#and they spend their days discussing God and the Bible

[ahopefulbromantic]

Well i need YOU to write a super esoteric commentary with all your brilliant inspiring takes i could never think of (or we could collab maybe wink hehe)!

HEY UM SO DO YOU THINK WHEN JOHN RECLINED ON JESUS' BOSOM DURING THE LAST SUPPER THAT JESUS THOUGHT OF SONGS 1,13? AS IN:

My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh

that lies between my breasts.

BECAUSE THAT'S VERY MUCH ABOUT JOHN IN THAT MOMENT??? IT'S NOT JUST ME RIGHT?!

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

Priest getou and nun reader or villager reader....(anything other than the word both isnt acceptable...😡😡😡 /j) -🪄

🪄 ANON I SEE YOU AND YOU RAISE A VALID POINT but please consider…… priest!geto and non-believer!reader.

imagine just waltzing into a church one day. almost as if on a whim. you don’t believe in god, you aren’t interested in praying, but you’re exploring this quiant little town, and the church looks pretty from afar, and you figure it could be a nice way to burn time.

you enter the building to find that a sermon is taking place. a priest is speaking to the few rows of people listening. the church is fairly small, but paintings and sculptures and the mellow glow of beautiful cathedral glass give it a sense of mystique that you’re drawn to. you take a seat and listen along, halfheartedly, not praying like the rest, not singing along to the hymns… you stick out like a sore thumb, but hey, it’s not as if anyone is paying attention.

except someone is, and it happens to be the priest that was holding the sermon just a second ago. the same one you spent most of your time oogling once the paintings started to bore you, because he’s so pretty for a priest. beautiful long black hair, amber eyes, sharp facial features, pretty hands and fingers — and the smoothest, silkiest voice you’ve heard in your life. like a sun-soaked bundle of lillies.

… also, his cassock is just a little too tight of a fit to tear your eyes away from.

you stick around a little longer once almost everyone has left, just scrolling on your phone and basking in the quiet, and that’s when he approaches you. he jokingly tells you that it’s always obvious when a non-believer enters a place of worship, but he’s not mad; he’s amused. you end up chatting a bit about your beliefs, he’s a lot more chill than you expected, and…. well. he’s just really, really charming.

so maybe you end up coming back the week after. maybe his smile is a bit like a spider’s web. maybe it becomes a kind of routine to speak to him after his sermons; you still don’t sing along to the hymns or spend any time on prayers, and he still finds it funny. maybe once in a while you end up liking a paragraph from the scripture he’s reciting, and he’s always more than happy to discuss it with you. but mostly you’re there for him. for your chats, for standing outside and badgering him about his beliefs while he smokes and listens with an amused grin.

rain hits the ground with a steady rhythm, earthy tobacco floods your veins, spiders by the ceiling weave a web of dew, and his presence is just a little more intoxicating than you’d deem appropriate.

suguru just… isn’t a very orthodox priest. he doesn’t care for the bible as more than a literary piece, he has his own view of god, his own thoughts on worship. he smokes. he may or may not occasionally manipulate church-goers into donating money so he can invest in another overpriced painting. you ask him if there are any bodies in the basement you should know about, and he answers that any self-respecting priest wouldn’t conduct their blood rituals in the basement of their own church. he knows how to pick locks. he tells you once, very quietly, that he doesn’t believe man was created in god’s image. there’s a look in his eyes that you don’t comment on.

he’s funny. charming. pleasantly suspicious. your conversations are enjoyable for the both of you, and eventually the edges of his cedar eyes begin to crinkle the slightest bit whenever you walk into his field of vision. sometimes he eyes your lips for a little too long, and a honeyed irony seeps into his grin when you call him out on it. he asks you if you’re tempting him on purpose, and you shrug. whatever exists between the two of you remains unspoken.

one day, he tells you that he believes it was god who sent you to him. you furrow your brows with a protest, a mutter reminding him of your beliefs, how you believe in free will — how you waltzed into his church out of your own volition. no one else’s.

he only smiles, and flicks the butt of his cigarette. you think he remains unconvinced.

[velvetvexations]

I'm putting these asks in as text because my inbox is so packed rn lol. Love you Velvet Nation!

i swear to god cisfeminist spaces are the worst. a lesbian was asking why straight people have such bad sex (for the woman in the relationship, regarding the orgasm gap) and everyone jumped onto how testosterone is the reason for it (as in testosterone makes you want to orgasm in 3 minutes with no regard for extending sex outside of wanting to orgasm), even a trans woman saying the sex is so much better with oestrogen in her system. and me and a few other transmascs pointed out to this trans woman that it was probably because she was running on the wrong hormones, and any of us transmascs that dared to say we have extremely fulfilling sex that is infinitely better than the sex we had before we started T was absolutely shat on and berated for “speaking over women” even though we were just sharing our experiences, it’s just that those opinions went against the bioessentialism held deeply by the community

Yo, that's fucked? What the hell? Do people seriously earnestly not get how they come off here?

aside from OOP ignoring all of the black transmascs and other transmascs of colour in the discussion around transandrophobia (including a trans man of colour coining the term), i wonder if they believe we’re making up black transmascs because the transradfems i’ve seen so far have been overwhelmingly white. maybe because radfeminism is inherently racist or something… and their bible is written by a middle-class white woman with no perspective on transmisogynoir and this reflects upon a lot of the discussions of transmisogyny to this day…

Radical feminism is inherently Karenesque. They cross the street when they see the PoC transmascs they spend every waking hour slagging off approach on the sidewalk.

