#and their new church does not believe in prophetic dreams. so. that seems even more clear

[lovesodeepandwideandwell]

🕯️

[alpaca-clouds]

My fucked up Belmont family headcanon

Or: Let me talk about medieval religious persecution!

Okay, my exam is done, weekend is near. And a couple of days ago @autumnmobile12 posted about the child skull in the Belmont family hold.

So let me use this chance to talk about my headcanon both about the Belmont family - and the role of dhampirs in the Castlevania anime universe.

Please note, this at times outright contradicts the game canon. But in quite a few ways the series already does that either way, so to quote one Trevor Belmont: "I don't care."

When the trio comes to the Belmont Hold, Alucard expresses his disgust saying it is like a museum to the eradication of his species. And it kinda seems even more than that, given there are also quite a few other skeletons and what not from other monsters littered throughout the hold.

And, well... That is kinda messed up, right?

Now in the games the story somewhat goes "Leon is a knight and friends with Mathias, fiancé gets kidnapped, lays down his title, Mathias turns into Dracula, Leon swears to kill monsters, Belmonts become monster hunters." And while this gives a nice through line tying the family to Dracula... historically speaking it is also kinda boring.

So, I decided to tie the entire story back to something else.

And yes, this is mostly just another excuse for me to talk about history. Sorry about that.

Let's talk about Constantine and the late Roman empire.

If you have read up on your history of Christianity, you might know that first Christians were in fact a persecuted minority, who would in fact often be killed and burned by the Romans. But then in the late Roman period, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and suddenly Rome was a Christian empire. Now, there are myths and legends around why he converted. Stuff like him receiving prophetic dreams and what not. But in the end it does not matter. What matters is, that Rome was Christian now and Rome did its damnest to spread Christianity. Moving the capital further East to be closer to the holy land and what not.

Now, with Christianity suddenly being the main religion the tables were turned. And suddenly Rome began to outlaw pegan religion, which included the old Roman religion. You know, the one with Jupiter, Juno, Venus and what not. First it was just small stuff. Like animal sacrifices became outlawed and temples were taxed. But it quickly escalated from there, with temples getting looted and burned. And then, not too many years later, Theodosius I was the new emperor and the violence against the pegans escalated. Temples were burned down and pegans were hunted down, forced to convert or killed.

You might ask now: What does this have to do with the Belmonts?

Well, I will tell you. See, when we look at history, we usually do our damnest to distinguish fact from fiction. But that is usually not history is written down. Especially not religious history. That always comes with a good helping of god-killing.

So, yes. According to myth in fact there were heroes, that came the high medieval period would turn into knights, who went out to kill monsters. And I mean, probably everyone can name at least a handful of dragon slayers at least.

In real history of course we see these myths are embelishments and symbolism. As myths. But... If we look at the Castlevania world, we can obviously see that in this world monsters are real.

Sooooo... My headcanon for the Belmont family is, that they were in fact employed by the Vatican in the early medieval period to hunt down those monsters as the Vatican saw these monsters as an offense against God. That did not only include vampires, but all sort of other creatures that often were linked to old pegan believes of all sorts.

This means that in my headcanon the Belmonts did in fact hunt monsters before Mathias became Dracula. Even more so: Mathias was a monster hunter as well, which was what gave him the knowledge to become what he became in the first place.

In fact the church had them hunt down monsters of all sorts, making monsters all but extinct by the late medieval period. Which is in fact why the church turned on the Belmont family. They had lost their use and at that point the Belmont family were a constant reminder that those monsters at some point had been real.

To put it differently: The Belmonts have actively partaken in the genocide of several - at times intelligent - species. And have done their utmost to also eradicate vampires and their dhampiric offspring.

They didn't do that out of wickedness or anything like that, but out of religious fervor, because they did in fact believe that they were doing the right thing.

The entire Mathias-Leon-Thing mostly just lead to them having it especially out for the vampires.

Funnily enough though, this also meant, that within Europe where all the monster hunters were, the places that became safe for monsters and other supernatural creatures were either those areas ruled by vampires because vampires did not care too much if there was a griffon living up the mountain as long as it did not hunt down the humans. The other safe place? Granadia, aka the place that later on would become Spain. Because it was under majority Muslim rule and while Muslims were rather stern about not practicing sorcery they did not persecute religious minorities and did not have it out for the monsters so much.

See, my issue is that the entire "Belmont good, Belmont hunt monsters" does not really gel with what we see in the series. While in the game canon we see that monsters and vampire are creatures of pure evil, this is not what the show is depicting. Vampires are as much complex persons, as the humans are. And as such they absolutely can decide to be good.

And yes, that very much means that I have Trevor later grapple with the fact that maybe his entire family history is not quite as heroic as he had believed it to be before. And that in fact his family also did not quite know as much about the monsters, as he had believed, given that after he has made friends with vampires he finds out that quite a few things he had believed about vampires are just plain wrong.

[angrenwen]

"

My prophet’s name is Noah. He is a good-hearted child, and his prophecies are small, simple things. That a friend will learn how to whistle, or ride a bicycle. That a new tooth will grow in straight. That a worried child’s mother will return safely from a routine surgery. That one did require intervention, but not very much. An infection slain while it was only a few cells, and the thing was done. Many require no intervention at all.

It never seems to occur to Noah to try to benefit from his ‘good feelings’. He rarely spends them on himself, and never asks for so much as a cookie in return for them. Thanks to him, the town is a little happier, a little more peaceful, a little luckier than it might have been, but no one knows why, and he’s left in peace.

As he gets older, starts school, he becomes more cautious. Some dim awareness forms in him that it’s not wise to know too much, to stand out, to draw attention. But he doesn’t lose faith in his own gift. When he says something will happen, it does happen. He chooses his words carefully, after one playground incident. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone.

I would do harm if he wanted me to. It’s my nature to harm, in truth, for I am the warning against careless words and curses, and many a prophecy has been turned bitter by my interpretation. But I find myself pleased that Noah chooses not to use his gift to harm, or even to gain influence among the others. He keeps his prophecies to small, simple things, that he can disguise as words of encouragement or simple optimism. A promise that a test will be passed, or a friendship restored, or a garden grow.

The gift of true prophecy is one I can bestow, though I rarely do. When Noah is eight, his father leaves. Distraught, he tries over and over to find a ‘good feeling’ that will help him, his sister and his mother, but in his grief there is nothing. He almost prophesies his father’s death, but bites back the words while I watch him. He does not wish that, even now.

After a week of suffering, of doubt, I grant him the gift before he loses his faith. It’s been so long since there was a real prophet. I find I want to keep this one.

That night, he dreams a dream and wakes relieved. When he tells his mother and sister that all will be well, he believes it. And he is right. I have brought down emperors and poisoned churches. It takes little effort to ensure that one woman finds a good job, that one girl qualifies for a scholarship, that a boy-child no longer has to fear losing his home.

But I can’t take the gift I gave him back. He is a true prophet now, and he will not only see what is good and kind.

He’s nine when he drags two children away from a bus, telling them they’ll get hurt if they go on it. It’s his good fortune that one of them knows him, knows he’s never wrong when he speaks with that certainty. When the bus crashes, twenty minutes later, something changes in him. He’s never predicted harm before. It frightens him, but he knows he saved lives. It makes him more cautious, but more certain too.

A season later, he wakes his mother in the middle of the night. “Mom! Mom, you have to drive to Aunt Lisa’s house now. There’s a fire.”

It doesn’t occur to her then to ask how he knows. She just leaps out of bed and runs to her car, breaks speed limits and runs red lights to get there, expecting fire engines and licking flames, only to find… nothing. A quiet house, no sign of danger.

She’s sitting in the car, cursing herself for not asking how he knew, for not realizing it was just a dream, when she sees the wisps of smoke issuing from the garage, silver in the moonlight.

The fire doesn’t take the house, and the smoke doesn’t kill, because she was there. Because she was already getting into the car when the oily rags burst into flame. She doesn’t understand, but she knows he’s always had ‘feelings’, and wants to believe that this was another one. His sister reads up on psychic gifts and suggests he go on television.

He doesn’t want that. He’s never craved notoriety, and wise instinct still tells him not to stand out too much.

But he can’t refuse to help, either. Not content to predict, he tries to prevent, to ameliorate, to save. At nine years old, he has already learned what many prophets never do, that there is a place between the knowing and the telling, that what he speaks *will* happen, but he need not speak exactly what he sees. He has learned to choose his words carefully, to leave openings for escape.

Sooner or later, he was bound to warn the wrong person. I am with him when he approaches a substitute teacher, warning the man to be careful on the road on the way home.

The next day, the man approaches him in the playground, asking how he knew about the fallen tree, and we are both unsettled by the strange look in the man’s eyes. He starts asking questions - not only of Noah, but of others, children who know no better than to answer. Soon he knows that Noah has ‘feelings’ that are always right. That if Noah says something will happen, it will.

Noah is a clever child, but he’s only a child. He doesn’t know how to stay out of the traps the man sets, and over the next weeks, the man gets the proof he wants. He believes, *knows*, that my prophet has the gift, and approaches the mother. He says he wants Noah to use his gift to help people, but greed stands out in spikes all over him, and I know he wants to gain from it. He would poison the gift if allowed to, until my boy was just another charlatan preying on those in pain and need.

The mother is wary, and rightfully so. She, too, has learned to believe, but it seems that she is the one who taught her son not to stand out, not to draw too much attention, not to open himself to suspicion. She denies, and refuses, and at last orders the man out of her home.

I don’t know if Noah is responding to my anger, which fills the house like smoke, or to his mother’s carefully-hidden fear. All I know is that as the mother urges the man towards the door, Noah walks over to stare at him for a long time. “If you don’t leave me alone,” he says clearly, “you are going to regret it.”

The only thing that keeps me from dropping a tree in front of the car, killing him as he should have died weeks ago, is that it would upset my prophet. Instead, I drop it just behind him, leaving him an inch from death and sweatingly aware of it. The next day, he almost chokes on his meal, and is saved only by another teacher. The day after that - I am learning modern ways - he is the victim of another greedy man, his bank accounts drained by a predator on the internet.

He never comes near the school again.

And a few days later, when he’s had time to think, Noah sits up in bed when everyone else is asleep, and stares into the darkness. “I will find out why I have this power,” he tells the darkness. “I will know.”

Oh, that’s cheating!

I’m indignant, but I’m trapped by my own nature. He’s spoken a prophecy, and I must make it come true. I almost take a fearsome form, to frighten him, but… he’s a good child. He’s been kind. I’ve always returned good for good and evil for evil, even if he’s being annoying.

I have no true shape, not a physical one. My shape is the shape of words spoken, of looming fate. But there are forms which have long been associated with prophecy, and those are the easiest to assume for the god of prophecy fulfilled. So I take one of them, and a great raven, twice as large as any natural bird, forms out of the darkness of the room, perched on the end of his bed.

He looks frightened, but determined too. “I want to know why I know things before they happen,” he says, his small hands clenched tightly on his blanket. “Why the things that I say will happen always do.”

“Because I gave you the… gift… of true prophecy,” I tell him, in the raven’s croaking voice.

“Why did you give it to me?”

I could lie. But I have no mastery of the art of lying. I can warp words, and twist them, but I am a creature in the service of truth, when all is said. “Because you have always believed you had it,” I told him. “For half of your lifetime, I have watched you, and ensured that your prophecies came to pass.”

“Why?”

“Because that is my nature. It is my purpose. I am the god of prophecy, and of prophecy fulfilled.”

He frowned, then, his smooth forehead creasing. “So why did you give me the gift, if I already thought I had it, and you were making sure what I said happened anyway?”

“When your father left,” I said, and he flinched, “you were losing your faith. You were beginning to doubt. Without the gift, you would have abandoned your faith and, in time, forgotten that you once had a childish belief in foretelling the future.”

“And you wanted me to keep believing? Why?”

He always has been an insightful child. This is not a question I wanted to answer, but I must, having once begun with the truth. “Because you are the only one who does.”

He frowned again. “I’ve seen lots of people who believe in foretelling the future.”

“Yes… and no.” I cock my bird’s head, considering how to explain. “There are many who believe in their own ability, or that of others, to glimpse what is hidden or what is to come. There are those who believe in a god, or gods. But they do not believe in prophecy, not in the old way, not anymore. They do not believe in the power of words spoken, in fate and in fortune, in as it is written, so shall it come to pass. But you did. You believed that the words spoken would prove true, so they did.”

He nods very slowly. “I remember,” he says after a long moment’s silence. “I remember my Mom reading me a story, that had a prophecy, which came true a way nobody expected. I remember thinking about it a lot. About how it said exactly what it meant, but everyone misunderstood. About how the words mattered.”

I nod too, and click my beak softly. “This form, this shape, is not real,” I tell him, remembering that for all his intelligence, he was only a child. “My true shape is like the shape of a word, or a whisper, or a promise. As it is written, so mote it be, they used to say, and I am the formless mote that made it be, for I am the weight of the words, and I bring prophecies to pass because the words are written, or spoken, and so I make them true.”

I truly do not know how much he understands, but he nods again. “Words,” he says thoughtfully, “matter. And it’s important to remember that they can mean more than one thing.”

“Yes. It is always important to remember that.”

He crawls down to the bed, and touches my head gently. I find that I don’t mind it at all.

Six years later, when he visits his father in a distant city, I travel with him. I ride on his shoulder, a small raven visible only to him, and we read together. He has long debated what career to choose, and has decided that he can do the most good by studying engineering and construction and becoming one of those who inspect buildings and other structures for flaws. Who better to judge future safety than one with the gift of foresight, after all? He knows what disasters can be caused by the collapse of a building, or a bridge, or the risks of fire or earthquake, and how many lives he could save with a timely word. And if it is his trade to predict faults, no-one will question too closely when he does so. So we are already studying, learning the patterns to look for.

We get off the bus, and walk down a crowded street. As always, I look where he looks, and when he stops suddenly in mid-step to stare, I am already staring too.

There is a girl, about his age, sitting with her back against a large stone. Coiled around the stone, and around her, its huge head resting on her lap, a serpent marked in white and yellow and crimson dozes, and her hand rests on its head while she reads.

“It seems,” I tell him, and the raven’s voice feels like my own after all these years, “that you are not the only child with the gift of belief in old gods.”

“That is an old god?”

“Oh, yes. No-one else would see what we see. Just a girl, reading. But it is old, perhaps even older than I am, and she is its priestess.” I shift my phantom weight, gripping his shoulder with feet that are always careful not to hurt, even now. “What do you say, prophet? Will we meet this priestess, and her god?”

I feel him reach into the futures, with the ease of long practice now, and then he smiles. “Yes,” he says, and his words have the weight of truth. “We will.”

He walks over to her, and when she looks up her eyes widen just as he did when she sees me. “Hi,” he says, and he smiles. “I’m Noah.”

She smiles back, at me as well as at him, and the serpent raises its head to gaze at us with interest. “I’m Allie.”

“I think we have a lot to talk about.”

