'ignore pas Par David Wilkerson