#and well. Jesus dies and it's Judas' fault

[scatterbrainedart]

Guess who just found the clip of Con O'Neill talking about how Taika Waititi said that Ed's and Izzy's relationship are like Jesus' and Judas' in Jesus Christ Superstar? THIS GUYYY

[gurggggleburgle]

I would like to make the joke that this winter you could sacriligously call Shen Yuan a Jesus figure who deserves a spot on your mantle and tree.

And why would we say that?

1) Father Son and Holy Spirit

Okay so we acknowledge the very real fact that Airplane is God of this world and what is the system if not an abstraction of the holy spirit? And I know what you're thinking how does this apply to Shen Yuan? What is his transmigration into Shen Qingqiu if not a Virgin Birth into a son of Airplane's writing who in PIDW is the narrative justification for all of Binghe's hate and also the eventual release of Binghe's trauma and corruption. Both a sacrificial lamb if you will.

2) resurrection

OK so while his deaths (for the sake of comedy accept big dick death) are all for binghe's sake in the end could one not argue strongly that these deaths carry the symbolic nature of self sacrifice, revival, and of course stigmata. The first death is of course the one that starts the novel where the humble Shen Yuan asks for absolution for the characters and the world of PIDW with his astute words of "dumbfuck novel dumbfuck author" in which he notes the fault of Lord Father Airplane and is born so he may die at the hands of his disciple who will ultimately betray them. His second death comes 3 years later and is the process once makes a statement of absolution towards his betrayer and to once again spare his fellow eleven other peak lords and and binghe who you can read as the 12 apostles. He then dies again in order to save both the world and in the process and absolve guilt and sin in the name of love and forgiveness.

3) stigmata

Much like our favorite anime protagonist from Saint Young Men our boy Shen Yuan experiences multiple cases of gaining stigmata. Stigmata in this instant referring to multiple injuries that Shen Yuan receives in one particular hand and visually in the animated adaptation appears to be the palm. Shen Yuan's hand which was used to read the sacred PIDW text and give head pats to his disciples was injured in saving Luo Binghe multiple times. In first gaining a deadly poison that seals his fate, then in being infected with a disease that ravaged the meek and innocent, third he gets plant spores that need to he repeatedly burned out of his flesh. These stigmata are symbols of his devotion and faith.

4) kindness to snakes and the less fortunate

In showing kindness to a snake Shen Yuan is able to restore Zhuzhi-Lang back to a more desired state much like the way Jesus cured disease. His efforts also resorted in saving the life of Liu Qingge who is restored much like Lazurus. These miracles act as proof of Shizun’s miracles. Proof of his acts as savior

5) god why have you forsaken me

Multiple times throughout the novel Shen Qingqiu can be seen raging against the system as well as Airplane which as we've discussed are both aspects of God. Jesus himself raged against God when forced to confront his own death and spoke of feeling betrayed and forsaken. The same can be said for the way Shen Yuan feels towards both his fate or and for the state of PIDW and Airplanes shitty writing.

6) throwing the money lenders from the temple

Honestly this is just an excuse to make a joke about Huan Hua palace and killing the old palace master.

7) knowing his own betrayal

A large element is that Judas's betrayal is not a surprise to Jesus. It is an inevitability he sees coming in much the same way that Shen Yuan sees Luo Binghe trying to kill him in revenge coming. There is an acceptance of an inevitable betrayal that both figures share

7) Gay

Much like Jesus our boy is gay and problematic

[whiskey-bumblebee]

the passion

Pairing: Matt Murdock/Reader

Word Count: 2139

Warnings: Matt cosplays Jesus because he’s catholic or something, blasphemy, NSFW, impact play (flogging, draws blood), blood, use of wartenberg wheel (not puncturing skin), PIV sex, female reader, no description of birth control, aftercare, bondage (specifically on a cross with cuffs), slight suspension, sub!matt, religious masochism, sadist!reader, minor consumption of alcohol by matt (not to the point of impairment), this is fucked up and dark thematically but nobody dies or is hurt

A/N: I’ve had this idea for so long and I’m so happy to finally write it down! There are going to be some minor inaccuracies compared to the actual crucifixion (e.g. Matt won’t die or be punctured, he drinks wine instead of posca, etc). I am aware of these deviations and they exist for ~stylistic~ reasons. 

“Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, sum ut peccare, mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper virginem, omnes Angelos et Sanctos, et vos, fratres, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.”

(I confess to almighty God, that I am about to sin, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers, to pray for me to the Lord our God.)

Matt clutched the deep red rosary, rolling the beads between his fingers as he recited the Latin. There was no prayer in the Catholic Church for sin about to happen, so he had to modify the Confiteor somewhat. Between him and God, he’d also shortened it. You might chide him if you knew, but thankfully you were unfamiliar enough not to notice. He was too nervous, too excited for what awaited to let the extra verses pass his lips. God would forgive him. Or He wouldn’t. In the face of what was about to happen, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Amen.” You said, noticing that Matt had fallen into silence as he knelt at the foot of the bed. 

“Amen.” Matt echoed.

Behind him was the small velvet footrest. Atop it, a glass of wine filled less than an eighth of the way. A wendenberg wheel, small and with points around the edge, blunt enough that they wouldn’t draw blood. A flogger. Four nails. 

You felt a shiver up your spine as you looked at the nails. Thank god they were just for the ambience, the scent of iron heavy in the air for Matt, the visual aid for you. You couldn’t imagine driving them through Matt’s palms. Even the thought made you want to take his hands in your own and kiss them. The safe word today, Judas, was as much for you as it was for him. You weren’t sure if you could stomach administering the suffering he had asked you to put him through.

“Are you ready?”

Matt nodded.

“Verbally, today. And the safe word.”

“Yes, I’m ready. And the safe word is Judas.”

“I’m going to try not to break scene because you asked me not to, but I’ll touch you gently to check in, okay? And remember that you can move your wrists towards each other to disengage the cuffs.”

“Yes,” Matt said, dragging out the ‘s’ slightly. He was already hard, you noticed as he turned around, walking to the wall where you’d installed the crossbar.

You stripped him unceremoniously, taking these moments to breathe and prepare yourself to bind him, flog him. The clothes fell in a heavy pile, smelling slightly of Matt’s sweat and cologne. He was left in nothing but his cross necklace. It was about to become almost ironic, the symbol reflected in miniature and life size. 

“Kneel.”

His reaction seemed so immediate that it almost preceded your command. He knew the story all too well. Stripped, flogged, the wine, the crucifixion, the death, the burial, the resurrection. He could recount the order in his sleep, although he wasn’t entirely sure when he realized he wanted to go through it himself. Certainly after he met you. He couldn’t imagine feeling safe enough with anyone else.

“It will be eighteen strikes altogether. Six, six, and six.”

Matt was silent. You knew this was part of what he wanted. He was entering a meditative space, reflecting on the sacrifice, wanting to fully experience the pain, the Passion. The two of you had agreed on all of the components ahead of time. You took in the wide expanse of his back, muscles tensing and relaxing as he settled into the position, anticipating the impact.

You drew a deep breath, and saw Matt’s back round as he did the same, and brought the flogger down on his back. Again, again, again. There was a small sound of suction as Matt brought his bottom lip between his teeth. He exhaled as you brought the flogger down twice more. His skin reddened, raising in lines where the braided leather had made contact. 

Wanting to avoid hitting the same area over and over again, you walked to his other side. Small mercies, you told yourself. You loved him and didn’t want him to hurt too badly. Although the strained sound of his withheld groans was having an effect on you...

Pressing the guilt to the back of your mind, you swung the flogger six times in quick succession, striking a higher part of his back, across and between his shoulderblades. The figure-8 pattern you made with your wrist meant less pressure on his skin, but a more continuous sting. 

He let out a soft ‘ah’ sound, his lips falling apart for a moment as he rocked forward as your last blow landed.

“Make the last six hurt,” He whispered. “Break the skin.”

“Okay,” You whispered, lifting your arm up and back. 

Letting considerably more of your strength carry the flogger down, the toy made a loud sound on impact. Matt arched away from it, but stayed silent. He nodded.

You hit him again, again, again. As you raised your hand, you noticed small beads of blood beading along thin abrasions on Matt’s back. Biting your lip, you moved your hand slightly further down again, ensuring you’d miss the area that was starting to bleed slightly. The last two strikes were swift, but no lighter.

Matt sighed loudly and stood, walking to the wall. He felt for the crossbar and raised his hands in line with it, waiting for you to fix the cuffs to his wrists. With his back to the wall, he had to arch slightly, wincing as his freshly-wounded back made contact with the surface. 

While planning this out, you’d opted not to purchase a whole BDSM cross setup, thanks to the relatively small size of your shared apartment, and instead opted to mount a wide plank with two metal loops on either side, each of which could support a single unlined cuff. This had the added bonus that Matt could stand on the ground most of the time, but allow his arms to hold his weight temporarily if he weakened. Additionally, you had custom measured the plank to Matt’s wingspan, meaning it was perfectly designed to accommodate his outstretched arms. The afternoon you’d measured it had been fun, full of tension as your lips were inches from his while you took measurements. 

You finished adjusting the cuffs around both his wrists, and double-checked that he could comfortably stand with his feet flat on the floor. Taking a step back to admire the man stretched out before you, you couldn’t help but smile at his body, at your mercy like this. It was a beautiful body too. Your eyes caught sight of the small cross that lay flat on his chest, hanging perfectly below his collarbones. 

“I thirst.” He breathed.

You reached down for the glass of red wine, and walked silently back to Matt’s side. With his senses being what they were, he could smell the glass, even hear its resonance as the air moved against it, given the silence of the room. 

“Take of your blood.”

His lips parted and his head tipped back as much as his position against the wall could allow. You lifted the glass and slowly tipped it towards his mouth, allowing the mouthful of wine to pass his lips, drop by crimson drop. He swallowed, and something about the movement of his Adam’s apple was so sensual that you couldn’t help but stare. 

You set the glass off to the side and stroked Matt’s cheek with the back of your hand. He heard the soft metallic sounds of the pointed wheel. He licked the last of the wine off his lips and closed his eyes.

Testing a light pressure on the back of your hand first, you rolled the points over your skin. You pressed a little harder, sparking slight pain. That would be the pressure you would use for Matt.

You started over his palms, using one hand to splay his hand open, and the other to roll the wheel down the length of his palm. Repeating the action over his other palm, and then kneeling to roll it over the tops of his feet and ankles, you felt there was something deeply meditative about it. Calm swept over you. It was all symmetrical, Matt’s body reacted in predictable ways, tensing and easing. 