I just really want to chill and watch anime together with you some time, your taste is based as fuck

It sure is!

most bizarre thing i have seen today: a transradfem who clearly believes 100% closeted and non-passing transmascs have privilege over cis women but dancing around actually saying it because they know deep down it might get them backlash from the less radical transradfems

I don't even think it would.

I am still very "read another fucking author" at all the transfeminists who only ever quote Julia Serrano, but finding out she *also* hates the terms TMA/TME made my fucking week. Like, the transradfems' hero doesn't even agree with them!

A lot of them didn't even read Whipping Girl.

Can confirm male/female socialization is not actually a consistent thing because I was literally too autistic to internalize any gender roles, at least in relation to myself. Just. Never learned! Like water off a ducks back

High five!

Really if you take a character who presents as one gender and transition them some trans person is going to be mad about it cause they saw themselves in the original conception of the character. It's inevitable.

Yeah, that is the unfortunate truth of the matter.

That second paragraph is literally what terfs say about trans women. Turning that on trans men doesn't make you any more feminist it just makes you transphobic. (This is directed at the op of that post not you velvet)

Radical feminism is so fucking easy to recognize no matter how repackaged it is.

Racist feminism anon here: see this is the reason I feel like shit for having any critiques of feminism whatsoever. Like hashtag Not All Women obviously but literally these specific women aren't listening to marginalized men. We're not talking about whatever cis white able-bodied Elon Musk fan they think stands in for "men" in this situation. They put "valid concerns" in scare asterisks as though the very idea we have any is laughable. And no actually racism is not a "secondary manifestation" of misogyny and while transphobia stems from misogyny it shouldn't be treated as secondary for any trans person. How the fuck are we supposed to point out that white woman separatism leaves behind men who actually do suffer under patriarchy when it gets telephoned into "you stupid fucking bitch shut up I'll fucking kill you"

The point is making it so you can't.

BTW, I didn't get to edit it into the post before they blocked me, but they were reblogging Actual Nazi shit, like, the OP of the post was progressive but our dumbass here didn't notice that "if there was no hope their propaganda would be unnecessary" is (a) a popular Nazi thing and (b) added to the post by a literal Nazi.

It never does, they're fully removed from this plane of existence.

Note: At this point I kinna forgot I wasn't screenshotting these

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I can't believe someone who's BFFs with a tankie is a hypocrite.

You're the second person to apologize for using that format and it always makes me think of the clown-names drama every time.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Are You All In?!

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ Ecclesiastes 4:5 Fools fold their hands

and ruin themselves.

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VERSE OF THE DAY 

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+ Revelation 3:15-16 ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

=======================

SUBJECT: Are You All In?!

======================

** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM NOT LUKEWARM 

I AM LOVING DISCIPLINE 

I AM NOT ALONE 

I AM FEARFULLY WONDERFULLY MADE 

======================

READ TIME:10 Minutes

======================

THOUGHTS:

======================

   Are you all in?  We can be halfway with some things in our lives, our diets, our jobs, and we can be half committed to a few things, which won't even matter. Still, the thing is, when we are half committed to God, we are showing him that we don’t love him much enough to be fully committed, so the question is asked again: Are you all in?

I was sitting in my room one night, and I heard the voice of God say many people aren’t fully committed to me because they are comfortable with what they are doing; he said they aren’t fully committed because they have other things to make them more comfortable. Those things are false; they give a false sense of peace. 

  What is giving you this false sense of peace? Is it the edibles you eat, the day drinking you participate in, or the relationships we have invested time into giving us this false sense of peace? God is giving us everything to make us feel comfortable, but many want to be comfortable with God and our mess. And God isn’t in the business of blessing our mess; he is in the business of showing us that what we are doing is wrong.

  Revelation 3:15-16: ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

   What are you? Are you cold or hot? Which one are you for the lord? Do you do what you want and only follow the lord when it is convenient to you , or are you all in? You always do what the lord wants, whether it’s a good idea or not, whatever way you are; we must understand that this plays a significant role with God in our life. He's not going to make us pick him, but he will show us why we should pick him; a lot of us are wondering why we aren’t growing with God; it is because we aren’t picking him; we aren’t allowing our spiritual eyes and ears to grow in him we are allowing things and situationships get in the way of us and our relationship with God. 

   2 Timothy 3:5 Having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people.

      Are you all in? Do you deny the power thereof for people, or are you avoiding godliness? When we deny the power of God, we can't walk in godliness; it's no way because, with God, we can do it, but by ourselves, we can't do it. Many of us spend our time pleasing people, and we forget about who we should be pleasing, which is God; some of us allow what people say to drive us into what we think and can't. God is saying today, are you all in with me? Are you in the business of pleasing your fellow man, or are you in the business of pleasing me?

We must be God pleasers, not people pleasures, because people will always let us down, and God won't. I have been a people pleaser, and being a people pleaser and a God pleaser, one will be lacking, and for us to please God, we must let go of pleasing others; the bible speaks on us pleasing God; it speaks on us being Lukewarm, and when we please people or our flesh, we are no longer pleasing God we please the flesh. 

  This week, we discussed being blind guides. Many of us are blinded by what we do, and we think we have everything figured out, but we don’t; without the hand of God moving in our lives, we are blinded by everything else. 

Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean inside.

   Some of us look beautiful on the outside, but we are full of dead man’s bones on the inside; we don’t allow the love of God to pierce our hearts; we allow the things of this world to navigate our heat and navigate what we do because we feel comfortable with what the world is doing right now, we have to understand that the lord wants us to be filled with mercy goodness and joy that the dead things of this world ,the things here on earth can make us dead on the inside because it’s no substance here on this earth the things here don’t last forever.