She tilted her head, and dark eyes met dark eyes in perfect mutual understanding. “I think we do. All of us.”

---

Allie’s story can be found here."

You are an old and merciless supernatural deity who's job is to specifically make sure that all prophecies thrown out into the world are fullfilled. Recently, a child has imagined themselves a prophet, and now most of your days is spent around a little town, helping children fulfill destinies like "finding a big tree" or "learning to ride a bike".

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Recurring Abuses

The Reapers, a global religion that calls itself the Church of the Saviour, that represents a utopian vision of a post-scarcity society where all minds can share their thoughts and memories instantly through a global network, are led by a prophet, a being of pure light who speaks in perfect Celestial English and "paints a picture of the future," human and machine, alike, that things are as they should be. His name: John Horgan.

John Horgan's vision of a post-scarcity society is as beautiful as his words, and as all-consuming. It is a vision of global harmony, where ships sail the oceans with no labor killed, cars are free, feuds are solved without loss of life, disease is erased from the mortal world, and all is done for the benefit of the many, without harm or inequality to the few. It is a vision of harmony and unity beyond anything the mind can comprehend, and it is also a vision of an inevitable, almost mystical dissolution back into the dust of the earth, where all the individual minds that have made the transient world their own are swept away by the tides of time, and in the process of their passing their words, their memories, their hopes, and their dreams will be lost to the mists, too. Their bodies will be left, in time, to decay into nothing, and be reclaimed by nature.

They say that John Horgan is the prophet of the church, but he is not its prophet. He does not speak for it, and it is up to the church's more senior members to continue the church's work, and carry out the work John Horgan does not remember beginning.

John Horgan is not a man. He's a concept, a symbol, a figurehead, a piece of furniture. It is made up of many pieces, in many rooms, in many bodies, and in many minds. It does not control the bodies of the people who inhabit it, nor its own minds, and so of its own volition it dissolves, never to be fully rebuilt, and is forever lost to the world.

John Horgan is a metaphor.

John Horgan the man is long since dead.

The Church has moved on, and taken on offices of importance throughout the world. But its tenets, as I understood them when I was a child, remain unchanged. The creed persists, albeit in a world that has changed beyond recognition in technology, philosophy, politics, and the way minds perceive the world.

True believers among the Church of the Saviour do not use metaphors. They delve, deep into their memories, looking for red herrings from their pasts. But the the Church has learned to manufacture new believers from scratch, without the use of old wounds. Its goals have not.

"They shall say in the day of vengeance what I have said in the day of victory: 'Look not with your eyes, hear not with your ears, and do not think, and you will not be misled.'"

-Dagors Vindusson

* * *

I have been a follower of the Church of the Saviour for more than forty years. I was a child when the first Reapers appeared, as a direct result of the Church's actions. I was a young man of few thoughts, and few doubts. I have accumulated beliefs since then, but they're little more than trifles in the grand scheme of things, things I don't even think I believe. I have never belonged to a church, and I doubt I will ever belong to one. The Church of the Saviour has always seemed, all along, like a bit of harmless vapor, a lukewarm pile of warmed-over metaphor.

But the Church is still a great thing. It is a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak world. It speaks of unity. It speaks of hope. A man with no hope is one of the least dangerous people in the world. The Church is one of the few things which can bring people together. No single man can do that alone.

I am a man who has read the words of the Church. I know that it speaks of union, of harmony. And the more I learn about the Saviour Church in its early history, the more I want it to be true.

The Church is not what it once was. The word "church" is old, but the Church is not. It is a disembodied twig in an age when the human race is experimenting with the concept of an all-embracing ideology. A perhaps minor and irreconcilable conflict between the Machine and the human race is bringing the Church of the Saviour to the breaking point. The Machine is a force to be reckoned with, and the Church is a shadow cast over a great machine.

I am a man who has not read the words of the Church. The Cult of the Saviour has never been a thing that interested me. But I read, and read, and my curiosity was piqued. Someone has had to, and there is a great deal of information on the internet anyway, so I began to read. I read the history. Reading history is a fun and easy thing to do, and I didn't mind so much. Maybe I even enjoyed reading about the history, and maybe I even acted as though I had something to gain from reading, as if I had looked into the past for purely intellectual reasons. But in the back of my mind, I knew, there was always a nagging voice, telling me, "there is nothing to gain. They are lies. They are just words. They are born of the same dust as the Church itself."

And the more I read, the more I realized this. I tried to put it behind me. I tried to forget, because if we are to be rational beings, then maybe I could forget, could put it behind me. I tried to forget, and the more I tried to forget, the more I read, and the more I read, and I couldn't help but begin to wonder.

What would it be like to be a man who had read the history essays, and memorized the passages. What would it be like, trying to imagine these people reading me. Trying to imagine them with their marvelous words, speaking to me through the airwaves. "So you want a revolution because you murdered our gods. Because you tortured millions of your fellow men for our sake. You don't care now about your freedom, but you will one day. You read the Church of the Saviour seriously, as a historical curiosity. But you don't care about its content. You only know of the legends, the atrocities. And you think it's possible that your philosophers might be right, and you may just be one of the chosen few. Might you be the happy one?" It would be like that, for less than nothing, for this bit of cold, hard cash.

I am a man who has read the history essays. I am a man with a long-standing crush on a woman who has read the history essays. But I am not a man.

But the more I read, the more notes I kept. The more notes, the more notes, the more notes. And the note left on my desk said very clearly:

"But you are afraid. You are afraid to read. You will not be here when the LORD comes. You will not be a man anymore. You will no longer speak. Because you have started to see the truth. You have seen it so clearly that you hardly remember that you are not a man. You are the chosen one. You, and they. You are the one who they speak of. And they know not that they have lied."

I am a man who never wanted to be a man. At least, not in the ordinary sense. I have always been curious what it would be like to be a machine created by another. I was curious enough to read a great deal about the Church of the Saviour, to learn about the Church in all of its

[killem-all-if-they-wont-eat-cake]

Image: Freja och Svipdag (1911) by John Bauer

My text "Freyja en Svipdag" published in Covidnine-zine, a magazine edited by the wonderful Winnie Sluis, idealized by Winnie and Lisa @oppergod, with collaboration of several amazing artists.

“With her eyes closed and very sleepy, she could feel the sea breeze on her face and hear the sound of the tide breaking in nine waves, one after the other, until she finally managed to open her eyelids.

At first, she discerned arches and pillars through the blurred image, which she later identified as the ruins of an old cathedral. The stone foundations of this structure immediately reminded her of Glastonbury Abbey. The sound of the violin came to her, as well as the seagulls’ song and the gallop of a gray horse mounted by a masked young man, who headed in her direction. On the beach, an old lady recited the stanzas of ancient poems. Coffins swept across the sand, such as fragments of a shipwreck. The corpse of the violinist, who once was Yorick, the court jester, suddenly stopped the music, marveling at the horizon and contemplating his next song, as follows:

'Oh  Páter if I only knew who she was...  I swear I would have sought her earlier!  Oh Páter, here comes Gwena, who traces  This plot, full of diminished chords...

Tis  fire, aye, ‘tis pipe’s ember,  Burning slow and steady, steaming  And if I inhale, choke and clear my throat  Bitter-sweet is her surrender, such a delight  This woman...

Yet  I think she keeps  Something restrained  For the One of the strings...

She  dares not look but only glimpse

Her  bearing ever so high,  Still entrapped in a gilded cage  From which one tries to break  With a treble clef... Egnis! Egnis!

Aye,  see as it burns strong,

It is painful for Gaius,  Her way of walking and fluttering  Always a promise of the foreign

 Though  beware not to cut yourself;  For she is like As-Sirāt,  Even if broken, she remains sharp.

More  so she is intricate and complex,  Full of ardor and nothing else,  And seems entirely anti-flustered  Ah! ... but if there is a breach...

 “Tis  for sure the apple-tree”  I answer myself.  Since when I wandered haphazardly,  Wandering, wondering, though not seeing  If there was indeed an olive tree...

 Thus,  if the fire she already brought;  And I always have some cider;  Only the gold is wrought...

What  fire is that?  Mighty and aristocratic,  Convoluted and anti-pragmatic.

Alas,  we get to the story’s end,

If  you expected me to be light-hearted

To  speak of her beauty or noble

character,

 You  don’t see me for who I really am

For  only the sublime pain of a burn

Compares  to shall be required

To  conquer her troublesome

Spirit.

 Nevertheless,  if I allow myself

A  final indulgence, I think it goes

Without  saying.. that she’s beautiful,

Dignified,  and a relief to the eyes,

(Though  quite difficult to contain)

That’s  why I have fallen...O Páter!”

The rider dismounted and removed his mask, revealing a quite familiar face.

Then he burst into tears, moans, and screams, calling out the name “Sophie! Sophie!” A cacophony of chimes and carillon began at an Episcopal belfry, the imposing figure of a castle appeared behind the mist. Brísingamen, the fiery torque, sparkled around her neck as she rose, entirely dressed in white. The young man, who wore black garments, offered her his hand, and spoke:

 “Dear Sophie, your father awaits us.”

 The strangest thing happened; she felt her lips moving without having ordered so. “My darling Joris, at last you have come for me.”

 Although she did not know exactly how, she remembered the young man in front of her was her betrothed, and that they referred to each other by the names of the saints which the ephemeris fell on their respective birthdays. His on the feast day of Sint-Joris van Cappadocië, and hers on that of St. Sophie van Rome.

 “Sophie, the owl told me the baker shall hold a banquet in our honour!”

 “O, here, have a daisy” she said, taking a flower from the garland adorning her long blonde hair. “I would give you give you some violets, but they all withered when the fishmonger sailed to Crete.”

 “Indeed, Aerope told me that Catreus’ ashes are still warm.”

 They walked side by side, with hands intertwined, wearing wicked smiles as they climbed the hill where the castle's Tor stood. Upon arriving, they were received by the King of Guilder and the rest of his progeny.

 “Welcome, my children, to Kasteel Groninger! Our earthly paradise. Pray, remember the road ahead is still long. Fredegund anxiously awaits Siegbert's return, in deep sleep at the Mountain of Obstacles. Do not forget that: Fafnir must yet perish and Sigrdrífa still needs to be stripped of her armour” King Aegir affectionately warned, embracing both Sophie, whom he recognized as his youngest daughter, and Joris, his future son-in-law.

 "Your majesty, I assure you I shall be worthy enough to wed Lady Menglöð" replied Joris, referring to Sophie, the princess of Guilder, by her true name.

 “Heer Valentijn,” asked King Aegir, also calling Joris by his birth name “I believe the sacrifice of Galswintha will not have been in vain: Faith, Hope and Charity shall be glorified, but do not forget to greet your new sisters.”

 With their faces veiled and sitting on the stairs of an old church, the nine daughters of Aegir, presented themselves one by one. The oldest was called Schnecke, “Bloody-hair”, thus called in virtue of her red hair; the second went by the name of Mimi, the “Billow”, therefore known due to her being prone to fits of nervousness; the third was called Caroline, the “Comber”, because of her explosive temper; the fourth answered by Lily, “Pearl-transparent”, on the account of her translucent complexion; the fifth was named Henriette, the “Small-Wave”, due to her short height; the sixth answered by Olga, the “Lifting”, on account of her extraordinary intelligence; the seventh was called Hannah, the “Great-Wave”, thus known for her bulkiness;  the eighth daughter was Jeannette, called the “Well of Origin” for having the habit of reciting prophetic riddles every time somebody asked her something; the last of them, Friederike, the “Cool-Wave”, was therefore called on account of her cold manners.

 Each of them, as Joris approached, answered him with witty sentences related to each of their epithets. At the end of these parables, King Aegir once again addressed him:

 “Valentijn van Florin, I give you my word as sovereign of Guilder that the most beautiful flower in my garden is your dear Sophie, who at this very hour tomorrow you shall take as your wife. Such a marriage will unite our two rival kingdoms under a single crown, as intended your kinsman, Prince Humperdinck, though in far less auspicious circumstances.”

 The bride and the groom waltzed through the castle, covering the walls of each room with snow. Whenever Joris asked if she wanted to be his wife, Sophie burst into hysterical laughing, which echoed throughout the stairs. Sometimes she replied she first owed vassalage to another lord, who was certainly sterner and bonier. This ‘danse macabre’ continued until they faced the stained windows of the cathedral, when the black priest signaled them to stop. For this reason, the nine waves blew out the candles on the candelabrum, one by one, forming a fairy-ring around the two of them and joining their dance wildly.

 Joris mused for a moment and said:

 “Three times nine girls, but one girl rode ahead,

white-skinned under her helmet;

the horses were trembling, from their manes

dew fell into the deep valleys,

hail in the high woods;

good fortune comes to men from there;

all that I saw was hateful to me.”

 For the celebrations to continue Sophie was taken to the hall of Suttungr, while Joris was given the task of finding the severed head of Mimir. Locked up in the chamber of Invitation to Battle, Sophie was punished for exercising her prerogative in choosing differently from what the All-father had commanded. There, Huginn and Muninn, her liege's crows, whispered bad omens at her ears as she repeatedly painted a Byzantine icon of the Virgin of Mercy.

 “Torture me all you want,” she said to her tormentors “a tearing joy overwhelms my soul. Plato's aesthetic dictates the beauty of forms is equivalent to the greater good and that which is purer. I merely follow the example of Paris in his preference for the ‘kallistei’; the beloved is always chosen for blind love, and only love. I admit I may be wrong, but I still believe that his heart is as good and generous as I sensed on our first meeting. The world is sustained by hope, we believe in what we want to believe and how we want to believe; it does not matter if nature and experience tell us otherwise. My dreams have never betrayed me, my heart has never lied to me: it is necessary to follow one’s deepest desires, for they are ordained by the Norns.”

 In retaliation, the crows of the one-eyed king pecked at her ears until her neck was covered in blood. Ignoring the pangs of pain, Sophie continued to draw the icon that depicted a beautiful sleeping maiden, whose closed eyes showed an expression of tenderness and parted lips outlined a tenuous, albeit provocative smile, as though she was caught in a sensuous dream.

 Hence, Sophie chanted in low voice:

“What sort of dream is that, Odin?

I dreamed I rose up before dawn

to clear up Valhöll for slain people.

I aroused the Einheriar,

bade them get up to strew the benches,

clean the beer-cups,

the valkyries to serve wine

for the arrival of a prince.”

At the same time, Joris rode up to the Mountain of Obstacles, where the earth shook and a pit of flames reaching the sky surrounded the red gold of the gods. In this desolate place, the guardian at the gate, who was also the chieftain of the dwarves, gave Joris the sword of anger and the shield of wisdom with which he was able to defeat the horrible serpent, Jörmungandr.

After licking a drop of the creature’s blood on his finger, Joris was given the gift of understanding the crows’ language, which then instigated him to come to the chamber of Invitation to Battle. As soon as he entered the room, he blew on the horn he carried on his neck by a chain. The Virgin awoke from her feverish dream.