Rising, you rolled the wheel up the length of his leg. His cock twitched. You breathed and picked up the wine glass before you rose to your full height. That marked the end of your work with the tools. You set them aside on the velvet footrest and sat on the end of the bed. Matt had requested a song, Miserere mei, Deus, a choral arrangement of one of the psalms. It was hauntingly beautiful as it echoed through the room. You would let the song loop two more times before untying him. At each high note, you watched goosebumps rise on his skin. He drew deep breaths, his eyes still closed. 

The minutes passed fairly quickly for you, as you let your gaze drift around the room, monitoring Matt’s reactions, stretching your neck from side to side. You knew that for Matt, they would last much longer, the lingering pain on his back as the blood dried, the stress of holding his arms aloft, the heaviness of letting his body echo that of Christ, the darkness. Along with that, all of the senses: the pain, the smell of iron and wine, the taste of tannins, the sound of his heart slowing as he meditated. The feeling of sacrifice, overwhelm, sadness, having been forsaken by the Father...

Matt drew a sudden loud breath, tugging at the restraints, breath becoming faster. Glancing at your phone screen quickly. you saw that the final loop was mere seconds from ending. You rushed to your feet.

“I’m going to let you down,” You whispered. “You’ve finished, Matt.” 

“I’m okay,” He breathed, breath steadying. “But yes, let me down.”

The final part, you thought. Death. You’d borrowed from the French here. His death would be a small one, la petite mort. He’d asked to fuck you afterwards. Nothing brought him closer to God than this.

You pulled at the buckles, letting his arms down one at a time, supporting their weight with your own hands, helping return them to his side, so they wouldn’t drop suddenly, leaden from use. He waited for a few moments while you undressed and lay on the bed, ready.

“Do you want this?” He asked, stepping towards the bed.

“Yes.”

Then he was over you like a sudden dark cloud. His hair, wet with sweat, hung in your face as he moved, lining himself up with your entrance. You were ready enough from all of the foreplay, all of the waiting, taking in his naked, perfect form.

He’d warned you in advance that he wouldn’t last, that he wouldn’t be mentally present enough to help you come. He chased his own pleasure, allowing himself to be selfish for once, letting the pain and pleasure melt together as the wounds on his back opened, letting occasional drops of blood fall atop the sheets. He whined and groaned and writhed, pressing his hips deep into yours. He was single-minded.

As he’d said, he didn’t last long, and it was only a few minutes before he pulled out, painting your chest with his come. His breathing was ragged, and you could tell by everything about the way he breathed, moved, that he was exhausted.

“Matt, lie down on your front, I’ll be back in a moment,” You said softly, stroking his hair.

He hummed and moved to lie down, groaning at the movement. 

You returned, clean, with warm cloths and cream for his back, and tended to it gently. Leaving one of the larger, clean cloths over his back, you insulated it with a blanket to keep the area warm. You reached for an unscented body lotion and spread it gently over his arms and shoulders, gently massaging the muscles until Matt asked you to stop.  

“What do you need?” You whispered, stroking your fingertips over the back of his neck. 

“M’gonna go to sleep,” He mumbled. “I just need you close.”

You rolled him over slightly, just enough to slide your body between his chest and the mattress. He rested his head on your breast, letting his hand come to your hip, and fell asleep. You fluffed the pillows around your head and made sure Matt’s back was covered with one of the cloths and a blanket.

Satisfied, and somewhat exhausted yourself, you drifted off to sleep, and dreamt of walking through fields of clouds.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

5th February >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr 

on Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time.

Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the feria (Wednesday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17

It is I who have sinned; but these are sheep; what have they done?

King David said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes in Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.” Joab then reported to the king the number of people registered: in Israel, eight hundred thousand men fit for military service; in Judah, five hundred thousand.

Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people, and said to the Lord: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done. But now, Lord, forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have been very foolish.” When David rose in the morning, the Lord had spoken to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three alternatives; choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.’” Gad then went to David to inform him. He asked:  “Do you want a three years’ famine to come upon your land, or to flee from your enemy three months while he pursues you, or to have a three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and decide what I must reply to him who sent me.” David answered Gad: “I am in very serious difficulty. Let us fall by the hand of God, for he is most merciful; but let me not fall by the hand of man.” Thus David chose the pestilence. Now it was the time of the wheat harvest when the plague broke out among the people. The Lord then sent a pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died. But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord regretted the calamity and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people, “Enough now! Stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the Lord: “It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these are sheep; what have they done? Punish me and my kindred.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed the man to whom the Lord imputes not guilt,

in whose spirit there is no guile.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.

I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,”

and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you

in time of stress.

Though deep waters overflow,

they shall not reach him.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R/ Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.

Gospel Acclamation

John 10:27

Alleluia, alleluia.

My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;

I know them, and they follow me.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mark 6:1-6

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

————————-

Saint Agatha, Virgin, Martyr 

(Liturgical Colour: Red)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

God chose the weak of the world.

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 31:3cd-4, 6 and 8ab, 16bc and 17

R/ Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Be my rock of refuge,

a stronghold to give me safety.

You are my rock and my fortress;

for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.

R/ Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Into your hands I commend my spirit;

you will redeem me, O Lord, O faithful God.

I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.

Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Rescue me from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your kindness.

R/ Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

Gospel Acclamation

1 Peter 4:14

Alleluia, alleluia.

If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,

for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Luke 9:23-26

Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jesus said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[beauregardingmemes]

Do People Who Commit Suicide Go to Heaven?

J. Lee Grady

Last month, a successful young pastor, Andrew Stoecklein, ended his life at age 30 after suffering from months of depression. He left behind a grieving wife, three young sons and a baffled congregation in Chino, California.

Just days before his suicide, Stoecklein preached a sermon at Inland Hills Church about the reality of depression among Christians. He used the prophet Elijah's life to illustrate that even spiritual giants struggle with mental and emotional brokenness.

Stoecklein said in his Aug. 12 message that "we see mental illness on display" when Elijah hid in a cave and prayed that God would take his life. "Elijah, he pinpoints the pain," the young pastor said. "He acknowledges that he is filled with anxiety and depression and suicidal thoughts. ... Now that is something that we don't like to talk about much, do we? Especially not the church."

Stoecklein identified with Elijah's weakness more than anyone realized. He suffered crippling panic attacks after his father died of cancer, and the leaders of his church insisted that he take a sabbatical because of his depression and anxiety. Yet no one, including his supportive wife, Kayla, had any clue he would end his life.

What's ironic is that Stoecklein's funeral was held just two days before National Suicide Prevention Day—which was instituted to raise awareness of mental illness in America.

The saddest aspect of this tragedy is how some Christians view suicide. Because we don't talk about it enough, the church often is silent when it happens—or we give really bad advice to those affected by it.

The truth is that suicide is discussed in the Bible. Saul intentionally fell on his own sword, Samson pulled the temple down on himself, Ahitophel strangled himself and Judas hung himself. And the apostle Paul told the Corinthians that his trials were so difficult that he "despaired even of life" (2 Cor. 1:8c).

Here are three clear principles we must teach as we examine this neglected topic:

Suicide is not the unpardonable sin. I have been around legalistic Christians who insist that a person who kills himself automatically goes to hell. They base this belief on a narrow interpretation of 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NASB), which says, "If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him."

If you dig deeper in that passage, and look ahead to the fifth and sixth chapters, you'll see that Paul is not talking about suicide. He makes these comments about "destroying the temple of God" as he instructs the Corinthian church in how deal with an unrepentant, immoral person. In chapter 6 he reminds the church that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that they should not be defiled by immoral behavior.

Others have tried to define suicide as an "unforgiveable" sin. They say this because a person who kills himself cannot repent afterwards. But Jesus was clear that there is really only one unpardonable sin—and that is total rejection of Christ as Savior by blaspheming the Holy Spirit (see Luke 12:10).

Because God's mercy and grace are so big, even the sin of suicide can be forgiven. The redeeming power of the blood of Christ is so vast that it can cover not only past and present sins but future sins as well. Romans 8:38-39 (MEV) says it clearly: "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

You can't take the blame for someone else's suicide. So many questions follow a suicide—especially among the victim's closest family members and friends. Why didn't we see this coming? Could we have done anything to stop this? Is it our fault? Those questions are normal—but the answer is no. You can't blame yourself for anyone's decision to end his or her life.

We live in a fallen world. Until Jesus returns in ultimate triumph over the grave, we will still have to deal with mental anguish, chronic depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks and a myriad of other struggles. While the Holy Spirit certainly can give us the power to overcome these challenges, we will not know total freedom until we get to the other side of eternity. And if someone we love commits suicide, the Holy Spirit will give us the supernatural comfort we need to handle the pain and disappointment.

The church should be a safe place for people with mental illness. We should never make a fellow believer feel "less than a Christian" just because they struggle with emotional trauma or mental illness. Many believers are afraid to ask for help because they've been told depression reveals a "lack of faith." So they suffer silently. Then, if they slip over the edge and kill themselves, everyone is surprised.

Pastor Andrew Stoeklein's wife, Kayla, gave some solid advice when she spoke at his funeral last week. "If you are struggling, tell somebody," she said. "The enemy wants you to feel isolated, unloved and worthless. I'm here to tell you that you are loved and valued more than you will ever know."

If you are depressed, struggling with an anxiety disorder or thinking of self-harm, the best thing to do is seek help immediately. Don't throw away your life. Don't listen to Satan's lies. God has a way out of your despair, but you can't find it alone. Open your heart, be honest, reach out to mature friends and talk to a pastor or counselor. Run into your heavenly Father's arms and discover His healing.

[buggie-hagen]

Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Lent (4/7/19)

Primary Text | John 12:1-8

Dear People of God,

         Today’s Gospel reading is evidence for why we do not come to church to have warm, fuzzy feelings. Before her Lord, St. Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus with the finest of perfumes. This will not be her last time serving her Lord in this way. While Jesus hung suffering and dying on the cross, Mary would be before her Lord, our Lord. As Jesus’ corpse was laid in the tomb, Mary would be before her Lord. And, there she would anoint Jesus once again. (pause) Jesus knew this. He saw the big picture at play here—he knew his time to die was coming. Which is a reason why Jesus reprimanded Judas Iscariot’s uncalled for comment. Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.” When Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus, what she did was an act of pure devotion and loyalty to him. It was an act of trust. She is an example of someone who experienced the grace of God and her life beautifully reflected this. May we follow in her footsteps, as she loved and served our Lord, and as she understood what the Lord would go through to show us his love to humankind.