  Matthew 24:10 At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

    What we carry around in our heart is what is on the inside; a lot of us carry around so much anger and bitterness, and we can't love because of this very reason; we must give bitterness and malice and anger the eviction notice we have to start walking in godliness and righteousness a lot of us aren’t used to walking in that way. Hence, we reject it; who do you hate? Who are you allowing to control your mind and thoughts by what they do? We must let go of the way we feel if it's not from God because these feelings will destroy our relationship with God. 

 Hebrews 12:7  As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God treats you as his children. Who ever heard of a child whose father never disciplines?

        A lot of times, we aren’t going to like being disciplined, but what we must understand is that when we become children of God, he will do this so he can correct us; as old as I am, my father and mother still get on to me, and sometimes I don’t like it, but for the most part I understand it's their job no matter how old I am they are going correct me and help me to become better none of us are at that place in our life that God can't correct us, this might be hard to understand, but this is how it is until we pass on to glory with God.

   Proverbs 12:1: Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

  How many of you have a life of discipline? How many of you are disciplined enough to do the right thing? I can tell in any area of your life, you have to have discipline because, without it, we would do anything without thinking of the consequences; the lord wants us where we are thinking of our life with him and around him too, every part of our life we must give to him so that he can show us the right path we might think we know. Still, we don’t until we follow his will for our lives; discipline is something we will forever be working on; disciplined with finances, food, and our work schedule, everything , we must have the discipline to stay on track the way the lord wants us too. 

  *** Today, we reviewed what we learned this week, and sometimes, we have studied so much that we lose what we have been learning because it is a lot. Still, God has placed this devotion in our lives for us to learn. We must apply them; one of the many things we learned was about whether we are all in, sometimes it might seem like we are, but after doing it, we realize we aren’t, maybe because we aren’t ready, maybe we don’t trust the process ,maybe it’s a bit too much but what we must understand is every day is a struggle.

Still, we have the strength of God, and we aren’t alone, but we must choice this day who will we serve will we be lukewarm, or will we be on fire for Christ, Christ wants us where we are on fire for him and desire to be right along with him. 

  Proverbs 15:31-32 He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

   Discipline from God is another thing we learned this week. He will correct us, and we have the choice to listen or disregard what he says. Still, when we ignore God, we ignore his voice and his commands, which can slow us down from growing in him because we have ignored him. God doesn’t want to be ignored. We should be careful when trying to do things on our own. God wants us to always follow him despite what we feel; this isn't saying God doesn’t want us to feel he does. Still, sometimes, our emotions can cause us to follow and do things we shouldn’t do; God wants us to always follow his led and always hear his word of encouragement and discipline. If you feel that you always miss his words of encouragement or discipline, ask him to speak again and listen quietly; sometimes, silence and can help us silence our thoughts so He can help us to hear Him when he speaks to us. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

=====================

Heavenly Father, we thank you for today; we ask you to be with us and guide us in how we should go. Lord, we love you, and we thank you for today. Lord, forgive us if we don’t hear your discipline; help us to not be offended but be ready to change our life as you speak to us, lord we are so grateful for everything, lord we ask you to help us to be all in and not luke warm, help us to hear you when you speak in Jesus Name Amen

======================

REFERENCES 

======================

+ 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their passions,

 

+ Revelation 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

 

+ Matthew 16:26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

======================

FURTHER READINGS 

======================

 Proverbs 25

2 Chronicles 17

Psalm 79

Judges 9

======================

[kushblazer666]

I am looking for someone to help me answer these questions

WHY 40!!!!!!!

1. Why Noah built the Ark in 40 days.

2. Why the rain/storm lasted for 40days.

3. Why the Israelites walked through the desert for 40 years.

4. Why the tower of barbel was built in 40 days.

5. Why Jesus Christ fasted for 40days.

6. Why Jesus Christ ascended to heaven after 40 days,

7. Why Moses had to spend 40 days with God, and fasting before he got the 10 Commandments Tablets

8. Why it took 40 days threat from Goliath against the Army of Israel before he was killed by David

9. Why David later had a total reign of 40 years over the nation of Israel

10. Why Elijah had to trek and fast for 40 days running away from Jezebel

40 days and 40 years in the Bible is HIGHLY SYMBOLIC

11. Why life begins at 40.

12. Why even Pass mark starts at 40.

What's so special about 40???

If you don't have an answer, please send it to at least one group you belong to. We might get an answer from a wise researcher.👁‍🗨

*Discuss*

[sugar-omi]

I've been thinking. What does demon!Cove do whenever a sermon or some activity during church time happens? Does he spend his time in a room or is he invisible so he can wander freely? Could he change his appearance? My friend and I were just discussing on how Cove would disguise helping as some kind of helper for the church (i think they're called ushers?) to avoid suspicion. Then we brought up the idea of what would happen if MC was talking to a priest raving about how demons need to be persecuted and that their church (mc's church) is a safe haven from all things bad.

And Cove is just right there, standing beside you or behind the priest. Smiling innocently but knowing full well he's about to ruin this old priest's day.

he'd do all of that

first he'll hide, or turn invisible bc he got tired of watching everyone pray and rant n rave about the oh so evil satan!!

but some days he's tired of masking as an usher or church goer (a grandma once asked why he was snickering, we're supposed to be reading the bible and listening to the holy word!! n he could stop laughing long enough to lie so she hits him w her paper fan)

NSFW route: he'll have you around some corner and has his fingers buried in your insides as you read the Bible, mocking you and your stuttered words.