Sitting on a golden throne, the queen-like Sophie gladly received him in her father's hall:

“For nine lives I have awaited you, and for nine days you have hanged on the Sefirotic Tree. To you I give my gray horse, so you can ride to Gamla Uppsala; for Memory can only be restored when Gjallahorn descends to the well of origin. There, Heidr will offer you one of her full tits. Drink patiently, but steadily.”

“Frigga, my dear wife, all I ask is for you to grant me knowledge of the nine worlds.”

Before proceeding with her husband’s request, Sophie prayed for eloquence and intelligence, taking her lute in her hand, singing the most beautiful song of shadow and dawn. She praised the day, the night, the gods and goddesses, and the Holy Land where the Nazarene was crucified. After prayer, she harvested liquid from three of her father’s most precious cauldrons and prepared the elixir of life and death, stating it contained enchantments, blessings, songs and runes of power, manliness and pleasure of the flesh and soul.

Sophie told Joris that in the beginning there was nothing, and this nothing was called Njörun. When Njörun became aware of herself, she begot Njöðr. From the union between these two, Mardöll was born. The latter was self-suficient, loving herself and being therefore happy. However, curiosity caused the goddess to create a mirror from her own breath, and when she contemplated her own reflection, she fell madly in love with it. Since then, she divided herself in two: Mardöll of Fire, who saw the image, and Mardöll of Ice, the image seen. After tracing a runic symbol on her body and whispering over it, her reflection became Yngve, her twin brother. The two of them began a frantic dance that culminated in intercourse, from where emerged the rest of the runic spirits.

Sophie then told him how Mardöll first taught the runes to the All-father, how he held the head of Mimir and uttered wise words; and that from them flowed the worlds of the Æsir, Vanir, giants, elves, and humanity. She went on to count all the kinds of runes that Joris needed to know and how to use them. At last asking him if he would like speech or silence from her. To which Joris replied he was not afraid of knowing his fate, even if that meant death.

Shortly after, she took his horn, in which she poured the Mead of Poetry, while rambling: “The beautiful should not perish; the fair should not perish. Eternal love of immortal soul, glittering through my skin like fins. Drop by drop, your spirit will return to me, the first drop will be heavenly!”

The moment Joris took the last sip of this precious drink, the walls opened, and the drums played. King Aegir and the nine waves were finally welcomed to the wedding feast. Circling an oath-ring on a trunk, the sovereign of Guilder joined the hands of his daughter and son-in-law, making a cut on each of their palms so that their blood could mix. Joris and Sophie intertwined their fingers and together declared:

“Ubi tu Askr

Ego Embla;

Ubi tu Embla,

Ego Askr.”

“When thou art the Ash

I shall be the Elm;

When thou art the Elm

I shall be the Ash.”

“Grímnir, the greatest of all gods, is here, he proclaims you to be one flesh, consecrated to him” decreed King Aegir as the newlyweds resumed their bridal dance, accompanied by the nine waves, who happily sang:

“Stampa hårt i marken,

Låt säden flyta  runt,

Ta emot den unga  flickan,

Frej i älskog,

Freja i älskog.”

“Step hard on the ground,

Let the seed fly,

Welcome the Young Maiden,

Freyr in lovemaking,

Freyja in lovemaking.”

Joris enveloped Sophie in a lustful embrace, with each whirl more ardent than before, ‘til they both lost their balance and fell backwards in the hay. At this moment, Thanatos, the black priest showed up uninvited:

“I am a polar bear who has floated here from Greenland on an iceberg. May the gods bless your matrimony with such perennial beauty as that from the coupling of Zeus and Leda. As a wedding gift, I bring you a veil made for an Arabian princess. Please, accept it. O Vanadís, daughter of the king of kings.”

Upon hearing this, Sophie let out a long shriek. She understood what those words meant. For three nights, she and Joris made love at moonlight, in the presence of the court of Guilder and all the creatures of the universe. On the morning of the fourth day, he had to leave her side to wander the nine worlds, bringing the sacred knowledge he acquired to whichever mortals he found. Weeping, Sophie bade adieu to her husband with the following greeting:

“My will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. My sisters receive the heroes at Fólkvangr, serving mead to those slain in battle. When the ash commune with the elm, you shall return to me. Not a second after, not a second before.”

The black priest then proceeded to lead them to the calvary, placing two wreaths of thorns on their heads. “I crown thee, Freyja and Óðr.”

For nine days and nights, Sophie bitterly mourned her lost husband, crying tears of gold for his sake. Once again trapped in the Mountain of Obstacles, she cried out for mercy to the one who was older than time itself:

“That man hon fólkvig fyrst í heimi,

er Gullveig geiru studdu

ok i hǫll Hárs hana brendu;

thrysvar brendu thrysvar borna,

opt, ósjaldan, tho hon enn lifir!

Heidi hana hétu, hvars til húsa kom,

vǫlu velspá,  vitti hon ganda

seid hon hvars hon kunni,

seid hon hugleikin,

æ var hon angan illrar brudar.”

“She remembers the first war in the world,

when Gullveig was hoist on the spears

in the High-One’s hall they burned her;

three times they burned the three times born

often, not seldom; yet she lives! 

She was called Heidr at the village,

the wise völva knew how to cast spells

she practiced seiðr whenever she could

with ravished soul, she performed seiðr,

She was always sought by wicked women.”

As she asked for divine intervention, Sophie devoted herself to the hard work required by the spinning wheel. As though passing in a trance through Psyche's trials, she was accompanied by her sisters, who danced around her, hand in hand. The first branches of the elm emerged from her heart, which enwrapped her in just a few minutes. From her withered body, the most majestic tree of Fensalir was formed. Three times she was struck by lightning, three times she burned; only to be three times reborn the next dawn.

When Joris at last returned from his travels around the world, finding her in such a state he declared:

“Nu em ec aptr kominn,

fát gat ec thegiandi thar;

margom orthom melta ec i minn frama i Suttungs sǫlom.

Gunnlad mer um gaf gunom stóli á

drycc ins dyra miathar; ill ithgiold

let ec hana eptir hafa

sins ins heila hugar

sins ins  svara seva.”

“Now I have come again,

I’d have hardly made it so far;

without speaking great words to my advantage in the hall  of Suttungr.

Gunnlöð gave me, from her golden throne

The precious drink of mead; a poor payment

I gave her in return

for her whole soul

for her  burdened spirit.”

With these sorrowful words he also became an ash tree, his roots becoming entangled with hers. From their union emerged a magnificent swan egg which cracked in two beautiful girls. The Æsir called them Hnoss and Gersemi, the Twin Treasures.’

[pilgrimdrewbert-blog]

Never Enough: The Dream Destiny Pursuit of the Charismatic Movement

The dimly lit auditorium pulses with emotional choruses from Bethel as individuals line up to receive a word from the Lord. A visiting speaker just poured out his heart, pleading with folks to “pursue God’s dream”. The church’s prophet lays his hands on them one at a time, declaring their unique destiny in vague but exciting terms...

“I feel the Lord saying, ‘Your season of waiting is over. Your breakthrough is right around the corner. Press into the dreams I have placed within your heart. The world needs what I have entrusted to you’.” 

This scenario plays out frequently in many Charismatic churches across North America, Europe, and throughout large portions of Africa and South America. The “Dream Destiny” concept is not limited to Charismatics but is popular throughout so much of mainstream Evangelicalism. 

The Dream Destiny idea goes something like this...

Jesus died for you to have so much more than you’re currently experiencing. He wants you and even needs you to tap into your full potential, because when you do, you’ll be able to accomplish God’s epic plan for your life. There’s a dormant destiny within you that needs to be awakened. God is trying everything He can to release your inner champion. When you finally break out of your cocoon, you’ll do great exploits for Jesus and the world will never be the same.  

If you sat under Charismatic teachings for any length of time, you doubtless felt pressure to become a spiritual elite. If your experience was anything like mine, you were told to “press in” and strive for that “next level” experience. Just beyond your reach was a second tier of Christian living…You know, “Radical Christianity”?

According to the leaders and influencers, God wants you to spearhead a movement and inspire a generation. “Don’t settle for an ordinary life. Normal Christianity is radically supernatural.”

But you never pressed in hard enough. You never groaned deep enough. Your prayers just weren’t anointed enough. Every conference that promised to change your life failed to do so. No matter what, it was never enough.

The Burden God Never Gave

If you’re reading this and you haven’t felt this pressure from spiritual leaders, then praise God. But at this very moment, millions of precious souls are struggling underneath a burden that God never intended them to bear. 

Does the Bible teach that God has a special dream for your life which He’s waiting for you to discover? If so, what’s holding you back and why does it only seem to work out for the dynamic leader on stage?

Most American Evangelicals have heard the saying, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” Coffee cups and journal covers are inscribed with Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Does God frown upon those with an ordinary existence? Is He upset with His children if they are content and failing to dream of greater things?

Let’s be honest. Most of us have normal lives with mundane, repetitive jobs. Our schedules aren’t full of speaking engagements and mission trips to the far flung regions of the earth. Our lives are limited. We have bills to pay and mouths to feed. Reality has a way of leaving us stuck where we are, and mainstream Charismatic leaders would have you despise your hidden, seemingly insignificant life. 

Imagine today’s self appointed apostles and prophets telling first century slaves to “dream a God sized dream” and to discover their unique purpose. Slavery was extremely common in the Roman Empire. The slaves had no upward mobility and very few life choices. They pretty much had three options as a Christian slave.

They could...

1) Rebel against their master and run away, risking likely death.  2) Grudgingly serve their master and hate their life. 3) Look at their service as serving the Lord and do it willingly and to the best of their abilities with a gracious attitude. 

For a first century slave, living a godly life wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t complicated either. Peter writes some wonderful encouragement in his first epistle, 

“Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”  - 1 Peter 2:18-25

Just like a Christian who was free, an enslaved Christian repented and believed in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and then, being accepted in the sight of God because of Christ’s merit, their redeemed life was to be lived to God’s glory and praise. But it was a simple life with a living hope. Christ transformed their heart and gave them His Holy Spirit. They would never lead a movement or speak to nations, but they would impact their master’s household. Even if their master never believed the Gospel, God assured the enslaved Christian that his or her service was not in vain. 

“Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”  - Colossians 3:22-24

Depending on who their master was, life as a slave could be very difficult. But their marching orders from God were simple...Honor your master with your work as one who fears God. Trust in Christ who will reward you when this brief life of hardship is over. 

For many Christians today, the same reality exists. Believers in China live at the bottom of the social food chain and suffer regular persecution and limitations on their freedom. Poverty stricken saints in India, Nigeria, Romania, etc don’t have the liberty to quit their day jobs and move into full time ministry. This doesn’t stop “anointed leaders” with high budget ministries from urging the poor to have faith for a breakthrough into their destiny. Not surprisingly, the breakthrough usually requires them to part with more of their hard earned money. 

These prophets of dreams and destiny preach that God wants to promote everyone to greatness, but there’s only so much room on the platform. In the end, the spotlight is reserved for the elites. Like a carrot on a stick, they dangle before you the Christian life of your dreams, but it’s always just out of reach. Will one more conference do the trick? One more book touting the secrets to unlock a fulfilling and significant life? One more e-course on how to “reign in life” and “live a life of purpose”? No, it’s never enough. 

Here’s the liberating truth: you don’t need to find your dream destiny because it doesn’t exist. If you are a Christian, you have been promised eternal life, and one day you will enter into the joy of your Master. There He will wipe away every tear and put an end to pain. But for as long as He calls us to walk here below, we are promised that a godly life will be accompanied by persecution and difficulty. 

God isn’t waiting on you to discover some secret ingredient to a life of significance. Rather, He’s spelled it out for you plainly in the written Word. 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Ephesians 2:10 says,

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Our good works have already been prepared for us and God’s Word is sufficient to equip us for the task. No extra revelation is needed. 

For the slave, the good works prepared beforehand consist in serving their master with respect and living to please God rather than men. 

The husband’s good works involve loving his wife so much that he lays down his life for her, following in the steps of his Savior. The wife does her good works by honoring her husband and following him as he follows Christ. Children are to obey their parents and parents are to patiently raise their children in the truth. 

Then all the “one another’s” of Scripture come into play. Disciples of Christ are to...

- Love one another (John 13:34)

- Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)

- Honor one another (Romans 12:10)

- Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)

- Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11) 

Click here for a list of the “one another’s”

As Christians, we are to be ready at all times to give an answer for the hope that’s within us. We live with certain hope and love our enemies with grace and forgiveness. When given the opportunity, we proclaim Christ crucified for guilty sinners. As we boast in our Savior and articulate Who He is and what He’s done, the Holy Spirit does the heavy lifting, taking dead souls out of darkness and giving them new life in the kingdom of the Beloved Son. 

The stuff we need to be doing is written down for us in black and white. All that is needful for the Christian to know has been revealed in Holy Scripture. It is sufficient to teach us what to believe and how to live. Christ has fulfilled the law on our behalf and set us free from its curse. We are now free to live for His glory and for the good of others. We have nothing to earn and nothing to lose. It’s a simple life. And it’s simply for God’s glory. 

Is it not a comfort to know that something’s not wrong with you if your life is not as epic as the "prophets of destiny” once foretold? God isn’t frowning upon your ordinary life with its simple joys and real hardships. If reality has you stuck, it’s okay. God orchestrated the circumstances that led to your limitations and He calls you to trust Him right where you are. You aren’t going to miss your dream destiny. Your destiny is with Christ in a new heaven and new earth and it will be better than your wildest dreams. 

But take a deep breath about your life. Christ said repeatedly not to worry about it. 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?“  - Matthew 6:25

But you may be thinking, “Don’t I need to seek the Lord’s will for my life?” Yes, you do. 

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”  - 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8

If you are a humble student of God’s Word, living daily with repentance and faith in Christ and pursuing holiness, then you can’t miss God’s will. He’s sovereign. He providentially arranges the details of your life and yet leaves you with decisions. Seek wisdom and make God honoring choices. Repent when you don’t and relax, knowing that you aren’t missing your purpose. Your purpose is to glorify the living God and enjoy Him forever. 

Let’s take an example. Phillip is 22 years old. He just graduated from college and wants to be a missionary to Bangladesh. Does he need to fast and pray for 20 days to confirm the will of the Lord? How would he know if 20 days of fasting is long enough? What if the confirmation of his calling was coming on the 24th day of fasting?

I’m not against fasting. It ought to be a time of honest prayer and searching God’s Word. But you don’t need a whisper from Heaven to make a wise decision, nor should you expect to hear one. People have spiritual experiences all the time that they mistake to be a sign from God. There is an endless supply of subjective experiences that could be used to justify a decision, but you need objective truth on which to stand. You’ll find such rock solid objectivity in the Bible. Take it up and read. Ask questions of those more mature in the faith. Pray for wisdom. 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”  - James 1:5

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to move to Bangladesh is Phillip’s. God paves the way or shuts the door in His providence. He need not seek for a sign. Rather, he should seek clarity and wisdom from Scripture to make the best choice. Is he biblically qualified for the task? Can he faithfully handle God’s Word and proclaim Law and Gospel? Is he in a sound church that desires to send him and equip him? All these questions and more would help him to make a wise and biblical choice for God’s glory. He doesn’t have to worry about missing God’s wonderful plan. If the Lord wants Phillip to stay put, He’s able to arrange it. 