         So, we have the act of conflict in this story coming from Judas Iscariot—the one who was about to betray our Lord. Judas saw Mary’s act of devotion to Jesus and tried ruin the moment. He said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” If you read it on paper, this sounds virtuous. But in saying these words it is clear that Judas missed the point. He had no genuine concern for the poor. When he tried to put Mary to shame, he was lying through his teeth—for in reality he stole the money they reserved for the poor to keep for himself. In his comment intended to harm, he paid lip service to the poor. But he certainly didn’t care about them. It reminds me of something we all do, when our first instinct is to judge the poor. Surely one side of our lips will also pay lip service to them, but the other side of our lips is prone to indifference or malice. This rears its ugly head when either silently or outloud we proclaim “the poor don’t need our help,” “they don’t deserve it,” “they’ll just take advantage of our generosity.” Or when we proclaim “it’s their fault,” or worse yet, “let them save themselves.” You see, our words and actions are a matter of life and death. The Large Catechism informs us, “If we have it within our means to clothe a person who is naked and don’t do so, we have let him freeze to death. If we see anyone who is suffering from hunger and do not feed her, we have let her starve. If we see someone in peril and do not save them—though we have the means to do so, we have killed them. It will be of no help for us to use the excuse that we did not assist their deaths by word and deed, for we have withheld our love from them and robbed them of the kindness by means of which their lives might have been saved.” A heart that truly loves the poor, unlike Judas, is one where the first instinct is to show every kindness and love to others—especially to their enemies. Doing good to those who do good to you is no Christian virtue; but doing good to those who don’t do good to you, now that’s a Christian virtue. Even if someone takes advantage of our generosity, we continue to give our kindness without expecting anything in return. For, on the cross Jesus did good to us, even though we were the ones who put him there. That is how deep God’s love is for us. When we did our worst, Christ died for us. He did this to show is unspeakable love and mercy for us. He did this because of his great compassion for us. He did this because he knew we couldn’t save ourselves—even if we tried. Rather, without conditions, without strings attached, God’s love made known in Jesus Christ takes hold of us, lifts us out of the mud, and clothes us with his grace.

When it comes to the conflict between Mary and Judas, Jesus did not let him shame her. It’s not that he had no concern for the poor. But he had concern for Mary’s need as well. In anointing Jesus Mary demonstrates she saw the big picture. She saw the big picture when Jesus wept for her brother Lazarus when he learned it was too late and Lazarus had died. She saw the big picture when Jesus in his compassion raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. She saw the big picture when Caiaphas the high priest predicted that Jesus would die, and not only for the nation, but to gather into one the scattered children of God. Mary knew of the plot to kill Jesus. And, so when she anointed Jesus’ feet with her hair doused in perfume, she does it out of compassion for her Lord, our Lord. Perhaps it was a sign that when she used the perfume intended for Jesus’ burial, she was already grieving for her Lord, our Lord. Jesus affirmed her need to grieve. He said to Judas Iscariot and the rest of the disciples, “You will always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Indeed, God calls us to remember the poor. To not withhold our love from those in need. At the same time God’s work also is inescapably intertwined to his suffering and death.

We have the season of Lent to remind us of this suffering and death upon the cross. It reminds us to reorient our life in light of the love God shown us in Jesus Christ. We did not choose Jesus, but Jesus chose us. And in being lifted up from the earth, he will draw all people to himself. On his tree are the leaves of healing for all the peoples of the world. For you. Nothing will be accursed anymore, there will be wholeness. And, as we wait, God creates in us the faith that trusts in his grace. A faith that sees the big picture in life. One that follows Jesus to the cross. To his death. To his grace. The place where all people might be saved. I will end this sermon with a verse reflective of how far God went to love us. A verse St. Mary Magdalene could have sung as she anointed Jesus’ dead body:

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

[kessielrg]

[Mighty No 9] High

Summary: My only regret about not finishing Heaven's Door (yet, if ever) was not fully realizing in story how gay Leilani and Ray were for each other. And yes, they were, it was in my notes. After two years, here's something to rectify that. MAJOR time skip and spoilers for Heaven's Door and its maybe sequel: Leilani is 18, and Ray is “mostly” stable. Rated T for some slightly obvious reasons, title stolen from the Whethan & Dua Lipa song 'High'.

Rating: T

Word count: 2,427 words

If you like the story, please consider donating through Ko-fi or Patreon!

Four years. Four years in a prison for a crime she did and did not commit.

Her trial had been cut short by a small, teensy little uprising that she hadn't been aware of at first. Her friends, however misguided, did not want her in that jail anymore so they fought to make a statement. They were defeated by someone whose maker she had no respect for. It was his fault she had been in prison for four years, wasn't it? It was his fault that her mother died during the Trinity Disaster, wasn't it?

Thankfully for her, the youngest of his creations had sympathy for her and now she was home. She could pretend nothing had changed -that these past four years were unadventurous and spent with friends and family- but that would have meant ignoring what he had done to her. How he messed up her life. How he couldn't look truth and cold facts in the face to publicly proclaim 'Yes, I was wrong about everything. I'll take the blame, if only this once at the hands of a young innocent.' But he never did and he never will; that was how Doctor William Blackwell worked.

A small growl emitted from the 18 year old's lips as she sliced her apple. She wasn't particularly hungry at this hour, but she skipped out on breakfast and lunch so she figured she had to eat something before she ultimately skipped out on dinner too. As she finished cutting the apple and was about to place the knife in the dishwasher, the young woman heard a sound. Something, or someone, was walking across her roof.

She ignored it, just like everything else that has happened to her so far.

Eventually, the noise did die down as Leilani made her way back to her room. The sliced apples on a plate that she ended up sitting on her bedstand. What nearly startled her this time was another knock, this one coming from the balcony door. Leilani raised an eyebrow and went to the door. She didn't even flinch when she opened the door to a red and orange robot with dark tan skin. The robot did not look pleased, maybe even uncanny to the wrong eye: to the world, this was Ray, the Vermillion Destroyer, but to Leilani that robot was as good as a girlfriend to her.

“Well hello there, Lamb Chop.” Leilani teased, ushering the robot inside.

“There are reporters everywhere outside this prison.” the robot replied in a dark voice. “It's as if they're waiting for a reason to convict you again.”

“Don't act so surprised.” the human yawned as she moved to her bed to sit. “You're the one that started that little revolution.”

Ray let out a small growl, following Leilani before standing right in front of her and looking her in the eye.

“I'll never forget it.” Ray vowed before pulling Leilani in for a fierce kiss.

. . .

The trial had been put on a permanent hold once Ray had stolen the young woman. In the glory of the moment, Ray had listened to Leilani's suggestion of going to Maine, and it wasn't until after when the two knew they were safe that the robot took a good look at the young woman. They were the only ones in that safe house, after all, and there was nothing else to do but stew upon their decisions and watch them unfold. What Ray hadn't counted on was the human aging process.

“You've changed.” Ray noted, the idea sounding a bit idiotic out loud. Of course humans change!

“Four years in juvie will do that to you.” Leilani retorted.

“No. Not that.” Ray hissed. “Your physical appearance has changed...”

The human raised a questioning eyebrow. “What of it?” she inquired.

Ray said nothing to retaliate, instead moving closer to the human. Leilani's skin seemed more… soft, inviting even. Without realizing it, Ray ran a curious hand down the side of Leilani's face. The human closed her eyes and held her breath; for what was something she didn't want to contemplate at the moment, not if Ray wasn't aware of what she was doing, anyway. There was no way that Ray could tell that the moment had become tense. Could she? Whatever the case, Ray could feel Lei's body clench. Weird… that never seemed to happen before.

“Do I scare you now?” the robot questioned, tilting her head rather methodically.

“No.” Leilani immediately declared. She hesitated for a moment, but she then added, “But I… I'd really like it if you… if you'd...”

“What?” Ray now demanded. She was standing even closer to the young woman now- the thing wasn't even sure if she was breathing anymore.

“I… I want you to… to touch me.”

“Am I not doing that already?” Ray growled, not seeing the point. Leilani's cheeks flushed such a deep shade of red that the robot wondered if it was normal. In feeling the increasing pulse rate of the human, it was likely that the answer was 'no.'

“In… intimately.” the young woman finally said. “I want you to… to touch me, intimately. Like… Like a kiss.”

“A kiss?”

Leilani swallowed back dry saliva as she gave a small nod. Ray cocked a curious eyebrow at this suggestion. The robot knew what kisses were, of course, first introduced to the concept four years prior by Leilani herself. Hmm… Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss…

Taking the decision to heart, Ray leaned forward just slightly and pressed her lips against the human's. They both immediately reeled backwards in surprise at the shock that passed through them. But Ray wasn't finished her investigation of the matter yet, she pulled Leilani into another kiss and pushed past that initial shock. Holding them there for quite some time, Ray pulled them away after some seconds had passed. She had learned what she wanted from the kiss, and it had left her… underwhelmed.

“You taste… different.” observed the Vermillion Destroyer in some way to say something about the current situation.

“That's because I'm not made out of xels.” Leilani teased. Ray growled before going in for a much deeper kiss this time. The taste of this young woman… it was indescribable. Not as filling as a xel, of course, but it seemed so much more alluring…

With each passing moment Ray was craving more and more of this woman. Her hands firmly griped at Leilani's waist, bringing her closer to Ray herself. The human retaliated by wrapping her arms around Ray's neck- she liked this, but it wasn't enough. There must have been something, anything, to make this growing desire be fulfilled. But what?

“Raychel...” Leilani gasped when she had the breath to do so. Hearing her name through the young woman's lips caused the robot to immediate freeze. That tone… It was different. It was new.

“What?”

Leilani, in between excited gasps, questioned to the robot, “Do you… do you know what lust is?”

. . .

Ray watched as Lei softly slept on her bed, properly tired from their… activities. The Vermillion Destroyer titled her head at the human; Leilani laid in such a way that made Ray notice her more womanly figure again. The thought of touching the human's rib and sliding her hand down to the hip made Ray flinch. Instead, the android got off of the human's bed and did the most menial thing she never would have considered doing otherwise; getting the mail.

Such an odd activity this was- thankfully the mail box was near the front door and not across the street, not that the Blaise family had much in way of neighbors in this area; not even paparazzi seemed to venture that far. As she went back inside, Ray looked at the mail to see what was delivered: a paid magazine for robotic creations showcased at the Battle Colosseum, some small adverts for local food joints, and a letter addressed to Leilani herself. Ray took an interest in this letter, now taking a closer look at the sender address.

SANDA Technologies, United States of America Division

Pleasanton California

She hadn't been aware of it, but Ray had stormed back to Leilani's bedroom. With the letter being crushed in one hand, Ray shook the human awake.

“Hmm…?” the flower slurred as she finally came to. “What's wrong?”

The Vermillion Destroyer did not answer directly, instead she presented the letter to Leilani. The human attempted to sit up, but opted against it, and took the letter from the robot. The first thing she noticed was the sender, a grimace painted itself on her face before she opened the letter. As she read its contents, her expression changed to a softer one but it still held some amount of disgust. Once she was done reading, she carelessly tossed the letter aside and flopped back on her bed.