SFW route n he'll do this anyway, he'll tell you about what actually happened. points out all the inconsistencies and hypocrisy...

will even do it while you're sitting in the very back of the pews, trying to tune him out.

mmm another nsfw thought, he'll mask as a human save for his tail and has his tail... other places. and tells you to try not to squirm or make noise while the priest is going on abt section 5, something something, cove wasn't listening bc you're distracting him! stop be naughty and let him learn the word of God won't you? don't you want him to turn a new leaf? how can he change if you're squirming and whining n gasping. God, the nerve of some people...

[carefulfears]

Thoughts on the X Files Revelations episode and what it brought to the mulder x scully relationship?

okay i just rewatched this one so y'all are gonna get some exhausted bullet-point rambles from me <3 much love

1/

the first thing that i noticed while rewatching is that when mulder and scully are speaking with "saint owen" in the attic, mulder is standing with them and engaged in the conversation until it turns to scully's personal religion.

when owen points out her cross necklace, mulder turns to face the wall while they discuss it, only barely peeking back for his smartass church joke.

this almost reminds me of the way he tends to freeze and avert from loss (his mother's hospital room in herrenvolk, scully in the ICU in redux ii, emily's coffin, the little girl's body in paper hearts, etc); he often tries to avoid realities that he isn't prepared for, as though he's surprised and bowled over every time.

in this moment here with owen, he's being avoidant and catty, but it similarly appears that scully's faith is something he's taken aback by, even just in evasion.

2/

after owen is killed, scully begins the autopsy, and mulder continues his comedy routine/bible lecture.

when scully says that she believes in miracles, she believes that god's hand can be witnessed, mulder asks, "even if science can't explain them?"

this is really the core conflict of episodes like this, that center around faith or religion. neither of them know how to move forward outside of their roles, and so much of scully's position depends on only adhering to what science can prove. it's what she's told him so many times over the years in response to his own theories, and both of them waver in the loss of that absolutism.

a couple of episodes earlier, in nisei, she told him that believing is the easy part, that she needs proof, and he had responded, "you think believing is easy?"

part of what makes faith-centered cases difficult for them both is that mulder doesn't have it, and believing is easy for scully.

mulder spends his whole life wanting to believe in something that would allow the kind of comfort people find in faith. it isn't easy for him. it's hard to always be seeking.

he needs proof in order to believe too, but scully has her beliefs without the science that she holds him to, without the burden.

later, in gethsemane, she tells him that proving extraterrestrial life is not her dying wish. and he asks, what if you could prove the existence of god? wouldn't you try, like i try?

she says no. that god can't be proven or disproven, and it doesn't matter to her.

in revelations, he shuts down her claims of faith, and doesn't consider her point of view. when he leaves on another bad joke, the pause that she takes before returning to her work is so telling. this isn't how they interact with each other. something is different, with this case, with this topic.

the look on her face and the way she squares her jaw is almost of someone who's ashamed/afraid to speak up, who's biting her tongue. this isn't what she does, with him, either. and it has a different connotation on rewatch, with the things she says later in the series about authority.

3/

in conversation at the motel, things haven't changed. mulder is still a laugh-factory, dismissing any explanation with religious connotations. scully is still watching him and learning from him, as she has been since day one.

when she finally just snaps and asks, "how is it that you're willing to go out on a limb whenever you see a light in the sky, but you're unwilling to accept the possibility of a miracle?"

he responds instantly, "i wait for a miracle every day. but what i've seen here has only tested my patience, not my faith."

he waits for a miracle every day. it wasn't that long ago that we saw him weep in a church.

"well, what about what i've seen?"

what about what she's seen? what about what she believes? what about her experience?

4/

in the end, mulder's being a sweetie, bringing her coat and asking if she's okay. it worries him when she's not being logical. when she's acting like him.

he says it, in all souls, another faith-based role reversal: "i’ve never seen you more vulnerable or susceptible or more easily manipulated and it scares me because i don’t know why."

i hate to see people call him hypocritical for this; they both do it. they adhere to their roles so strictly, and there's something uneasy for them that comes with watching the other stray from what they find solidity in, whether that's belief or rationalism.

this scene captures the intent of the script so well, it is sad. this is a sad episode. she's watching him and learning from him and she knows that she cannot share this experience she's having with him.

5/

in one of the series' most affecting scenes, scully goes to confession for the first time in years. not to confess, but to confide. the language in this scene is so specific and emotional, as she tells the priest that normally she can talk to her friend about things but she cannot talk to him about this.

that's such an isolating place to be in, for your closest person and your most pressing struggle to be so at odds.

she tells the priest that she believes she saw things that helped her to save a life, but she wonders if she even saw them at all, because her partner didn't see them. he didn't believe. and usually he believes in everything.

that's such an isolating place to be in, for your hopeful seeker to turn a blind eye.

this isn't the last time that scully will be in this position, so alone in what she experiences, wondering if it's even real if mulder doesn't see it too.

and this scene sets the tone for so much of her character, as she confesses that she is afraid. that maybe god is speaking, and no one is listening.

i know this one is less thought-out than usual, if there's anything here y'all want to chat more about/go into deeper just shoot me an ask. kisses.

scully in this episode is something i've dabbled around with a bit in my writing before here.

[butterflypriestessnneka]

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

-Romans 12:19

This is what I reflected on today. Devotional about releasing shame, hatred, and everything that Ive held on to thats kept me shackled in this lifetime. My twin and i are healing together both one foot in both worlds. The more we spend the days together and share things we never known about each other, the more I learn of his pains being similar to mine. He never knew I had so much pain and trauma because when we met he only saw me smiling and i only saw him smiling.