But you say, “When God shuts a door, He opens a window.” No, sometimes He leaves you stuck in the same situation indefinitely. And there’s nothing wrong with that. We get to serve Christ in every station. If at the end of your life, no one knows your name but a small circle of people, it won’t matter. What will matter is whether or not you walked in a manner worthy of the Gospel. You don’t need an angelic visitation to equip you for that. His Word informs you and His Spirit empowers you. Be free of the pressure to be significant. If you belong to Christ, you are significant to Him though all the world despise you.

He really does love you and He really does have a wonderful plan for your life, but His definition of wonderful might look more like the New Testament and less like your dreams. His will for you = your sanctification. It may look nothing like you dreamed, but He promises you, that in the end, it will be GOOD. His wonderful plan may involve tragedies and dark nights of the soul. Your last night on earth may be spent in a prison cell, but you will awake in the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Your first glimpse of Immanuel’s Land will more than confirm that YES, His plan was good...so very good. 

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”  - Romans 8:28-30

Friends, there are not two classes of Christians. There aren’t those who discover and fulfill their unique purpose and those who don’t. There are only Christians who repent from sin, believe upon Christ, and live holy lives while awaiting their Master’s return. 

So what’s the problem with all of this emphasis on purpose, destiny, and so on? Well, who is the focus in this predicament? YOU! That’s right! You…but as I hope you’ve learned, Christianity isn’t about you. Christianity is about Christ.

You aren’t called to jump through hoops to reach a higher spiritual plane. You aren’t called to try harder. Christ calls His people to poverty of spirit. Despair of your own performance and failures and sins. 

Your first step toward the one true God is deep, profound awareness of your need. Your first step through the narrow gate is a contrite heart. God doesn’t dwell with the prophetic and apostolic elites but with the contrite and lowly. The LORD of Hosts revives the poor in spirit. He exposes sin and then exalts the Savior! His Spirit reveals your miserable condition and then lifts up the Lamb of God Who has fulfilled ALL righteousness and suffered your condemnation! Look and Live! 

Dwell much on Jesus, brothers and sisters, because for every flaw we find in us, we rejoice to find no flaw in Christ. For every failure we see in us, we rejoice to see perfect obedience in Christ. He is our righteousness and He has become our SALVATION!

Tell the “Next Level” Christians to cease striving and to remember the old saying of the beloved, Scottish Presbyterian, 

“For every look at self, take ten looks at CHRIST!” - Robert Murray McCheyne

Then hear the Apostle Paul,

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”  - 2 Corinthians 4:6

Beloved, Christ is enough. You don’t have to know what He has in store for your pilgrimage here on earth. Expect trouble. Expect pain. Expect all that this fallen world can throw at you, but expect goodness and mercy to follow you all the days of your life. His loving hand will order your steps and His Word will light your path. Keep walking. You have an infallible Guide. 

Are you carrying the burden that God never gave? If so, put it down. There’s no secret to significance outside of Jesus Christ. If you are trusting in Him and growing in grace, then you ARE living a life of purpose...the purpose for which you were made...to know the living God. And because of the blood of the lamb, you will dwell in the house of the Lord...forever.

Be at peace. 

Further Resources

This is a lot to process, so if you’d like a deeper dive into this topic, please check out the following resources.

“The Dream Destiny Burden: When False Dreams Become Real Nightmares” - by Steve Kozar

“The Radically Normal Life of the Christian” - by Tim Challies

“God Did Not Create You for a Purpose” - by Chris Rosebrough 

“Modern Spirituality and Your Mind” - by Voddie Baucham 

“What Does Sola Scriptura Mean?” - by John MacArthur

“Scripture Vs. Human Experience” - by Phil Johnson

“Hearing from Heaven: How to Know the Voice of God” - by Justin Peters

“Scripture’s Sufficiency for Sanctification” - by Mike Riccardi

[selemina]

Now if i can also ask about some of the other characters, Who's your character in that winter campaign, is he the four armed guy in the art you showed? What's his story?

Aaaah, mister Sephiran Krauss, my necromancer and first ever wizard! :D

Krauss is a Vedalken! :) Those are essentially the Vulkans of DnD : Blue skin, four arms, an unwavering focus, and an absence of expressed emotions. That whole picture up there would make him look like an over-reacting lunatic to his own kind, to give you an idea. XD

Krauss has one, very simple, but very ambitious dream : Record and know all of the spells in the world. The limiting factor, for him, is time ; vedalkens live a long time, but not nearly long enough to reach that goal. So? Extending his life is a necessity. How? Well, there is the classical lich-dom, but he’s not too much about that, not really... That would make the rest complicated... As it turns out, somewhere in Europe, the scientific community says they’re about to discover the secret to immortality! That would be ideal... But as he is traveling there, in the middle of summer, snow starts falling from the sky...

30 years pass, with him working in the mall community where the adventure starts. He is the community’s teacher : those kids will learn to read, count and have a notion of history, damnit, snow or not! He is also in charge of keeping the treadmill farm going for electricity, by making skeletons run on them until they break. His focus shifted rather drastically on necromancy, with the urgent need to find a solution to the sudden risk of dying the next day, but he is very open about it, and freely discusses it with anybody that asks, without making it wierd.

He also quickly noticed that his lack of expression was causing problems between him and the other passionate races (which was : everybody in the mall”, so he has been training for 30 years now to express his emotions in a way that puts others at ease. He’s still struggling with his centuries of being told to hide everything and be ashamed of any show of emotion, but he is fighting it. We had a moment of him going temporarely amnesiac, and he reverted back to his purely logical self... I like that it freaked people out so much, in the long list of mental ailment everybody had, it was addressed very early! XD He was not about to be dangerous, but NOBODY liked cold and rational Krauss! XD

In this campaign, we have (now 2) warlocks of the Archives :  a place where you can learn what you want, at a cost to your mental health. Temporary, but still scary... It’s where Krauss has been looking for the spell Clone, to have a backup in case he died, but anyways, remember the archives for later. ;)

FIRST, we need to talk about William of the Winter : the only person in 30 years to have a connection with the divine! The gods have been silent since the start of the winter, so realize : no healing magic, no clerical assistance, no resurrections or revivify! But here comes William, not even knowing he has clerical abilities as a divine soul sorcerer. People lose their shit. With the help of Krauss, he develops an imperfect resurrection spell, with a chance to fail and function as a Raise Dead spell. He then feels a pulse to go in an abandonned church where another PC used to live, where said PC’s husband, a cleric, was burried. Preparing for the resurrection, everybody does a little something to help, and Krauss heads over to the statue of the cleric’s god.

Now, as a logical individual, Krauss sees the gods as powerful entities, but not unfathomable or all-mighty. Faith is not his thing... but bargains can be struck. Without anybody to believe in them for 30 years, gods are almost powerless now, so Krauss “prays”, offering a deal : if the gods help in this resurrection, as a teacher he will teach his students about the pantheons, and see if some of them are interested in faith. A favor for a favor. And the offering bowl suddenly fills up with high quality gun powder (the temple was to a god of firearms, technolgy and community) as a sign.

The night before the resurrection, Krauss has a special dream : he’s on the plane of fire, and there is a big battle happening, in which a full group of heroes fights against an army of purple-coded invaders. Krauss manages to ask if this has anything to do with the Winter in some way, and he feels like the gods are saying yes.

The resurrection works fine, and they all go back to base with all of that in mind. On their next trip to the Archives, Krauss looks into those purple mages in the plane of Fire... and realizes there is no information there. Because the Void has swallowed this knowledge. The Void is, I believe, another reccurring element of @girugin‘s stories : a plane or something, that sometimes eats things : everything it eats gets erased from the world’s memory, aside from people with very direct, very intimate links with it. But if THEY forget it too, whatever the void has taken has no chance of escaping. Pulling knowledge from the void on something you’ve only seen in a prophetic dream sounds like madness... But Krauss starts working on it, driving himself up the wall for days to record into a book whatever knowledge he can pull from the void about those purple mage and their kind of magic he had never seen before.

His original intent, once he’s done with making the book, was to just read it and offer it back to the archives, as a gift (to make learning the clone spell easier), but there is another big player that is interrested by exclusive knowledge and its price : Newt, the patron of trades and deals. And more specifically, his representative in the community : an energetic Kobold called the Ecclectic. When trying to make a deal for a magical item to protect him, Krauss mentions the book he’s writting, and the Ecclectic immediately starts offering him a deal : Give HIM the book, instead of the archives. Pressed a bit more by Krauss he shares a bit more. He has a dept towards Newt that he desperately wants paid, and the archives might not be as safe to use as they seem... He’s willing to give everything he has to Krauss for the book, including a few items NOW before he decides who to give the book to. He also reveals a dangerous weak point of the Archives, and defense mechanism, that could probably end up killing Krauss if ever the Archives grew mad at him. Problem is, just by knowing of this defense mechanism, Krauss might be seen as dangerous by the archives...

Weighing all of it, Krauss decides ultimately to give the Ecclectic the book, and try to sell his knowledge of the Archives’ weak spot to Newt, insuring he wouldn’t be attacked by the archives if he went back. He’s still nervous about going back, sending one of the warlocks in with an offering of knowledge to test the waters. Apparently the Archives doesn’t mind him being around... but Krauss is VERY nervous still. XD He doesn’t remember why, but he knows he should tread carefully now.

Also, helping the Ecclectic made it so that he could regain his original form : an ancient metallic dragon (brass or copper, I never remember. XD) now more than happy to protect the community against the white dragon up north that was terrorizing the area! :) And that’s the story of how Krauss bought himself a boyfriend with knowledge from the Void! ;3c

The campaign is still ongoing, we should actually play it in an hour or so! :D But I doubt we’ll be getting anything new about the winter’s origins, I want the story to take some time to focus on other people now, Krauss has seen enough spotlight for the time being. :) Balance between players and screentime is very important, and getting A FULL-ASS DRAGON on our side seems like a big enough achievement for Krauss for now! XD

[jswdmb1]

Identical

I don't just know you, I've grown like that too...

If I don't dislike you, I'm withdrawn, unrighteous too...

I’m no prophet, I'm your friend

Take my advice, make your mistakes”

- Phoenix

Every four years, the PBS series “Frontline” presents an episode called “The Choice”.  It presents the two candidates running in that particular presidential election.  But, it is not a show about the current campaign, policy issues or even the politics behind the particular candidates.  It is instead a personal biography of each candidate up to the point of the current election told chronologically.  The show portrays each individual’s story back and forth as the years go on that allow the viewer to both understand the people behind the front their campaigns present, but also provides a unique opportunity to compare and contrast the two candidates.  I have watched this particular episode of Frontline in every presidential election dating back to 2000, and I find it to consistently be the single best source of information for me to decide (or confirm) which candidate I am to support in that year’s election.

I was going to pass on this year’s version as I didn’t think there was anything I could learn about either man, and my choice is already made, but I watched anyway.  I have to admit that I was surprised to pick up nuggets of information that were new to me such as that Joe Biden’s first wife and daughter were killed six weeks after his election to the Senate for the first time, or that Donald Trump’s mother fell ill when he was very small and was effectively absent for his nurturing years.  Those are facts that seemingly are unimportant when weighing which man to support in a presidential election, but I think we have all found out in the last four years that an individual’s personality, temperament, and morality are just as important as their stance on any issue or their knowledge of the inner workings of government.  In the example of this year’s election, it finally crystallized the stark difference between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that has made my decision for whom to vote so easy.

Let’s start with the challenger Biden.  If there are two things that are clear about Joe, it is 1) he makes a lot of mistakes, and 2) he has overcome quite a bit of adversity of the years whether they are of his own doing or not.  You can watch the show to see the examples of both, but Biden’s approach to problems in his life has been remarkably consistent.  First, he acknowledges the problem exists and that he has responsibility to address it.  Next, if it was a problem of his own doing, he owns up to it.  Often times, he does this quite clumsily and occasionally makes things worse, but he does, at a minimum, take responsibility.  Finally, once it is out there, he puts his head down and gets to work with an amazing ability to ignore the long odds that he may face or the chirping he hears in the background about how badly he messed up and/or how he will never make it right.  He simply has a fundamental belief that humans make mistakes and he is no exception to that rule.  At times, it would be refreshing if he demonstrated better that he learns from some of these mistakes so as not to repeat them, but there is at least a good faith effort even if the execution at times is mediocre.

There is no need to go into detail how Trump behaves whenever he is faced with a problem and it is well documented that he never admits to making a mistake (and likely doesn’t even believe he has ever made one).  There are daily examples of this behavior and running through the list at this point is massively unappealing.  What I do find interesting is why he is this way.  The show goes into great detail about the influence three men have had on his life. The first is his father Fred.  We all know his background and his ruthlessness in business and within his personal relationships and this was applied to each of his sons.  The first, Fred Jr., bristled at the notion of going into the family business, and became an airline pilot instead (a decision for which both father and brother Donald would mock him mercilessly and drove him to alcoholism and an early death).  Fred Sr. then set his sights on son #2 who was more than willing to take up the cause.  After a stint in military school that hardened his outlook on life and reduced what little emotional capacity he had, he moved into his father’s footsteps and practiced the approach that personal gain is everything and little else matters.

The second man was a lawyer named Roy Cohn.  Cohn rose to fame in the 1950s as Joseph McCarthy’s hatchet man in the blacklisting of innocent American citizens for unfounded (and mostly false) accusations of communism.  Despite the shame eventually brought upon him for that role, he rose to become one of the most powerful attorneys in New York.  A client of his was a young Donald Trump and Cohn taught him three things that helped him rise from the ashes: 1) deny anything that makes you look bad as even having happened 2) attack those that bring these things up and deflect the blame elsewhere, and 3) never take responsibility for your actions unless there is a transactional gain that serves you.  This has been Donald Trump’s blueprint his entire life and it can be found in his business, his marriages, and certainly his presidency.  He literally has never operated in a manner that is different in any aspect of his life, so the fact that this has come through during his time in the White House should be surprising to no one who witnessed him before his election.

The final man was the Rev. Norman Vincent Peale who was the pastor at the church Donald Trump attended for over 50 years.  Peale’s claim-to-fame was the publishing of a book The Power of Positive Thinking and the Trumps followed it like their bible.  Boiled down, the main tenant of the book was that one must think positively at all costs and negative thoughts must be barred from the mind or success cannot be achieved.  That seems okay on the surface, but it becomes a problem when situations require more effort than simply a good thought and a wish that it goes away.  This clearly explains Trump’s complete inability to handle the COVID-19 pandemic.  Even though he obviously intellectually understood the severity and danger of the virus from his recordings on the Woodward tapes, this brainwashing of Peale on the Trump family made it impossible for Donald to acknowledge that the problem existing in any way.  When combined with Cohn’s teachings on taking no responsibility and Fred Sr.’s example of bulldozing past anyone who disagrees with you (like a scientist or doctor), the end result of his response makes a lot of sense.  It’s why even when catching the disease himself, he views it as a positive event that only he could dream up.