“Magnus is fighting in the Colosseum soon.” she explained to Ray. “Sanda wants me to come for the match.”

“Why?” the robot immediately questioned.

“I don't know.” the human said, rolling over to her side. “Because it's been six months since the trial? Because he wants to see how the crowd will react when a child convict makes a public appearance? It's not like I have a choice- it's part of the sentence that the jury hath wrought upon me.”

“You're not going alone.”

Lei looked over at Ray. The robot had been firm in saying so, and although Leilani wasn't going to go alone anyway, the request had been genuine.

“You can't enter the Colosseum.” Lei reminded the Vermillion Destroyer.

“I'm aware.” came the prudent answer. At this, the human cocked an eyebrow in skepticism.

And just as she suspected, Ray started to backpedal on the idea once the day came. Sanda hadn't come yet, so the two hid themselves in an alleyway.

“I don't want you here.” Ray told the human with a growl. “We don't belong here.”

“Raychel,” Leilani softly purred, knowing this game all too well by now, “You know why I'm here and what it means to Magnus. You're not my only android friend you know...”

Ray gave another growl before forcing the human into an assertive kiss. With that last bit of defiance, the Vermillion Destroyer dashed out of sight. Leilani let out a sigh before adjusting herself a bit more to be scrutinized by the spectators in the colosseum today. Her head held high and a blank expression, Leilani entered the colosseum.

Ray knew her usual place in the Colosseum- high above everyone else in the rafters where only the birds tended to roost. From here, Ray could soak up any loose xel that came off the contestants. But most importantly, she could keep tabs on her flower as well. From here she could see all the nasty stares Leilani received from the other spectators; some even paid more attention to the flower than on the match itself. Justifiably so, but they did not stare because they found her as fascinating as Ray found her. They stared because they believed she was a public menace.

“And now the bot you've all been waiting for!” the announcer boomed over the speakers, “Mighty Number 9, BECK!!”

At the same time, both Ray and Leilani got an awful shock of disgust. Small and timid, said Mighty Number walked out into the main colosseum, waving at the crowd and blushing at the mere sight of so many spectators in the stands. Then Ray's processors froze when she realized that the Predator had located and stared directly at the flower in the stands. She could even see, so perfectly well, that the two had made direct eye contact and held it for an uncomfortable amount of time. The Predator's face paled; he knew. He knew what his family had done to the flower's life.

Beck shook his head, remembering where he was and what he was about to do, and allowed the match to continue on. He won the fight -no surprise from either Ray or Leilani- as waved at everyone as they cheered praise and threw various things at his feet. One thing in particular, a bouquet of roses, was caught by Beck and for a moment, he stood there as if he had never encountered a bouquet before. Beck looked back up at the stands before slowly starting to work his way over to the spectators.

The Vermillion Destroyer watched with increasing fury as the Predator made his way toward the flower, making his intent known by the paling in his face. What stopped the robot from doing down to destroy the Predator herself was Leilani's own frosty attitude toward the approaching Mighty Number.

Once he was close enough, Beck humbly offered the bouquet to Leilani. With his head bowed he tried to give an apology, but the spectators near the two had gotten louder- some were mad that he was giving the bouquet to her, others just wanted Beck's attention. Leilani refused the bouquet but Beck kept insisting she take them; his eyes held a desperate need to apologize, but hers were frosty and unwavering.

Perhaps knowing this made Leilani finally accept the bouquet; it wasn't Beck they were mad at, after all. The youngest Mighty Number gave her a small bow of thanks and quickly made his way out of the stands. When the crowd was allowed to leave the stands, Leilani tossed the flowers in the nearest trash receptacle, not caring in the slightest on who saw her. Ray looked on with a certain glee- she vowed that the next time she and the flower met up, she was going to give her gratitude quite generously.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long.

Leilani had to talk with Sanda after the match, but once she was finished with him she returned to the alleyway where Ray had been waiting. Immediately, the robot pinned the flower to the wall.

“He tried to apologize…” Ray mumbled as she buried herself in Lei's neck. “But you didn't listen.”

“Nope.”

“He thought he could make it better?” continued to bot, now trailing her lips across the human's collarbone for a certain spot.

“Never.” Leilani murmured, fidgeting slightly to help Ray.

“I'll kill anyone that gets near you.”

Leilani let out a gasp as Ray bit into her neck. The rush of pain mixed with adoration made the young woman moan. Regaining her composure as the Vermillion Destroyer lapped up the blood, Leilani replied with a soft, rather dark tone, “Good.”

[pamphletstoinspire]

The Church's Year - INSTRUCTION ON THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

At the Introit pray with the priest for brotherly love and for protection against our enemies within and without:

INTROIT God in his holy place; God, who maketh men of one mind to dwell in a house: he shall give power and strength to his people. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and let them that hate him flee from before His face. (Ps. LXVII.) Glory etc.

COLLECT Almighty, everlasting God, who, in the abundance of Thy loving kindness, dost exceed both the merits and desires of Thy suppliants; pour down upon us Thy mercy, that thou mayest forgive those things of which our conscience is afraid, and grant us those things which our prayer ventures not to ask. Through...

EPISTLE (i Cor. XV. 1-10.) Brethren, I make known unto you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand: by which also you are saved: if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures: and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven. Then was he seen by more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom many remain until this present, and some are fallen asleep. After that he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God; but by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace in me hath not been void.

INSTRUCTION I. St. Paul warns the Corinthians against those who denied the Resurrection of Christ and exhorts them to persevere in the faith which they have received, and to live in accordance with the same. Learn from this to persevere firmly in the one, only saving Catholic faith, which is the same that Paul preached.

II. In this epistle to the Corinthians St. Paul gives us a beautiful example of humility. Because of the sins he had committed before his conversion, he calls himself one born out of due time, the least of the apostles, and not worthy of being called an apostle, although he had labored much in the service of Christ. He ascribes it to God's grace that he was what he was. Thus speaks the truly humble man: he sees in himself nothing but weakness, sin, and evil, and therefore despises himself and is therefore willing to be despised by others. The good which he professes or practices, he ascribes to God, to whom he refers all the honor. Endeavor, too, O Christian soul, to attain such humility. You have far more reason to do so than had St. Paul, because of the sins which you have committed since your baptism, the graces which you have abused, and the inactive, useless life you have led.

ASPIRATION Banish from me, O most loving Saviour, the spirit of pride, and grant me the necessary grace of humility. Let me realize that of myself I can do nothing, and that all my power to effect any good, comes from Thee alone who alone workest in us to will and to accomplish.

GOSPEL (Mark vii. 3I-37.) At that time, Jesus going out of the coast of Tyre, came by Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coast of Decapolis. And they bring to him one deaf and dumb, and they besought him that he would lay his hand upon him. And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue: and looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him, Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened: and immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right. And he charged them that they should tell no man; but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it, and so much the more did they wonder, saying: He hath done all things well: he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Whom may we understand by the deaf and dumb man?

Those who desire neither to hear nor to speak of things concerning salvation.

Why did Christ take the deaf and dumb man aside?

To teach us that he who wishes to live piously and be comforted, must avoid the noisy world and dangerous society, and love solitude, for there God speaks to the heart. (Osee ii. i4.)

Why did Christ forbid them to mention this miracle?

That we might learn to fly from the praise of vain and fickle men.

What do we learn from those who brought the deaf and dumb man to Jesus, and notwithstanding the prohibition, made known the miracle?

That in want and sicknesswe should kindly assist our neighbor, and not neglect to announce and praise the works of God, for God works His miracles that His goodness and omnipotence may be known and honored.

SUPPLICATION O Lord Jesus, who during Thy life on earth, didst cure the sick and the infirm, open my ears that they may listen to Thy will, and loosen my tongue that I may honor and announce Thy works. Take away from me, O most bountiful Jesus, the desire for human praise, that I may not be led to reveal my good works, and thus lose the reward of my Heavenly Father. (Matt. vi. I.) .

ON RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES

What are ceremonies?

Religious ceremonies are certain forms and usages, prescribed for divine service, for the increase of devotion, and the edification of our fellow-men; they represent externally and visibly the interior feelings of man.

Why do we make use of ceremonies in our service?

That we may serve God not only inwardly with the soul, but outwardly with the body by external devotion; that we may keep our attention fixed, increase our devotion, and edify others; that by these external things we may be raised to the contemplation of divine, inward things. (Trid. .Sess. 22.)

Are ceremonies founded on Scripture?

They are; for besides those which Christ used, as related in this day's gospel, in regard to the deaf and dumb man, He has also made use of other and different ceremonies: as, when He blessed bread and fishes; (Matt. xv. 36.) when He spread clay upon the eyes of a blind man; (John ix. 6.) when He prayed on bended knees; (Luke xxii. q.i.) when He fell upon His face to pray; (Matt. xxvi, 39.) when He breathed upon His disciples, imparting to them the Holy Ghost; (John xx. 22.) and finally, when He blessed them with uplifted hands before ascending into heaven. (Luke xxiv. 30.) Likewise in the Old Law various ceremonies were prescribed for the Jews, of which indeed in the New Law the greater number have been abolished; others, however, have been retained, and new ones added. If, therefore, the enemies of the Church contend that ceremonies are superfluous, since Christ Himself reproached the Jews for their ceremonial observances, and said: God must be adored in spirit and in truth, we may, without mentioning that Christ Himself made use of certain ceremonies, answer, that He did not find fault with their use, but only with the intention of the Jews. They observed every ceremony most scrupulously, without at the same time entertaining pious sentiments in the heart, and whilst they dared not under any circumstances omit even the least ceremony, they scrupled not to oppress and defraud their neighbor. Therefore Christ says: God must be adored in spirit and in truth, that is, in the innermost heart, and not in external appearances only. -Do not, therefore, let the objections, nor the scoffs and sneers of the enemies of our Church confound you, but seek to know the spirit and meaning of each ceremony, and impress them on your heart, and then make use of them to inflame your piety, to glorify God, and to edify your neighbor.

INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE ABUSE OF THE TONGUE

There is no member of the body more dangerous and pernicious than the tongue. The tongue, says the Apostle St. James, is indeed a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how small a fire kindleth a great wood. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defileth the whole body, and inflameth the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell. (James iii. 5. 6.) The tongue no man can tame: an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison. By it we bless God and the Father; and by it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. (ibid. iii. 8-10.) There is no country, no city, scarcely a house, in which evil tongues do not cause quarrel and strife, discord and enmity, jealousy and slander, seduction and debauchery. An impious tongue reviles God and His saints, corrupts the divine word, causes heresy and schism, makes one intemperate, unchaste, envious, and malevolent; in a word, it is according to the apostle a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue of the serpent seduced our first parents, and brought misery and death into the world. (Gen. iii.) The tongue of Judas betrayed Jesus. (Matt. xxvi. 49.) And what is the chief cause of war among princes, revolts among nations, if it is not the tongue of ambitious, restless men, who seek their fortune in war and revolution? How many, in fine, have plunged themselves into the greatest misery by means of their unguarded tongue? How can we secure ourselves against this dangerous, domestic enemy? Only by being slow to speak according to the advice of St. James, (i. 19.) to speak very few, sensible, and well-considered words. In this way we will not offend, but will become perfect. (James iii. 2.:) As this cannot happen without a special grace of God, we must according to the advice of St. Augustine beg divine assistance, in the following or similar words:

ASPIRATION O Lord, set a watch before my mouth, and a door round about my lips, that I may not fall and my tongue destroy me. (Ps. cxl. 3.)

[dfroza]

we are as breathing Trees

sprouting up in a body of earth, and it matters what we think and believe and do. our words matter.

A set of lines from Today’s reading of the Scriptures:

Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit. You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.

the 6th chapter of the book of Luke:

One Sabbath Day, some Pharisees confronted Jesus again. This time, they saw the disciples picking some grain as they walked through the fields. The disciples would dehusk the grain by rubbing the kernels in their hands, and then they would eat it raw.

Pharisees: Don’t You know the sacred law says You can’t harvest and mill grain on the Sabbath Day—the day on which all work is forbidden? Why do You think You can ignore the sacred law?

Jesus: Speaking of the sacred law, haven’t you ever read about the time when David and his companions were hungry? Don’t you remember how he went into the house of God and took the sacred bread of the presence—which, you may recall, only the priests were lawfully permitted to eat? Remember that he not only ate it, but he also gave it to his companions? Likewise, the Son of Man has authority over the Sabbath.

On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught there. In the congregation was a man who had a deformed right hand. The religious scholars and Pharisees watched Jesus; they suspected that He might try to perform a healing on that day, which they would use as evidence to convict Him of Sabbath-breaking.

Jesus knew about their plan, and He told the man with the deformed hand to come and stand in front of everyone. The man did so. Then Jesus spoke directly to the religious scholars and Pharisees.

Jesus: Here’s a question for you: On the Sabbath Day, is it lawful to do good or to do harm? Is it lawful to save life or to destroy it?

He turned His gaze to each of them, one at a time. Then He spoke to the man.

Jesus: Stretch your hand out.

As the man did, his deformed hand was made normal again. This made the Pharisees and religious scholars furious. They began discussing together what they would do to Jesus.

Around this time, Jesus went outside the city to a nearby mountain, along with a large crowd of His disciples. He prayed through the night to God. The next morning, He chose 12 of them and gave each a new title of “emissary.”

They included Simon (Jesus called him Peter) and Andrew (Simon’s brother); James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James (son of Alphaeus) and Simon (known as the Zealot); Judas (son of James) and the other Judas (Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus).

The whole crowd of disciples (including the 12 now designated as His emissaries) came down together, and they stood on a level area nearby. They were joined by an even greater crowd of people who had come from across the whole region—from all of Judea, from Jerusalem, from the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed by Jesus of their diseases. Those who were troubled by demonic spirits were liberated.

Everyone wanted to touch Jesus because when they did, power emanated from Him and they were healed. He looked across the faces of His disciples.

Jesus: All you who are poor, you are blessed

for the kingdom of God belongs to you.

All you who are hungry now, you are blessed

for your hunger will be satisfied.

All you who weep now, you are blessed

for you shall laugh!

When people hate you,

when they exclude you

and insult you

and write you off as evil

on account of the Son of Man, you are blessed.

When these things happen, rejoice! Jump for joy!

Then you have a great reward in heaven

For at that moment, you are experiencing what the ancient prophets did when they were similarly treated by the ancestors of your detractors.

All you who are rich now, you are in danger

for you have received your comfort in full.

All you who are full now, you are in danger

for you shall be hungry.

All you who laugh now, you are in danger

for you shall grieve and cry.

And when everyone speaks well of you, you are in danger

for their ancestors spoke well of the false prophets too.

If you’re listening, here’s My message: Keep loving your enemies no matter what they do. Keep doing good to those who hate you. Keep speaking blessings on those who curse you. Keep praying for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other cheek too. If someone steals your coat, offer him your shirt too. If someone begs from you, give to him. If someone robs you of your valuables, don’t demand them back. Think of the kindness you wish others would show you; do the same for them.

Listen, what’s the big deal if you love people who already love you? Even scoundrels do that much! So what if you do good to those who do good to you? Even scoundrels do that much! So what if you lend to people who are likely to repay you? Even scoundrels lend to scoundrels if they think they’ll be fully repaid.

If you want to be extraordinary—love your enemies! Do good without restraint! Lend with abandon! Don’t expect anything in return! Then you’ll receive the truly great reward—you will be children of the Most High—for God is kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked. So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is.

If you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge. If you don’t want to be condemned, don’t condemn. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. Don’t hold back—give freely, and you’ll have plenty poured back into your lap—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, brimming over. You’ll receive in the same measure you give.

Jesus told them this parable:

Jesus: What happens if a blind man leads a blind man? Won’t both of them fall into a pit? You can’t turn out better than your teacher; when you’re fully taught, you will resemble your teacher.

Speaking of blindness: Why do you focus on the speck in your brother’s eye? Why don’t you see the log in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Oh, brother, let me help you take that little speck out of your eye,” when you don’t even see the big log in your own eye? What a hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye. Then you’ll be able to see clearly enough to help your brother with the speck in his eye.

Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit. You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.

What good is it to mouth the words, “Lord! Lord!” if you don’t live by My teachings? What matters is that you come to Me, hear My words, and actually live by them. If you do that, you’ll be like the man who wanted to build a sturdy house. He dug down deep and anchored his foundation to solid rock. During a violent storm, the floodwaters slammed against the house, but they couldn’t shake it because of solid craftsmanship. [It was built upon rock.]

On the other hand, if you hear My teachings but don’t put them into practice, you’ll be like the careless builder who didn’t bother to build a foundation under his house. The floodwaters barely touched that pathetic house, and it crashed in ruins in the mud.

The Book of Luke, Chapter 6 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 14th chapter of the book of Job where Job continues with his lament over life:

Job: Humankind, born of woman,

has a few brief years with much suffering.

Like a short-lived bloom,

he springs up only to wither;

like the brief shade gained by a fast-moving cloud,

he passes swiftly.

Lord, is this why You turn Your gaze on such a creature:

to bring me, a mere human being, alongside You for judgment?

Who can take what is impure and defiled

to fashion something pure and pristine?

No one! We are, after all, so different in nature.

Since a person’s life is fixed,

and You are the One who determines the number of his months,

And You set a limit on the length of her life,

and since they are incapable of exceeding Your decree,

The least You can do is turn Your gaze away from him until they pass,

so that he can enjoy his day like a hired worker.

You know, at least there is a kind of hope for a tree:

if it gets cut down, it may yet sprout again out of the roots.

And very likely then, its tender shoots will not die.

Its roots may age deep under the ground,

and the stump appear dead in the dry earth,

But even then it needs only the merest whiff of water

to bud again and put forth shoots like a newly planted sapling.

But not so with humankind.

The noblest of human beings dies and lies flat.

Humans die, and where do they go?

Just as water evaporates from the sea,

And riverbeds go parched and dry,

so humankind lies down and does not rise again.

Until the day when the skies are done away with,

humankind will neither awaken nor rouse from slumber.

O that You would merely hide me in the land of the dead

and keep me in secret till Your wrath is gone,

until a time You decide when You might think upon me.

If one dies, can he live again?

Through these days of toil and struggle,

I will patiently wait until my situation changes.

You will call out, and I will answer You then;

and You will long for me,

the work of Your hands, again.

For then You would still count each of my steps

but not focus on my faults.

My sins would be sealed up as in a bag,

and my crimes You would carefully cover up.

And yet while every crack in me is closely watched,

the mountain will slide and erode as the avalanche steals its cliffs away.

The water grinds at the surface of stones,

and the floodwater steals the soil away.

This is how You wreck the hope of humankind.

You continually overwhelm him, and he dies;

You alter his appearance and send him away.

If his children rise to honor, he does not know of it;

if they sink to humiliation, he is unaware of it.

He knows only this:

His body feels agony and his soul grieves.

The Book of Job, Chapter 14 (The Voice)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Wednesday, April 21 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible, along with Today’s Psalms and Proverbs

A post by John Parsons about truth in the heart:

It is written in our Scriptures: "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." We often see what we want to see more than what is really there. That’s called wishful thinking. We overlook much, and we often ignore what might challenge our own preferred interpretations. For example, we may think that we are trusting God for our lives, but we worry, we attempt to control others, we get angry, and so on. We have a blind spot regarding the question whether we really trust God, perhaps because seriously investigating what we really believe seems too threatening (John 16:31-32). After all, what if we don't really know what to believe? What if we struggle to believe? What if we are confused? What does that say about who we are? So we ignore the real problem (namely, our lack of truth and our little faith in God) and continue to think we are something we are not. We fool ourselves and trade a sense of “satisfaction” at the expense of truth. This is a common failing of human nature. During the Nazi years, many ordinary Germans refused to investigate reports of atrocities at the death camps because it was too costly to discover the truth (the same might be said about any patriotic citizens who rationalize the actions of their government regardless of the moral issues involved). By willfully hiding from the facts, we pretend we are not responsible, and therefore we justify passivity in the face of injustice and evil.

Yeshua warned that the time would come when those who kill others will delude themselves into thinking they are doing God a big favor (John 16:2). Think of how massively self-deceived such a thing is as that -- to murder someone as a so-called service to God! Many of the biggest enemies of the truth are often those who think they are doing God such favors.

Often, however, the truth “of the inward being” must come at the expense of heartache, for surely the heart must ache, tremble, and despair before it comes to accept the truth about its condition. This sort of truth is "existential," meaning that it is known only through the process of living life itself. As Kierkegaard said, “There are many people who reach their conclusions about life like schoolboys: they cheat their master by copying the answer out of a book without having worked the sum out for themselves.” Yes, and they cheat themselves, too, since they somehow believe that “knowing the answer” given by another is the same thing as “knowing the answer” of their own inward being... Kierkegaard continues this thought: "The truth is lived before it is understood. It must be fought for, tested, and appropriated. Truth is the way... you must be tried, do battle, and suffer if you are to acquire truth for yourself. It is a sheer illusion to think that in relation to truth there is an abridgment, a short cut that dispenses with the necessity of struggling for it."

.

.