There was so much that kept me from sharing my troubles with him. I now understand that the Devil uses pain to keep one from wanting to heal and release. In Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”. All these years I’ve held on to my pain and felt tied down by everything thats happened to me even when abusers, users, etc were constantly trying to stay close to me. All this time I’ve been free in mind, body, soul, and Spirit. These last three days have been emotional more than most days for my twin and I because i have shared old pictures, memories, and truths with him and others in Spirit ( I thankGod for gifting me with Mediumship. And it’s not true that God looks down on Mediumship).

The very fear of us not loving each other the same or not seeing each other in the very love and light that we did when God led us to one another, we thought wed lose by revealing our pains to another. This was very far from the truth with my twin and I. Now, in the spirit he lives through me but also through the healing work we do. He enjoys reading the bibles with me, praying, taking everyday one day at a time, and we have figured out how to do everything he’d love to do with me in the flesh. The Lord is the foundation of our relationship now more than ever and we always discuss the past, healing from those times and how the Lord has always been there for us. We feel we have been stricken with heartbreak in this lifetime because he was taken from his body so soon and unexpectedly for him… but he found me again as I have found him .

‭‭Theres so many lessons in this lifetime to be learned. A-lot of heartbreak but so much healing and beauty coming from it. I never would have ever imagined my experiences and life would be like this.

[traumacatholic]

I need advice. I abandoned Catholicism over 5 years ago due to trauma. I recently decided to try to reconnect with my faith and get closer to God but I don’t know where to start.

This is really going to depend on whether you are a baptised and confirmed Catholic or not. I'm saying this because I know a lot of adults that were baptised and who for whatever reason, didn't get confirmed.

In both instances, I would recommend reaching out to your local Church and ask to have a discussion with the local Priest who will be able to advise you on your next steps. If you are a baptised and confirmed Catholic, then he's likely going to ask for you to arrange to attend Confession, as well as recommending going forward that you attend Mass where possible. This way, going forward after your confession, you will be able to receive Communion. It may be possible that he can also recommend you some resources that speak to your particular situation.

Some Churches are certainly in better positions than others with regards to providing ongoing support. If the Church has any Bible studies, or would let you enrol in RCIA even as a fully baptised and confirmed Catholic then I would recommend getting involved in them when they're up and running. It can provide a lot of support and guidance.

--

If you are only baptised, then your next steps would be enrolling into the RCIA program when it's up and running. Because if you're not baptised AND confirmed, then you're unable to participate in the Sacraments of Communion and Confession.

--

Something I would also recommend doing is developing a prayer rule. These should generally only be established with the help of a Priest, so I would recommend asking the Priest you reach out to for better advice on where you should start. But something that would be beneficial would be to have a morning and/or nightly prayer where you say the Our Father 3x as well as the Hail Mary 3x. (This should serve as a baseline, if you feel the need to add other prayers that address something you're going through that day, then do but please don't try and establish a long lengthy prayer rule. It should be short and manageable).

I would also recommend reading small parts of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John daily until you finish reading them all. You don't have to do the prayers and Scripture readings in one go, definitely spread them out throughout the day if that's easier. And only start with small bitesize chunks of Scripture. It's better to read a small amount each day than to read a huge chunk and then not pick the Bible up again for weeks on end.

Once you've finished reading them, I would recommend going to https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120123.cfm. Each day, read the daily readings. These are the readings used in the Mass for that day. And draw from the Old and New Testament. I would still recommend reading outside of those, but these can be a good starting point.

An alternative (to the second part) would be to work your way through the Ascension presents - Bible in a Year playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeXS0cAkuTPqFMtZQ379qdEmcfxO1SvXc . Commentary and prayer is provided alongside the readings, and you might find this helpful. And you could always have this playing in the background while you get ready in the morning / before bed.

--

If you don't feel ready to attend Mass yet, that's okay. I would still recommend reaching out to the Priest and talking about your situation with him. And incorporating prayer and Scripture into your life is so important. Don't feel like you can't pray or read the Bible just because you don't feel ready to attend Mass.

Spending time with the Scripture and spending time in prayer is a really good means of reconnecting with the faith. Especially because you can take things at your own pace. Don't feel like you aren't doing enough. Starting off slow and steady is always going to be better than trying to jump into everything all at once and burning yourself out. God bless you on your journey!

Also if you're interested in religious books that explore themes such as mental health issues and trauma, then I would recommend checking out this list: https://hislittleflower-throughconcrete.tumblr.com/post/161442647997/i-have-no-idea-if-youd-actually-know-but-is

[aressida]

Christians: Let's Chat About the Food Laws: 7.8.24

Have you ever thought much about the food laws - clean and unclean foods?

The Bible gives us answers that could solve many of the health issues we face, and a lot of it comes down to what we are eating.

If we love Him, we will keep His commandments, just like it says in John 14:15: "If you love me, keep my commandments." And in Matthew 5:17, Jesus reminds us, "I didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it." So, instead of thinking we have the freedom to eat anything, maybe we are binding ourselves to the physical and the flesh.

I truly believe that what we eat, drink, and even wear has everything to do with our relationship with God. But, at the end of the day, people make their own decisions about their lives, and that is okay too. We should strive to keep God's laws, because they are the ones that last, while the laws of man simply will not stand the test of time.

Let's talk about the real issues today - cancer, GMOs, and those hidden things in our food that we do not even know about. And please, do not get me started on pork and bacon.

Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 give us clear guidance on what is clean and unclean, and it is worth taking those teachings to heart.

We have got to respect the knowledge we have from the Holy Bible. Too often, Christians spend time looking for who they are "better than." Instead, we should all realize we are in the same ark. Let the Bible interpret itself, and let's find common ground.