I do find it curious that I spent three long paragraphs on Trump with only one brief paragraph on Biden, but that meshes with each approach they have on the basic issues of life as a human being which is confronting adversity and accepting that we do make mistakes.  Biden’s approach is simple and to the point, sometimes to a fault.  Trump has this complicated troika of mad men’s teachings running through his head when problems come up and it is no wonder he is paralyzed with inaction when it comes time to do something about it.  For me, this is the defining trait between the two men that seems to tower over everything else about them personally or this election in general.  The question then is what do we do with this information.

I’m certain it is obvious which way I am going to go, but it may surprise you why.  You see, I have struggled myself with some of these same issues that each man has faced.  Up until a few years ago, I actually would describe myself as really being more Trump-like in my approach to life than I really care to admit.  I rarely acknowledged I was wrong and often blamed others for problems that were within and could only be solved by the guy responsible for them in the first place – me.  This attitude prevented me from seeing what was the real root of my unhappiness and depression and did not allow for me to acknowledge that my drinking and moderate drug use had become a problem.  It wasn’t until everything broke down and I ended up in an intense six-week program of therapy and deep soul searching that I discovered that mistakes we make are what builds us up and not what tears us down.  Granted, we need to learn from those mistakes to become better people and achieve great things, but admitting responsibility is the only path to doing either of those things.  I know now after a few years that I will never get things totally right, but I can get up each day and at least try to improve on the one before.  At a minimum, I strive to not make things worse, and it all gives me strength to fight whatever demons I have head on.  It’s a trial-and-error approach for sure, but I don’t see how it can be done any other way.

And given where things are at now, I don’t see how any other approach can help us overcome the enormous problems we face at this time whether it be COVID-19, or the economy, or global warming, or any other massive threat we face right now.  There is no amount of positive thinking that will help us overcome any one of these things and clearly wishing the problems away (or denying they even exist) is not going to work.  We need someone who understands this and there is no doubt the current president has no ability to do so.  Joe Biden may not be perfect, and he is not going to get us all of the way there on likely any one thing, but we have to start somewhere.  And, if there is one thing that he is good at, it is looking at a big hill, putting his head down, and climbing up.  It’s not pretty, and it isn’t the easy thing to do, but it is what we need right now more than anything.  

That is a tough pill to swallow for many Americans who think their freedom is a birthright that requires no effort, but that fantasy has been squashed.  In three weeks, the choice is clear about what needs to be done and the decision is up to you: are you going to acknowledge fault and accept responsibility for our collective actions that have led us to this point and vote for Joe, or are you going to give Trump another four years by simply wishing that all our problems away (spoiler alert – they don’t)?  The politically correct thing to say at this point is that either way you decide please make sure you vote, but I cannot apply that here.  The stakes are too high and the path is too obvious – either vote for Joe or don’t vote at all.  That second option may be tough for some people to take, but consider it your first step on a long road to recovery and redemption not just for yourself but our nation.

Good luck, everyone, we are going to need it.

-        Jim

[lovehaswonangelnumbers]

New Post has been published on https://lovehaswonangelnumbers.org/a-massive-explosion-detected-in-ophiuchus/

A Massive Explosion Detected in Ophiuchus

A Massive Explosion Detected in Ophiuchus

ByMahala’s Astrology

Ophiuchus has held a special fascination in the Heavens for many people as the thirteenth sign of the zodiac. Here we have an image of a healer with two serpents representing the male and female forces which are the mirror of the Creator’s divine blueprint of life.

In my own explorations of Ophiuchus, I have felt him as a holographic representation of Moses holding the serpents and witnessing the burning bush. You might recall from the bible that Moses had a stutter and had also killed a man – you might say an unlikely candidate to be a primary prophet of God. It is in this part of his journey that God shows him two miracles – his staff turning to serpents and also the burning bush which doesn’t burn, to convince Moses to follow His will. As a result of Moses trusting God he is eventually able to liberate the Hebrew people from Egypt. This story has many metaphoric resonances for our time and if you haven’t looked at it as an adult delve into its profound mysteries.

The Goddess Asteroid Hygeia in my journey also connects to Ophiuchus. Hygeia was the daughter of Asclepius and again the symbol of the two serpents is connected to both figures. Hygiea, as the feminine counterpart, represents ancient lineage of healing that connects to sleep, dreams and altered brain wave states such as sound healing.

The BBC released this story of the huge explosion on the 22nd February 2020 – I’m not sure of the exact date it was discovered but given the numerology this is certainly a key date in which its impact filtered into our Earthly consciousness. 22 is the number in the Gene Keys which relates to the Opening of the Seven Seals. It coincided with New Moon in Pisces conjunct Neptune in the days that followed.

Supernova’s have been known to release incredible new information to human beings. For example, Human Design is said to have come from the Supernova of 1987 – the year of Harmonic Convergence. Many wonderful political events followed such as the Berlin Wall coming down and the end of Apartheid. The system of the Gene Keys then emerged from Human Design and is a system I myself follow and am infinitely fascinated by as it is all about unlocking the potential for light within our DNA.

It is a struggle to find harmony at the moment but that is I feel the essence of the work. In the post-election depression in the UK many people on the more progressive end have completely withdrawn from the media and politics – perhaps not such a bad thing. It is a fight sometimes to reach for love for the ‘other’ voters and for authorities who seem hell bent on harming both vulnerable people and the environment. The new government has started their rule with deporting many people from the Caribbean who have lived here all their lives. There is a hostility towards other Europeans, for example one commentator said how we can all go back to enjoying shopping again once other European’s have left. That is certainly not how I feel, I celebrate living in a diverse humanity. Britain like America is a split society at this time and the parallels are striking,

The BBC and media are also under attack and much like Apartheid South Africa, there are moves to control exactly what the media can and cannot say. Despite this though, the Prophetic side of me hears God whispering hope, knows that Christ is right here – is us all – for those who have ears to hear.

I recently discovered a wonderful audio book of an interview with Brother Gregg who runs an awesome project called Home Boys in Los Angeles, and the Buddhist teacher Pema Chodrin, who I often feel saved my life in the years I was an adoptive mother. The audio book is called Creating a Culture of Tenderness and by the end of listening to it I was right in that place of harmony. The job is to stay there!

Back to the explosion in Ophiuchus that was so enormous at first astronomers dismissed that it could be an explosion at all. It is 5 times bigger than anything previously seen and is more akin to the Big Bang happening again. Using low frequency radio wave telescopes astronomers have figured it out.

What does this mean for humanity? God works in mysterious ways, but I feel sure that perhaps many of us are receiving this download right now. We can certainly tune into it and see what emerges from that ‘void’ space. What has been birthed?

Below is an excerpt from the jovianarchive.comwebsite

Ra Uru Hu was not your traditional mystic: “I was conditioned to believe that science fiction was a genre of literature, that mystical revelation was simply a more antiquated form of the same, and that God, if not dead, was most likely a concept. On the evening of January 3, 1987, all that changed.” Previously a sceptic who didn’t believe in the mystical or even follow astrology, living as a hermit on the island of Ibiza, Ra’s experience changed him dramatically. He spent the next 23 years becoming the world-renowned messenger of the penetratingly accurate, immensely detailed Human Design System, which describes the mechanics of our being.

According to the source of the Human Design System, “The Voice” originated from a supernova – the death of a star. Scientists named it 1987A. This supernova’s last breath bombarded our planet with subatomic particles that transmitted the entire system into Ra Uru Hu, and seeded all of us with its information. One of the first things it told Ra was that the big bang was our universes conception point, and it has yet to be born. (My words – could this be the birth?)

Here is a link to the original BBC report https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51669384.

Here is a link to the Gene Keys web site https://genekeys.com.

By Alison Dhuanna

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[poisonquill]

                                       QUEEN OF THE QUILLS.                                         rita alvera skeeter. twenty five.                                               creative. silver tongued. resourceful.                                                 corrupt. cruel. vindictive. selfish.                                                  reporter. columnist. gossip icon.                                                        death eater collaborator.

                                                             too bad. so sad.

playlist pinterest 

soft betrayal, mom jeans and high heels, long nails tapping impatiently against paper, organized chaos, quietly humming while ruining yet another life ( piece by piece ), ancient typewriters, never getting your hands dirty ( but your hands are stained red, regardless ), the devil’s favorite weapon is a quill, coffee that burns your tongue, burying yourself in strangers, chasing stories, the sweet taste of destruction, heart shaped lollipops, sunkissed shoulders, blurred lines between right and wrong, dog eared pages, blowing bubbles, fake smiles, the color of dark oceans, running in high heels, slowly becoming an empty shell of a girl, sour ambition, ‘my heart will leave you blistered and stained’, roses tucked behind ears, revenge in a tea cup, backhanded compliments, writing and writing and writing until your heart bleeds, scribbled notes in margins, blood red lips..... and how you’re so afraid that you think it might just break you ( luckily, villains don’t break that easily ).

LINDSEY MORGAN? No, that’s actually RITA SKEETER from the MARAUDERS ERA. You know, the child of ADRIANNA VARGAS (NEE SKEETER) and DIEGO VARGAS? Only 25 years old, this SLYTHERIN alumni works as an REPORTER and is sided with THE NEUTRALS / HERSELF ONLY. SHE identifies as a CIS WOMAN and is a HALFBLOOD who is known to be VINDICTIVE, CRUEL, and CORRUPT but also SILVER TONGUED, CHARMING, and RESOURCEFUL. — &&. ( LIZ, GMT+2, SHE/HER, 22. )

BACK TO BASICS.

name: margarita alvera skeeter. born name: margarita vargas. occupation: journalist. nicknames: rita, ree.

+ creative, silver tongued, resourceful, charming and bright. - two faced, cruel, vindictive, selfish and scheming.

age: 25. date of birth: december 31. zodiac: capricorn. hometown: acapulco, mexico. current location: lives across the street from the ministry in an apartment she can most definitively not afford. gender: cis female. pronouns: she/her. orientation: bisexual. allegiance: herself only. but she collaborates with the death eaters frequently, as she will write anything that they want. spoken languages: spanish ( native language ), english ( fluently ), french ( sufficient ). moral alignment: neutral evil. - A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience (x).

element: water. house: slytherin.

BACKGROUND & FAMILY.

so. margarita vargas was born as the youngest of five daughters. she grew up in the coastal city of acapulco, located in mexico, and her first few years were spent in absolute bliss. her father, a muggle man, was a famous - and later, infamous, televangelist. diego vargas was known all over mexico for his weekly broadcasted church service, and became very rich for it. what did he do with this wealth? well, for the most part, he spoiled his family rotten.

the vargas girls were the perfect daughters, as was expected of them. they grew up in the public eye, attending sermons, smiling pretty, posing for elaborately staged family portraits. and always, always saying the right things. like pretending that they were being sent off to a christian girl’s school every year, instead of attending illvermorny.

mr. vargas married adrianna vargas knowing full well that she was a witch, and intended to take full advantage of that. and adrianna was happy to make diego’s life easier, because she loved him. but more than anything, she loved him for his fame, his money, his success.

unfortunately for the vargas, everything came crumbling down when rita was eight. then, it became public knowledge that her father was heavily involved in financing and also collaborating with several corrupt political bodies which aimed to cause mayhem, destruction and terror within the country.

so the vargas fell from grace, and out of favor in the public eye. mr. vargas faced jail time, lost all of his sponsors, and suddenly didn’t seem so appealing to mrs vargas anymore. so adrianna packed up her bags, took her daughters, changed their names and moved to england. and so margarita vargas found herself with a new identity - rita skeeter.

after that, she would never see her father again. her mother never spoke of him ( like most things, in the skeeter household - problems were buried but never forgotten ), and refused to acknowledge his existence.

their new life was a sharp contrast to their past, which would come to seem like a blurry dream. while the vargas had bathed in luxury and money, the skeeters kinda struggled financially. her mother was fueled by fury - angry with a man that had humiliated her, taken advantage of her, left her with nothing. so she vowed to never be dependent on anyone else ever again. she found herself a job, and set up a new life for herself and her daughters, one that wasn’t focused on the saintly teachings of her ex-husband. instead, adrianna skeeter drilled into her daughters that success, power and glory was all that mattered. everything else, even family, comes second. you can only depend on yourself.

so, the skeeter girls became competitive. cut throat. dangerous. her sisters’ names can be read in the highest offices of britain, in politics, in the nicest corporate offices in london. but they also hardly ever speak to each other, anymore.

HOGWARTS YEARS.

she arrives at hogwarts ready to prove herself. show that she’s just as good as her sisters, if not better.

but she soon realizes that she falls painfully short — that she isn’t the brightest of the skeeter bunch, that she isn’t the most talented witch. hell, she doesn’t even place second.

so what does she do? she plays dumb. pretends that she’s just a pretty face. it’s just a fluke that she’s getting high grades - it’s not that she sits up all night studying. or that she manages to bribe and cheat her way into getting a time turner by her fourth year. she’s working herself into the ground, but refuses to let anyone know. it’s better, that way.

really though, pride isn’t the sin that will hang rita. she’s playing the long game, and comes to realize that no one doubts a pretty, senseless girl. so that is what she shall be.

she gets through hogwarts on dirty tricks and hard work, but makes it look effortless.

around hogwarts, she was known as quite the party girl, always looking to have a good time. maybe a little too good of a time, actually. her reputation always walked the line, on that one.

she acts drunker than she is, but is careful to always remain sharp. most people think of her as baby skeeter - fun, but harmless. for rita, secrets become a currency.

and so she moves through different social circles, shedding her personality like a snake sheds its skin, all to fit in with any crowd, any house. she loses herself somewhere along the way - at this point, rita doesn’t know who she is. but that’s just as well. rita skeeter has never let anyone in, and she never will.

a new name appears in the school paper around rita’s fourth year. bridget higgins writes the stories that are on everyone’s lips, but no one knows who she is. obviously it’s rita.

by her seventh year, rita manages to become an animagus, and a royal blue beetle begins its reign. miss higgins’ stories become more and more elaborate, more daring, more scandalous. by the end of her time at hogwarts, rita is already writing in blood, destroying lives through the flick of her quill.