A man who was afflicted with a terrible disease complained to Rabbi Israel that his suffering interfered with his learning and praying. The rabbi put his hand on his shoulder and said, “How do you know, friend, what is more pleasing to God - your studying or your suffering?” (Buber: Hasidim).

.

.

Note that the “inward being” (טֻחוֹת) refers to the “kidneys” which were thought to be “the reins” or the concealed (i.e., te’ach: טִיחַ) source of the will within the person. Interestingly, the word te’ach comes from the verb tachah (טָחָה) that means to “shoot with a bow,” alluding to the idea of inner Torah as a directive power. God wants purity of the heart – passion, singleheartedness, and earnestness – as we live and practice the truth. God wants “the inner parts,” the concealed parts of the soul, to be filled with his Torah, and therefore David asks God to make him to know wisdom there - in the “secret heart” - so that he might apprehend God’s truth and do teshuvah that purifies the heart. [Hebrew for Christians]

4.21.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

April 21, 2021

Opening the Ear

“Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.” (Psalm 40:6)

That Psalm 40 is primarily a Messianic psalm speaking mainly about the work of Christ is evident from its quotation as such in Hebrews 10:5-10. The psalm is prophesying particularly of His incarnation, as He says: “Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7).

Burnt offerings and sin offerings had indeed been required from God’s people under the law, but these were not an end in themselves. These sacrifices were meaningless unless they were offered out of a willing heart, obedient expressions of submission to a forgiving God.

That was the implication of the “opened ear,” a symbolic expression indicating one’s willingness thenceforth to hear only the voice of his master and to submit to His will in all things. If a freed bondservant “shall plainly say, I love my master...I will not go out free: Then his master shall...bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever” (Exodus 21:5-6). This was the testimony of the coming Messiah, as reported in our text.

Then note its application as recorded in Hebrews 10:5: “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me.” That is, the phrase “mine ears hath thou opened” is translated by the Holy Spirit as “a body hast thou prepared me.” The perfect submission of the Son to the Father required that He become a man, with a very special human body prepared by His Father. Then Psalm 40:7 becomes (in Hebrews 10:7): “Lo, I come...to do thy will, O God....By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:9-10). HMM

[thyvillainy]

Headcanons & Ambitions:

Heath tried to reach out to his father on several different occasions but who would want anything to do with a child they didn’t see as their own? The first time he tried, he sent multiple letters as a child. He’d spent hours writing them and then give them out to be mailed. Naturally, his father didn’t respond but Heath refused to believe that it was his father’s fault. Instead of realizing that his father wanted nothing to do with him, he blamed his bitch mother. He got it in his head that she was never sending out his letters. That had to be the reason why his father wouldn’t write back. It only made his resentment grow. Heath knows he’s backwards. The people he should love, he can’t help but hate them. God, he wonders if he had it in him to really hurt his own mother. 

In primary school, Heath was easily well liked and popular. With a bone structure like his and those sea blue eyes, he had a smile that caught the hearts of his female classmates and teachers alike. His grades were high and he played a variety of sports but he especially excelled in rugby. It was acceptable for him to play rough on the pitch where he could - for a moment - unleash the dark void that bubbled in his breast. 

That dark void always lingered, a toxic storm cloud that was always present. Nothing he did or anyone did made a difference, he couldn’t care. As he grew, he learned to hide it better. Still, there were instances where it revealed itself in the ugliest of ways. Simply bullying of some of the smaller kids turned into aggressive harassment as he grew. He had a pack of loyal friends but their loyalty was more out of fear rather than fondness. One wrong step and he’d turn on someone, destroy their social lives with a forwarded picture or simple rumor. His prominence and family money made it hard to hold him accountable for anything. He grew with money and a lack of responsibility. His attention was a fickle thing: here one moment and gone the other. Girlfriends were nothing: something to be used and discarded until her. 

There was something about her, something that eased that rage in his chest. God help him, it was the first time he truly felt love toward another person. He could feel that black hole in his chest lessen everytime he was with her, to the point where he actually started to become nicer. He could tolerate his mother better, he kept his violence in check, he wanted nothing more than to be with her the rest of his life. Everything was brighter, more vibrant like someone had injected light deep into his veins. She was a shot of adrenaline, a cure to the apathy. The moment she left, a world in color faded into one of black and white. He couldn’t find the setting to turn it back. Instead of trying to get over her, he let himself fade into the void readily this time. There was no strong emotion anymore. 

He came back more charismatic, more seductive, a lure to all. If only they could see the nothingness behind his gaze. Such beautiful blue eyes, they crowed at him and he allowed them to ply him with compliments until their voices grew hoarse. And then he fucked them. Sex, drugs, liquor, Heath was a package. He extended his lust to men as well, accepting anyone who would succumb to him. The harder they were to seduce, the more the thrill lessened the void in his chest. Hell, the chase was better than the actual sex and he promised whatever they needed to hear to let him in. Of course, when they let him in, all he did was just fuck them up, mucking around in their feelings. 

He killed almost immediately after Lucifer’s revelation. It was one of his lacrosse friends at boarding school. He was fifteen when he strangled Richard Calvin behind the boathouse. It was unsure how the fight had started. They were friends after all. Maybe Richard had called Heath’s manipulative tendencies out, maybe he had broken free, maybe it was over a girl but blows were thrown. Heath ended up with a black eye but somehow ended up on top of Richard with his hands wrapped around his neck and squeezing. His knees on Richard’s shoulders, he squeezed and squeezed until the life left his eyes. The life seemed to leave him and go straight into Heath, filling the void in him. He felt more that night than he had in months. 

Talia to Heath is, perhaps, the only thing he feels anything for. He can’t pinpoint his feelings. They’re certainly not romantic but he’s possessive of her. He sees her as his through and through. He’s beaten men who have dared to try and touch her, not out loyalty to Lucifer but out of the connection as the Noli. They’ve danced the same bloody waltz through history together. They bicker and they argue with ease, doing the most they can to get on the other’s nerves. The only real connection he feels to anyone is to her. She’s his other half in the monstrosities that Lucifer has created, the only other person who could possibly understand where he’s coming from, who understands the dark power. 

In his past lives, Heath has been many. With his considerably strength, he made a killing (pun intended) as a gladiator in an Ancient Roman arena. In the Victorian era, he had the luck of meeting and becoming the lover of Oscar Wilde, influencing the writer so that Wilde used him as the muse for the Picture of Dorian Gray - beautiful, arrogant, empty. Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet, benefactor and lover to William Shakespeare. A communist in Lenin’s entourage, sacking the Russian palaces. An accomplished actor and writer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. During one of his past lives when he was a street urchin in France, his parents died young. Stepping up to the plate was Leviathan. Leviathan raised Heath that life, taught him, loved him, sang him to sleep. He grew up interacting with demons without knowing it for a while. To this day, one of the clearest feelings of love he has is whenever he listens to a certain French lullaby that Leviathan used to sing to him. That’s the only known feeling of love Heath truly knows anymore. 

The Horsemen amuse Heath, more than he will ever reveal. It’s half childish pettiness and half absolute boredom that has him following their progress. They’re something even Lucifer can’t contain, let alone a failure of a God could. He quietly hopes they’ll continue, maybe they’ll bring the excitement that he so craves. 

Heath loves easily breakable things. He’ll break things on purpose all the time just to see them shatter. Crunching glass under his feet, feeling it disintegrate fills him with such a sick joy. He’s a bull in a china shop on purpose. Especially with people. Despite thinking he was one of them for most of his life, to knowledge that he is not quite human has brought up a wall between he and them. People are so easily breakable to him - both physically and emotionally. He’ll pick out the fragile ones, and toy with them, planting TNT in their minds and bodies just to see them break.

He went on one of those bullshit, feel-good-about-yourself mission trip once with his beloved girlfriend. He spent a week in Africa and when everyone talked about feeling pure and feeling like they were doing God’s work, Heath felt absolutely nothing like that. He didn’t feel like he was doing anything? He absolutely hated the entire week, longing to get back to his life but he did it for her. Never again, though.

As a novelist, Heath writes tales of the macabre and dreadful. Think Stephen King famous. Herald of Horror. He’s not afraid to write those “gritty” scenes that other writers might hesitate with when it comes to the detail of which they write. Think IT, Think The Shining, Thing Gerald’s Game. 

Ambitions

The tale of Abaddon ripping off the Archangel Gabriel’s wings has lingered in Heath’s mind since he heard. Angels, so infamously hard to kill, but not completely invulnerable. And an Archangel at that? They’re breakable too. Abaddon had ripped the wings from Gabriel’s back like she was nothing. Heath wants to do that. Heath wants to hurt an angel. He wants to see something ethereal and holy hurt in the worst ways. Perhaps not fully rip their wings off - even though he wants to - but to feel their bones shatter under his grip. He’s amused by the fact that he is stronger than them. He could do it with ease. Old man Lucifer and uncle Raz would never allow that - Heath suspects that he might still have some residual fondness for the angels having been one - but it’s a thought that he keeps coming back to. 

The nephilim are a source of interest to him. They are opposite sides of the coin but they would know better than anyone the identities that Talia and Heath possess. He wants them to doubt their purpose in their world - especially Josh. Josh - Adam and Jesus - is teetering on an uncertain line as the martyr and perhaps Heath can push him over. Be the Judas to his Jesus. He wants to gain his friendship, waxing grief to him about understanding the road that the cosmos had placed him on. That just as Josh had no control over being the martyr, Heath had no control over being one of the Noli. If he can get in Josh’s head, pull the strings, make him doubt himself and his purpose and his sisters, it’ll be one of his greatest accomplishments.

[nolimitsongrace]

Fear Opens the Door to the Devil

How to Overcome Insecurity and Low Self-EsteemJanuary 2, 2020

Has insecurity or low self-esteem been a lifelong struggle? It’s time to get free! Find out how.

READING TIME: 7 MINUTES

Am I enough? Does what I have to offer even mean anything to anyone? Will I ever be seen the way I want to be seen or achieve what I want to achieve? Or am I as small as I feel right now?

Do those thoughts sound familiar?

Those aren’t the only symptoms of insecurity and low self-esteem. Insecurity includes any of the following:

• Feeling inferior to others • Comparing yourself to others • Threatened by the success of others (therefore always elevating yourself rather than helping others succeed and advance) • Lack of confidence • Feeling unsafe • Guarded in relationships • Not knowing who you are (identity crisis) • Having a deep need for the approval of others • Always trying to prove yourself, your value or your holiness.

Insecurity is like a disease that consumes everything God has for you—and it is rooted in fear. Jesus came to set you free from anything holding you back—including insecurity. But you have to cooperate with Him to experience deliverance. Here’s how to get free of insecurity and low self-esteem once and for all.