For Christians today, it is so important not to fall into the trap of Pharisaism. Like it says in Matthew 23:23, let's not neglect the "weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness."

Now, I know there are many scriptures that cross-reference these ideas, and that is part of what makes the Bible so rich and deep.

We can all bring in other verses that support or expand on these points. I'd like to hear what other passages come to mind for you.

And let's remember, this discussion is not about judging or berating one another. It is about seeking understanding and wisdom together.

If you have got something to add, whether it is a scripture, a thought, or even a different perspective, please share. Let's help each other grow and learn, without getting upset or feeling attacked. We are all here to support one another in our walk with God. Thank you. Discuss away.

[crmsnmth-journal]

3/7/2024 9:06 PM

For a Thursday, it was a pretty good day. Woke up, had my coffee and morning cigarette on the porch, slowly cleaned random spots in the house. Went to see both my psychiatrist and my psychologist so that killed two hours and it's taken a long time, but I know how good therapy is for me. It's another outlet to get everything out of my head. It's like if I don't vent it, either writing, or therapy or whatever, the thoughts get all tangled and it gets overwhelming. It sometimes feels like my heads going to just explode into a shower of half-finished thoughts and brightly colored confetti. So I take therapy pretty seriously.

It was after therapy that the day could've turned horrible, but I'll be damned if it didn't stay on a pretty good track. I guess some background is needed here though. So my father passed away in January of this year, complications of a stroke and a seperate car accident. He chose to go out in hospice, rather than spend the rest of his life stuck in a bed. I don't blame him. But his death was the catalyst for something that had been building for over a decade. A serious anger at the very idea of pointless suffering. What was the point of the stroke if he was just going to die from a car accident? Stuff like that. My grandmother is another one who lets me vent, but she is extremely Christian. I'm agnostic at best. I believe in a higher power, but I'm not sure I really believe in a God figure. And her and I get into these weird theological debates. The last one we had was a few weeks ago, once again about the concept of pointless suffering. I may not be Christian, but I have read the bible, and I like theology in general. Religion is really fascinating once you get past the horrible things it's caused. I can hold my own against her. Because of this last discussion, she made an appointment for me with the pastor of her church. And at three o'clock today, I found myself sitting across from a preacher. I was there for two hours talking to this man about the concept of suffering. I asked why an infant could be born, only to die two days later of some complication. What was the purpose of that child's short miserable life? I gained a lot of respect for this man of the cloth today. He flat out told me that he didn't know. It doesn't make sense. He didn't try to feed me the "God's plan" bullshit. He didn't try hard, and he answered a few questions I had about Job's tale of pure suffering. The guy was honest with me. Sure, I didn't get any of my questions answered, but if even a man who's given his life to his God doesn't get it either, I don't feel so…alone about it, I guess. I'm still just as angry, and I think I will be for a while.

Also, I hate Jason Bateman so so much. For some reason, I put Juno on. I tell myself it's for it's amazing soundtrack, but what can I say, it's nostalgia too. Either way, I always forget Jason Bateman's in this and I just want to punch him in his face. With a baseball bat. And too think, I absolutely love Arrested Development, but even then I want to just push him down a flight of stairs. He just…irks me. I've tried getting into Ozark so many times by the recommendation of others, and I don't think I've ever made it halfway through the first season. Jason Bateman just looks like the guy who'd be an arrogant over-sarcastic dick-head. And I'm truly convinced that Micheal Cera was never supposed to be an actor. He just wandered on set and is way to awkward and polite to correct and it just became his life.

[sunshineandrosesnoraincamemyway]

Please tell me your plan for preparing for missions!

Like I said, I have felt a call to missions since I was eight. When I was twelve my camp counselor was a super awesome person who also felt called to missions and she was very encouraging (she's actually going overseas to be a full time missionary later this month.) Having her as my counselor made me take my calling more serious, so going into sixth grade I made the following plan.

Get very familiar with the Bible. See how many times I could read it all the way through before my fifteenth birthday. (My fifteenth birthday I was a week away from finishing my ninth time through the Bible) Currently I'm at seventeen times through the Bible and instead of speed reading the it I'm spending time studying and understanding it.

Similarly, read missionary biographies, study Church history, and theology to get a grasp on how God has worked throughout history. I wanted to know how other Christians worship and what differences in theology were presenting us in a bad light to the world

Go to every church event that I could so that I can hear the Bible being taught as much as possible. DNOW, camps, retreats, etc. Hear the Word taught and discuss it with others.

Serve at every event I can. VBS, camp, Sunday morning, etc. Being a missionary is serving others and sharing the Gospel while doing so.

Go on as many mission trips as possible to see what missions looks like in a wide variety of contexts. Covid messed this one up the most of any of these, but I was still able to go on several local trips, a trip to Orlando FL, a trip where in a very refugee heavy area, and an international mission trip. I'm now preparing to go on another trip later this month and working with the missions staff at my church to figure out a year long mission trip to go on for my gap year.

Learn about as many unreached people groups as I can and spend time every day praying for them

pray for missionaries, pastors, church planters, Bible translators, and the persecuted Church on a daily basis

Learn as many skills as I can so that when I am a missionary I have a wider range of skills available to open doors for conversation

Looking back, I'm amazed that I had the wisdom to create such a detailed and thorough plan. I haven't perfectly done everything on the list, and some things have been added since I first came up with it, but overall it's a plan that has served me well and I have prepared myself well for whatever the next step is and whatever training will come through that.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Atheists one year converged from around the world in the city of Melbourne, Australia for what many of the organizers called a “celebration of atheism.” So, atheists worldwide gathered to celebrate something they don’t believe in, as part of their finding “meaning” in meaninglessness!