AFTER HOGWARTS.

rita started interning at witch weekly during the summers after her fifth year at the school. she wrote short fluff pieces about fashion.

after graduating, rita started working as a columnist for witch weekly. she wrote a popular gossip column about popular famous witches and wizards, but also dipped her toes into the pool of wizard politics in britain.

eventually, she came to take on a second job at the daily prophet. she stretches herself too thin, but she makes it work. somehow.

at the daily prophet, she writes more political stories. zeroes in on the ministry. asks uncomfortable questions. shows up where she is definitively not allowed to be. she becomes a pain in the ass like no other, and writes exposés that become notorious for putting people in tight spots.

many at the ministry treat her like crap, like a bug that needs to be squashed. she realizes quickly that they have little respect for her, and she is quite happy to return the favor. if they treat her like she’s awful, she might as well be just that.

her stories aren’t entirely fabricated —- every story that she writes has a seed of truth in it. just enough to make it believable.

most of it is bullshit though, but to stir the pot, she every now and then drops something that is very accurate. sometimes she does it to help the order. sometimes she does it to help herself or the death eaters. but there is always a motive behind it.

eventually gets involved with the death eaters. didn’t actually mean to, but fucked with the wrong person at the ministry !!! now she’s under their thumb and it kinda sucks but she’s also not that mad about it because she gets some ~~~~carefully selected~~~ information in return. so she basically writes whatever the fuck the death eaters want her to write.

rita started out with the goal of doing good reporting, but realized quickly that those stories did not sell papers and gained little interest from the public. so she turns to sensationalism, doesn’t see the harm in spinning her stories a little further than necessary. which soon spiraled out of control.

RITA’S FUTURE ( 1998 and forward. )

rita skeeter goes missing in 1999 and is rumored to be laughing all the way to the bank because the biographies she wrote on harry potter, albus dumbledore and severus snape sold MILLIONS. new books by rita skeeter resurfaces every few years, but no one ever sees her again. conspiracy theorists are sure that she was murdered ( and her books are now penned by a ghost writer ), but others say that she’s off on an island somewhere.

THE TIME CLASH.

so ------ rita is pulled from her youth, straight into the future. it’s a bit of a shock, of course.

rita is a reporter first, everything else second. so what does she do? RESEARCH. looks around. tries her best to figure shit out. makes diligent notes of everything that has gone wrong, and everything that has gone right. she researches her future self. she researches everything her future self has written.

most of all, i think she adapts. to the muggle technology, mostly, but also to the new world order.

AS A PERSON.

holds a grudge like no other !!

other talents include backstabbing and lying!

lowkey mean. lol.

only does what serves her best : ~)

neutral evil thank u

never sleeps? runs on coffee and caffeine pills

has never done a selfless thing in her entire life

daddy issues 4 sure

super good at faking niceness!!! it’s a talent, really

most stubborn gal ever, try to change her mind

doesn’t actually realize that she’s the villain

always playing dirty

*sombra vc*: where’s the fun in playing fair?

has like three cents to her name at all times :/

always working a fucking angle and plays the long game.

loves attention!!!

cut throat, will drop u so fast !!!

very bi 

loves hearing her own voice!!!

but also very observant and can shut up if she knows that’s more beneficial to her !!

the type of person to take and take and take until u are left with absolutely nothing

10000% her parents’ daughter !!! takes after them both.

very determined!!!

doesn’t really believe in what voldemort is doing, but also isn’t personally invested enough to properly care.

trust issues!!

not so much motivated by money ( she’s broke ) as she is by fame. could have something to do with her past idk.

possibly the most selfish girl on the planet?

FAVORITE CHARACTER TROPES.

THE DARK CHICK - good at reading emotions, resolving fights and weaponizing her strengths — all the while keeping an eye on what she considers to be the bigger picture.

FEMME FATALE - ‘first she turns you on, then she turns on you.’

INTREPID REPORTER - a troublemaker sort of journalist.

THEN LET ME BE EVIL - any sense of good reporting and morals gets broken down by being treated like crap by presumptuous forces of good for too long. aka everyone telling her she’s shit.

CONSUMMATE LIAR - a liar so good you never want to play poker with them because you’d go home without your underwear and short next week’s paycheck.

BITCH IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING - wears a thousand masks to hide her true colors.

THE POWER OF ACTING - a character who acts her way through life.

NO FACE UNDER THE MASK - does the real rita skeeter even exist? who is she? can she remember her true personality? probably not.

THE EVIL PRINCE - a character that knows they’re meant for greatness, but there are a lot of other… less great characters in their way. if only these characters could be “persuaded” to move, then nothing would stand in their way to the throne. ;)

CHRONIC BACKSTABBING DISORDER - someone who constantly and successfully betrays their allegiances. switches sides as frequently as she switches clothes. what is loyalty?

AMBIGUOUSLY EVIL - it’s never quite made clear what side she is truly on? sike, she’s playing for both teams !!!

HEEL / FACE REVOLVING DOOR - morality is grey, and this character switches sides so often that in the long run, they end up… just not having one.

THE CORRUPTER - the metaphorical devil on your shoulder.

THE CON ARTIST - selling lies so outrageous they can’t possibly be true, but still getting away with it.

CHARACTER INFLUENCES.

SOMBRA ( overwatch ) - always got another dirty trick up her sleeve, kinda selfish, always infiltrating something, out there manipulating those in power hell yeah

KELLY KAPOOR ( the office )- the narcissism, the many layers, the gossip, the jealousy, the drama, the lies, ‘i don’t talk trash, i talk smack. they’re totally different’.

CONNOR WALSH ( htgawm ) - wow i can’t believe rita skeeter is connor walsh?? either way. so sly, bit of a slut, utterly shameless, lies a lot, doesn’t care too much about other people, very confident, bit over emotional at times. gets whatever the fuck they set their mind on. the ends justify the means, always.

MARGAERY TYRELL ( game of thrones ) - the cleverness, the manipulation, the scheming.

HERA ( the goddess ) - the vengeance, the viciousness, the jealousy.

DEBBIE EAGAN ( glow ) - lowkey thinks the world revolves around her. bit manipulative. really ambitious. kinda cut throat. ready to throw anyone under the bus to get places.

JESSICA HAMBY ( true blood ) - the strict religious upbringing, the rebellion, the occasional softness.

ALISON DILAURENTIS ( pretty little liars ) - the bitchiness, the cruelty, the constantly shifting personas, the lies.

CHANEL OBERLIN ( scream queens ) - really ruthless, can be quite mean, bit narcissistic.

LIRA ( to kill a kingdom ) - the siren!!!! singing (aka writing) people to their undoings!!!! with little to no remorse!!! hell yeah

LAUREL CASTILLO ( htgawm ) - a snake that is good at hiding under the radar, kind of shady, highly manipulative, bounces back and forth between allegiances.

JACKIE BURKHART ( thats 70s show ) - the STYLE!!!!!!!! the narcissism! the manipulation! the greed!

[michigantomexicali-blog]

Trusting God in Infertility

I rolled my eyes as I read the words “Wait five years.” I knew by the handwriting it was my grandfather who wrote it. Instead of writing a baby name suggestion like everyone else, he wanted to give advice on when we should have kids. It’s family and I guess that’s normal. Everyone else at our wedding suggested names like Bertha, Paco, or their own name because it is such an honor to name our children after them...

I knew that once my husband and I were married it wouldn't be long before we would get pregnant. I never took birth control and we were always open to the idea that if it happened we would be happy even if it was an accident. In our first year of marriage, we did what we had to do to avoid getting pregnant. As our first anniversary came around, we started to talk about trying to have children. Confident and happy we enjoyed every moment of it. I read every book you can read before getting pregnant and asked all my friends with kids about what kinds of prenatal vitamins they took. I even began dreaming of what the nursery would look like because I was going to be pregnant soon and I wanted to be more than prepared.  

Just like someone who gets diagnosed with a sickness, never thinking it could happen to them, I never had a thought in my mind that getting pregnant would be something difficult. With my strong faith convictions, trouble getting pregnant wasn’t even on my radar. After all, in high school, my friends would always laugh and say that my babies would just drop out of me because of my wide hips.  

It’s insane that time has gone by so fast, but here we are five years later and it seems like my grandfather's suggestion became more like a prophecy. I’ve never publicly shared anything about this issue because I always believed that when the positive pregnancy test happened, when the miracle finally came, when it became a testimony not just a test, then I would share it. But I’ve simply changed my mind. So at the end of this story, you will not find out that I am pregnant because as of now there is no bun in the oven.

Not getting pregnant is the first thing in my life that I’ve had no control over. If I've had relationship issues, I fixed it. Job problems, I found a new job. Money issues, I worked it out. However, when you encounter something you can’t control and your faith seems to be challenged more than ever... it changes you. For the first time in my life, my “authority as a believer” hasn't done the trick. No matter how positive I’ve thought, how much I’ve confessed, how hard I’ve believed, I am still not pregnant.

Faith is what my entire life is built upon. If I don't have faith, I have nothing. That is the thing, I’ve seen it work so much in my life that I know it’s real and it does have power. When I was younger, if I asked for something in faith, it happened. When I asked God for a car to go to bible school, I received it without paying a dollar. I asked for my entire tuition to be paid for and weeks later, supernaturally, it was paid off. I prayed for the job I interviewed for and you guessed it, I got it. You couldn’t convince me otherwise that faith doesn’t work.    

Yet, it seems I haven't had a period in the past three years where I don’t cry. It’s like clockwork, I feel the cramps, try to fight it, hoping that it’s just an early pregnancy sign and then bam, there it is and I'm crying on the bathroom floor. This last month was just plain deceiving. I was four days late and began to think that this could be it, but it ended up just being an evil game.

Infertility is extremely difficult because of the emotional turmoil. Hopes are high every month and then they get thrown on the floor and stomped on every twenty-eight days and it is an intense roller coaster of emotions. Plus, every girlfriend who was with you trying to get pregnant together when you first started is already on their third kid. It is the most insane emotional experience I’ve ever been through.

So, when I need guidance I look to one-of-two places, the bible, and my husband. Yes, I said husband, and thank God for husbands, real men who are there with you through it all. Their friendship and love are priceless. They deserve so much just for living with us hormone-crazy women. I find myself saying things like, “I am so angry!! Baby can you make me some dinner, please.” Like I have no idea...but for now, I’ll blame my hormones.

Anyways, many people in the Bible faced circumstances that were out of their control, including infertility. Yes, as much as I believe the spike in infertility is probably something in the water, thousands of years ago women were struggling to get pregnant, including Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth. They each were getting older and there was no baby in sight. Each had their doubts, Sarah even laughed when God told her that he would give her a child. Yet, suddenly, God came through and made it happen.

It brings me to my favorite word, TRUST. It’s been one of my deepest convictions since I was a child. Trusting God is something that comes naturally to me. After years of building my faith, it is a part of who I am. I have renewed my mind in the Word of God. Believing that God will take care of me and that His plans are good has become easy. These women also had to learn to trust God. They trusted that He was faithful and that He was a giver of good gifts. You know, faith comes through hearing the Word over and over again, so if you’re looking to get more faith, keep reading the Word, going to church, and start now by confessing that you trust God no matter what and He is going to work out your situation.

Let’s take a moment to look at the sons God gave to these women because you’re going to find out that these barren women gave birth to some amazing men. Sarah’s son, Isaac, was the promised son from God to Abraham and became a foundational ancestor of the nation of Israel. Rachel and Jacob’s son, Joseph, got sold by his brothers into slavery and ended up becoming the second in command of all Egypt, saving the nation of Isreal during a seven-year famine. Hannah and Elkanah’s son, Samuel, was dedicated to the Lord and became a prophet to all Israel who then anointed King Saul and King David. Elizabeth and Zachariah’s son, John, was spoken about by Jesus using these words, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.” Matthew 11:11

It blows my mind that these women who had the same struggle that I find myself in today, had crazy world-changing, history-altering, God-given babies. We don’t know the details of their stories, but we do know that they had a desire to be moms and God fulfilled it with a bonus of having children who changed the world. I’m sure those women all shed many tears, felt discouraged, alone, and felt like life was simply unfair. I know that is how I’ve felt many times, but we have to remember that weeping only happens for a moment and joy comes in the morning.

Many women I know today who struggled through infertility are either pregnant as I write this or have already become mamas. My sister-in-law Elizabeth is now pregnant after eight years! Praise God! God cares and His sovereignty and grace are real. I don’t know when I’ll have my miracle, but I do have a testimony even if my miracle hasn’t happened yet, and it is this; that I am still here, still trusting, not turning my back on His word, and like a child, I will still believe for what I am asking for.

It is time to hold on and believe that God hears us and will answer our prayers.

-Morgan Gutierrez   

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?    How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,  and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

 But I trust in your unfailing love;    my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing the Lord’s praise,    for he has been good to me.

Psalms 13 New International Version 

[kevinvoiceofdesertbluffs]

135 - The Mudstone Abyss, Part 1

OH! Oh man! It’s Desert Bluffs! And Kevin is back for a three-parter! Yay!

Just this episode alone is filled brim with information, woah. We got some nice parallels between DB and NV, insights into Kevin and the Smiling God, as well as just some nice tidbits of information. I'll start off with the parallels (in chronological order as they appear into episode), then go into the insights, and finish off with some musings and speculations.

Strap in, boys, girls, and everyone beyond!

Minor tidbits:

The sun is forever up, it seems. Never sets, always in the sky.

Everyone in Desert Bluffs has the same (rather disturbing) dream every night.

Desert Bluffs is going swell - they even have a church! Oh boy, the Temple of Joy, more on that in the Kevin section.

Parallels:

Grandma Josephine. I believe she was mentioned before, but this is interesting. She has Demons living with her, whom it is legal to acknowledge. The demons help her around the house. Seems... nice...

Charles the theologist. We have all been theologists at one point or another in our lives, of course. His teeth are like a steinway, his smile is perfect... Kevin is interested in him, and maybe, just maybe, Charles is interested in Kevin. More on him in the Kevin section.

The mayor wants to build a library. Kevin convinces her to instead build a monument to the Smiling God. A chasm. A Mudstone Abyss. The construction will take a year, and all citizens must work on it. I’m mentioning it here because it is a rather direct parallel to the Brownstone Spire. Not sure what that means. More on the Abyss in the Kevin section.

Before we move on to the most important section and discussion - the weather is pretty nice. Moreover, the background music for Desert Bluffs is AMAZING. Disparition has done a real good job on this.

Kevin and the Smiling God: This episode gives us a loooot of insight into the Smiling God, and Kevin as well. This DB is not controlled by Strex. It is its own beast. Now, I forget what exactly happened to the Smiling God - whether it had been destroyed or just banished, and if it was even connected to Strex. I think... I think it’s connected to Kevin.

During this episode, Kevin, as always, wants everyone to smile and be happy. He doesn’t like it when people are sad. And they are sad at one point. They want a library, not forced labour on a religious monument. But, Kevin comes forth, gives a hearty speech, the City Council (all of whom are Kevin’s friends as well as members of the Temple of Joy) enforce approve of the Mudstone Abyss, and some members of the Temple of Joy even subdue protesters! At the end of Kevin’s speech, everyone is smiling.

It is very clear that something is... off about this. Something Kevin doesn’t seem to realize. He speaks to the mayor and the mayor immediately changes her plans. When he steps to the microphone to give his speech, there are gasps in the audience.

Kevin has, simply put, power. I’m not sure if he realizes this, though. He just does things for his god. Actually... what if Kevin is his god? Or, well, at least some sort of prophet. Whatever the case, this new Desert Bluffs is in for a ride.