1. Get a Revelation of Your Relationship With God“We receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” –Galatians 3:22

Often, the root of insecurities can be traced back to childhood. Someone who should’ve cared about you didn’t protect you or treasure you, or you experienced abuse. Or maybe it was a series of events that chipped away at your confidence little by little. Subconsciously, you took those feelings of rejection and stored them up in your heart and made them part of who you are. You may not think about it every day, but it lives there inside you—all the time.

Insecurity isn’t an easy bondage to break free from. In fact, those without Christ will likely carry it with them for the rest of their lives. That’s why insecurity is under the curse.

To be set free from insecurity, you need to get a revelation (not just in your mind, but deep down in your spirit) that Jesus came to set you free. Not only did He set you free from sin and sickness, but from anything—anything at all—that is attempting to hold you in bondage and keep you from living the life God has for you. That life is the abundant life—full of joy, peace, fulfillment and confidence.

You can read all the self-help books you like and even attend counseling, but until you get a revelation of God’s love for you, total freedom will remain elusive. Some people know God loves them and wants them free, but they hold onto guilt and feelings of unworthiness. They work overtime to be “enough” and acceptable to God through works—a list of do’s and don’ts they think will make them holy enough.

If you’re trying to earn right-standing with God, you’ll never make it. Galatians 2:16 says, “We have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

Insecurity will often drive people to perform for approval, but Galatians 3:3 confirms, “How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”

When you’re trying to perform for God or man, you’re missing it. Kenneth Copeland explains, “Performance orientation is based on the fear of rejection. And when you step out in faith and realize there is nothing that you can do to make God love you any less or more—that He loves you no matter what—it’s a wonderful, freeing experience.”

Get a revelation of God’s love for you. You may think you already have it, but if you’re trying to earn approval from God and man, you need more time in the Word and more time with Him. That’s why Gloria Copeland says, “The Word of God is the cure for low self-esteem.”

She adds, “The answer to low self-esteem is to get your mind off yourself, and see yourself as God sees you. When you see yourself victorious, you begin to see yourself as an overcomer.”

Spend time with the Lord until you get a revelation of who you are in Christ. You’ll know you’ve got it when you stop trying to impress others with your performance or your godliness, and when you can let the past go and focus on your glorious future.

Transform your mind with this 21-Day Faith Revolution!

2. Neutralize the Threat“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” –James 4:7

As much as Christ wants you free from insecurity, there’s someone else who desperately wants you to keep you chained to it forever—Satan. He will always be there whispering ugly reminders of what’s been said and done and reminding you of personal failures. All the while, he’ll be tightening the shackles that have held you back for so long.

You may feel powerless under the weight of insecurity. Still, the authority to neutralize the threat has already been placed in your hands. This is no time to question whether you have the strength to wield your spiritual sword—pick it up! Use it! Disarm the foe who has already been defeated yet keeps fighting anyway.

There is no excuse for allowing insecurity to remain in your life—and according to Kenneth Copeland, it’s dangerous:

“You’re going to have to get rid of that low self-esteem. All it does is open the door to self-pity, and self-pity opens the door to discouragement, which brings oppression. And oppression will kill you. I know because it dogged me for years until I got delivered of it.”

How do you neutralize the threat?

Refuse to entertain the thoughts of rejection and inadequacy the devil feeds you.

Talk back to those thoughts with the truth in God’s Word every time.

Watch for behaviors that stem from insecurity, and shut them down immediately:

Comparing yourself to others, including physically, intellectually, financially or careerwise

Criticizing others to elevate yourself

Feeling a need to impress others or be found acceptable in their eyes.

Pray and ask God to bring the Word into your heart until fear and insecurity are permanently dislodged from your life.

Get to a place where you can do as Kenneth Copeland does:

“My security in what I preach does not come because somebody told me it was good. And my insecurity does not come because somebody told me it was bad. I couldn’t care less either way.”

That’s when you know you’re free.

3. Pursue Humility“Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth.” –Proverbs 27:2

Now, wait a minute. We’re talking about overcoming insecurity, right? How could someone who feels insecure also struggle with humility?

Ah, yes. Well, it happens to be that those who are insecure are those who also struggle the most with humility. Pride becomes a defense mechanism against any more blows to their self-esteem. It says, As long as I can point out the faults of others, it will take my mind off my own feelings of inadequacy.

Maybe you’ve heard that voice yourself. You know, the one that says, “Well, at least I don’t __ [fill in the blank]” (think Pharisees and Judas). Low self-esteem is not of God, but as Brother Copeland says, “Pride is the ditch on the other side of the road.”

He adds, “I mean, this is right down in the nitty-gritty where more Christians are failing than any other area after they get into faith. More faith people fail right here when they bounce from low self-esteem to pride, back to low self-esteem, then back to pride again.”

The flesh wants to put up a wall and protect itself from further criticism and feelings of failure—it doesn’t think it can handle any more correction from God or anyone else. But that’s a lie of the devil. Facing your shortcomings and accepting God’s correction will promote you, not set you back. That’s why it is so important to pursue humility.

Romans 12:3 (NIV) says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.” That’s not for the good of others—it’s for your good. Pride is a blessing blocker, and it is unacceptable in the eyes of God. That’s why He resists the proud (James 4:6). No matter how bad you think someone else’s behavior is, pride is no better.

Gloria Copeland explains, “People who suffer from low self-esteem think about themselves a lot. You start to center yourself in pride and think more highly of yourself than you ought…and [low self-esteem and pride] both have the same result—they make you the main focus of your life.”

You may not think you have a problem with pride, but if you have any insecurity in your life, think again. Don’t be so prideful you can’t even admit to having pride in your life! You can get free of both insecurity and pride by pursuing humility.

Kenneth Copeland is living proof. Here, he shares his testimony: “I had so much low self-esteem in me, and I covered it with pride and ego. On the inside, I’m telling you, I was hurtin’.

“And after I got born again, particularly the first five or six years, I didn’t know enough about the Word of God. I didn’t know God loved me. Oh, I could quote, ‘For God so loved the world,’ but it wasn’t personal.

“I hadn’t believed the love. I’d experienced a little bit of it ’cause I got born again. But I hadn’t believed it, and it hadn’t become an intimate thing to me. That’s why it was easy for the devil to push me around.”

Kenneth was healed and delivered from insecurity and pride. He wants you to experience the same freedom. Here’s his advice to you:

“There is such a problem with low self-esteem. Well, that’s what you get when self becomes your esteem. You’re trying to esteem the wrong one. Forget yourself. Amen. It’s not about you.

“Quit looking at yourself through the way you feel, and begin to look at you through Jesus’ eyes. He said, ‘I died for you, my brother, my sister. I gave My life for you. You’ve been reborn. Old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. And all things are of God. I know you messed up, and I shed My blood for you. Now, you repent and judge yourself for it, and let’s get back in here and get at it again.’”

Watch Gloria Copeland and Pastor George Pearsons teach you why humility is a prerequisite for promotion.

4. Let God Dig Around in Your Heart

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” –Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

Maybe it seems like we’ve already done some digging around thus far, but this is different.

Here’s the trouble with insecurity—it only lets God come in so far. Then, it decides it has done enough, and all that’s left must be that pesky devil. Yes. The devil is a factor, but he isn’t the only one with responsibility here. If you really want to be delivered from insecurity—to be healed of the hurts that caused it in the first place—you’ll do what you don’t want to do, and let God dig around in your heart.

What is He digging for? The root. And pulling a big, old root tears up the ground around it for a bit. That’s the not-so-fun part of the process. But without it, you’ll remain stuck in neutral. True deliverance comes from letting God find those tender places no one else can—even you—and do what only He can.

(Learn how to be led by the Spirit of God HERE).

When you learn how to overcome insecurity and low self-esteem with God’s help, you are on your way to freedom! Don’t be afraid. Trust His process. Trust His love for you. Trust that His will for you is freedom, joy, peace and abundance. When you follow this plan, you can experience the healing and deliverance from insecurity you never thought possible. Don’t remain in this prison any longer. Receive your deliverance and go free!

Watch Kenneth and Gloria Copeland teach you why fear opens the door to the devil.

[gospelmusic]

DOWNLOAD HYMN MP3: G.F. Handel - We Come In Bright Array (Classical Song)

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

We Come in Bright Array is a classical hymn by George Frideric Handel. 

G.F. Handel has composed many beautiful classical songs. 

The great composer composed many popular hymns, oratorios, cantatas, operas, airs, and many popular historic songs that still resonate with people today. The popular "Hallelujah Chorus" was also composed by the great composer. 

G.F. Handel composed songs like "Then Shall They Know", "For Unto Us a Child is Born", "Suddenly", "Oh Father Whose Almighty Power", "Why Do the Nations Rage", and many other classical songs.

Recommended: Sunnypraise Adoga - The Reason [Mp3 + Lyrics + Video]

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

We Come in Bright Array is a classical music piece sung in Churches, and outside churches during the by choirs and orchestras. 

Basking in the joy of the yuletide, many choirs and orchestras also sing such beautiful classical songs at Christmas carols the world over.

Also Check: Sunnypraise Adoga - Spirit of Victory Full Album Download

Below is the download of the "We Come in Bright Array" mp3 audio by G.F. Handel.

We come in bright array is one of the songs in Handel's composition titled Judas Maccabaeus

Hymns are very useful in the life of Christians, as scripture admonishes us to sing hymns and sacred songs to God.

Check This Out: J.J. Hairstone - Miracle Worker [Mp3 + Lyrics + Video]

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Even Jesus Christ sang hymn with His disciples after the last supper, and before His departure to the garden of Gethsemane, where He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples.

From that garden, our Lord was crucified without a fault of His own, but the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, for "...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed". (Isaiah 53:7)

You Might Also Like: DOWNLOAD: Sunnypraise Adoga - Think On Me [Mp3 + Lyrics + Video]

George Frideric (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (or Frederick) Handel was a German, later British, Baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his act of classical music compositions.

George Frideric Handel, German (until 1715) Georg Friedrich Händel, Händel also spelled Haendel, (born February 23, 1685, Halle, Brandenburg [Germany]—died April 14, 1759, London, England), German-born English composer of the late Baroque era, noted particularly for his operas, oratorios, and instrumental compositions.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

George Frideric Handel composed operas, oratorios and instrumentals. His 1741 work, 'Messiah,' is among the most famous oratorios in history.