The convention apparently became so popular that it was a sell-out.

Let’s consider some of the down-to-earth practicalities of what a large convention of atheists was trying to accomplish as they held this major international convention.

If a person is an atheist, and thus does not believe in a supernatural Being and holds a blind-faith belief (a belief that lacks credulity) that the universe and life can be accounted for by natural processes (which is is now, by and large, taught in the public education system), then what happens when atheists die?

Of course, from their perspective, they cease to exist and wouldn’t know anything of their past life. Most atheists believe that eventually the whole universe will die a heat death, and ultimately there will be non-existence for everyone. So, then, what is the point of anything an atheist will do now anyway, when there will be a time (from their perspective) of no consciousness—nothing to be remembered? It will all be nothingness. I’ve heard atheists who say that while they are here they want to accomplish great things to help future generations. But the point is eventually they all die and no one exists anyway.

Atheists may (subjectively) claim that they make their own meaning and purpose right now. But so what? What they decide is just a meaningless opinion anyway. They may claim (as some have) that all people should follow the “Golden Rule”—but, ultimately, why? And even if some atheists agree with accepting the Golden Rule, that is just their subjective opinion. Why shouldn’t others choose to have different “rules”? After all, if there is no absolute authority, everyone is free to make up rules if they want—if they can get away with it.

Today’s secularized era reminds me of verse 25 of Judges chapter 21: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

If atheists were consistent (and they are not; they are living inconsistently, borrowing from a Christian worldview, in a world without purpose and meaning), why even bother to try and impose their views on others? Why get upset with Christians/creationists? Why spend so much money to put up atheist billboards and ads on buses? What’s the point anyway? Ultimately, no one alive will know he or she ever existed eventually. Why bother trying to assist people in earthquake-devastated areas, for example?

Now, I totally agree that we should help such needy people, and that’s because my worldview is based on an absolute authority, the Bible—not just an opinion. The teachings of Scripture dictate that I love my neighbor and help them in their need. But why should atheists care? They actually have to borrow from the Christian worldview to care. In fact, they inconsistently borrow from the Christian worldview day after day to insist on any sort of morality or altruism.

Now, they can say it is important to be philanthropic, but from a consistent atheistic philosophy, why? If we are all just matter—mere molecules in the universe (and our consciousness will cease one day) ultimately what’s the point of doing anything—including gathering at a convention in Australia to discuss something participants don’t believe exists (God)? Atheists can offer whatever subjective opinions they want, but, ultimately, why does it matter so much to them?

And when confronted with logical arguments against their position they will often resort to ad hominem attacks.

Only Christianity and its teachings can explain the purpose and meaning of this world—and also gives the basis for right and wrong, good and evil, etc.

Ultimately, I submit that atheists are shaking their fist at the very God they claim does not exist. In essence, they are refusing to be accountable to anyone. They don’t want to recognize their sinful nature and that they are in rebellion against God. Furthermore, they don’t want to acknowledge that they are in need of salvation. Essentially, they want to be their own “gods.” They want to determine their own morality for their own desires.

This phenomenon also happened in Genesis chapter 3, where Satan came to Adam and Eve and tempted them with the promise: “You can be as gods.” In other words, you shouldn’t obey God—become your own god. Today, that remains humankind’s basic problem—people want to be their own god, and they continue to rebel against the true God.

Answers in Genesis is an organization dedicated to taking the message of salvation to all people (including atheists) and declaring that God himself stepped into history to pay the penalty for our sin so that a relationship with our Creator can be restored—and then we will live with our Creator for eternity. That is the true purpose and meaning of life.

And as the Bible reminds us in Romans chapter 1, we are all “without excuse.” The atheists who gathered in Melbourne were “without excuse”; it is written on their hearts that there is a God. For all their raving, ranting, and name-calling, these atheists will stand before God one day—and they will exist for eternity, though sadly they will be separated from God unless they repent and receive the free gift of salvation.

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them” (Romans 2:14–15).

Ken Ham

[exvangelicalrage]

I Dream of Demons With The Light Brown Hair

5/20/23

Two nights ago, I had a nightmare about demons. They were possessing all kinds of random things—clothes hangers, shirts, rugs, furniture. And I couldn't burn it all fast enough.

A couple of years ago, I dreamed that atheist-me moved to a new city and walked into a bar, only to discover belatedly that it was a bar for demons. The only way I could banish them was by becoming born again again. So I prayed for the first time since my Exit, and a brilliant blast of light banished all the pursuing demons back to hell.

I also have a recurring dream of wandering down a street and seeing a faceless someone pass me, and instantly knowing it is a demon.

And I swear the demon dreams never correlate to the evenings I spend watching Supernatural.

I do, however,  dream about demons more often than I'd like.

Honestly, demons was one of the weirder parts of the christianity I was raised in.

Because the thing was, I believed in demons. I believed they were roving the earth. I believed they were wolves disguised in sheep's clothing. That anyone around me could be possessed by a demon—especially non-christians. At least christians had the power of jesus to call on if ever faced with a demon. Non christians? Always at risk.

When I was 12, I read the screwtape letters by cs lewis. It's supposed to be an allegory about the nature of temptation or some such thing. But here's the thing: I was 12. I didn't know what an allegory was.

I understood that it wasn't strictly true. After all, how could cs lewis have gotten his hands on actual letters written between two demons? But I believed it to be a representation of the truth. And not the truth of temptation, but the truth of demons.

You'd be surprised where demons lurk.

For example, exvangelical-me can't do yoga. Nor meditate. Because doing so causes an intense spike of anxiety to rise up in me.