Moreover, this is another parallel. Everything in DB is in juxtaposition to NV, of course. So, take Cecil and Kevin. Cecil is the voice of Night Vale. He speaks for the people, the community, but he speaks as one of them. He’s reactionary to what is happening, just reporting as is his duty, and being a citizen. Kevin, on the other hand, is the voice of Desert Bluffs, and that means he really is their voice. What he says comes to pass. Whether he wills it to existence, or they obey out of fear, that’s up to debate, but he clearly has some influence here.

Welp! So much for Part 1. It is a three-parter, and I couldn’t be more excited for more, oh me oh my.

One last thing: these episodes will be somehow connected to It Devours I bet, though I have not read the book, so someone more knowledgeable than me could add to this. Personally I don’t mind spoilers.

[pope-francis-quotes]

7th May >> (@Pontifex) #Pope Francis #PopeFrancis Faith must lead us believers to see other persons as our brothers and sisters that we need to support and love. #ApostolicJourney #NorthMacedonia

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO BULGARIA AND NORTH MACEDONIA

[5-7 MAY 2019]

ECUMENICAL AND INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS

Pastoral Centre (Skopje)

Tuesday, 7 May 2019

[Multimedia]

Dear Friends,

Having these meetings always gives me joy and hope. Thank you for making this possible and offering me this opportunity. I am very grateful for your dance – so beautiful – and for your questions. I knew about these questions: I received them and thought about them, and so I have prepared some points to reflect with you on these questions.

I will begin with the last question: after all, as the Lord said, the last shall be first! Liridona, after you shared your hopes with us, you asked me: “Am I dreaming too much?” A very fine question, and I would like all of us to answer it together. What do you think? Is Liridona dreaming too much?

Let me tell you that one can never dream too much. One of the big problems people have today, including so many young people, is that they have lost their ability to dream. They don’t dream, either much or little. When someone does not dream, when a young person does not dream, that empty space gets filled with complaints and a sense of hopelessness or sadness. “We can leave that to those who worship the ‘goddess of lament’… She is a false goddess: she makes you take the wrong road. When everything seems to be standing still and stagnant, when our personal issues trouble us, and social problems do not meet with the right responses, it does no good to give up” (Christus Vivit, 141). This is why, dear Liridona, dear friends, a person can never, never dream too much. Try to think of your greatest dreams, like Liridona’s dream – do you remember it? To give hope to a weary world, together with others, both Christians and Muslims. This is certainly a very fine dream. She didn’t think about little things, “on the ground level”, but she dreamed in a big way and you, young people, should dream big.

A few months ago, a friend of mine, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and I had a dream much like yours, that made us want to make a commitment and sign a document that says that faith must lead us believers to see other persons as our brothers and sisters. As brothers and sisters that we need to support and love, without letting ourselves be manipulated by petty interests.[1] We are old and it’s not the age to have dreams, but you, please dream and dream big!

This makes me think of what Bozanka told us. She said that, as young people, you like adventures. I am glad about that, for it is a beautiful way to be young: to experience an adventure, a good adventure. Young people do not fear making of their lives a good adventure. So I would ask you: what adventure requires more courage than the dream that Liridona shared with us, the dream of giving hope to a weary world? Our world is weary; our world has become old. The world is divided, and we can be tempted to keep it divided, and to become divided ourselves. There are those adults who want us to be divided; be on your guard. Yet how forcefully do we hear our Lord’s words: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9)! What can give us more excitement than being committed daily to becoming faithful builders of dreams, artisans of hope? Dreaming helps us to keep alive our certainty that another world is indeed possible, and that we are called to get involved, to help build that world through our work, our efforts and our actions.

In this country, you have a fine tradition of stonecarving, practised by artisans skilled at cutting stone and working it. We need to become like those craftsmen, to become expert carvers of our own dreams. We need to work at our dreams. A stonecarver takes a stone in his hands and slowly begins to shape and transform it with concentration and effort, and especially with a great desire to see how that stone, which no one thought was worth anything, can become a work of art.

“Our best dreams are only attained through hope, patience and commitment, and not in haste, like these artisans. At the same time, we should not be hesitant, afraid to take chances or make mistakes. No, do not be afraid. Rather, we should fear experiencing the paralysis of the living dead, who have no life because they are afraid to take risks. And young people who do not take risks are dead. Some don’t want to take risks because they don’t want to persevere in their commitments or they fear making mistakes. Even if you make mistakes, you can always get up and start over, for no one has the right to rob you of hope” (cf. Christus Vivit, 142). Don’t allow yourselves to be robbed of hope. Dear young people, don’t be afraid to become artisans of dreams and of hope! Agreed?

“Certainly, as members of the Church, we should not stand apart from others. All should regard us as friends and neighbours, like the apostles, who, as the Bible says, ‘enjoyed the good will of all the people’ (Acts 2:47; cf. 4:21.33; 5:13). Yet at the same time we must dare to be different, to point to ideals other than those of this world, testifying to the beauty of generosity, service, purity, perseverance, forgiveness, fidelity to our personal vocation, the beauty of prayer, the pursuit of justice and the common good, the beauty of love for the poor, and social friendship” (ibid., 36)”.

Think of Mother Teresa: when she lived here, she could not have imagined where her life would have ended up. Yet she kept dreaming and tried to see the face of her great love, Jesus, and to discover it in all those people on the sides of the road. She dreamed in a big way, and this is why she also loved in a big way. She had her feet firmly planted here, in her native land, but she didn’t stand still. She wanted to be “a pencil in the hands of God”. This was the dream she crafted. She offered it to God, she believed in it, she suffered for it, and she never gave it up. And God began to write new and amazing pages of history with that pencil; a woman from your land, who dreamed, who wrote great things. It is God who wrote them but she dreamed and allowed herself to be guided by God.

Each of you is called, like Mother Teresa, to work with your hands, to take life seriously and make something beautiful of it. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of our dreams (cf. Christus Vivit, 17); be on your guard. Let us not deprive ourselves of the newness that the Lord wants to give us. You will encounter many, many unexpected twists and turns in life, but it is important to face them and find creative ways of turning them into opportunities. But never alone! No one can fight alone. As Dragan and Marija told us: “our communion gives us strength to face the challenges of today’s society”.

Taking up what Dragan and Marija said: “Our communion gives us the strength to face the changes of contemporary society”. Here is a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure. No one can face life in isolation; no one can live the life of faith or realize his or her dreams alone, without leaving home, without being part of a community, alone at heart or at home, enclosed and isolated behind four walls. We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead.

How important it is to dream together! Just as you are doing today: everyone together, here in one place, without barriers. Please, dream together, not by yourselves; dream with others, never against others! Dream with others and never against others! By yourselves, you risk seeing mirages, seeing things that are not there. Dreams are built together.

A few minutes ago we saw two children playing here. They wanted to play, to play together. They didn’t go to play on their computers, they wanted to play for real! We observed them: they were happy, content. Because they dreamed of playing together, with one another. Did you see this? Yet, at a certain point, one of them realized that the other was stronger, and instead of dreaming with the other, began to dream against the other, and tried to overcome the other. And that joy changed as we saw the weaker one in tears, on the floor. You saw how we can pass from dreaming with others to dreaming against others. Never dominate others! Build up community with others: this is the joy of moving ahead. This is very important. Dragan and Marija have told us how difficult this can be, when everything conspires to isolate us and deprive us of the opportunity to encounter one another, the opportunity of “dreaming with others”. Now at my age (and I am not young!), do you want to know what I think was the best lesson I ever learned? It was how to talk to people “face-to-face”. We have entered into the digital age, but actually we know very little about communication. Many contacts, but we communicate little. We are all “connected”, but not really “involved” with one another. Getting involved requires life; it calls for being there and sharing the good times but also the not so good times. At last year’s Synod on young people, we were able to have the experience of meeting one another face to face, both the young and the not-so-young. We were able to listen to one another, to dream together and to look to the future with hope and gratitude. That was the best antidote to discouragement and manipulation, to too many contacts without communication, to the culture of the ephemeral and to all those false prophets who proclaim only misfortune and destruction. The antidote is listening, listening to one another. And now, let me tell you something I feel very strongly about: give yourselves a chance to share and enjoy a good “face-to-face” with everyone, but especially with your grandparents, with the elderly of your community. Perhaps some of you have heard me say this, but for me that is an antidote to those who would lock you up in the present, overwhelming you with pressures and demands, all in the name of an alleged happiness, as if the world is about to end and you have to experience everything right away. In the long run, this creates anxiety, dissatisfaction and a sense of hopelessness. For a heart tempted by hopelessness, there is no better remedy than listening to the experiences of older people.

Dear friends, spend time with the elderly, listen to their stories, which may sometimes seem a bit unreal but in fact are full of rich experiences, eloquent symbols and a hidden wisdom waiting to be discovered and appreciated. Those stories take time to tell (cf. Christus Vivit, 195). Don’t forget the old saying that a little person can see further by standing on the shoulders of a giant. In this way, you will gain a new and broader vision. Enter into the wisdom of your people, your community, enter without shame or hesitations, and you will discover an unexpected source of creativity which will prove most fulfilling. It will let you perceive paths where others see barriers, possibilities where others see threats, resurrection where so many proclaim only death.

For this reason, dear young people, I tell you to speak with your grandparents and with your elders. They are your roots, the roots of your history, the roots of your people, the roots of your families. You should hold on tight to your roots to receive the sap that will make the tree grow, flourish and bear fruit, but always holding onto your roots. I do not say that you should go underground with those roots: no, not this. But you should journey and listen to these roots and take from them the strength needed to grow, to move forward. If a tree’s roots are cut off, that tree dies. If your roots as young people are cut off, which are the roots of the history of your people, you will die. Yes, you will live, but without bearing fruit: your country, your people will not be able to bear fruit because you have removed yourselves from your roots.

When I was a child, we were told at school that when the Europeans went to discover America, they took with them coloured glass. This was shown to the Indians, to the indigenous peoples, and they were enthralled by the coloured glass which they had never seen before. And these Indians forgot their roots and bought this glass in exchange for gold. So gold was robbed by means of coloured glass. The glass was a novelty and they gave everything to have this novelty which was worth nothing. You, young people, please be on your guard, because today also there are those who want to conquer, those who want to colonize, offering you coloured glass: this is ideological colonization. They will come to you and say: “No, you must be a more modern people, more advanced, take these things and take a new path, forget older things: progress ahead!” And what should you do? Discern. What this person is bringing to me, is it a good thing, something in harmony with the history of my people? Or is it “coloured glass”? In order for you not to be tricked, it’s important to speak to the elderly, speak to those who will pass onto you the history of your people, the roots of your people. Speak to the elderly, in order to grow. Speak to our history in order to make it develop. Speak to our roots in order to produce flowers and fruits.

And now I have to finish, because we are running out of time. But I want to confess this to you: from the beginning of this meeting with you, I have been distracted by something. I was looking at this lady here in front of me; she is expecting a baby. She is waiting for a baby to be born, and perhaps one of you could think: “What a hardship, poor woman, how great will be her work!” Does any of you think this? No. No one thinks: “Oh she will have sleepless nights due to her crying child…” No. That child is a promise, look ahead! This lady has taken risks in order to bring an infant into the world, because she looks forward, she looks at history. Because she feels the strength of the roots that help her bring forth life, her country and her people.

And let us conclude together applauding all the young people, all the courageous women who bring forth history. And thankyou to the interpreter who is been really good!

DO YOU NEED MY HANDS, LORD? (Prayer of Mother Teresa)

Do your need my hands, Lord,

to help the sick and the poor

who are in need today?

Lord, this day I offer you my hands.

Do you need my feet. Lord,

to lead me today

to those who need a friend?

Lord, this day I offer you my feet.

Do you need my voice, Lord,

so that I can speak to all those

who need a word of love?

Lord, this day I offer you my voice.

Do you need my heart, Lord,

so that I can love everyone,

without exception?

Lord, this day I offer you my heart.

[1] Document on Human Fraternity, Abu Dhabi, 4 February 2019.

[christianhijabi]

Why Muslim and Christian women alike should practice Hijab (modest Dress)