DOWNLOAD MP3

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Follow us on social media: Facebook: @hottestnaijadotcom Twitter: @wherehot Instagram: @hottest9jablog Click here to take a look at our posts on gospel music download or click this link to see all posts that include gospel music lyrics You may also like our gospel worship songs page which contains, the best, coolest and hottest Nigerian Gospel Songs, and Foreign Gospel Songs. Whatsoever is the mood, we've got you covered. Do you feel like dancing, rejoicing, shouting, screaming, or you're filled with jubilation because of the Mighty things the Lord has done? Then look no further, cos our gospel praise songs page, containing the hottest Nigerian and foreign praise songs collection, was prepared specifically for you. Peradventure you need the lyrics of the songs you are downloading now, just downloaded, or have downloaded before, our lyrics page is the best place to look. What more could be more helpful and entertaining than seeing the lyrics of your most favourite song before you, as the music unfolds unto the climax. Hey we've been there before, and still encounter it from time to time when the vocals get lost in the cloud of heavy orchestration. Are You a Classical Music lover, our classical music page, contains the best of classical songs, composed and written by composers like G. F Handel, Bach, Joseph Haydn, etc. As you listen to your best gospel song, you may also want to get some more insight and knowledge about the word of God, from eBooks written by God's servants, or you may want to learn something new or build yourself up in some way. Then our eBook Page is the right place to look. You may be in need of entertainment, and probably want to watch a video too. We understand that as well. You can get entertaining music videos from our videos page.

[dfroza]

A letter was written to resolve a difference in opinion

to restore peace of heart & mind to the new believers at a time when the message of grace began to spread beyond the Jews to whom it was first given.

Today’s reading of the Scriptures from the New Testament is the 15th chapter of the book of Acts:

[To Let Outsiders Inside]

It wasn’t long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: “If you’re not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can’t be saved.” Paul and Barnabas were up on their feet at once in fierce protest. The church decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to put it before the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.

After they were sent off and on their way, they told everyone they met as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria about the breakthrough to the non-Jewish outsiders. Everyone who heard the news cheered—it was terrific news!

When they got to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were graciously received by the whole church, including the apostles and leaders. They reported on their recent journey and how God had used them to open things up to the outsiders. Some Pharisees stood up to say their piece. They had become believers, but continued to hold to the hard party line of the Pharisees. “You have to circumcise the pagan converts,” they said. “You must make them keep the Law of Moses.”

The apostles and leaders called a special meeting to consider the matter. The arguments went on and on, back and forth, getting more and more heated. Then Peter took the floor: “Friends, you well know that from early on God made it quite plain that he wanted the pagans to hear the Message of this good news and embrace it—and not in any secondhand or roundabout way, but firsthand, straight from my mouth. And God, who can’t be fooled by any pretense on our part but always knows a person’s thoughts, gave them the Holy Spirit exactly as he gave him to us. He treated the outsiders exactly as he treated us, beginning at the very center of who they were and working from that center outward, cleaning up their lives as they trusted and believed him.

“So why are you now trying to out-god God, loading these new believers down with rules that crushed our ancestors and crushed us, too? Don’t we believe that we are saved because the Master Jesus amazingly and out of sheer generosity moved to save us just as he did those from beyond our nation? So what are we arguing about?”

There was dead silence. No one said a word. With the room quiet, Barnabas and Paul reported matter-of-factly on the miracles and wonders God had done among the other nations through their ministry. The silence deepened; you could hear a pin drop.

James broke the silence. “Friends, listen. Simeon has told us the story of how God at the very outset made sure that racial outsiders were included. This is in perfect agreement with the words of the prophets:

After this, I’m coming back;

I’ll rebuild David’s ruined house;

I’ll put all the pieces together again;

I’ll make it look like new

So outsiders who seek will find,

so they’ll have a place to come to,

All the pagan peoples

included in what I’m doing.

“God said it and now he’s doing it. It’s no afterthought; he’s always known he would do this.

“So here is my decision: We’re not going to unnecessarily burden non-Jewish people who turn to the Master. We’ll write them a letter and tell them, ‘Be careful to not get involved in activities connected with idols, to guard the morality of sex and marriage, to not serve food offensive to Jewish Christians—blood, for instance.’ This is basic wisdom from Moses, preached and honored for centuries now in city after city as we have met and kept the Sabbath.”

Everyone agreed: apostles, leaders, all the people. They picked Judas (nicknamed Barsabbas) and Silas—they both carried considerable weight in the church—and sent them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas with this letter:

From the apostles and leaders, your friends, to our friends in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Hello!

We heard that some men from our church went to you and said things that confused and upset you. Mind you, they had no authority from us; we didn’t send them. We have agreed unanimously to pick representatives and send them to you with our good friends Barnabas and Paul. We picked men we knew you could trust, Judas and Silas—they’ve looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our Master Jesus Christ. We’ve sent them to confirm in a face-to-face meeting with you what we’ve written.

It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be saddled with any crushing burden, but be responsible only for these bare necessities: Be careful not to get involved in activities connected with idols; avoid serving food offensive to Jewish Christians (blood, for instance); and guard the morality of sex and marriage.

These guidelines are sufficient to keep relations congenial between us. And God be with you!

And so off they went to Antioch. On arrival, they gathered the church and read the letter. The people were greatly relieved and pleased. Judas and Silas, good preachers both of them, strengthened their new friends with many words of courage and hope. Then it was time to go home. They were sent off by their new friends with laughter and embraces all around to report back to those who had sent them.

Paul and Barnabas stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the Word of God. But they weren’t alone. There were a number of teachers and preachers at that time in Antioch.

After a few days of this, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit all our friends in each of the towns where we preached the Word of God. Let’s see how they’re doing.”

Barnabas wanted to take John along, the John nicknamed Mark. But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia. Tempers flared, and they ended up going their separate ways: Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus; Paul chose Silas and, offered up by their friends to the grace of the Master, went to Syria and Cilicia to put grit in those congregations.

The Book of Acts, Chapter 15 (The Message)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 6th chapter of the book (scroll) of Isaiah that describes a heavenly vision that produced reverence before God, which is what the True presence of Light does in all of us:

In the same year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a grand throne way up high with a flowing cape that filled the whole temple. Bright flaming creatures waited on Him. Each had six wings: two covering its face, two covering its feet, and two for flying. Like some fiery choir, they would call back and forth continually.

Flaming Creatures: Holy, holy, holy is the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies!

The earth is filled with His glorious presence!

They were so loud that the doorframes shook, and the holy house kept filling with smoke.

Isaiah: I am in so much trouble! I’m ruined!

I’m just a human being—fallible and stammering.

My lips are encrusted with filth;

and I live among people just like me.

But here I am, and I’ve seen with my very own eyes

none other than the King, the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.

Then one of the flaming creatures flew to me holding a red-hot ember which it had taken from God’s table, the temple altar, with a pair of tongs. The creature held it to my lips.

Flaming Creature: Look! With the touch of this burning ember on your lips,

your guilt is turned away;

All your faults and wrongdoings are forgiven.

Then I heard the Lord’s voice.

Eternal One: Whom shall I send? Who will go for Us?

Isaiah: Here I am! Send me.

Eternal One: Go to this people and say,

“Keep listening, but do not comprehend;

Keep looking, but do not understand.”

Make their hearts hard, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind.

Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,

Understand with their hearts, and then turn and be healed.

Isaiah: How long, Lord?

Eternal One: Until cities are in ruins, the houses sit empty,

and the land has become a wasteland.

You see, the Eternal has determined to move the people far away;

place after place will be completely abandoned.

And even if just a tenth survive, it will be burned again;

imagine a terebinth or an oak; once it is cut down, the stump remains.

The holy seed remains in the stump.

The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6 (The Voice)

A link to my personal reading of the Scriptures for monday, june 14 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks at sacrificial Love:

Our Torah portion this week (i.e., parashat Chukat) begins with the words: zot chukat ha-Torah (זאת חקת התורה), "this is the decree of Torah" (Num. 19:2). The language here is both striking and unique, suggesting that what follows, namely, the sacrifice of the parah adumah or “red heifer,” is nothing less than "the seminal decree" of the entire Torah... However if we think about the meaning of the mysterious decree of the red heifer, we will realize that its ashes were used to create the "waters of separation" (i.e., mei niddah: מֵי נִדָּה) to cleanse people from contact with death (i.e., separation). To fulfill God's vital decree, however, required sacrificial love, since the priest who offered this service would become defiled (separated) for the sake of the healing of others... The Hebrew word for love is ahavah (אַהֲבָה), from a root verb (יָהַב) that means “to give.” Love means giving of yourself to benefit another person (John 15:13). The central decree of Torah, then, beyond our ability to rationally understand, is that God's love is so great that it is willing to become dust and ashes on our behalf so that we might find blessing and life.

Yeshua willingly became unclean on our behalf - through contact with our sin and death - so that we could become clean (Isa. 53:3-6, 2 Cor. 5:21, Gal. 3:3, Eph. 5:2, Titus 2:14). The pure became impure through His sacrificial offering. Because of Him, we have been cleansed from our sins "by a better sprinkling" than that which the Tabernacle of Moses could afford (Matt. 26:28, Heb. 9:14, 12:24, Eph. 1:7, 1 Pet. 1:2,18-19, Rom. 5:9; Col. 1:14, 1 John 1:7, etc.).

The ashes of the red heifer represented the death and sacrifice of something extremely rare, valuable, and precious. The ashes were mixed with "living water" (מַיִם חַיִּים) to reveal the truth that though the end of all flesh is but dust and ashes, the Spirit gives cleansing and life. Indeed the word ashes (אֵפֶר) may be rearranged to spell both cure (רַפֵא) and beauty (פְאֵר). The author of the book of Hebrews argues kal va'chomer (i.e., קַל וְחמר, "light and weighty"), that is, “from the lesser case to the greater.” If the sprinkling of water mixed with the ashes of a red heifer purified the flesh from contamination with physical death, how much more does the blood of Messiah purify the soul from that which causes spiritual death? (Heb. 9:13-14). Indeed, because of Yeshua’s sacrifice we are given “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,” that we may be called “trees of righteousness (אֵילֵי הַצֶּדֶק), the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isa. 61:3). Amen. Yehi shem Adonai mevorakh! [Hebrew for Christians]

6.14.21 • Facebook

Today’s message (Days of Praise) from the Institute for Creation Research

June 14, 2021

Others' Things

“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

Our responsibility is to think like the Lord Jesus, part of which requires “looking” (marking, identifying) matters beyond our own concerns.

Part of that responsibility is caution. “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark [same Greek word for ‘look’] them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). Another part is being aware of godly examples. “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample” (Philippians 3:17).

Surely that responsibility also includes that “we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Romans 15:1). And in cases of necessary discipline: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Also consider these:

“Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth” (1 Corinthians 10:24).

��Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved” (1 Corinthians 10:33).

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9).

Finally, written by the same apostle who instructed the stronger Philippian church, there is this gentle summary statement recorded for the struggling Corinthian assembly: “Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed” (2 Corinthians 6:3). HMM III