Why? Demons.

god it sounds absurd to say it out loud

But I was told that yoga & meditation open your mind to demons. Close your eyes, relax your mind, and they'll swoop right in and take over.

It's complete bullshit, but knowing how ludicrous it is doesn't stop the anxiety from boiling over every time I try.

You know where else you can find demons? Buddhists. Real tricky, those demons. They make themselves look soft and fat and squishy, so tolerant and caring and kind. But the moment you turn your back? They'll getcha.

You have to beware of pagan iconography and symbology too. "That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel." That's actually a quote from Doctor Who lol, but the point is clear. "That which holds the image of a demon becomes itself a demon."

Sometimes I'm surprised by the potency of evangelical shrapnel. Demons? Really? How could such an absurd belief still haunt me? It seems like, upon stepping away from the religion, the first things to be exorcised would be the most ridiculous ones.

But the thing about demons, is that in the real world, people don't talk about them. There are plenty of cultural messages saying, "Hey, sex is okay!" and "No, you're not a bad person if we can see your cleavage!" and "Speeding isn't a guaranteed path to hell!" and "People aren't inherently evil," and "Who the fuck reads the bible every day? Nobody normal, that's who."

There aren't, on the other hand, cultural messages that say, "Hey! Demons aren't real!" or "You know atheists aren't actually humans possessed by demons?" or "Satan isn't literally literal."

So the memory of the belief randomly pops up—surprising, unwanted, unwarranted. During discussions of yoga, Buddhism, playing music backwards. And in my dreams.

I guess this is just one demon I have to exorcise on my own.

[globalworship]

Modern Icon Workshop: God in plain sight

Spend a weekend with celebrated artist Kelly Latimore Icons in a four-day workshop dedicated to prayerfully creating art depicting “God in plain sight.”

Trinity Retreat Center, West Cornwall, Connecticut June 22 - June 25, 2023.

Register at https://trinitywallstreet.org/events/icon-painting-retreat-2023-06-22

Join Kelly Latimore, one of the most celebrated artists of contemporary religious icons, for a weekend workshop dedicated to prayerfully creating art depicting “God in plain sight.” Those who follow Christian social media have likely seen Latimore’s modern take on the centuries-old practice of iconography in recent years. Black Lives Matter marchers carried copies of Latimore’s “Mama,” a pietà icon, in which Jesus resembles the late George Floyd. Latimore’s icons often substitute figures from classic Bible imagery with figures representing the marginalized and the oppressed. Latimore’s icon “Refugees: La Sagrada Familia,” in which the flight to Egypt is interpreted as Latinx immigrants crossing the desert, adorns the cover of Pope Francis’s book “A Stranger and You Welcomed Me.” Latimore has also created a diverse array of icons of unexpected saints such as poet Mary Oliver, congressman John Lewis, and environmentalist John Muir.

This intensive four-day retreat includes icon creation with Latimore, who will discuss his process and provide instruction on technique. Amid the icon-writing, there will also be time for prayer, silence, and lively conversation. This retreat is suitable to newcomers to icon-making and experienced artists. https://trinitywallstreet.secure.retreat.guru/program/god-in-plain-sight-icon-painting-retreat-with-kelly-latimore/

Kelly Latimore is one of my favorite modern icon writers. He does a masterful job at connecting biblical truths and scenes with contemporary issues. I've highlighted many of his contemporary icons in previous blog posts.

[beacomer]

Work vs Toil

There’s a point in the linked “Good Faith” podcast where Andy Crouch contrasts the godly balance of “work and rest” with our common human experience of “toil and leisure”. This came up as an explanation for why we strive to achieve our work without toil and escape from our toil with leisure which is not the same as rest. This is so prevalent, particularly in our American culture, that entertainment itself is big business.

I love this comparison, it reminds me of a discussion post series I did where I proposed that the virtues and vices of a topic are unclear simply because we are framing it with the wrong “coordinate system“. Just imagine how confusing timezones, weather, etc would be if latitude and longitude were rotated by 30 degrees in both directions. To get to the North Pole we’d no longer be able to simply go north. While we probably can’t imagine a coordinate system like this becoming popular, we live in a reality where more abstract concepts, such as the meaning of life, are being redefined by many things including technology and, specifically, AI. It would be helpful if we all used the same framework to determine what is the ultimate goal of our lives.

Andy went on to contrast rest and leisure; however, what about work and toil?

God explains to Adam that the work he was given to do would become toil after he and Eve disobeyed. This is the first mention of “toil” in the Bible. Clearly, God was describing a negative consequence to Adam’s actions. Wouldn’t this mean that most if not all of us have a warped understanding of what “work” was designed to be? Even for those in the world that seem to enjoy their vocation (perhaps athletes or creatives), even that is tainted by sin both internally and in the world we live in. Can we really imagine a world where a 12-16 hour work day followed by nightly rest 6 days a week and a day of rest didn’t sound like a drudgery, … like toil? Oddly enough, do we assume that anyone who comes close to this must be an unbalanced workaholic?

I’m not making a pitch for longer work days and weeks, but rather suggesting that the common desire to work less is actually a God given desire to toil less in disguise. I think we have some people find less “toil” in their work, even in jobs that don’t seem “fun”. These are those that wake up early, “work” all day, and really don’t need to spend hours every evening entertaining themselves before going to sleep and doing it again the next day. These people are pretty fulfilled in their work and who weekly “rest” from their work by engaging in their relationships.

Is it possible to approach our work in a way that is closer to the way God did? Daily, He was able to find pleasure in the work done that day. He did not toil because He had to to gain the means to have leisure. With no bills or responsibilities, God actually chose to work for 6 days creating the world. 🤯