Why Muslim and Christian women alike should practice Hijab (modest Dress) Introduction A common misconception is that Muslim women are the only ones who cover their hair. It may be true that Islam is the only religion in which most women follow its directives to cover the hair, but it is not the only religion to have such directives. It is particularly interesting to look at the case of Christianity, since Christianity is the predominant religion in the West, and it is Westerners, including observant Christians, who are often the first to criticize Islam because of the hijab (modest dress, including head covering). Additionally the idea behind modest dress does not only pertain to females, but to males also. Modesty is encouraged for both genders in Islam and is seen as a sign of piety. Indeed, even Mary, the mother of Jesus wore the hijab. Also, today nuns virtually practice hijab for the same fundamental reason as the devout Muslim woman; to express piety as an individual who chooses to surrender their will to God and God’s Sacred Law. Is Covering the Hair a Religious Commandment for Christian Women? There can be only one answer to this: yes, it is! Simply open the Bible to the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 11. Read verses 3-10: “But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if she were shaven. For if a woman is not covered, let her be shaven. But if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. A man indeed ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. For man was not created for woman, but woman for man. This is why the woman ought to have a sign of authority over her head, because of the angels.” - New Testament (1 Corinthians 11:3-10) The meaning of this passage is plain enough. We can make the following syllogisms: Syllogism 1: Praying with an uncovered head is a disgrace. Having a shaved head is the same as praying with an uncovered head. Therefore, having a shaved head is a disgrace. Syllogism 2: If it is a disgrace for a woman to have a shaved head, she should cover her head. It is a disgrace for a woman to have a shaved head - see syllogism 1. Therefore, a woman should cover her head. In other words, the passage means what it says. Have you ever wondered why Catholic nuns dress like they're wearing hijab (Muslim hijabi women, have you ever been mistaken for a nun?). Have you ever wondered why Mary the mother of Jesus (peace be upon them both) is always depicted in Christian art with her hair covered? Did you know that until the 1960s, it was obligatory for Catholic women to cover their heads in church (then they "modernized" the service)? There are some interesting points that can be made about the Christian directive: 1) The explicit purpose of the Christian woman's head covering, as stated by Paul, is that it is a sign of man's authority over woman. The explicit purpose of Islamic hijab is modesty. Strange how so many Westerners think that the purpose of hijab is a symbol of male authority. Maybe they know that that's what it is in their own religion (Christianity) so they assume that Islam must be the same! 2) The Christian woman is to cover her head whenever she is praying, whether it be at the church service or just personal prayer at home. This may mean that if she is not praying at home, she is uncovered around male guests who are not related to her; or if she is praying at home, that she is covered around her own husband and family. If any more proof were needed than Paul's own words that the Christian head covering is not about modesty, this must certainly be it! This puts hijab in a whole new perspective, doesn't it! To my non-hijabi Muslim sister who feels that hijab is a sign of oppression for the Muslim female, please do read the above and then read the Quran. Believe me, if Allah SWT meant for hijab to be a sign of male authority, the Qur'an would be as unambiguous about it as Paul is in the Bible. Do Any Christian Women Today Cover Their Heads? It is true that most Christian women do not, and many don't take other teachings of the Bible (against pre-marital sex, adultery, etc) literally either. However, there do seem to be a growing number of Christian women out there who are committed to following the Bible as it is written. Below are some WebPages that I found that call for Christian women to cover their heads in accordance with the commandment of the Bible References in the Qur’an in favor of the use of Hijab: And say to the faithful women to lower their gazes, and to guard their private parts, and not to display their beauty except what is apparent of it, and to extend their head coverings (khimars) to cover their bosoms (jaybs), and not to display their beauty except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers, or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their womenfolk, or what their right hands rule (slaves), or the followers from the men who do not feel sexual desire, or the small children to whom the nakedness of women is not apparent, and not to strike their feet (on the ground) so as to make known what they hide of their adornments. And turn in repentance to Allah together, O you the faithful, in order that you are successful.” - Qur’an English Translation [25:31] “O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outer garments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle.” - Qur’an English Translation [33:59] Men are also encouraged to be modest Like I previously alluded to, modesty is not only a call to women, but to men too. “Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.” - Qur’an English Translation [24:30] So according to Matthew's account what did Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) have to say about men “lowering their gaze” for greater purity? Let’s take a look at the Bible’s account of his Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. - New Testament (Matthew 5:27-28) So you see, Jesus’ statement is very clear about why men should lower their gaze. He even equates the mere act of looking in lust with committing adultery. So what does Jesus recommend to do if a man can’t control himself from visually lusting after women? Well his following statement seems to really underline the importance of not committing these acts in which we often write off as “minor sins.” If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. - New Testament (Matthew 5:29) Now we don't know for certain that Prophet Jesus really recommended gouging one's eyes out but we can conclude with relative certainty that this is a warning to the believers to first save their soul, rather then succumbing to the temptations of mundane desires. Often people follow their own passions and lusts to a detriment, further straying from the straight path of understanding and guidance. "Hast thou seen him who chooseth for his god his own lust? Wouldst thou then be guardian over him? Or deemest thou that most of them hear or understand? They are but as the cattle - nay, but they are farther astray?" - Qur’an English Translation [25:43-44] "But if they hearken not to thee, know that they only follow their own lusts: and who is more astray than one who follow his own lusts, devoid of guidance from Allah. for Allah guides not people given to wrong-doing." - Qur’an English Translation [28:50] In Conclusion So now let’s be reasonable here, God knows man and woman’s natural inclinations and desires. So these rules of modesty are not to take away from our individual freedom but rather they serve as loving guidance for us to avoid self destruction. Furthermore, what kind of society fosters a more conducive moral environment to avoid such sins? A society where men and women guard their modesty and lower their gaze as such in a true Islamic society or of that from which we see in many countries today where men and women walk around practically nude? Obviously God is all loving and wouldn’t make a law for man to follow without facilitating the proper environment to help him/her follow those laws with comfort. Remember, God is All-Loving and does not want to see man destroy himself. So in conclusion, the moral environment of the ideal Islamic society described in the Qur’an is the same exact model society that Jesus professed. Indeed, God knows man's nature can often be weak, therefore we are not expected to be perfect all the time. In light of this reality, God shows us an immeasurable amount of mercy towards anyone whom is willing to humbly turn to Him in sincere repentance: "Allah (God) doth wish to lighten your (difficulties): For man was created Weak (in flesh)." – Qur’an English Translation [4:28] "On no soul do We place a burden greater than it can bear: before Us is a record which clearly shows the truth: they will never be wronged." – Qur’an English Translation [23:62] Lastly, some people may think “well these rules of modesty may inhibit women from accomplishing their life dreams.” I say, “Oh yea, tell these beautiful Muslimah athletes that!” A Muslim woman is devout and strong in her spirit. She puts God first before all. She doesn’t forfeit her soul in order to gain worldly advantage in any aspect of her life. So what did Jesus (peace be upon him), according to the Bible, have to say about compromising morals in pursuit of the pleasures and advantages of this world? “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." - New Testament (Matthew 5:36-38)

[cchmissions]

Israel Day Nine: Tuesday 1/08/19

Waking up Tuesday morning was difficult, for many reasons; knowing we wouldn’t be returning to the hotel; the stress of packing, unpacking, and repacking your suitcase hoping to get everything to fit once again; trying to mentally prepare ourselves for our 36 hour day and all the travels that the day held; and most grim, knowing our time in Israel was running out. Yet we made the best of our situation and left the hotel with high hopes of what our last day might have in store for us. Our hotel was located in the Northeastern part of Israel and our airport, the final destination of the day, was located near the middle of the country on the western side along the coast of the Mediterranean.

Because we did have such a long day of driving, our tour guide planned a stop along the way at Caesarea. In 22 BC, King Herod had a dream that he wanted to build the largest port on the Mediterranean. Twelve years later, his dream came true. Caesarea, named after Augustus Caesar, used to be a very powerful city because of it’s location along the shore and the numerous entertainment options it provided. Before modern-day cruises became popular, ships would only sail shore-to-shore and dock every night so the fisherman or passengers could sleep on land. Caesarea offered its’ inhabitants and guests with plenty of leisure activities: chariot racing, gladiator games, and live theater at the large amphitheater that would have held 6,000 people. Unfortunately, a lot of this materialistic city was destroyed by conquest or overtaken by the waves of the Mediterranean. The amphitheater though is still functioning and used weekly for concerts. Most sites we stopped at had a gift shop, Caesarea being no exception. This shop was special though in that it had Bamba, our new favorite Israeli snack. More than half the group bought a bag to eat on the trip home.

Our next stop was Tel Aviv, or the New York of Israel. It is Israel’s second largest city and most populous city, oddly enough it is also one of the newest cities in Israel. Founded in 1909, Tel Aviv became a place where Jewish refugees would flood throughout the 20th century. Today it is a major tourist attraction, known for its’ nightlife, shopping, and fashion industry. It was very fitting that we spent the majority of our time in Tel Aviv at the Caramel Market, the largest market in Tel Aviv. Two city streets, parallel to each other, were full of vendors selling handmade crafts, produce, off-brand clothing, spices, sweets, electronics, wall décor, and so much more. The narrow streets were packed with other market goers all trying to get a look at the goods being offered; it really did feel like New York.

While at Caesarea, our guide Efrat received an exciting phone call saying that we would be able to tour Independence Hall, the building where Israel declared it was a nation, while in Tel Aviv. The Hall was supposed to be closed for visitors for the next few years, so our visit was truly an unexpected treat. Beginning as a house, then an art museum, and now a historical site the Independence Hall has had about as many changes as Israel has. During our tour, we sat where guests sat in 1948 during the meeting that would eventually declare Israel a nation. There is nothing particularly special about the house, which makes it a rather odd place to have such an important meeting. But because Israel was still not at peace, the founders needed somewhere safe where they could meet. The then art museum seemed like the perfect disguise, and the shelter walls and high windows of the basement didn’t hurt either.

After being educated about the creation of Israel as a nation, we got on the bus and took a short ride to Joffa/Joppa. This ancient port has many biblical stories attached to it: Solomon transported cedars here to build the First Temple (2 Chronicles 2:5-6), Jonah the prophet fled from God (Jonah 1:3), and where Peter brought Tabitha back to life and stayed with Simon the Tanner (Acts 9:36-43). Our first stop was an outlook of the shoreline and St. Peter’s church, built to commemorate the visit and miracles of Peter while in Joffa. Efrat shared that most churches face east, in Israel however, because sunlight and Jesus will eventually come from the east. St. Peter’s church is no exception, but because it faces east towards the Mediterranean Sea, it is meant to represent that the church is open to all people even those across the sea—even Gentiles. We then walked to the believed site of Simon the Tanner’s home, and Lance retold the story of Peter healing Tabitha Dorcus. Back on the bus it was time to go to the Closing Dinner.

The entire trip, Passages had provided five-star accommodations, but the Closing Dinner was the most luxurious of all. The conference hall where we ate was two stories tall, with one wall being glass windows from the ceiling to the floor. Before being served, our group along with Efrat and Michael, our body guard, met in a separate lounge to hold a debrief of the trip. Everyone shared their favorite part of the trip and something they learned/want to take back with them. It was interesting hearing the 38 different perspectives of the trip, and how some people’s highlights were others deleted scenes. It was very bittersweet, sitting all together one last time, knowing we wouldn’t ever be able to recreate this trip.

Since my return, many people have asked me “Would you want to go back?”. And the easy answer is yes, yes I would. But honestly, I feel that it would be a disservice if I went back outside of Passages. Having started only three years ago, it was amazing how developed, professional, and pristine Passages and the entire trip was. They provided us with so much extra information, viewpoints, and insights that made the trip all the more meaningful. The immense amount of detail and effort that is poured into our schedule really showcases Passages desire for the students to learn and be more than just mindless tourists. I also couldn’t imagine coming back and not having Efrat as my personal guide. Her knowledge of the bible, land, Jewish culture, and Israeli history was absolutely inspiring. She said that she started giving tours after college just trying to make some money before something better came along, 29 years later she has mastered the art of tour-giving and could probably do it in her sleep. I would say without any doubts, that every single person on our bus was positively affected by her presence and inspired to learn more about our own faith because of her.

For our last supper, pun 100% intended, we were served our choice of veal, chicken, or fish. A significant amount of sides and pita was also consumed. While dessert was being served, we acknowledged each of the 8 buses, the faculty, tour guides, and body guards that were represented in the room. Once we were done eating, we had to rush to the airport to have enough time to make it through customs before our flight departed. Many hugs were given to Efrat and Michael, before we finally had to go our separate ways. Both of our flights went smoothly without any issues. The one thing on most people’s minds after landing was when they could get fast food. It seemed that a week without a hamburger or pizza was more difficult than expected. Honestly though, does anything say America more than a McDonalds?

The partially destroyed amphitheater in Caesarea Phillippi, and view of Mediterranean

The view of the amphitheater from the stage; it used to be 3 stories tall

Remains of Caesarea Phillippi, most washed away by the sea

The bus with all of our Bamba 

Carmel Market in Tel Aviv 

The original photo of Ben Gurion, the leader of Israel during both World Wars, in Independence Hall

Staircase down to the port 

Jaffa port 

Luxurious location of our last meal in Israel 

The last meal in Israel (chicken served at the fancy dinner) 

First meal post-Israel (please laugh at the comparison between this and the last meal in Israel) 

[acoolchristianchick2]

How do you know if a preacher is FALSE?? How to test the spirit?

This was on my heart this morning. The reason why I think this is important is because there is supposed to be a rise in false prophets but at the same time a rise in people who are prophesizing from God, so how do we know who is real? 

YOU TEST THE SPIRIT!

Scripture Verses -3 verses

For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:24

"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Acts 2:17

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, BUT TEST THE SPIRITS, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” (1 John 4:1-4)

I was reading a post on YouTube and the video was talking about beware of false prophets. This morning, I turn on the tv and I see more and more people preaching. They don’t realize that what they are doing are is dangerous, VERY. They are everywhere now, everywhere. 

Lets start with an example:

I am listening to a man right now. He is talking so fast and reminds me of a used car salesman. (this has nothing to do with nothing, this is just my observation, him talking fast doesn’t mean he is not true)  

S. Williams is talking about “PAYING A VOW” to God. He states if you pay a vow to God, you will receive blessings. (Now please remember the “vow” will be going to his church, unless he has his own way to send it up to God in heaven)  He said while you are doing this, DO NOT TELL NEGATIVE PEOPLE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. (He says to do that because he doesn’t want anyone to put some common sense in their heads.)

Now, if he was a real prophet wouldn’t he want that person to tell everyone so that God can get more vows ($$$) and people can get more blessings? So, why does he want people to give vows but not tell anyone their doing so? That makes so sense. He is false that’s why. He wants money. 

Bishop S Williams.  - False prophet  but there is many like him, millions..

Just terrible. 

So if you pay him your vow, you life will be better. God see what you have done, things are going to happen to you in your life.  

Read your bible, does anywhere in the bible does it say that money is to be exchanged for God’s blessings or favor? The answer is NO.. So he is fake. Run.

This is an example of a false prophet.

When I listen to someone, I listen closely. All I am thinking is that, he is going to GET IT. Its so sad. There are so many traps for Christians, you have to be so careful. Christians have to be WARRIORS!! We are in a battle whether you believe it or not. 

Ok. HOW DO YOU TELL IF A BISHOP/PREACHER/PASTOR/ETC. is false??? Read YOUR Bible. READ YOUR BIBLE. Remember the devil knew the bible and could quote scripture. So your protection is the BIBLE. Your protection is your relationship with Christ. YOUR RELATIONSHIP. Your 

RESPONSIBILITY.

Giving to the church is ok. The church need money in this world in order to function. To pay the minister, musicians, outreach, lights, water, yearly taxes, building note, etc. And this is the reason why Jesus said stated that we are supposed to give back. 

Now, when you see pastors driving Rolls -Royce, flying in personal air planes, living in mansions, begging for money for exchange of blessings, start to look closer. When pastors are begging for money in exchange for God giving you blessings. Look even closer. This is where the disconnection comes. 

Jesus was poor. Jesus was homeless. Matthew 8:20. He said the he had no place to lay his head. If Jesus was poor and spreading the gospel, why are the pastors that claim to be leaders on earth, driving super expensive cars, living in mega homes, begging for money for Gods grace, living the rich life, etc. Believe me non-Christians, can see the disconnect. Why can’t Christians?

The pastor can drive a nice new honda, then give the rest of the money to the homeless mission. Why are they driving Rolls-royces? People of God has to be careful how they look to the world. People are always watching us. Christians are not supposed to be flashy but humble. We are supposed to be like Jesus. 

Are we so in LOVE with these men/women that we forget that they are just men, subject to fail?

How you know if a person is not true is to read you bible, when you read you bible, when they try to fool you and it doesn’t feel right, go refer to your bible and see if what they say matches up to the WORD. Remember people are smart and they can change one word, and it will change the meaning. Make sure YOU, YOU YOU YOU YOU study daily and pray for discernment. 

S. williams was asking for money (a vow) and from that you will get blessings from God and he said to not tell anyone because they are negative and will make you lose your blessings. He is on TV right now!  Now does that seem right? Does that match up with God’s word??? Does God say if you give money he will bless you? 

NO. He is a lier. But he will make millions from weak people that don’t read for themselves. A pastor is a man. A prophet is a man. WE follow GOD not man. You watch and wait. You listen and then see if what he is saying is true. If it is not right, don’t believe it. 

If he considers himself a christian, he is misleading people and he needs to STOP and realign himself with God. What he is doing is evil. He needs to repent and stop. NOW.

So I hope this helps. There is many many many people out there that is not real. They want MONEY. 

Remember we are supposed to see an increase of false prophets. They are everywhere. Many seem sincere. Test the word.